Author: Gary Kirkpatrick
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A Visit to Closeburn Castle (video slide show)
A Visit to Closeburn, the Kirkpatrick Family Castle -
Once upon a zee
Before the construction of Flevoland, Genemuiden was a port on the Zuiderzee. It was granted city rights all the way back in 1275. Nothing remains from before 1866, unfortunately, when fires destroyed the town after haystacks caught fire. To this day there is no smoking permitted on that street, probably the only such designation in the EU.
Judging by the 5 churches in the town there’s a lot of interest in religion in the town, but of course actual attendance is another matter. All the churches are Protestant in this northeast edge of the country’s Bible-belt. In some areas of the Bible belt people adhere to old fashioned clothing. I do not see that here.
We arrived on Ascension day to find closures and reduced hours. The Eet Cafe, for example, was open but only provided beverages. Few people were out on the streets. It’s a national holiday, which no doubt accounts for the lack of activity, rather than Ascension day, as that’s a Catholic celebration. Unfortunately the harbor meister did stop by for our payment.
We came here to have electricity as the overnight temperature was to drop to 3c, about 38f. We use a small electric heater when plugged into shore power, otherwise we have a diesel heater. We do not run the diesel heater at night to avoid CO accumulation. It takes the chill off in the morning when our indoor temperatures drops to around 15-16c, in the low 60’s.
Floor mats made from bull rush reed that grew on the shoreline of the Zuiderzee was a principal product of the town. When Flevoland cut off the sea the bull rush was unable to survive the change. Now they import coconut fiber from India to make the mats and have expanded to a wide range of materials and products. Most of the town’s employment come from the large factories.
We learned this and more at the Tapijtmuseum, https://www.tapijtmuseum.nl/over-het-museum after a good kip (chicken) sate at the friendly Eet Cafe Schippers. In the days of bull rush weaving, men waded into the reeds wearing clogs, a leather shin protector, ordinary clothes and a scythe to harvest the reed. This occurred in July and August but still the water is cold if you are in it all day. They could harvest up 100 bundles a day per person. At 3 p.m. they put the reeds out to dry in the wind and sun, after which the reeds were processed into mats. From the early hand weaving they have progressed to the most modern, computer-run equipment.
Processing the harvest 
Operating the old electric loom 
Poster at the Eet Cafe Two loom operator’s joined our guide, who explained how the historic looms worked. Among their collection is a Jacquard loom, patented by the Frenchman of that name in 1802. It uses punch cards to weave complex designs, now done by computers. Each pass of the loom moves another card into place. It’s introduction revolutionized the industry.
Queen Maxima wearing her maxed out hat inaugurated the reopening of the museum in September 2026 following its renovation. The Queen walked on an orange carpet laid for the occasion.
Queen Maxima After our friendly retired civil engineer tour guide finished up with the Dutch couple that’d joined us, we were invited to have a coffee. The entire staff, being two women and the tour guide after he wrapped up, joined us. They wanted to know where we were from and where we were going. They made us feel right at home. We always find a way to compliment our host country. Certainly the Netherlands has much to offer.
And then we were off to fight the wind at the municipal marina’s water point dock before mooring once again at the small haven just outside town.
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Cochem on the Moselle III
Cochem on the Moselle III, acrylics on Canson paper, 78 x 56 cm, /30 x 22″ Cochem is on the Moselle River. We cruised there aboard our boat Viking. The view of the castle from our mooring was fabulous. I climbed the mountain for the views of the river and surrounding area.
This painting is similar to Cochem II, with variations in details as well as being much larger. To see Cochem II go to https://garyjkirkpatrick.com/cochem-ii-watercolor/
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The Green Church
After several days visiting friends we set off again, despite the weather having turned to gray skies and 30 kph winds. One lock and a bit of cruising brought us to the moorings at the Green Church.
