One the road again, the one – way passage through the narrow waters of Tornai would normally have made for a slow but relaxing motor, however, issues with our normally reliable Bog Bertha commenced (an Isuzu 4.5L marine diesel engine) and continued on a major scale. With the light green it was time to depart. […]

Being a sailor, the Mercator Museum in Sint Niklaas was just the thing to interest Bob, so off we went and weren’t disappointed. Since man first realised the world was round, cartographers had met with what seemed an insurmountable problem: that of representing our spherical world on a flat surface. Once the area being depicted […]

After much searching last night, with the help of the barge association website, Bob finally found the tide times page for the Bovenschelde. From there, in tandem with the small table in our Belgian Waterway book, it was possible to calculate high tide at the Winton Lock. Requiring the high tide to experience an easy […]

Considering a night at the Clothilde waterskiclub, the decision was made to take the turn that led to the Winton lock. Passing one industrial site after another, we soon arrived at the marina. Although the position was pleasing to the eye, unfortunately, the conditions weren’t suitable for our girl, so around we turned returning to […]

Sensational!!! Extraordinary!!!! These are two of the words that one can use to describe this incredible museum. Inaugurated in 1877, the collection initially consisted of 100 Indian instruments gifted to the Belgian king in 1876, and the purchase of musicologist, Francois – Joseph Fetis’ collection in 1872. Initially used for the sole purpose of introducing […]

Today, the 9th June, found Bob and I arising to yet another foggy morning – last year it was rain, this year it’s fog: not that we are complaining. We will take fog over rain any day! Having lost a week, and already being a little behind in the itinerary, the decision was made to […]

How the weeks are flying by. It’s difficult to believe it’s been three weeks since we returned to Europe. A burst of cold weather found us glad to be indoors as Bob and I continued working on the renovations. Monday the outer frame work was installed. Tuesday I took a bit of time out as Bob […]

Rain, rain, rain!!!!!!!!!! Apparently this is the norm for here. What does one do? Tidy the boat and cook, cook, cook!!!!!!

A foggy start to the day! What an easy morning. 5km/hr permitted, we moseyed down the canal. Mostly surrounded by farmland, it was a most peaceful setting where an occasional person or two were to be seen. Bob and I had now truly entered Ost Friesland, home of the Frisian Cow! For the bird lovers, […]

Exiting the Dörpen lock, we moseyed down the last three kilometres of the Kustenkanal to its intersection with the Ems River. At first glance on approaching, it looked a little confusing with its four – way intersection. Fortunately, well sign posted by the authorities, the map and chart plotter at hand, our right turn went […]

Well, in cold wet conditions we travelled 30 kilometres or so along the Dortmund – Ems to the 108km mark, where a right turn took us onto the Mittelland Kanal. Another 30 saw us arrive at the night’s stop: peaceful calm countryside still raining, of course. The Mittelland Kanal was a miniature highway, as a continual flow of […]

Low rolling hills, between which nestled red bricked homes with their rooves of like colour. The occasional old barns and homes of mixed brick, wood and shingled rooves were interspersed throughout the region. The Germans were still in the process of greening the waterway, with hundreds of young saplings taking a foothold along the banks. […]

This afternoon Gratis completed her Rhein sojourn as she turned into the Rhein – Herne Canal. The widest we had been onto date, it easily handled two barges of twelve metre width and a small boat or two. It was important to keep toward the back in these locks as the rush of water was […]

Situated upon peaks that soar seventy metres above the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers, the city of Luxembourg is linked to the rest of the world by numerous bridges and viaducts. Wandering the town, we were amazed by the intricacy of the town’s layout. Constructed on multiple levels, that range from the mountain peak into the […]

This was the day we drove to Trier, a town with no less than nine UNESCO world heritage sites. Tourist beware, this is a place that requires more than four hours’ duration for exploration. We intend to return. In short, the town was settled by the Celts in 4BC and named Treuorum: it is believed […]

After Trier, we found that with each tributary passed, the river flow increased a little more: in comparison with the Rhone and Saone the current was nothing about which to be concerned. A bit of excitement this particular day, as we approached Bridge Thὅrnich. A group of young men were enjoying the adrenalin rush of […]

A long day that saw us arrive on the outskirts of the small country town of Schengen, the town where numerous European countries met to write up the Schengen Agreement. One important aspect for the traveller is the time allowed in each country that signed on and became a member of the Schengen agreement. If […]

A late 11:30am start and an easy run: except for the water hose of the engine popping off a few times. The third saw black smoke steaming from you know whose ears. It turned out to be the result of shards from the old impeller blocking the exit, which in turn created pressure build up that […]

To continue reading about our 2016 journey, click the link to our German page. www.gratisaustralis.com/category/germany/

Today saw us enter Germany and the Schwarzwald, land of the cuckoo clock, black forest cake and pom – pom hats. With its neat as a pin towns, white washed houses, mixed with wooden balconies, beams and flowers, Germany was so incredibly different to France. The commencement of our journey took us through cherry and […]