I've been hoping Nick could get a short holiday for us to bring Rusty down to Belgium, but the project is imploding and now we've run out of time. It's going to have to be weekend dashes.

Spaarndam lock


This weekend we planned to get to Haarlem - not far, but the bridges are awkward. Railway bridges and occasionally a major road have very restricted opening times, so one can be waiting several hours. We have this problem the whole way to Belgium. So it was suggested that since we were taking the masts down anyway to get to Leuven, why not take them down at the beginning of the trip and save a lot of bridge problems?

We had to stop at the Rietpol in Spaandam anyway to get some bits for the diesel heater. While there we checked prices, and we're being hauled out on Wednesday. I'm not sure I'm ready for this, but it's happening anyway.

Rietpol, Spaarndam

So Nick goes back to Leuven for work on Monday, and I start preparing for lift out.

Better and better - there's an excellent market right outside every Sunday.





On the down side they start setting up at 5 in the morning. But at least we have fresh croissants for our early breakfast.

Yet another flat, booked for a month, sight unseen. Doing that makes me rather nervous, but this place
is lovely - parquet floors, wood panelling, ground floor and all mod cons. So we've booked for several more months.

It's a bit out of the centre, but there are lots of buses, and even a train station. Also lots of restaurants.

You wouldn't think a city in the middle of Belgium would have a marina, would you? It's the basin at the end of the canal, in the middle of the old Stella Artois brewery.



It has all the facilities, it's deep enough, they have space for us, and it's €100 per month. What more could we ask for? Slight hitch - there are fixed bridges on the route, so maximum air draft is 5 metres.

Is it worth taking the masts out?

The centre of Leuven has been taken over by the yearly market. It stretches all the way down Bondgenotenlaan ...





... through Grote Markt and up Brusselsestraat to St Jacobsplein, which is where the cattle market is held.

Sadly my tottering legs didn't get me to St Jacobsplein until the livestock where being trucked away, but I did see several different breeds of sheep and some knee high ponies.