Set in Flevoland, one of the Netherland’s recovered land provinces, the Green Church is formed by Italian poplar trees forming the outline Notre Dame of Reims. There is no altar or anything else having to do with a church. An artist named Marinus Boezum (1938) came up with the idea in 1978, calling it a “Gothic Growing Project.” With the support of the engineers of the Rijksdienst Ijseelmeerpolders, he planted the 178 poplars you see today. The Green Church is deemed to be Gothic in style, but only as that is style of the church in Reims.
The Green Cathedral There are concrete “ribs” connecting the trees, referencing the ceiling vaults. There are circles of sea shells around the trees, reminding of the sea under which this land stood just 50 years ago.
There were a number of large scale art projects in Flevoland, of which this is one. They are termed “Land Art,” a concept imported from the United States. The same artist created an identical “cathedral” on the neighboring plot, using oak and beech hedges.
Flevoland is the largest reclaimed land section in the world. It sits some 6 meters below sea level. Cornelius Levy was the chief engineer of the project which removed the Zuiderzee. The section in which the Cathedral is located was built between 1959 and 1968. Shipwrecks unearthed date to the 16th century. They have been left in place, their locations marked by blue and white striped polls.
Boezum went to art school in Utrecht. He worked as an artist in the 1950s. In the 1960s his work became more three dimensional, including sculptures and works in public spaces. He was influenced by the 1960 movements Nouveau Réalisme in Europe and Pop Art in America, and is one of the first Dutch conceptual artists.
He has done many installations and video projects. Other than the Green Cathedral, which I find mildly interesting especially in its current unkempt state, I have no experience with his work, and do not know if it would make me yawn, as so many installation and video projects do.
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Scooting across the Netherlands
In Haren we were forced to wait for the weekend to pass before we were allowed to proceed in the small canal linking the Netherlands and Germany. The canal is tree lined, passing through farms and scattered settlements. A small sign marks the border between the two countries.
Across the border lies Nieuw Amsterdam with free moorings. You just pay for electricity and water if you choose to connect, paying via an app. Gone are the days when you stuck a.50c piece to acquire these services. Automation has taken the jobs of those who collected the coins and responded to complaints. Many of these small towns employed harbor masters who collected the nightly fee, now considered uneconomical. In some harbors the app charges you for mooring if you use electricity.
Genemuiden 
Waiting for the lock at Ketelhaven 
Genemuiden 
Strange drainage tubes in the Zwarte Water 
The deep lock at Ketelhaven
We turned south after a rest day, during which we met up with some folks we met during their visit to Valencia. It turned out they were heading to the same marina in Potsdam where we’d moored our boat for last winter’s sub-zero winter. Boaters look out for one another so we were happy to help them with the information we’d collected.
In mixed skies we proceeded towards Almere where we’d scheduled some minor repairs to our rain hood. The first long day ended just outside Genemuiden in a tiny harbor, with room with just two boats at most with an entry just barely wide enough. We left at 0700 the next day under sunny skies. The winds tend to increase as the day goes on, thus our early departure, and there is some open water ahead. When the wind crosses the water from the east you would get some broadside waves, making for some discomfort.
We passed just a few pleasure boats and barges before we turned southwest towards the lock at Ketelhaven. At the two locks there you drop about 8 meters into the reclaimed land province called Flevoland. These locks and pumps keep Flevoland from flooding.
There are no further locks until you come to the Ijseelmeer in Almere. We are not going that far, stopping in Almere Buiten. Here we have friends dating from 2000 when we were aboard Caprice, our first Dutch boat.
From here on we can slow down, slowing down from the very slow to the super slow. We are free to roam the country, where the boating infrastructure is the best.
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The lock at Haren (watercolors)
Lock at Haren, watercolors, 21 x 30 cm/8.3 x 11.7″ -
Scooting across northern Germany
From Berlin to the Dutch border via the waterways is about 500 kilometers/300 miles. When we traveled 8 hours per day we went a whopping 100 kilometers, bicycle riders everywhere passing us with ease. It’s a relaxing journey, passing through picturesque forests, farmland, villages and small towns. There are industrial zones too, quite a few, which may not be pretty but interesting as you observe the dock workers loading and unloading the barges you share the canal with.
