Winter Supplemental

      After we dinghied and drove away from Infinite Improbability for the last time, and after breakfast, we hit the road. As previously mentioned, we drove about 4.5 hours to Sebastian, FL and Sue and Al without incident. We unloaded the cars into their storage trailer and drove to Fort Pierce to our temporary living arrangements with Mike and Carol. The other Mike & Carol. Incredibly generous to let us stay with them for a long term stay. 

     Our first full day was research into the market for housing in the area and choosing a real estate agent. We were looking for mobile homes and learned these type of homes are handled differently than in Connecticut. At home they are real estate like any other house. Here they are vehicles because, in theory, they could be moved. Mobile. It does happen. Usually they are moved by bulldozers and other heavy, destructive equipment. Or hurricanes. Or tornados. Another difference is the agents charge a $1000 flat fee to the seller as commission and a smaller service fee to the buyer. There is sales tax to the buyer, also. Other fees and costs are smaller. Certainly smaller than Connecticut. 

     On our second day we put our chosen agent to work. But we worked, too. Looked at 7 or 8 homes. Tiring. Our third day we went back to the neighborhood where most of the homes we saw were located. Asked random people their opinions of the area and its amenities.  Mostly very positive. On our fourth day it was another half dozen homes to see. This time in Vero Beach instead of Fort Pierce. Saw some nice homes. And some not so nice. Common factor: more expensive, higher monthly fees and fewer amenities. On our fifth day we took Mike and Carol to our two top choices for potential homes to take advantage of their knowledge and expertise. Did kind of a survey/inspection in lieu of a professional (paid) inspection. Then we made an offer on one. The offer was countered, of course, but we did quickly come to an agreement without the acrimony of the boat sale negotiations just a few weeks earlier. 

     So, after five days, we had a home. Of course the details took time. Many weeks before it was actually ours and we moved in. 

We chose a home that was not real close to the water (like this one above is). They were more expensive but came with these extra benefits we didn't want.

     It is in a senior community with a lot of activities. It has two pools, a 9-hole golf course (wasted land), gym, pickleball and tennis courts and more that I've forgotten. 

Why two pools? The riff-raff (visitors/guests) are only allowed in this pool. Not the nice one. Both are heated 'though. 

     Some exterior views...

          Some of the details were a little weird to us. Getting approved by the owners of the land we'd be leasing is normal. A criminal history and financial history is mostly standard but a bit extreme. They also had to approve the home which is already in their park. Strange. We also had to prove we were married. We spent money to obtain a copy of our marriage license before they decided it wasn't needed because Carol had her own income and assets. Me too, I guess. 

     Getting homeowners insurance in Florida is a hassle, too. And expensive. Very expensive. Four times the cost of our Mystic homeowners insurance at one third of the value of that home. Plus we had to get an inspection of the home anyway. We opted to forego being insured for hurricanes. Or tornados. Or thunderstorms. Or someone with a bad cold with sneezing passing by. There was a tornado from Hurricane Milton back in October that damaged or destroyed quite a few homes in the neighborhood. Six fatalities, too. We are hoping there are odds against it happening again here any time soon. Hoping. Not being covered for wind damage saves a lot of money. A lot. But the saved money won't mean much if we have serious damage from wind, no matter the source. So, a lot of risk. For us, not the insurance company. Oh well. 

     

     While waiting for our closing date confirmation I started playing pickleball at a North Hutchinson Island public park. Pepper Park. Mostly good to very good players and within a week or so they got to know me and had conversations. I probably won't be back much as our new home comes with two private courts. Unless the players there aren't very good. As long as there is a mix I don't mind helping new players. Did it in Marathon. We also started doing a number of different nature walks in the Treasure Coast area. There are quite a few options for exploration as well as a lot of choices for beaches. Miles of beaches. Some have lifeguards. Some are at your own risk. Some are very scenic. Some are merely nice. Some have limited parking and some have full facilities so, as I said, lots of options. It's hard to avoid the beaches but I'll likely make a reasonable effort. 

     After a month with the Guays, we moved into our new winter home. But first...

     The closing didn't go so well. We were told the real estate agency could take the money needed for the purchase from our account by wire (electronic). No. We had to wire the money from our account. That's different. Taking money from an account (with authorization of course) vs sending money from that account. A different process. One our credit union doesn't allow. Wire transfers have to be done in person. Problem? Well, we are a thousand miles away from being 'in person'. A credit union nearby offered to be the intermediary. We would go there in person. Our C. U. would send the money to them and then we would wire it to the realty company. No. Not allowed. Many hours were spent on the phone exploring options. Offering solutions. Waiting to talk with a manager/supervisor. Pleading. No. It's 2025. There are means for face-to-face remote meetings. Ways to make secure transactions. Ways to prevent fraud while still serving your customers needs. No. Not for our credit union. No interest in serving a 50 year customer/member relationship. Hmmm? Wonder if we'll continue that relationship?

