Another sunny day!

 Last night Joseph and I drove over to Medemblik the other town where the boat used to be. We have some storage over there. We went to pick up the dive gear and the spinnaker poll and sail. It really is amazing how light out it is here late at night. On our way home yesterday at about 10:30pm it was still light out. The sun does not set till 10:30/11:00 every night! I have included a photo below of the sunset on our drive home!

This morning we woke up early because our mechanic Bram was coming to put the engine back together. Joseph and Bram have been working very hard the last few days to get it up and running. I have been very helpful in supervising there work. hahaha!  Bram is an interesting character. He is married and has 3 beautiful children. He works here in Enkhuizen and came highly recommended as one of the best mechanics in the area. He has a great sense of humor, in fact I accidentally referred to his college as his boss and he was like "He is not my boss, I am my own boss"! Joseph and I enjoy teasing him about this. Bram has a great sense of humor and a great work ethic. I am glad that we chose him to work on the engine!

 Bram and Joseph working on the engine.

So, I actually got right up this very sunny morning and filled the tanks with water, blew up the dingy,washed the dingy, and emptied the car of our diving gear. You see before we left the US Joseph and I purchased some new used diving gear because every couple of months you have to under the boat and check things out. I assure you that Joseph will be doing the first couple of underwater checks! He really is a very creative and amazing engineer. He managed to build a wall mount in the aft locker to hold our air tanks and our gear. The aft locker is located under the rear bench. You can climb into it but it is a tight fit. I have no desire to go in there, but Joseph says its very roomy once you get down there!

So I have been doing pretty good at keeping busy. I kind of miss t.v. a little. I really miss the kids, Jeb & Wendy...its been hard not to see them everyday! I know they are in good hands with Melissa and Jen. I also really miss my daily chats with Cate G. and my best good friend Alison!!! On the other hand I am feeling very very blessed to be here! I am anxious to get going but it seems that we should be leaving port on Friday or Saturday. I am actually sitting on a beautiful patio overlooking the canal entrance to the lock that allows boats to get into the other lake. I am at the De Mastenbar! I decided to take a proper lunch break today in order to blog. Hope everyone back home is healthy, happy, and well!!!

SUNSHINE!!!

 Today we woke up to SUNSHINE!!!

First time I have seen the sun in the last 2 weeks!  I am beyond thrilled!!! So I have to back up a second and talk about what happened this past weekend. On Saturday the mechanic came to fix the vent on the top deck. It was his birthday so I rode my bike into town to buy a cake so we could sing Happy Birthday to Raymond.  The whole riding bike thing is not new to me but it is when your not wearing a helmet and you are right next to cars on a street that is the size of sidewalks back home. I have been doing pretty well considering the environment.

Also while out collecting a cake for Raymond, Joseph gave me a small list of things to purchase. One of which included buying a repair kit for the bikes. So I went into the bike shop and met this lovely lady. She is the nicest person I have met here! On a side note, Joseph and I went cycling one night and every time we passed some one I would say "hi or hello" And I very rarely got a hi back. In fact it was usually a dirty look! Joseph said "Anne Marie why do you insist on saying hello when you know they don't like to be friendly". I just laugh because I think its kind of fun to mess with the Dutch!

Well back to the cycle shop, the lady could not have been nicer, she helped me pick out a repair kit and an extra tire tube just in case. As we began the transaction of purchase she asked me where I was from, so I replied Boston. She said oh wow my son wants to go to MIT but unless he gets a scholarship it is just a dream. I agreed, but then she went on about her daughter who is a Sophomore at the university of Tennessee. I said "oh she is Tiger"! We both laughed. Then she went on to tell me that her daughter is there on a full ride for throwing Javelin and shock-put. She just received enough points to go to the NCAA Tournament! I explained to her about my family and how Doug lives there with his Beautiful wife and 4 adorable children. She told me she is heading to Memphis in October to visit her daughter. I gave her Doug and Anna's name and address! Looks like they might have some Dutch over for dinner!!!

Speaking of Dinner, Joseph treated me to a night out on Saturday. We decided to try the Irish pub in town. The bar was packed with soccer enthusiasts, treated to an exhilarating 2013 UEFA Final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund…with Dutchman Arjen Robben exhibiting deft touch as he scored the deciding goal in the 89th minute for Bayern’s 2-1 victory.
We only stayed for the first half because they were not serving food! What Irish pub doesn't serve food? So we walked in the rain to Dikke Mik our favorite Dutch Burger joint. To our surprise they had the soccer game on a projection screen on the wall! We watched the Munich team clinch the win in the 89th minute. It was amazing to see just how excited the bar got!


 At the Irish Pub The Dubliner with our friend in the background!!!

I forgot to mention that we went to church earlier in the evening. We got excited at first because we thought the mass was going to be in English but as we sat in church we realized that it said English because Joseph had copied and pasted the Dutch website in Google Translate! haha jokes on us!

