20th August
Dordrecht
(Reminder: click on the photos to make them bigger)

"We need to find a supermarket." I told Skip, after a look in the fridge, this morning.

A quick consult with the ever reliable Mr Google informed us that happily Saturdays are market day in Dordrecht. YAY!

Bikes ashore, we followed a stream of people through town all headed for the market square.

 

I love markets, and can spend ages browsing the stalls. This market seemed to specialise in seafood in a variety of forms - whole raw, prepared raw, smoked, pickled, dried, marinaded, cooked, etc etc.

Skip admiring the catch.

Are'nt these smoked mackrel a wondrous colour.
They smelled pretty good, too.

"Get a picture!" Skip urged, impressed with the array as he purchased a Mossel Pakket (mussel box), which included 3kg of mussels, a bag of chopped vegetables and a sachet of seasoning. Simple instructions - boil the veg and sachet in a little water and wine and then chuck in the mussels till they open - 8 euros.

Preparing "Niuwe" haring. An acquired taste which I have no intention of acquiring.

We still had to find a supermarket, and discovered the Albert Heijn around the corner. I know we seem to only ever shop at the Heijn, but this trip they allways seem to be the closest. I can hear Jim admonishing me in my ear and yes, I know they are the most expensive shop (a bit like Waitrose in the UK) BUT I am uninclined to schlep around town hunting for the Lidl to save 10 cents on a box of something or another. And they do have lovely goodies too.

So, back to the boat with LOADED panniers. And talking about panniers, how about this one ...

:):):)

Like trams, Skip can never resist a ferry, so despite how much time we already spend on the water, we hopped aboard the ferry across the river with the bikes. There was a lovely cycle path down the riverside imbetween immaculate gardens and trees interspersed with dozens of scultures.

Me neither, but I know it's female 'cos of the boobs

Dordrecht from the ferry.

Back on the Dordrecht side, we cycled along the canal to an area we had spotted from the ferry where the river is lined with bars and restaurants with outdoor seating. We found ourselves a comfy spot and enjoyed a beer. Leffe for Skip and a low alcohol Jupiler for me.

Hearing bells, on the way back to the boat, we paused at the church yard where a pantechnicon (sic) was parked. The sides were down revealing a carillion of bells and an organist (?) playing the bells. A sign on the side informed that it is the Carillion of the Czech Republic. We hung around listening for awhile, although I found they hurt my ears, so I had to step back a bit.

The Czech Carillion - it has 57 bells and was very tuneful.

 

Back to the boat for mussels for dinner.



PS: Only for those interested in history.

Dordrecht has an impressive array of beautiful old buildings, despite losing many during WWII.

The town is built at the confluence of three large rivers, one the main tributary of the Rhine and the other two coming up from Belgium and France. The town's location made it an important market town and once it was given "Staple Rights" it became one of the wealthiest in the state. The Staple Rights dictated that every ship bringing goods in from Germany, France and Belgium were required to unload and trade their goods in Dordrecht. The town flourished and the merchants built impressive houses to flaunt their wealth.

The town declined during the 18thC when the Staple Rights were rescinded and Rotterdam and Amsterdam took over as the main trading centers. This meant that the town remained largely unchanged leaving the charming harbours and buildings pretty much as is.

There are a number of havens in the town, lined with old warehouses and mansions that make perfect yacht harbours.