     We scrambled to arrange a flight to Connecticut for the next day for me. And rent a car. And drive to the credit union to meet in person. Grrr. Not fun. Also, it's damned cold in Connecticut. The high temp while I was there was 30°. The low was in the teens somewhere. Too cold for me to even look it up. Shivering too hard. We winter in Florida for a reason. So, I flew from West Palm Beach to New Haven, CT. (Actually relatively painless) Then I had to find a cab to the car rental place while standing outside the airport in freezing weather for 30 minutes. Did I mention we did not have Conecticut winter clothes in Florida? I barely made it to get my car before the rental place closed. Some begging to keep them waiting involved there, too. Information about their location, and policies, and hours were strangely missing from, or hidden on, their website. Fine print. On a phone screen. I then drove an hour to Mystic and some horrible pizza for dinner. Some time was wasted cleaning up after visitors to our northern home but it was good to see it after many months. A shower, a sleep, some re-winterization and clean up of our (other) home and it was off to the credit union. An hour or so drive. After a 15 minute painless meeting (after days of aggravation) it was just a wait for confirmation that the transaction had been completed. After about 45 minutes the deal was done and Carol (in Florida) arranged to get the keys. We had another home. I waited around, had lunch, waited around, took a walk, waited around, read and eventually went back to the New Haven airport. And waited around. The flight to West Palm Beach was easy and smooth until the last 30 minutes. Storms were over northern to central Florida and the air was quite lumpy. We got bounced around quite a bit and the landing was not exactly butter. Oh well. After an hour drive, I was home. Again. For the first time. It'll take some getting used to to make it 'ours'. Adapting. After a cold pizza dinner it was time (much later than normal) for our first sleep. 

     One of our first tasks on our first full day was to retrieve our 'stuff'. The things from the boat that we temporarily stored in Sue and Al's storage trailer near their Sebastian home. They drove the trailer to Fort Pierce, helped us unload it into our 'Florida Room' (lanai) and then the fun began. Going through it all and deciding where to put stuff. You would think that if it came off a boat it would easily be stored in a 1350 sq. ft. home. Well, it was stored anyway. 

     So, now it's the real end of our boating era. The start of a new phase of our lives. It'll be interesting. We hope. Snowbirds still, anyway. In a senior community. Half the year. For now. 

     We've been incredibly fortunate to have had friends (mentioned previously) to help us in this transition. Also a friend in Marathon still watching for mail that is straggling to keep up with us. Also many in (or formerly in) the boating community that offered moral support and encouragement. Fortunate indeed. 

    We assume we will make new friends in our new community but the old (I should say long time) ones will always be the core.

     So, once again, I say this will likely be the last blog posting of this era. Not much point to a blog about the cruising (living aboard) life when you no longer have a vessel to cruise in. More than 15 years of this blog has been posted. Who, besides me, has read them all? Any? 

      Maybe I'll start a blog about the boring life in a senior community. Maybe not. 

     Bye For Now

🙀😿👋🖖

     

     

     

Winter 24/25

      Our winter season started out very windy. For a very long time. Then we had tropical storm warnings. We were just outside of the hurricane Rafael zone. Just. We had some 40kt gusts but the steady, non-hurricane, 20+kt winds and the choppy harbor water lasted for weeks. Not hurricane related. Just annoying. Sigh. 

     Our dinghy fell apart. Literally. The transom separated from the hulls and it continued to fail to keep air in or water out. We were lucky the motor did not fall into the sea. Lucky also that a neighbor loaned us his dinghy while he was away and we could get ashore until our new dinghy arrived via Amazon. That is what the community of Boot Key Harbor is like. 

     When the neighbor's wife arrived we picked her and a friend up, brought them to her boat and returned the dinghy for their use. By this time ours had arrived and was set up. Turns out they were more vacationers than cruisers and their entire boat owning situation is more complicated than I can understand. 

     By mid-November more boats showed up to the harbor and Pickleball participation increased. All the other 'sport' activities restarted, too. Bocci, cornhole, dominoes, etc. 

