Page 14 - DLN Nov2013-976

The Bike and Barge holiday.

I did say in the last DLN mag that Titch Shambrook, Brian Saxton, Dick
Bradley and I were going on a Cruise and I would make a report For the DLN.

Well it was not as a cruise liner but a converted Dutch coal barge. We visited
three countries: the French part of Belgium: the Dutch part of Belgium,
and Holland. I could remember the captain and his little dog but he could
not remember me- but the dog did!

Let me explain the type
of holiday it was. First
we flew to Amsterdam
from the airport at
Manston, in Kent. I
would not say it was a
very small airport but
the lady who checked
our tickets, passport
and bags also made
the tea in the canteen
and I think she flew the
plane!

The plane whisked us
over to Amsterdam in
about 45 minutes. We met our bus that took us south to Ghent in Belgium.
We met the captain, the chef the bike leader and the dog.

We were shown to our cabins. I would not say our bedding was damp but I
had a rainbow over my pillow. I shared a cabin with Dick who told me he
never snores until I proved he did with a recording on my iphone.

We met the rest of the guests who came from Australia, America, Canada
and Britain; about 20 people in all. The idea is that the liner, sorry the
barge, will head north going about 20 miles each day and the guests will
ride on bikes (supplied by the captain) to places of interest - For instance
cheese outlets and plenty of windmills. There were lectures on how the
Dutch reclaimed the land from the sea. All good stuff.

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