On Sunday, We took showers hear in Enkhuzien. Previously we had been going back to Medemblik were the boat used to be because there showers are free and the facility is new. In Enkhuizen they charge 1 euro for a 2 minute shower! As you all know it is very hard for me to take a 2 minute shower, but I did on Sunday! We were getting cleaned up because the previous boat owner Andre and his wife had invited us out to there house for lunch. It was rainy and cold on Sunday. So we headed to there home which is about an hour and twenty minutes north of here. They have a very modest but beautiful home. They also have a son named Seegar, who is seven years old. He is super cute with long blonde curly hair. I tried to talk to him but he does not speak any English. He only has words like, yes, no, please etc. We played soccer for a little while and had a good time. Then we headed over to the marina were Andre has his office. He showed me the boats that he builds. They are small sailboats and two different types of little speed boats. They looked a lot like the boats you see in Venice.  The name of his company is Cooper Yachts. www.cooperyacht.com  We went to lunch there in the yacht yard. It was pretty tasty!  After lunch we headed back to our boat because Joseph wanted to try out our new water maker. It is a machine that he installed that takes in saltwater and turns it into drinkable water. We needed to add this to Zimbabalooba because in Spain, France, and Italy they will charge for the water. This way we can make our own water and fill our tanks ourselves without having to pay.

I ended my night with some great skype sessions with the family. Happy BirthdayJOEY BEAR!!! haha... and I got to speak with Abby, Joan, Ginny, and Aunt Kathy. They all seemed to be in good form!  I love getting the emails too! hope everyone is having a safe, healthy, and happy Memorial Day! God Bless our Armed Forces!
There are so many windmills here!!!

searching for water

Today was a beautiful day in Holland!
I woke up around noon...to find that Joseph had gone out on a mission. I decided to make some coffee and do some Facebook stalking! Joseph came back within an hour or so and told me that we needed to test our water maker. I was like, ok sounds great! The only problem is that we are not in salt water yet. We are in a freshwater lake that has a man-made wall to stop the salt water from coming in. So Joseph informed me that we needed to make our own salt water to test the system.

So we jumped on our new bikes and headed into town to the pet store. Just an FYI we have the smallest car you can rent and it costs us $100.00 to fill the tank. Thus the reason we got the bikes!
As Joseph was explaining to the lady the type of salt we needed to make salt water I decided to mossy around the animals. I found the largest guinea pigs ever!!! I also saw some super cute bunnies. I reached in to pet one and it almost bit me! hahaha Well the pet shop was a bust so we decided to wing it, just buy sea salt, and hope we could make it salty enough.

 We came back and ran the system but it only produced about a glass of drinkable water...not even enough to shower with....uhhggg...but we are working on it!
Until next blog....

riding like the locals

So I am trying to get better about blogging everyday but there is to much to do! Joseph got two collapsible bikes of Craigslist Holland. They are great little bikes. The couple in which we acquired them from were lovely. The wifes name was Anne...she and I had a good laugh about that! The bikes looked brand new, so I asked her how often they rode them and she said only 5 or 6 times! Then I asked her if she rode to work. She said they were in there 70's and didn't work! I was shocked cause she looked so young.

Yesterday was a tough day here in Enkhuizen, I woke up so grumpy and depressed. Joseph suggested a cycle! We went into the town on our bikes. The roads here are very narrow and you are not allowed to ride on the sidewalks, only the road. They do not wear helmets. Yesterday I saw a woman with three kids on her one bike and she had groceries. I could get used to riding the bike all the time but not sure I could manage with kids on it.

As we rode around town I began to notice that each house had a different way of decorating there front window. Some windows were filled  with plants and others had figurines. I did not have my camera with me but i will take some pictures later. It was very interesting to look into all of these different homes with very very old brick on the outside and very modern furnishings on the inside. Almost every house has a bike or bikes parked outfront.

I am including some pictures from our bike ride today.
This is the Dam between the northern lake and the southern lake near Amsterdam. In the middle you can see the lock that allows you to travel between the two lakes.

RAIN!!!!

I know why Holland has so many ducks...because it rains all the time!!! hahaha Today was spitting rain all day! Joseph and I went into Amsterdam to collect paper charts for our trip. It rained all day. We took a quick detour through the red light district...It is such a great place to go people watching!  We purchased some cosmic brownies...yummy!

The boat is warm and cozy. The wind is very strong tonight! I hope it stops raining soon...although I got some new books about the Mediterranean, so I have lots to read!