     Boat projects were continuous as usual. Our communal Thanksgiving dinner came off well as did our weekly social hours. We sold off most of the gear the Guays gave us to sell for them and a few things of our own. We have a daily 'buy-sell-trade' segment on our morning radio net and a monthly community fleamarket ashore at the marina. 

     Wear and tear on an elbow and a knee led to a break in pickleball playing just as I was getting back in shape. Sigh. Just before Christmas we got word that nearly all was set for the sale of Improbability and, of course, the buyers wanted to move quickly after they did an inspection and sail. They are not legally committed until then so we cannot really plan. Then we have to move quickly. Stressfull for a while. The community Christmas dinner ashore was successful and all the holiday events were mostly uneventful. We started going to to 'last time ever' restaurant meals at our favorite local spots. We included a new to us restaurant which could have become a favorite if it wasn't at the east end of the island and out of biking reach. Having a car here for the first time was nice but we did not go farther afield than we normally did by bike all that often. 

     About a week after Christmas the buyers came to inspect the boat. He only brought one of his seven children. The test sail went well as did the underwater inspection. He found issues during his survey, some legit, some not. Engineers have a different perspective than normal humans. Negotiations ensued. Not pleasant. We settled at Carol's bottom line but below mine. The acceptance agreement was signed. A lot of good will was used up. Sigh. Of course a new potential buyer showed up a day later. Too late. Sigh. 

     Then we had the Celtic Festival again. Volunteering for the beer tent was different with a new leader (the previous, long time, organizers moved away), not quite as smooth but not terrible. Probably our last time due to the sale of the boat. 

Sheep herding at the Celtic Fest was actually with goats this year. 

     A week after the acceptance agreement we got word the USCG paperwork delays were resolved and we had to get to the Monroe County tax office to get a title for the dinghy and then get to a UPS store to download other paperwork, get it notarized and then both email and physically ship it all to the closing agent. Of course dealing with the local government went as smoothly as can be expected. Not at all. 75 minutes of fun. Got a title and registration for less than a week of use. Paid for 9 months. All so the new owners can register in Texas easily. Sigh. I'm sure it's appreciated. Of course it was raining as we hurried to get the dinghy ready to get us ashore and to go to all our stops. 

     On MLK day we went to Enterprise at the airport to rent a SUV to haul our stuff up to the Fort Pierce area. Our car was already full. Of course our reservation for a full sized SUV was not honored. Not available. Like Seinfeld says, they can take reservations very well but don't have the holding of reservations quite down pat yet. Substituted a smaller SUV. It was a cold, windy, rainy day so ferrying boxes of our stuff was no fun at all. After a full day (and more) we had the SUV stuffed to the gills (and more) and still didn't have everything. Some stuff had to be left behind. Thrown away or donated. Mostly thrown away. A full size SUV as reserved would have been just right. Sigh. Thanks Enterprise. 

     Our last night aboard was bingo night. Food and dishes, etc were all packed so we had to dine out at Keys Fisheries (what a sacrifice!) and then come back in time for the game over the VHF radio. It was the first time for the organizers (previous ones sold their boat, too, and moved away) so it was a little slow and disorganized. Good first attempt, however, and most had fun. We went to bed about 3/4 of the way through. Exhausted. 

     Finally our departure morning arrived. A cold front came through about 0630 and the temperature dropped sharply. Got windy (again), too. We made a run to the cars with last minute stuff and had to decide what to leave behind. One large quilt and a piece of exercise equipment would not fit. No way. Carol wanted the step-master which she had gotten for free but we had to leave it. Gave it away. No room. The larger SUV we wanted would have been just the right size to handle the few things that wouldn't fit in this one. Thanks Enterprise. We went back to the boat one last time for the cat. Saved room for her. Leaving Improbability behind was tough. Even though we were ready to move on, it was a big part of our life for more than 15 years. We owned her for about 18. It was pretty miserable in other ways as we dinghied away. Windy, choppy, gray, misty and cold. Reflected our feelings quite accurately. 

     We stopped for breakfast before we left the island (no food left on the boat) and headed east. Then north. About 4 1/2 hours later we were at Sue and Al's place in Sebastian, FL. After a visit we went to unload our cars into their storage trailer and then headed to our temporary home in Fort Pierce with the other Mike and Carol as we get ready to start a search for a winter home down here. In this general area. 

     So, an end of an era for us. A new beginning. The boating era ended with the stress of the transition. We knew it would be stressfull but we also knew it would end. It now has. Hopefully we can relax a bit with friends and start our search for new living arrangements without too much angst. We shall see. 

