It's not the places we go; it's the people we meet

Here we are again, two weeks already since my last post. I'll confess I'm struggling a little. It's not that I have a block or anything like that; I just seem to be so busy that writing even a weekly blog seems quite a mission when there are so many other priorities. 

Anyway, since I wrote about my favourite holiday moorings, we've had a week on the slipway with the Vereeniging, a labour of love and a lot of very hard work that has pretty much swept all those holiday feelings and experiences out of my consciousness. It's inevitable, but still a pity. I need to do a blog about that too, but for now I'll try and immerse myself in the summer glories once again.

I don't know whether I mentioned it before, but we set off on 15 August after we'd received a visit from one of my longest ever blogging friends, the lovely Fran whose blog Bonnie of Clyde some of you may remember. We've kept in touch over the years on both Facebook and Twitter; we also met once back in 2016, so it was a huge delight to have her and her husband Pete arrive in Sas van Gent the morning before we departed. What a treat it was to see them. They live in a fabulous converted barge on the Essex coast, but this time they were travelling Europe in their camper with their gorgeous spaniel. We had the best of chats and I'm so glad we were able to meet up before we left the harbour. Thank you, Fran. That was so special and I hope to return the compliment before long.

Fran, Koos and me

Pete and Koos, two of a kind when it comes to
wry humour

Just two days later, we met up with another special pair of friends, Jo and Peter from Australia. We'd already seen them in Sas van Gent before Koos had his stent operation, but we all felt we hadn't finished catching up. Imagine our delight, then, when they told us they were coming our way. We were at Kerkhove on the Schelde for the night and given the prospect of bad weather the next day, we were only too happy to sit it out in such great company. Many chats and much yummy food prepared by Jo in their amazing boat's kitchen added to this most enjoyable interlude. Thank you too, Jo and Peter. We'll remember the times shared with so much pleasure.

Koos and Peter before our departure (a photo you
might remember)

Another of Peter's lovely photos of our Hennie H
as we were leaving the marina

And as if these great encounters weren't enough, we had another one a day later in one of our favourite places, Antoing, just south of Tournai. Another two long-standing boating friends, Jude and Roger, also from Essex, gave us even more warm, fuzzy feelings when they drove all the way from Diksmuide to visit us. Jude and I did what we nearly always do...talked books, while Roger and Koos provided the nonsense factor. It was the most beautiful evening and I will cherish the memory of their company as well. We felt very blessed to have been able to spend time with such great friends during this first week of our holiday. Sadly, I don't have a photo of Jude and Roger this time, but the images in my mind won't fade; that's guaranteed. A visit to Essex is definitely on the cards as a return match. I'd love to add Australia to that wishlist too, but I think that might be overdoing the optimism factor.

We always enjoy our meetings with local people on our travels, but this time we didn't stop that much because of our haste to reach the Sambre. It was therefore a real pleasure when we reached Tupigny on the Canal de la Sambre à l'Oise to find ourselves in company with so many very nice folk. When we arrived, we were greeted with open friendliness by a French barge owner, who was justifiably proud of his huge Dutch Luxe Motor. He took great pleasure in telling us about the history of his boat and its unique historic engine, an Industrie two-cylinder motor with 40 horses per cylinder. Everything about the barge was large, and the owner's character matched it well. He was effusive in his pride of the magnificent vessel.

A magnificent Dutch Luxe Motor, so wide it only
just fitted into the locks

 When these good souls departed, we were joined by another, much smaller river cruiser with an intriguing Californian flag on it stern. We were initially puzzled, because the owners were audibly French, but all was revealed when a friendly face with an American accent popped up on the deck of the Hennie H and invited us for drinks that evening. Janis and Michel (she being American and he French, but they speak French at home) hosted a small gathering on the quayside that evening. We were joined by a French couple, Martine and Jean-Luc from another Dutch barge and together we sat, chatted and sipped wine until the sun went down and the midges arrived (a powerful incentive to end the socialising). I couldn't follow everything that was said, but it was such a delight to sit on the bank of a French canal and listen to these charming people conversing in the language I love. Michel, a former architect, was full of amusing anecdotes and there was much laughter along with the rosé and snacks.

The following morning, Janis and I exchanged books after discovering we'd both written memoirs. Hers is a fascinating and wonderful story of their family's sailing adventures. Here's a link to it. I devoured it and can recommend it very highly. We met them again a few days later at the halte nautique in Le Gard on our return from Vadencourt. For me, the click with Janis was confirmed and it was so good to spend time with them there too. We shared a table at the local, excellent restaurant, Le Lever du Jour (in case anyone's interested) and had drinks on the Hennie H that evening.

Leaving Le Gard and the lovely Janis and Michel

A couple of other memorable meetings also took place at Le Gard, where we spent two nights enjoying the mooring and the facilities. The first of these was just after we arrived. The gangway to the moorings had come off the grooves on which its wheels ran up and down and was in danger of slipping off the pontoon altogether. Koos and I decided to try and lift it back onto the runners, but before we had a chance to make the first shove, a young man who'd been cycling past leapt off his bike and rushed down to help us. He, being young, fit and strong, made short work of heaving the heavy gangway back in place, then dusted himself off, grinned broadly, chatted briefly and went back to his bike. We were both charmed and astonished at his willingness to run to the aid of two total strangers, and, in all honesty, we couldn't imagine the same courtesy being extended to us back home. These northern French were living up to their reputation for kindness and amiability. Even the lock assistants were unfailingly kind and helpful.

The following day, during my wanderings around the village, I came across a shop that seemed to sell the kind of slightly bohemian dresses I like. Seeing the door open, I succumbed to my curiosity and went in. This impulse became one of the highlights of the trip for me. The proprietor of the shop was friendliness itself, and in my halting French, (for which she completed my sentences, filled in the gaps and then told me I spoke her language well – bless her) I managed to talk to her about all manner of things. When I then mentioned how kind the people we'd met had been, she told me it was 'la mentalité du Nord'. I agreed and mentioned the film Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis from which I'd learned that northerners were known for their friendly attitude. She almost screamed with excitement and told me it was a hundred percent true; that she'd seen the film four times and that each time she'd cried because it touched her so much. I left the shop with gifts I'd bought for my daughters and a huge smile. If we're ever in Le Gard again, I'll definitely pop in to say hello. I don't know her name, but she made my day and more than confirmed the truth of the region's reputation.

Well, I think that's quite enough for now allemaal. I'll try not to leave the gap between posts so long next time as I've got plenty more to write about our holiday and also the Vereeniging's hellingbeurt. 

Have a good weekend and keep warm or cool, whichever is appropriate! I'll leave you with a few more of my favourite Schelde river scenes.