20.08.08 Amsterdam Again

We left our mooring on the Riekerplas in good time (9.30ish) partly to avoid the harbourmaster and partly because we were up anyway, and set off towards Amsterdam to go through on the other route this time (i.e. not via the Amstel which we had done on our first visit three weeks ago).

The first thing you come to having gone under the rail and motorway bridges (high enough for us to pass under) is the lock with sideways sliding gates. Here we paid our E16.25 which gave us passage through the fourteen bridges on this route plus three days’ moorings. We thought it worth asking the lockkeeper where he thought a boat of our size might be able to moor but his answer ‘The Six Haven’ which you’ll remember we had ruled out as just impossible for us, showed he clearly hadn’t a clue about the wider aspects of his job! But we knew that we could return to the museum harbour and hopefully, it being a Monday, we reckoned on it not being full.

So we made it without incident to the ‘other side’ of Amsterdam through about 10 lift bridges and 4 fixed but high enough bridges, and headed out onto the Nooordzee Kanal, turning right towards the museum harbour. We noticed, among hoards of other big barges what looked like a police launch, sort of on our tail! So Louise went abaft to see if they really were heading for us, and to talk to them if they were. They said they wanted to come aboard, donned their life jackets and asked us to slow down a bit. So we obliged and with their boat nudging Riccall’s starboard rear deck two of them (one middle-aged, one younger) then clambered over our rail onto the back deck!

They were polite and pleasant and introduced themselves as immigration officers – complete with guns (in holsters). We shook hands all round and they said they didn’t see many barges of our type flying a British flag in Holland. We said, nor did we! They asked a few questions, looked at the passports then left. Cor! What a palaver. But I suppose they’re only doing their job and to be fair they couldn’t have been nicer, but you really wouldn’t consider gunrunning or drug importing in a Sheffield barge as distinctive as ours, now would you? But then of course, they didn’t check below, so perhaps we were! But what excitement. Watching them clumsily transfer themselves back onto their own launch we did wonder how many times they fall in, in the pursuit of their objectives!

So we continued on our way and are now back in the museum harbour and we have been to a museum! Yes, a museum! We decided the only way to put in an atrocious afternoon of weather was to find somewhere interesting and inside. It was much the same as every other museum (as ever) but the guidebook sold it to us on the basis that it provided a very good insight into the history and development of Amsterdam which it did and we spent two hours on it.

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Today we went to the market on Albert Cuypstraat – an ordinary everyday market where apparently bargains are to be had. As with all markets, the truth is that the punters are the ones being had! However we bought some strawberries – lovely on top, all going rotten underneath – and various other bits and pieces as you do.

In the afternoon, on the pretext of visiting the area where independent shops, cafes and galleries abound, Louise suddenly remembered reading that there was a Dutch barge which had been converted for living aboard, which was open to the public and which had been closed on our other visits. And look! There it is right on the other side of the canal, right here. (Louise protests – it was entirely coincidental.)

So Alex negotiated a discount on the basis that the owner could look round Riccall for free later in the evening if he’d like to (!!!!!) and an interesting couple of hours was spent talking to the owner and looking at pictures of other conversions and at the barge itself. (The owner didn’t take up the offer to look at Riccall but he did charge us only half price – and complimented Alex by saying he must be a Dutchman!! Alex was most gratified.

Here is another point. There are virtually no public loos in Amsterdam or indeed Holland, as those of you who have visited will no doubt have noticed. So when you need one, you say, ‘OK, we’ll go to a café and have a cup of coffee/tea and use theirs’. Fine. One hour later, it’s the same all over again. It’s a set-up! The locals all go home or to their place of work. We visitors are on a treadmill – café, pee, café, pee all day! And if you do find a public convenience it’s 50 cents. Spend a penny? Inflation or what! We can now get back to Riccall from almost anywhere in Amsterdam in 20 mins flat!

So here for a few days and then ‘home’ to Krommenie.