     Winter continues. It's very cold here. Marathon was cold, for Marathon, but it's really cold here, 50s. Brrr. So, even though winter continues, I will end this winter blog entry here. Could be the last. Ever. Maybe a follow up if/when we find a new home. Maybe.

Bye for now. 

Back to Boating

      A blog about boating. How about that? Didn't know if it would happen again but we are heading south. Again. On the boat. Eventually. 

     We headed south on the boat after we drove south to get to the boat which is already in the south. Then we'll go south. Souther. First, we had to pack the car with the stuff we will need. Clothes. Food. Tools. Not as much stuff as we took off the boat in the spring, that took a truck to haul home. We got it all in the Vibe, although just barely. Hardly enough room for Cleo and we left a few things behind. We left Mystic on a Sunday morning and had a bit of traffic in Connecticut. Surprised by this. Heavy, but no major slowdowns until Stamford and again at the GWB. NJT was heavy, too, but mostly moving at speed. Slowdowns at Baltimore but not terrible considering a major route no longer exists. It was destroyed. The D.C. area was heavy with slowdowns but not terrible. Can't imagine how a workday would be. We stopped for the night in Ashland, VA and the Monday morning commuting traffic past Richmond, VA didn't last long. We ended up in Savannah, GA and went to the boat at Thunderbolt the next morning. 

     No serious damage to the boat from Helene but we are covered in debris. Mostly palm tree debris. The interior was mostly fine except for the mold. A lot of varieties of mold. Yellow mold. Brown mold. Black mold. White mold. Moldy mold. Ok, some of it may have been mildew. It doesn't label itself. Cleaning commenced. And storing the stuff we brought. What fun. We were ready to go in the water in a little more than 3 days but the marina decided they could not get us out past some other parked boats so we had to wait until after the weekend. Since we were (supposedly) officially in the water we were allowed to stay on the boat overnights. This is usually not allowed for boats on land. This let us do more major external cleaning and polishing. Lucky us. The inside was done and the hull and deck got reasonably clean. For us. For a liveaboard. We were launched on Monday afternoon and proceded to do some work that could only be done while floating. 

     We took a day trip into downtown Savannah. The above photos are one of several stairways down to the river. Historic steps means "we're not going to make them safe." Or provide an alternative, apparently. There is no sign at the bottom. 

     The other development was less than 2 weeks after Helene another major hurricane (Milton) was developing. This one was going to cross our path although well south of us. We decided to stay put. In the water but in a reasonably protected basin. We could have moved 75 miles more to the south safely but it wasn't worth the risk. The cost for marina space would not have been less farther south and we had our car here. Safe and comfortable comes with a $$$ price but we are more into safe and comfortable than we used to be. The storm itself wasn't bad for us. Heavy rain for a while then wind. Wind was under 25-30 so nothing like they got in Florida. All friends with Florida homes came through all right but tornados came a little closer to one set of friends than we would have liked. Our first passage out of Thunderbolt went ok. It was only rough for the 20-30 minutes we were in Sapello Sound. It is close to and exposed to the ocean which still had Milton affected seas. And rough meant mostly 1 foot chop with brief 2 foot seas. No prob. The bad shallow area the first day was hit an hour after low tide and the second day the next one was at two hours after low so although we went through very slowly we cleared these areas okay. Nerve-wracking but okay. We anchored in the Crescent River one day and Umbrella Creek the second. Our third day took us past shallows in northern Florida but even though it was only an hour after low tide we made it through. We tied up at the free dock off Sisters Creek in Jacksonville, FL. Then we went to St. Augustine to have a meal with friends there. Some marina damage from the hurricanes but not too bad. After St. Auggie it was a long day to New Smyrna where we anchored in our usual spot. We had stopped for fuel in Daytona but the day could have been a little shorter if we didn't have a brief stop on a shoal outside the channel after the Memorial Bridge. 

     Photo of us by friends ashore as we passed by their neighborhood. 

     Just about the time we were hauling the anchor in New Smyrna the wind picked up. It was a day earlier than originally forecast and about 8 hours before the most recent forecast predicted. It started blowing. 20kts and sometimes more. All the way down through Mosquito Lagoon and down the Indian River. Plus the only respite, in the Haulover Canal where it's narrow and tree-lined, the bascule bridge delayed us almost 30 minutes for repair work being done. Not appreciated. Seas were two to three feet but luckily they were mostly on the stern or slightly to port. Going into these would have been very uncomfortable, even dangerous. On the stern they were merely annoying. It was a long day nonetheless and coolish because of the wind. Very low 70s but felt cooler with the wind blowing so hard. We ended up in the Banana River, a usual spot for us in Indian Harbor Beach near Eau Gallie, FL. The next day, forecast to be worse, turned out to be slightly better. A little warmer, a little less wind and smaller waves behind us. Not terrible. We ended up getting a mooring in Vero Beach (Velcro Beach) for a week. 

