Cruising The Netherlands and Belgium: Nautical Rescue Strategies and Staying Young at Heart

 It’s been a great week traveling down European rivers containing plenty of water.  At nearly every port, additional travelers have joined our ship because, while on another ship, they got stuck (not literally) in a part of the Rhine River where the water level suddenly dropped.  As our ship has stayed in lakes and rivers located in Holland and Belgium all of which are very close to the North Sea, we have had none of those problems.  

That doesn’t mean there haven’t been a few scary moments. I will admit that no one would ever describe anyone in our family as a “seafaring lot,” but there was an incident in the middle of the second night at sail, that scared nearly all of us to death—except for a few individuals who miraculously slept through the whole thing.   Bob and I were awoken to a terrible sound of grinding, that can only be described as wood being broken up.  Plus, the ship was swaying so badly that I wondered whether I should get out of bed (while trying to hold onto something) to put my SeaBands on my wrists! Even though half-asleep, two thoughts came to my mind:

1. What the heck kind of river were we on?; and

2. This scenario NEVER was part of a Viking Masterpiece commercial! 

I did have the presence of mind to ask Bob to look out the window to see whether or not  there was land close enough for us to swim to should the ship fall apart and/or sink. Fortunately, though we were likely to experience hypothermia, land was in sight and we thought we would likely be able swim to shore to save ourselves.  The next morning, we learned that there were plenty of passengers who, like us, had spent a portion of the night before devising a rescue plan should the ship meet its demise.  When many of us voiced our concerns, the staff seemed non-plussed by the evening’s events.  We were told that we had spent the night crossing a large lake (with an equally long Dutch name that I can’t remember nor would I be able to say, even if I did remember it), that was in the midst of high winds and waves. The noises we heard were examples of how the ship moves (I believe the word “stretches” was used) while experiencing these high winds and higher waves. Frankly, after that harrowing night, I’m keeping my eye out for solid ground should the ship do any more “stretching.” 

During these past few days, we have visited lovely cities, such as Kampen, Medemblik and Zierikzee in the Netherlands and Bruges and Antwerp in Belgium and have experienced wonderful food, beautiful scenery and fabulous chocolates.  There are a few things that have caught my attention:

1. A lot of older buildings in the Netherlands seem to be following the path of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, thanks to the amount of water both in and around the country. I am no architect, but some of these building are really crooked to the average eye!

2. None of our local guides have felt the need to wear gloves.  It has been very cold, and as I have looked around at my fellow travelers, all of us have been dressed more akin to an Arctic expedition rather than a stroll around a local town. Not our guides.  Jackets have been unzipped, scarves, although sold everywhere, do not appear to be part of their daily outwear and forget about their need for gloves. As I age, my hands seem to chap when I pass water never mind when I actually have my hands in it…and the results can last throughout the fall and winter. During cold weather, I am prone to these tiny, PAINFUL cuts appearing on the tips of my fingers that no amount of Neosporin or poorly-fitting Band-Aids can remedy. It is clear that my future as a walking tour guide is slim.

3. For many of us, we are still young-at-heart, even though our chronological ages beg to differ.  Every night after dinner, there is a lovely young female musician who provides some kind of musical entertainment for us. She is also quite wise because regardless of what she has planned, she wraps things up early enough for us middle-aged and senior citizens to go to bed at a very reasonable hour.  Last night was a Tribute to ABBA, the Swedish pop-group of the 1970s. Anyone who went to college in the late 70s and early 80s, knew this group and I was no exception.  Tack on that I have seen the Broadway show, “Mama Mia” four times, and I would say that I could be considered an ABBA expert. After dinner, our family and friends-new and old-headed to the Lounge to recreate our youth by singing and dancing along to “Waterloo,” “The Winner Takes it All,” “Fernando,” and of course, “Dancing Queen.”  Two things became clear immediately:

1. Only the women were feeling the ABBA love.  As I was belting out each and every song, Bob leaned over to me and said, “You have got to get out more.” All of the husbands seemed to be watching their phones praying that the ABBA repertoire was limited to just their greatest hits. 

2. Previous and future joint surgeries were in the backs of everyone’s minds.  We have been on this ship for five days and many of us have shared a lot of information about each of our lives, including which of our joints have been or need to be replaced. I am no exception. With both foot and knee surgery in my not-too distant future, “cutting the rug” took on a whole different look for me as well as my fellow aging dancer friends. Except for one woman who wore heels-God bless her daringness- all of us were wearing “sensible footwear” such as sneakers, flats or a small block heel, trying desperately to recreate how we used to feel when we were young.  It was great fun even though I was keenly aware of my aching knee and had to take Tylenol immediately upon returning to our room.  The good news is that tonight’s entertainment is music trivia, which I believe will allow us to remain seated. 

Later tonight, we are sailing to Brussels.  I have checked the route we are taking and it appears that land will be able to be seen throughout the night!