Final Entry for 2011
Gillyb
Fri 7 Oct 2011 19:29
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Greetings from The Weary Sailors!
We spent Mon - Thurs after Kay left us, cleaning,
sorting and de rigging the boat. (The bimini, spray hood, sails etc
all come off for the winter!) On Thursday evening we moved round to
the 'garage' in the marina ready for lift out the next morning. We
were pleased to see that the bottom was not too bad and she was soon moved into
her place in the boatyard and the ladder attached to the stern.
Graham had found some pink pickle stuff (in a greek chandlers so don't ask!)
which for once did what it was supposed to do. i.e. remove all the barnacles etc
from the prop. It worked a treat so the propellor was soon returned
to its shiny state and the skipper was happy. (Always a
bonus!).
After a couple of days of polishing, packing,
cleaning etc. we finally left Gilly B. Everything turned off or
locked up. The winches covered and the holes in the hull well stuffed with
rags and bags - to stop wasps and other little creatures taking up
residence. We had turned the car into a truck and it was stuffed to
bursting point with some of our heavier belongings and a lot of books and
clothes so that the boat looked tidier. This done we moved into a
room in the boatyard above the chandler looking out over the boatyard - see
pic. This was because we had a very early start on the Monday
to catch the ferry from Igoumenister to Venice and I didn't fancy climbing down
the ladder in the dark and trying to remember if we had done everything to leave
her for seven months! Also I was able to do the laundry and leave
that all done on board. (So much to think about even though we have
done this three times now!!)
So Monday morning we were up very early - actually
we didn't sleep that well as the beds were like rocks! We set off up to
Igoumenista and boarded the ferry eventually (lots of waiting
around). We sailed away from Greece and the sea was smooth and the
sun bright as we arrived in Venice 24 hours later, (We didn't linger in
Venice as we had 'done' it in May.) We set off North (thank
heavens for our Sat Nav).
We headed up to the Brenner Pass and Austria and
with glorious weather we arrived in Innsbruck. We stayed in the
Golden Krone and it turned out to be really close to the oldest parts of the
city. As a bonus there were lots of lovely shops on the way and we
spent a pleasant afternoon wandering around the beautiful buildings and enjoying
a beer and then a really good pizza in the evening.
Next morning it was on, on and 'not a moment to
lose' as we set off at 0900 sharp and soon found ourselves travelling along
through the most stunning scenery. Mountains, forests, chalets
and immaculate roads and verges (we noticed how clean it all looked compared to
Greece). We were heading in the general direction of Wiesbaden
in Germany but knew that the hotel was full (Had phoned Ibis ahead) so decided
we could find somewhere a little off the beaten track in that area.
After turning off the main roads we got slightly
lost (the sat nav was off but would have been so much better than the map I
was using!) but happily found ourselves in a medieval town beside the
Rhine. I found the Tourist Info office and they phoned a local hotel
who said they had a double room. I had asked for secure parking
but this was somehow lost in the translation and the streets were so narrow and
cobbled that there was no parking near the little hotel and we had to abandon
the car down by the river for the night. However the Rose Villa was really
worth it and very quaint. We had time then to explore the town
and later, while I had a leisurely shower, (way more than 20 cents worth!)
Graham went for a run! He discovered a little market place nearby and
decided we could go and eat there (outside as it was so
warm).
It was the 'steak' he had spotted that had drawn
him to this restaurant but when we came to order our meal he realised we
had actually ended up in a Greek restaurant! (called Mykonos which should
have been a clue!) It was slightly bizarre having pork souvlaki and
tadziki in Germany! But we had a pleasant evening talking
to an American couple who had been cycling along the many river
routes- the Danube the Rhine etc.
The next morning we had an excellent breakfast and
went for a longish walk along the Rhine with the mist just burning off as
the sun came up. (Photo is of the very pretty buildings near our
hotel). But, on on and back in the car this time going towards
Dusseldorf. We had finally found an Ibis hotel which was able to
take us. We were soon parked in their underground car park and
having claimed our room we set off again to the sub way and two stops later were
in the old part of town beside the Rhine again. Pic shows a barge
heavily loaded - note the blue board - sailors should know what this means - a
special inland waterway sign saying you may pass on this side.
Our walk beside the river in the afternoon revealed
lots of lovely places specially decorated for the Oktoberfest (even though it
was September?). So, later that evening we took the sub way again
and had a jolly time eating something simple with chips and lots of beer (and
some wine)! We slept well!
On our last leg we headed towards the Hook of
Holland and as we had plenty of time before sailing we diverted to a place
called Gorinchem. A typical sort of Dutch town with small canals,
houses with tall gables and little bridges. (see pic of flowers on bridge
etc) It was another little gem and we enjoyed sitting in the market square
in the warm sunshine. However we had parked in the railway station
car park which was more than half empty because obviously in Holland they all
come and go by bike. We had to put a credit card in a ticket
machine on entry and again on exit and it would take a few euros as
applicable. Only it wouldn't let us out! The barrier
stayed firmly down and the panic in the car rose.. Luckily this
wasn't Greece where everything nearly works - it was Holland - and we
pressed the help button and the voice spoke eerily from the ticket
machine! It even changed to English when we replied! After
several attempts with the credit card the chap gave up and said he would just
open the barrier for us! How refreshing - free parking
too.
On we went. This time we
went almost to the port then turned off, parked (no barriers) and walked
over the dunes to a lovely beach very near the Hook. In glorious
sunshine we found a little cafe to have a cup of tea, (see pic with beach
huts) and felt we were nearly home.
The ferry to Harwich duly arrived and by five
minutes past seven we were driving on board and finding our cabin.
We had booked dinner which turned out to be very civilised with three
courses and a lovely view from our table as the ferry pulled away from
Holland. We had a comfortable night as the sea was like a mill pond
and the next morning we disembarked in Harwich and headed over to
Colchester. Ali had offered us breakfast and knew we were
landing in the morning but did she really expect us at
7.30!!!??? The answer was Yes and we had a lovely reunion with
Susie too (quite unexpected). Getting home later was great and
we unloaded the little car which had carried us about 1000 miles so
effortlessly. On the Sunday we had a marvellous day with the rest of
the family again in glorious sunshine.
So now our summer is over and next year we may
well be sailing a little nearer home.
Meanwhile we wish you all good luck and
farewell.
Gilly B
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