L'Avenir - cruising Europe's inland waterways

First time we've tried a video!!!! Narration by Rob - stating the bleeding obvious...

Wreckage pulled from the canal at Meppel Do joyriders in Holland steal bicycles rather than cars? Race them around the cobbled streets at the dead of night before dumping them in a canal?

It's hot. 37 degrees C and the steel deck would cook Christmas dinner, never mind fry an egg. An Australian girl in sweltering Rome has just been interviewed on tv cheerfully stating, 'I'm Australian. This is cold!' I feel I should remove our Aussie flag for fear of letting the side down as I drape myself in wet towels in an effort to ward off melting point. Rob decides to test out the lifebelt and clean the boat around the waterline but we're in a town harbour and the water's looking distinctly murky so I'm not about to take the plunge. The locals have no such reservations though. The surf board may be wishful thinking but the Kelly Slater of the canine world seems to be enjoying it. ( Natural or goofy paw???)

      There are 6000 kms of navigable waterways in the Netherlands. A good number of the 16 million population owns a boat and many of those take to the water over the summer - not all at the same time fortunately. Not everyone has a car but nearly all have bikes and those who don't use the excellent rail, bus and ferry services. Something like 9 million vehicles on the move in a small country. So, lots of bridges. Bridges come in all types. Lifting, swinging, floating, operated by bridge keepers remotely or manually, press a button, shout into a speaker, call up on VHF radio, call up or phone a keeper who half an hour later comes pedalling on his bike, pay a kid to do it for you and my very favourite- the bridge that magically detects you cruising up the canal and opens for you. Sometimes you're satisfyingly stopping a motorway and others you're swinging a mainline railway. Some bridges in Amsterdam only open for convoys between midnight and 2 am. I woke ...

2 Storey Detached Villa.* Absolute water frontage in historic, conservation village. Off street paved parking. Opportunity for the handyman/woman to add own finishing touches. *possible planning application problem

Ever dreamt of an idyllic cruise on the European waterways? Long, hot summer days spent drifting along picturesque rivers. Stopping off in quaint villages for a glass of chilled wine or pilsener and some locally made cheese. Your stress lapping away like the ripples from your boat..... Well, so did a few other people. Sunday afternoon waiting for the bridge to open into the village of Akkrum in Friesland. The last weekend of the school holidays.

The Turf Route is a narrow, shallow canal in SE Friesland once used to transport turf from the peat diggings. There's only one peat excavation left now and it provides peat for pot plants rather than turf for heating houses. The canal, which  is open for only 4 months a year, is a step back in time with its manually operated locks and bridges. You pay a small fee at the first lock to cruise this canal but moorings are free. Many of the bridges are self operated which means someone has to jump off and swing them open. However, as it's school holiday time most of them have a kid stationed there who will do it and then either swing out a clog on a line or hold out a hat for a tip of 50 cents (1 Aussie dollar). A lock keeper told me they have nearly 2500 boats through in a season so it's a nice little earner. But you're out in all weathers and you have to guard your spot. This boy in Appelsc...