     Photos of us by friends in Ft. Pierce. From up on the bridge we have to go under. 

     During our week in VB we rented a car and drove up to Savannah to retrieve our car. We also did some shopping and friend visiting. We got underway on a Thursday with a breeze at our backs but nothing like the couple of days before arriving at Vero. We had decent luck with the bridge schedules enroute to Lake Worth, Palm Beach. A longish day in order to shorten the next one. We got underway again about an hour before sunrise and went out the Lake Worth Inlet. We had departed before dawn here several times before as we were going out into the ocean and not traveling on the ICW. Relatively easy and safe(ish). Our passage from Palm Beach to Miami was a little lumpy with 2 foot seas coming from a less than ideal direction. Not an awful direction (the nose) but not quite as nice as on the stern. Oh well. A nine hour day with us ending up in Marine Stadium Basin, Virginia Key, Miami. It's a protected anchorage in case of a storm, none forecast, but often very noisy. 

     Noisy? Very noisy. Until 0330. How could you party until 0330? Why blast noise (music?) loud enough to sterilize the fish? It must be painful on the boat, it's painful on a boat 100 meters away. Why? Anyway we got underway in the quiet about 0715. It's a long day into the upper Keys but uneventful if you don't go aground. It's very protected but very shallow. Down to 7ft. at times. Slows you down even if you don't touch bottom. It's physics. And hydrodynamics. Waterflow between the boat and the ocean bottom. Slows you down due to friction and compression. Oh well. We anchored in Barley Basin near Islamorada, Upper Matucumbe Key. A usual southbound stop for us. I went for a swim in the 78° but choppy water and found a crab pot warp wrapped around a prop. No crab pot attached. Just random line. Didn't stop the engine but might have eventually. Problem caught before it became a problem. How unusual. 🤔 

     It was breezy again as we got underway on our last southbound day. Wind behind us and seas about a foot so not too bad. We found another crab pot and towed the trap itself some distance until it broke away. After passing through Bowlegys Cut we had to stop for me to dive under the boat to cut away the warp. What fun! The boat was bouncing about 1 1/2 ft. and wandering about while I hung on and cut the lines. Lots of line. Wrapped around the saildrive and the rudder. Current made it interesting, too. Ah, boating. This activity is called a suicide dive for good reason. Not particularly safe. Not recommended. After that the 2ft. seas in the Hawk Channel seemed minor. On the stern and not uncomfortable. Small Craft Advisories were issued about 3 hours after our departure and 2 hours before our arrival. Not very helpful. In any case we arrived in Boot Key Harbor about lunchtime and picked up our mooring for the winter sesson. Or until whenever. Not a bad mooring, L-1. Not too far from the dinghy docks.

     We will have to see what the winter holds for us. Sell the boat? Do our usual activities and volunteer jobs? Just survive? Who knows? 

European Cruise wrap-up

      Overall impressions. Favorite places. Trivia. Ideas. Low points. Highlights. Whatever.

     Budapest: big city. Ok, not great. Interesting tour. Sad political situation.

     Danube: favorite passages of the cruise. Against the current but better it happening here than on the Rhine.  

     Vienna: big city but not a big city feel. Favorite city. For a big city, very clean. Amazing sights. 

     More Danube: after Vienna the scenery ramps up. Hills come down to the water. Many castles and old churches. Curvy. 

     Passau: our first stop in Germany. Still very close to Austria. And the Czech Republic. Built on a peninsula which means frequent flooding. Cathedral had amazing frescos on the ceiling. Perhaps the most impressive overall. 

     Scharding: small border town. More flooding issues. Also big in the salt trade in the 15th century. Has a granite museum. A couple of rooms with some rocks. Of granite. Cute. 

     Regensburg: built on a river delta. Has Roman history. First contact with stumble stones, brass plate covered stones in streets or walkways honoring Jews murdered by the Nazis. Cathedral interior is mostly silver not gold. Still very impressive. Baroque style. 

     Nuremberg: 97% destroyed in WW2. 93% in one air raid. Center of Naziism. Rebuilt to look like it did pre-war. Gothic and Baroque churches. Interesting contrast. Hid art work in bunkers. See 'Monument Men'. Amazing hot chocolate.

