Day 6 - Dordrecht to Gouda

Our plan was to get a very early start on our trip today.  After a breakfast of delicious bread and pastries that David got this morning from the bakery Phil recommended, we called the Haven Master to open the bridge.  There are two bridges, one that he controls and a second one controlled remotely.  He said the remotely opening one would open at 8:30 and we needed to call them and to be right there and ready.  Well, we went through the first one at 8:25 and tried radioing the second one, but no answer.  I tried calling but at 8:32 when I got through, it was too late.  It will open at 9:00.  

Our route today is on a fairly wide river with very large barges.  Much of the area is very industrial, and not so pretty.  

Some of the not so pretty scenery

There are barges and ferries, luckily not too many, but you have to be aware!

But also amidst the industry is beauty!

An interesting thing we passed along the way was unmistakably, Noah's Ark!  Complete with a giraffe up front!  We had to find out about it, and here's what I found:  

https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/full-sized-replica-noahs-ark-made-dutch-builder-sale

The scenery became much nicer and more residential as we approached Gouda.  

This is a giant lock, that was fortunately, open, as I wouldn't want to have to deal with it!

In order to get to the center of Gouda where we wanted to tie up for the night, we had to go through a couple of bridges that needed to be opened for us, and one lock.  We went through with no problems, although one of the non-opening bridges was only about a foot above the top of our boat!

We are entering the lock here, and there's a third boat in front of the white one.

Passing under an open bridge.

After docking our boat, we had to plug into the electric, using a QR code.  Not being able to read the Dutch directions, I almost accidently bought this space for a year - it showed over 14,000 euros!  Luckily, I caught my mistake and managed to put in the information correctly for a charge of only 29 euros, which I don't think went through.

Below are a few pictures of our boat in Gouda.

We immediately headed to "downtown" Gouda to find some lunch.  We went to a great spot where David and Adele had salads with chicken and I had a club sandwich.

Then we were off to our first stop for today, the "Gouda Cheese Experience".  In this place we learned all about how Gouda cheese is made.  For a little extra challenge, there was a "quiz" that you found the answers to as you went along, to prove you were a "cheese master".  It was interesting, but I honestly found it to be a bit tedious as I was busy looking for correct answers rather than enjoying myself.  It ended with a brief cheese tasting.  

Outside the Cheese Experience (and next picture)

Part of the video we saw about making cheese

The cheese tasting

And of course, David will be David.....

Next stop was the "Stroopwaffle Factory".  A stroopwaffle is a flat, round biscuit that looks like a waffle.  Two of them are held together by a thin layer of caramel.  Very yummy!  Since they were actually making them here, we had to wear a fashionable hairnet for our tour.  At the end of the tour we went down a slide and then got a free stroopwaffle.

Part of the video we saw

We ducked into St. Janskirk church to see their stained glass windows, but it was too expensive, and David and I had seen them the last time we were here, so we just peeked inside.  Then off to buy some groceries and souvenirs, and back to the boat for a nap!

We took a few pictures along the way...

Some super narrow houses

We all napped, then hung out for a while.  Then we had an excellent dinner at the Belvedere Restaurant.  We had delicious food and a lovely waitress!

Sue's smoked salmon appetizer

Adele had burrata with beet root

Dave had cheese soup (we are in Gouda after all!)

Sue and Dave each had steak with au gratin potatoes and veggies.  Adele had mussels but we didn't get a picture!

Sue and Adele each had one of these special desserts, with fresh strawberries over a waffle with ice cream on the side.  This is already half eaten!  David had tiramisu.

We walked back to our boat on the lovely, quiet streets of Gouda.