There are many fuel tankers, recycling loads and some container barges on this route. They usually take the center of the canal when they are loaded in order to have enough depth. We have to thread the needle between the shore and a safe distance from the barge. Canals are cut steep at the sides so you can get quite close without grounding but still you have to monitor the depth gauge. The barge captains are pros and know these canals, so you have confidence that they are not going to take too much room or run you over.
Along the way we passed through four four or five huge locks on the Mittleland Kaanal and another 11 or so on the Dortmund-Eems Kaanal. Except for the last two on the Dortmund-Eems Kaanal we checked in at the designated “sportboots” docks, those two lacking that facility. In a few cases they replied to a phone call or to VHF radio so we did not have to moor. About half of the lock keepers spoke English, with the others we got a reply but did not understand so we just waited for the light to turn green. Our waits for the lock gates to open were generally short, about 15 minutes or so.
There are many recycling operations along the Mittleland Kaanal Having already visited the cities and towns along the way, with a side trip to Oldenburg prevented by a lock closure, we spent two nights at only one location, https://garyjkirkpatrick.com/magdeburg-germany-home-of-the-reformation-and-a-schnitzel/, until we came Heren neat the Dutch border.
Hanover is a city worth visiting. We stopped here on our first trip on Viking to Berlin. For more about Hanover see https://garyjkirkpatrick.com/hannover/
Moonlight Over Hanover, watercolors Minden is smaller than Hanover. There an aqueduct takes you over the Weser River. There’s a neat schnitzel restaurant on the river, Schiffmühlen (meaning mill) Gastronomie. The downtown’s medieval architecture is well preserved as Minden was not bombed in WW2. https://garyjkirkpatrick.com/minden/ Bad Essen is smaller still and also has well preserved half-timber buildings and some good eats. https://garyjkirkpatrick.com/day-1-on-the-mittelland-kanal/
Crossing the Bridge in Bad Essen Passing through the last lock on the Dortmund-Eems canal we came to the small lock in Heren only to find it had been closed in April for works. It would open on May 3, May 1 being a holiday. We were stuck for three days. Fortunately it is a lovely spot. Heren has grocery stores and other shopping, an attractive modern Dutch look with newish brick buildings and a main street pedestrian zone. There’s a ship museum with several restored Dutch barges. The Dutch border is just a few kilometers away along a small tree lined canal.
In Wolfsburg you can visit the Volkswagon factory. Advance ticket purchase is recommended.
The lock in Heren 
Passing through Meppen, Germany 
There’s a ship museum in Heren. -
There be monsters
Cruising the Mittlelandkaanal from Berlin to the Netherlands means you share the waterways with many barges, some of them with monstrous dimensions. We locked through with one double (two barges tied together and propelled by one pusher) measuring over 200 meters.
When you arrive at a German lock you moor at a location specified for ‘sportboots.’ There’s an intercom to check in with the lock keeper, some of whom speak English. You are letting them know you are there, and waiting for them to tell you to enter. Small boats almost always enter behind larger vessels. If so some reason the larger ship can not stop in time they damage the lock, not you.
The locks on the canals connecting Berlin with the Rhine, and from that river to the Netherlands if you so choose, are huge, are over two hundred meters long and 7+ meters in depth. Most have floating bollards that you can easily loop your line and then sit back, although we keep a eye on things as the water rises or falls.
In locks of this size there is little turbulence, but if a large ship hits the throttle too hard small boats are knocked about. To avoid problems we not only stay tied to the bollards but wait for the large ships to exit the lock before we proceed carefully, attentive to strong currents from the huge props.
I was on the Mississippi River in New Orleans when we came upon an oil tanker. Large waves were coming from it. I assumed it was from the huge ship’s props, but then the smaller boat carrying the port captain, who takes over when the ship is close to docking, sped away. The waves stopped as he disappeared.