     Bamberg: much newer city than the previous ones. Started in 1060. No industry in area so no WW2 bombing. Fires through the ages, however. Hilly. Drank 'smokey beer', the memory of which grows worse with the passage of time. 

     Wurzburg: the Prince-Bishop Residence was the most opulent building we visited on this cruise. Not a church but the home and offices of the head of the political and church world. 2 of the 3 wings were severely damaged in the bombing but the center section, although damaged, mostly survived. Too much to see. Gold everywhere. Statues and other stunning artifacts. Info on the idea of the Prince-Bishop: do you remember (from school) the Holy Roman Empire? Interestingly it was neither holy or Roman or an empire. Although it covered a very large part of Europe it wasn't quite an empire. It was Germanic not Roman. And it had little to do with the RC Church. The bishops were Catholic, however. At one time, when they were bishops of the Church hierarchy, they became political leaders also, and became quite powerful. For about 600 years. 

     Wertheim: on the Main River. Flooding issues here, too. Has a leaning tower. More sad Jewish history. Our guide, a retired German Army Colonel and about 4 years older than us, was born here and told us about the immediate post-war history. The pre-war and wartime Jewish atrocities, too. He told us as children they did not learn anything about history after the 1930s until the 1960s. Just a huge gap. In the 70s kids started learning about the war and all the terrible things done in the name of National Socialism and Hitler. Our guide had to study this on his own to become a great guide. His talk on Jewish history was sobering and very moving. You could tell, this military officer, was struggling to control his emotions. Perhaps a tear or two might have slipped down a cheek. We're not telling. Children are now required to visit a concentration camp as well as learn about other atrocities committed. 

     Rhine River and Marksburg Castle: the Rhine River is beautiful. Stunning scenery. Castles literally every 10-15 minutes or so. Some closer. Gorgeous. Mountains come right down to the river and it is very curvy. However, as a matter of opinion only, I think the Danube (the part we saw) was more beautiful although with fewer castles. Rocky mountains and cliffs coming down to the water versus tree covered (still steep) hills coming down to the water. A close call but, hey, it's opinion. Mine. We walked up to Marksburg Castle after a bus ride to the base. Very strenuous. There is a reason it was never conquered. Well, two. One: the approach is extremely steep and narrow. River to the front, mountains to the rear. Two: too insignificant politically at the time. Little strategic value overall, militarily, to people like Napolean, etc. It showed us how authentic Gillette Castle on the Connecticut River is. Well, except for much narrower passages inside and out at Marksburg. Gillette was not worried about invading armies in Connecticut.  

     Cologne: extremely large gothic cathedral. So large that it could not be covered in gold like others were. A lot, of course, but not wall to wall. Interesting how it was not destroyed in WW2 because pilots used its distinctive twin towers as guideposts and didn't want to ruin their reference points. Inside are the remains (probably) of the Three Kings, the Magi. Stolen from the people who stole them from what's now called, and was during the time of the Crusades, the Holy Land. 

     Kinderdijk: our first stop in the Netherlands. We had a tour of the dikes and windmills. The windmills still play an important function. Besides grinding grain for the millers they also pump water from the land side of the dikes to the ocean side or onto the marshes. The marshes act as sponges holding water and keeping back the floods. These very old windmills are still powerful machines that are quite scary to be near. They reroute the walkways depending on the wind direction and the sails (blades) pass very closely over your head. And they are sails. Cloth is furled or unfurled to get the blades moving. There are a lot of forces involved. Operating skill, too. There have been fatal accidents, even recently. 

     Amsterdam: Holland. Yes, Holland and the Netherlands are different. Holland is part of the larger country of the Netherlands. Amsterdam is a very large cosmopolitan city in Holland. Not as clean as some of the others we visited. About 900,000 residents including maybe 10-15% students. It has a great public transportation system and terrible bike riders. Rude and dangerous. Thoughtless and indifferent. Biggest (but accurate) insult: worse than Germans. There are about 2 million bikes for the 900K residents. Nonetheless we liked the city a lot although it was not our favorite. A lot of museums. Beautiful canals. There was so much to see we didn't go in one church. Gasp. 

