I just want to let you know that it has been challenging to post between poor internet connectivity and some sea sickness looking at this screen too much. As promised in the last post our next destination was to the low countries followed by the Normandy coast. October 27-29 saw ports in the Netherlands and Belgium followed by a stop in France. According to the encyclopedia Britannica the low countries are so named because much of their territory is actually at or below sea level.
Rotterdam, Netherlands
October 27th the ship made port in Rotterdam. Unfortunately there isn’t a lot to share about Rotterdam. Dog got off the ship for a stroll through town. He wore his rain coat as it was overcast with a slight drizzle. Not really a problem and consistent with his previous stop in Amsterdam, Dog set off across the Nieuwe Maas river via the extremely cool looking Erasmusburg bridge. The river is roughly half a mile across at that point. Shortly after reaching the other bank the skies opened up in a raging downpour. Dog proceeded to snap some pics of some cool street art and sculptures on the far side of the river before deciding to head back the way he came. On his walk back he noted a really interesting neighborhood called Noordereiland on an island in the middle of the river. Rotterdam was definitely a memorable experience despite getting drenched.
Bruges, Belgium
October 28th was the next port at Zeebrugge with a bus ride to Bruges. Dog and Dragon were able to go ashore together to visit Bruges, which turned out to be an amazing visit. Bruges was like a real life fairytale city. The old town area was made up of narrow, winding streets and canals. There were so many delightful buildings with a variety of old world styles. The belfry was beautiful. The baked goods, chocolates, and Belgian beers at the source were everything they are made out to be. It was like walking around a real life Disneyland without any make believe. If you have a chance to visit Bruges, do it!
Le Havre, France
October 29th was another work day for Dragon, leaving Dog to explore Le Havre solo. It was a rainy morning followed by sunshine with high winds. Le Havre was hosting a major sailing competition that day and the port was being managed according to the needs of the competition. That meant a longer walk around multiple raised draw bridges just to get into town resulting in a longer than initially planned wander. Dog discovered massive murals, commemorative sculptures, and a lively, modern port city. Of course he took the opportunity to order French fries in France and was not disappointed.
The northwest coast of Europe was an interesting adventure at the end of October. It was a great finish to the final North Atlantic voyage of the season. The ship took them back to Southampton for a turnover day that would have Dragon’s mom, Linda, join for the upcoming voyage to the Mediterranean. Talk to you then.
“[B]aked goods, chocolates, and Belgian beers”—man, I love those things. I need to visit the source.