Meppel to Zwaartsluis to Genemuiden

For awhile I thought we might beat our record with our short trip from Meppel to Zwaartsluis, but although we did stop briefly to do a quick shop and pick up some beer glasses we had ordered some weeks ago, we did'nt stay the night in Zwaartsluis. 

While I did the shopping in Zwaartsluis, Skip wandered over to take a look at a couple of old barges which had already arrived for the big weekend. Happy with his interest, the owners proudly showed him round their engine rooms. Everything was very shiny and polished, he reported.  

The town was gearing up for a sailing barge event over the long weekend and all of the haven's small docks and quays were reserved.  We could have moved across to the new marina on the otherside of town, but Bleaah. Not fond of big marinas, so we decided to push on and take a look at Genemuiden a couple of kms across the Zwaartewater. Although the town didn't look too exciting, there was a good spot on the wall in the binnehaven and what clinched it for Skip was the market setting up infront of the boat. With a KIBBELING van!!!  Done deal. We were staying.

 Skip with his kibbeling - very pleased with himself.

So, with Skip having kibbeling for lunch on the aft deck, I did a quick read up on the town and discovered there is a carpet museum. Now this would not normally have set the pulses racing, but I figured, hey why not?  And it turned out to be really interesting. I got there just in time for a tour and loved it!  Who woulda though. Turns out that Genemuiden is the carpet capital of the Netherlands and much of Europe, starting from the simple rush mats (made with the abundance of the raw materials in the nearly marshlands) to coir and sisal matting in the early 20thC and on to the modern tufted carpets we know today. There are still dozens of HUGE carpet factories in town and just about everyone is employed in one way or another in the industry. The big thing now is artificial grass and the town supplies 90% of the eu's demand. It's mostly used for artificial sports facility surfaces, but has other uses as well. The guide did tell us, in dutch, how many hundreds of kms of carpet they produce every DAY, but I have forgotten. But it was a lot.  Anyhow, I'm not gonna bore you anymore about carpet.

These two sisal shopping bags had to come home with me. I'll leave one on the boat and bring one back to the island. Hmmm, but which???

While I was away off the boat, Skip knuckled down, cleared everything off the aft deck (a pile on the dock) and got out the two part teak cleaner and scrubbed the aft deck. It looked so good, he decided to hop on his bike and cycle back to the chandlery in Zwaartsluis (via the ferry) and pick up a can of teak oil. It looks FAB.  We are debating doing the whole lot. Of course, after he applied the second coat we had to vacate the boat and a havenside bar seemed the obvious place to while away the hour it took to dry. :) :) :)

Newly oiled aft deck.