   Overall impressions: loved the cruise. Would do it again although Carol wants to do the Basel to Paris cruise first. Recommend taking our direction, Budapest to Amsterdam. It has a slightly different itinerary than the reverse although that is the standard voyage. 14 days is the just right amount of time but I could have turned around and started sailing back to Hungary immediately. Highly recommend Viking but we are not cruise people with expectations found on ocean cruises. A max of only 190 passengers (we had a little under 180) and crew of 53. We were impressed with all the staff. Food was great. Free flowing wine and beer without buying the Silver package which had unlimited, anytime alcohol. Detox may be in our future. Or AA. So is a diet. This was not unlimited buffet food all the time but 3 sit down meal times where it rained drink and snowed food. All were 3+ course meals with many, many options plus standard meals on the part of the menu that didn't change. We tried to stay with the inovative daily changing menu but once or twice when the seafood choice wasn't something we liked we went to the so-called standard menu. It was awesome. Difficult choices every day. Often several times a day. The optional (extra $$$) tours looked interesting. We talked to folks who took them and they loved them. We only took two and were happy about it. It could be overwhelming. And tiring. Too many options. Too much to do. One extra tour and canal cruise at Scharding and a canal cruise in Amsterdam was enough for us. There were several bike tours in Germany that (new) friends of ours loved. Seemed like work to me. Again, don't feel you are missing out by skipping the extras. They are nice. Great. But not needed for enjoyment of the cruise. 

     One more note on Viking service. We were met at the Budapest airport by a Viking rep. Got us on a shuttle (minivan) to the ship. Almost daily they got us on the bus to our tour beginnings (busses not needed every day). Everything was very organized but with plenty of free time for independent wandering. At the end of our cruise they got us on a group minivan to our hotel  where we were met by more Viking staff that oriented us and got us to the morning tour we had scheduled. That night they got us on another shuttle to our canal cruise locations where we were met by more Viking people. Same for our departure day. Got us on another van and then got us to Shiphol airport where, one more time, Viking staff met us and walked us all the way to the KLM airline automated luggage and check-in area. She showed us how things worked and didn't leave us until we were at the first security check point. Amazing. And appreciated. What a difference when we got to JFK and we were met by nobody and treated like schlubs. Ah, reality. Back to normal. 

     This obviously cost us a lot of money but it was nice that we were not nickle-and-dimed for extras. No casino. No kids. No formal dress events. We were treated the same as those who had paid for the high-end cabins. No one tried any upselling or made us feel we were missing out. A very positive experience. Since we only take a cruise every 25 years or so (last one - 1999) we can spend the money. One problem... someone was so spoiled she wants another cruise sooner than 2049. Sigh. Maybe. 

     On our evening cruise of the canals of Amsterdam. Our next to last night. 

     Our last night was at a Thai restaurant mostly patronized by local students and young officeworkers. A few old farts like us, too. Very good. 

Day 16. Amsterdam.

 We slept in. Because we could. It was after 8 when we dragged ourselves down to breakfast. Of course we were right behind friends from the Egdir and sat next to them and another couple we had breakfasted with several times aboard ship. We ran into other shipmates throughout the day and all over Amsterdam. 

     

     Above: Van Gogh self portrait and others. 

Below: Whistler

     And how about Rembrandt below. 

     All the paintings above were at the Reijksmuseum where we spent about 3 hours. Some amazing sights.

     After a street lunch we made our way to the Maritime Museum via the streetcar and bus system. Getting better at it and saved a lot of walking. The museum has a replica sailing freighter as seen on our previous water tour. Got aboard for photos.

     The museum was only fair. With replicas. Of course, I am used to THEE premier maritime museum in the world, MSM.

     The Dutch Royal Barge. 

     Back to the room for a short nap then out to dinner. 

     We went to a Thai restaurant about a 15 minute walk away. Without a reservation they said there'd be a 20 minute wait. We came back 20 minutes later to get the same empty table we saw earlier. Anyway, it was quite good. Pad Kee Mao for me and Red Curry for Carol. Both spicy. IMHO our favorite Thai restaurant (in Marathon) is still better. Have yet to find one better anywhere. We've tried a lot. 

     We walked back to the Hyatt and got ready for our 8am departure tomorrow. 

     

Day 15. Amsterdam

     We were docked in Amsterdam when we woke up. View of a stone wall out our window. I had some new, strange medical symptoms to deal with. Possibly an ear infection or something? Dizzy. Not debilitating and made it to breakfast where we said good-bye to folks, some for the 2nd time. Turns out some are staying at our same hotel and doing our same tours. We may say good-bye to them again. That's ok. 