Heineken Experience

SO this weekend instead of us heading to Germany, Joseph's cousin Joy and her husband Christian came to Amsterdam. I was a little bummed about not seeing Germany but it worked out better for them to come to us and they are so graciously storing some extra stuff from the boat that we do not need. Today was a bank holiday here in the Netherlands as well as in Germany!
They arrived on Sunday afternoon at around 5pm. It was about a 3 hour drive for them. We met them here at the boat then we traveled into Hoorn for dinner. we went to this lovely restaurant right on the waterfront. I had chicken with peanut sauce, which might I add the Dutch do an amazing spicy peanut sauce! Joseph had some Kobe Beef...it was delicious. It must have been messaged just right! hahaha
We all had lots to drink!
This morning when we woke up and headed into Amsterdam to do the Heineken Experience. It was a well done tour but I found it to be very commercialized. I was surprised to see all of it written in English. The beer was good but I thought the tour lacked content. I guess there is not that much to say about beer but the tour did last an hour and a half. It was an experience and that's what our adventure is about!
Tonight is the first night we have had to relax without feeling like we have to clean or do a project.
We were able to get the stereo going and we are all cozy on the boat. It was great having Joy and Christian come cause they were very impressed and reminded me of just how special and cute this boat is! Up until now I have been viewing it as a lot of work cause that's all we have been doing. I am beginning to see its unbelievable charm and potential for a very very fun year!  Hope everyone back home is healthy, safe, and happy!!! A very special Happy Birthday to Aunt Kathy!!! I'm sure her girls are spoiling her! Also Happy one day early  Birthday to Mr Michael Thomas Kranz!!!
Love and miss you all bunches!!!

Enkhuizen, Holland

Hello to everyone back home! I woke up this morning and figured out how to upload pictures! I realized that I have to email them to myself from my phone then download to my desktop in order to upload to my blog...uhhgg but I figured it out! So we are here in Enkhuizen, Holland about an hours journey by boat. Yesterday, Friday we moved the boat here. We had to motor the whole way here because Zimbabalooba needs work done to her engine. We have not even put the sails up yet!
It is very cold here. The locals tell us it is there worst spring yet. It is rainy and cold. Our heat is working so we are happy!
As I type, Braum the mechanic is taking out the transmission to do work on it. I am sad that the engine needs work because it just delays us from leaving but he is supposedly the best in the area.
Last night we went out for a burger and found this wonderful bar called dikke mik. We both enjoyed a delicious burger with french fries and a cold Amstel. I usually don't like Amstel or Heineken but here in Holland they are good. The beer here is less watered down then in the states.
Joseph and I are heading to Germany this weekend to visit with his cousin Joy and drop off some extra sails and boat gear that we do not want to take with us. Joy lives in Cologne, Germany about a three hour journey by car from here. I am looking forward to this road trip because I have never been to Germany!

Well, thanks for reading my blog and I hope everyone is healthy and happy back home!

Medemblik Marina

So here in overcast Holland things are moving slow! We have been delayed another week as we wait for parts to come in to fix the fridge as well as the motor. It is a bit frustrating but I have been keeping busy by organizing, walking, and reading.
I take the mechanics dog Mike for a lot of walks! He is a Black Lab mix with great Dane. Raymond his owner tells me he is a rescue dog. Raymond speaks Dutch to him and Mike does not listen. When I give him commands in English he listens so I think his previous owner must have spoke English. Raymond insists that Mike listens to me because I am a woman and a bit bossy! HAHA

On Tuesday we got up early and drove about an hour to the airport to drop Joseph's mom off at the airport. It was sad to see her go because she is such a happy upbeat Irish woman. She always has so much to talk about and is a lot of fun to be around! After that we headed back to the boat to do some more work. That evening we went to the town next door called Hoorn. We had been here before for dinner but it was not as good. This time we went to a Thai restaurant and it was GREAT! We tried the spring rolls, pad thai, and some type of curry Chicken. The owner was there and she had just flew in from Thailand. She was a lovely lady who told us she had been there almost 10 years.
I have been continuing to practice my driving of a standard and I'm getting much better!

Joseph has been working really had to get us moving here. We might be heading to Germany by car this weekend to visit with his cousin and drop off some extra sails and gear that we do not want to take with us. I'm really looking forward to that trip because I have never been to Germany before. It is about a 3 hour car drive in one direction...uhgg but should be fun!
Well I am off to find a manicure shop here in Holland. Joseph says they are not like home and I will have a hard time finding what I want but these dishpan hands need some relief!  Hope everyone in the states are doing well and hope to blog some more interesting stuff later!!!

I am trying very hard to upload some pictures to this blog but it does not seem to be working! I am so frustrated...any suggestions are welcome!!!

Saturday May 10th

Today, I practiced a little more of my driving with a trip to IKEA. I had to drive straight through the city of Amsterdam! I only stalled out 2 times. I also learned how to do coasting! I have a had time understanding why the Dutch in this town do not do coffee to go but now i know why because driving is so involved....
On our way home we stopped in a little town called Hoorn. We went to an electronics store that was kinda like a circuit city. I had to buy a hairdryer!
Now with Joseph driving we headed towards the harbor. We ended up having dinner in a building that was shaped like a cylinder and used to be an old battery fort. It was brick from bottom to top and had slits in the side of the building. The food was good. I tried some more croquet's...and thought these were the best yet!

The last week has been busy. We have been trying to outfit the boat so we can leave Holland and head to the Mediterranean. I have learned a lot about electronics as well as how to drive a standard this week. This morning I ventured out on my own to collect breakfast and I only stalled out twice. Some local fellows had a good laugh at my expense!  Well I am off to do some organizing and cleaning. Blog soon! Anne