What a great start to another adventure on the canals of Europe. We began our tour in the middle of May 2018 and cruised from Maastricht NL to Liege B, Huy B, Namur B, and now we are in Sennefe B. Once again I’m learning the lesson of being at peace. Our pace is rather slow, 10 miles per hour, and nothing is done in a hurry. Lots of meditation and gratitude prayers to fill my days.
Oh yes and cooking! Of course, I spend a lot of time inventing new and different meals for our time on the boat. Check out the new recipes I’ve posted at the end of this June 2018 Cook’n and Cruise’n post.
We had some of the most beautiful spots to anchor and for a few days, we were blessed with the sun!
Many of you know that I decided to learn how to drive this boat so I could avoid dealing with the disgusting walls of the locks…yes, your restroom habits are disposed into the canals! But as you can see some of the driving can be a little tense at times, yes that’s a bridge and we had to take the windows down as well to make it to our harbor!
We also entertained guests! Lutz’s cousin, Uli, came aboard for a few days and we so enjoyed having her. I’m sure it was memorable for her as well since she learned the lesson “keep your phone on the dashboard”. She slipped it into her pocket that was not stitched and it fell straight into the canal! “Call me Uli when you get your new phone please!”
Every 3 or 4 days we’d ride our bikes to replenish our food and water supplies or just take off and check the area. Like the day we road for 2 hours one way to our next lock and back home. What surprised me most with Belgium and Netherland bike people is that they use electric bikes and say they’ve exercised. I find it strange since this land is pretty flat!
So far we are enjoying our days on the canals and especially when we can talk about the sites, read and just spend time together.
Check out the many new recipes I’ve posted on my site. Here are two super easy ones which can be created without electricity or an oven! Thanks for staying with us on our Cook’n and Cruise’n the Canals 2018 tour! See you next month with more adventures and creative cook’n.
Dark Chocolate Covered Sunflower Truffles
I'm Melinda Stevens and living the life of a beach bum was inevitable since my father was a lifeguard for the city of Los Angeles. My memories of growing up on John Street in Manhattan Beach, California were filled with joy, excitement and adventures; until my world, as I knew it, fell apart when we moved to Del Mar, California. My father was offered the position as Captain of the lifeguards and we started the slow migration to the small deserted stretch of beach in 1963. At twelve years old, this seemed like the end of my life. Remember, I’m writing with clear hindsight now, ok somewhat clearer… Little did I know this would be the beginning of a new journey and give a bit more clarity to many of the events that led me to this new cooking adventure.