On German canals and rivers there are designated moorings for overnight stays. Large ships usually have their own spaces and ‘sportboots’ their own as well. Outside Hanover we stayed in a mooring near grocery stores which allowed both large ships and small boats, so there are exceptions but they are marked.
We have been fortunate weather wise thus far. The early mornings are below 5c/40f but it’s been warming to 15-18c/60-65f in the sunny afternoons.
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Magdeburg, Germany, home of the Reformation. And a schnitzel.
From Potsdam to Genthin With cold mornings and sunny afternoons in the forecast, we set off from our winter berth in Potsdam after making a few plumbing repairs due to the winter freeze- they skated on the lake for the first time in years. Heading towards the Netherlands, we chose the southern route that leads to the Mittlelandkaanal. After a night in Genthin we stopped at a free mooring in Burg. It’s less than 30 minutes by train to the ancient city of Magdeburg, with a current population of 242,000.
Founded by Charlemagne in 805, Magdenburg Otto I made it his seat, ruling Saxony from 836-873. He was the Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 873. Otto I defeated the Magyars at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955, stopping the Hungarian invasion of Western Europe. He was buried in the Cathedral.
Magdeburg’s Town Law, granting the right to hold trade exhibitions and conventions, spread through much of Europe in the early Middle Ages. As one of Germany’s largest and most prosperous cities, in good measure because it sits on the Elbe River, Magdeburg joined the Hanseatic League in the 13th century. By then it had 20,000 residents, considered large at the time.
Martin Luther attended school here as a 12 year old. In 1524 Luther began the movement that led to the Protestant Reformation. Magdeburg was a major force in the effort to break from the corruption of the Church.
Things did not always go smoothly for the city. In 1188 it was devastated by fire, it suffered 25,000 deaths during the 30 years war, and its old center was largely destroyed by Allied bombing in WW2. There was a POW camp and three subcamps of Buchenwald holding Jews. Dozens were murdered in an effort to cover up the crimes against humanity as the Allies advanced. More were led on death marches as the war ended. It was in East Germany during the Cold War, its development stunted by failed economic policies and a police state government.
Magdeburg’s center after WW2 
Hundertwasser House in Magdeburg We visited the Kulturhistorische Museum Magdeburg (KHM). Most notable is the Magdeburger Reiter (Magdeburg Rider). It might represent Emperor Otto, Otto II or III. The rider is accompanied by two female figures, usually interpreted as allegories of the Roman Empire and the Slavic peoples, but sometimes Empress Adelaide and Empress Theophanu. The statue was brightly painted.
Magdeburger Reiter (Magdeburg Rider 
The Elba in Magdeburg Schnitzel and beer, oh so German, in a super local joint!
Two days before Magdeburg we moored for the night at a marina called Havel Marin just outside Brandenburg. We found just one restaurant within walking or biking distance. It sits on a private road, a bit off putting as you wonder if you are trespassing. We followed the one turn off leading to a small house. Was this it? There is no sign outside. We might have left if there had not been a group of people sitting under an awning drinking beer.
We ventured inside and only then were we sure we had found the place. There is a sizeable, well stocked bar and tables. The only employee and likely the owner reminds of Ichabod Crane, very tall and slender. We could not tell at first who he was, an employee or just another guest as he was not in any sort of uniform. He speaks no English, but somehow we figured out he works there. So what about a menu so we can see what’s on offer and point to things? Nope, there is no menu. Our online source had mentioned schnitzels so we used that word and he nodded. Then he said something that sounded like the Dutch for egg. It turns out the plate includes a small schnitzel, a few cherry tomatoes, slices of sweet pickles and a fried egg on top of the breaded pork. Fortunately I got him to hold the egg. It was a so so dinner but at €17 for two including two .5 liter beers it was a very reasonable bargain.
Schniitzel and beer, oh so German! More to come on our journey west.
For my article on Brandenburg see https://garyjkirkpatrick.com/brandenburg/
Brandenburg Steeple 
Brandernburg, Germany -
Viking (ink drawing)
Viking at Geldese Hout Bridge, NL Drawing of our 12 meter boat
