Cruising In Holland: Day 5

I accidently set my alarm for 7 instead of 8, so we were up very early. This morning we had cereal and stolen apples. We took a brief walk through town and bought some hard rolls and some pastries at a bakery. By 9AM we were sitting at the bridge waiting for it to open. The ride to Gouda was uneventful, lasting about 1 ½ hours. At one point, while we were passing through farmland, David pulled the boat over and picked/stole three ears of corn – he just had to have it! Sorry Farmer again!

Holding stolen corn

We arrived at Gouda and saw a nice place to dock just outside the town along the river. We were heading for a specific marina but made a mental note about the dock in case the marina didn’t work out. We had to go through multiple locks and opening bridges and by the time we got to the marina we were in the industrial part of Gouda – not where we wanted to be. Instead of going back thru all the locks and bridges we took a different route around the outside of the town and ended up back at the dock we’d seen earlier. It was brand new, with electric and fresh water, so we were set. That is, until I tried to turn on my computer which had been charging all morning– it was dead. My phone had only one bar, so I tried to charge that but realized that the single outlet on the boat was dead. That meant no phone, no computer and no cameras once their batteries died. NOT GOOD! I called Locaboat and spoke to the service man. He needed to call me back because he was on a boat and not able to look at a map or anything. I gave him my number but right after we hung up, my phone died. At the same time a wonderful Dutch gentleman came along with a good knowledge of electric items and helped us. I went off to find someone to let me plug in my phone so I could call Locaboat back (I have a European adaptor) but David shouted that it was working. I was able to plug the phone in and call the service man back and cancel the call (he was pretty happy, I’m sure!)

At the new dock in Gouda

While we were there, another boat pulled up behind us. And the boat was named "Titanic". This was a pretty surprising name for a boat for obvious reasons. When I expressed surprise at the name, the captain explained that his boat was not named after the more infamous ship, but rather his boat was built in 1906. So it was the Titanic before the other Titanic! You would never guess it was such an old boat!!

Now we could explore Gouda! There’s a church here (Church De Sint Janskerk – or St. John’s Church) with beautiful stained glass windows, so that was second on our itinerary, right after lunch! We found a small café with outdoor seats and shared a mushroom soup (delicious) and had sandwiches. I had ordered “chicken fillet” and was expecting a chicken breast on a roll. Instead I got two slices of the cold cut kind of chicken, but I was hungry so it was fine. Then we saw the gorgeous stained glass windows inside the church. They dated back to the 1500s and were truly beautiful!

Windows in Church de Sint Janskerk (and next two pictures)

Earlier, we had gone to the visitor’s center and the girl there told me that I could use the computers in the public library, so off we went but I couldn’t get onto my email. I did get to facebook so I sent my kids and mom messages that way. We spent the rest of the afternoon buying souvenirs and wandering around. Today, in the square in the middle of town they are setting up a carnival!

In the evening we ate outside at this lovely restaurant. We ordered salads and entrees. However they brought everything at once. I think the salads were themselves entrees because they were huge! The waitress had to bring over a second table to accommodate our food! When we were leaving I got into a conversation with the two waitresses about the difference between Americans and the Dutch. She thought all Americans were like the people on Dr. Phil and Oprah, and was (happily) surprised that I didn’t know anyone like the people on the show, “Sweet Sixteen”.

Locks (Sluis) and Bridges (Brugs)

Frequently, as we’re traveling, especially going through towns, we have to go through locks or under bridges. Most of the bridges have to be raised for our boat. Some of them have an electric eye that sees us as we approach. Others are operated by people who either see you, or you honk three times. Sometimes you have to pay to go through, and occasionally they lower a Dutch wooden shoe for you to put the money in!

David putting money in the wooden shoe

As you approach a bridge or lock, there is a traffic light that will usually be two red lights. When they’re getting ready to raise the bridge or open the lock, the light changes to one green and one red. When it’s ok to enter, it’s two greens. The waiting can take as long as ten minutes or more. In a lock you enter and they shut a door behind you. I stand at the bow (front) of the boat and David stands at the rear. We each have a line (rope) attached to the boat which is looped around a cleat or other hook. As the lock fills, the water rises and you hold the line so the boat stays against the wall. Sometimes the lock is emptying water out to lower the water level and you hold the line in the same way. When the water level in the lock reaches the level outside the lock, then they open the other door and we continue on our way.