Berlin-Amsterdam 3

May 18 started out with so much wind and rain that we decided to stay in Sneek. We had extra time built into our schedule, so that would cause no problem. Around 10 a.m., however, the skies began to clear and we changed our minds. In a few minutes we were on the way again, and it developed into a nice day. Again we had fluffy clouds behind the houses along the canal (left). Later we were startled to see a sailboat coming across a grassy field ... of course, there was a canal running through the field (center left). That night we reached Lemmer and noticed that the wind was increasing. It turned out that there was a major low off of Scotland with worsening conditions in our area, and the winds were strong enough the next day that we could not move. The following day it started looking better so we set out again, only to stop after two hours because of heavy driving rain and wind. We moored along the canal in Emmaloord. We had dinner in an Italian restaurant. At right is the only place we saw the canal running through heavy woods, which we passed the next day.

On May 21, we stopped in Elburg after having headed south for most of the day. Again we were able to moor near the center of town. On one of the city gates there was a plaque indicating (as nearly as I can tell) that the town was founded in 1392 on higher solid ground (left photos). The next day, as we continued south along the Randmeere (border lakes) around one of the major polders (reclaimed land), we had partial sun accompanied by strong winds and intermittent rain. All of a sudden we saw a seeming endless stream of cormorants heading north ... there must have been thousands of the birds (right photos).

The major event of my trip was the opportunity to take the helm for the 16 km along the southern end of the Ijselmeer (part of the former Zuider Zee). It was cold and windy with a driving rain, and the wind across the open water made it quite choppy. The buoys marking the channel were widely spaced and hard to see, and there was a 90 degree turn about halfway across. In addition, we had to keep an eye out for the large freighters which would be crossing our path when we made the turn. Due to those conditions there are no photos of that leg of the trip. At lower left is the small island and tower that mark the entrance to Amsterdam's bay (left). Surprisingly, by the time we tied up at Six Haven and crossed into the center of town we actually got several hours of sunshine. The two center pictures are typical side and main streets. Moira, decked out in full canvas to enlarge the living area, was a comfortable place to relax afterward (right).

On the 25th, following the arrival of Darryl's wife, Barbara, we ventured back into town. On a boat tour we learned that the low barricades along the canal (left) were not enough to keep about one car per week from going into a canal. If you look carefully through the bridge (center left), you are supposed to be able to see a total of seven bridges if you are lined up just right. Most of the buildings (center right) have a projecting beam near the peak of the roof. Those are used to help haul furniture to the upper floors of the narrow buildings. The ferry that we had to take to cross into the city was free ... just walk on and ride (right).

To get back to the marina we had to walk across a canal (left). Barbara seemed happy to join us in Amsterdam (right).