     We had a van ride to our hotel which didn't help my head. After checking in we had a wait in the Viking lounge with fellow cruisers before our walking tour. The walk was long but interesting. We learned about the history of Amsterdam and walked in a big circle that ended at the museum we visited the next day. We walked over several of the canals and learned how the city expanded. We also walked over the Amstel River. At one point in their history the Amstel was dammed so now it's Amstel-dammed... Amsterdam. 

      Should I have told Carol about the lizards? 

Below: some of the scenes.

     Sister house. A nursing school. Formerly. 

     Flower market.

     Buildings are leaning different ways.

  

     We stopped for a snack and coffee at a cafe. You should not go to a coffee shop. Unless you want cannabis. Cafes for us. We also had some street fries. Ordinary, unlike our experience with street fries in Belgium years ago. We then went back to our room for a nap and went to a grocery store for a light meal before our canal cruise. One little incident returning to our hotel. When we got on the tram to return my credit card would not work. The driver said go in the back. Or pay in the back. Or something. Didn't. You have to use your credit card to exit the tram also. I faked that getting off. May be an international criminal by now. At least I didn't get shot by cops as in NYC.

     We went on a canal cruise after dinner with other Vikings, drank way too much wine (again) and enjoyed the scenery and the guide/captain. There was a lot of traffic on the canals.

     The view through the windows.

     A replica Dutch freighter. No keel. Not movable. At the Maritime Museum. 

     This is the actual water taken from the canal. Drinkable. Maybe. But it is fresh and is replaced every 3 days or so by lake water. Seawater is kept out. Except for floods, storms, etc.

     A quick trip to the grocery store again then bedtime.   

   

     One more day. 😥

Day 14. Netherlands

     We got underway just after getting to bed last night. 2200 or so. It was quite noisy. Unrafting and undocking went smoothly. We hardly noticed as is usual. Then we went under the first bridge and it was very noisy. Perhaps it was the cars and trains overhead. Lasted a while. Then we turned around on the other side of the river. There was lots of chop. The engines were straining and there was lots of vibration. The ship was shaking. As I watched out our window I could see the landmarks we had used on shore for our excursions passing by. It was quite beautiful if confusing. We then got going. Really got going. Very fast and smooth. Flying with the current all night. Fast with the current is smooth and quiet so no sleep issues after the departure ruchus. Woke up having just crossed into the Netherlands, about 0630. We know the time because a friend told us he got notification from his cell phone company. Ah, technology. The land is much flatter here with sand and mud riverbanks. Cattle come down and wander along the river. It looks a bit more like the riverbanks we are used to in the eastern U.S. Very busy, too. 

 

 

     We got to Kinderdijk just after noon, just before lunch. We backed up a couple of miles to get there.

     Yes, those windmills are working. I have video of them turning. 

     After lunch we walked up to the dike and over. Then to the 2nd dike and over that one. At the base we were about 9 feet below sea level. Other areas are much lower. 

     This is a leak in the 1st dike. Seepage really but too big for just a finger. If the water is muddy that's bad. Clear is ok. Usually. 

     We went to a working windmill originally built in the 1700s. Amazing power demonstrated by the videos I have. The still photos do not show how the water is pumped to prevent flooding. 

     The town is named because of the legend of a child (kinder) found floating in a basket during a major flood event and dike (dijk) failure. A cat was rocking the child in the basket by jumping between the two sides. 

     We got underway shortly after reboarding Egdir and travelled to Rotterdam to pick up passengers that went on different, longer tours. We got there after a about hour of travel and got underway after all were aboard.

     Rotterdam.  

 Next, it's on to Amsterdam overnight and the end of our cruise. We will be leaving the ship after breakfast, taking a walking tour then joining a different boat on a canal cruise. In between we will transfer to a hotel. 

     We had dinner one more time with our Australian friends (two couples) and a mother-daughter pair of Kiwis. Before that the ship provided champagne for a final toast to the voyage and to say good-bye to the entire staff including the senior officers. It really was a great crew. A great voyage. And a great historical and cultural learning experience. 

     We were also very lucky. The voyage a week or so behind us encountered severe weather, cancelled tours, nights off their ship and more adverse conditions. We did not have too little water. Or too much water. Or too much rain. Or drought conditions. We had one day of light rain and 2 days of part time early or late light showers. 

     It short, we had a wonderful time. Made great new friends we hope we'll see again. Saw amazing sights. Had great experiences. And would recommend to anyone to do this voyage and to use this company. 

     Sad it's come to an end but we have a couple of mentioned events planned in Amsterdam after we are off the ship for good. We arrive there overnight. 

     Aussies (farthest 4), Kiwis (nearest 2) and Carol.