When we left Lille the sun was shining but as we approached Ghent (gand) the sun was disappearing into the mist and the road becoming damp. We had always thought of the A1 through northern France to be full of lorries but it has nothing on the roads north to Antwerpen and Breda. The further we drove the more container lorries we passed. Scary stuff. Awful jams around Antwerp and Breda. We’re even contemplating a different route home.

It was a great relief to find the hotel and be able to check in early. A very jolly room confirming the arty vibe they publicise and a ground floor brasserie with comfy chairs and good beers. A lot of Brits and, tonight, a hen party!

So lunch and then we trekked through the roadworks to the nearest functioning bus stop. Arriving at the central station we sought out the cruise office. The young man told me we could go straight to the boat.  But at the boat pier an officious man shouted at me that I had to change my printout for tickets by going to the cruise office ten minutes walk away. I pointed out, calmly at first, that that wasn’t necessary as I had the printout. I pointed to the sentence that said as much. But he insisted. We tried anyway with the guy by the gangway and the same response. By now I was losing it. I was cold and wanted to get out of the wind, preferably onto a nice warm boat! But nothing doing. I grabbed the paper back and said I’d get a refund and forget the whole thing (boy, was I in a strop!).

I stomped into the station with Lou following and down to the warm shopping mall underneath. Here we bought warm hats, having not thought to bring any with us, and discovered shops here put a charge on the use of bank cards. Bit of a cheek as ours are debit cards not credit ones.

But onwards. The Delft shop i had found online turned out to be very tourist tat and as I tried on a bracelet (present for someone) the wretched thing fell apart. Oh, the shame of it, but oh, how lucky I didn’t buy it and present it as a gift! Lots of apologies and I bought some overpriced earrings and scurried out.

Lou suggested we had a little wander and we headed down Damrak, a big wide street built over a canal many years ago. It occurred to me we were close to the ticket office I had been told to go to so in I marched to claim a refund. That wasn’t possible immediately i was told. At this point Lou decided to play mediator and suggested I swap my now pretty scruffy printout for tickets and we take the cruise as planned. So I did. And we did. I looked the other way as we queued up and boarded the boat so didn’t have to face the obnoxious jobsworth (he had been unnecessarily rude to me while I was sooo calm… not). Some cheerful Dutch chaps sat next to us and we all plugged ourselves into the audio sockets.

A trip around the harbour, truly, kicked off the cruise and then it was all canals. Photos taken through a spray spattered window while I imagined how it would all look under blue skies and with leaves on the trees. I was glad Lou had prevailed!

Off the boat and off to try to buy bus tickets. Unsuccessful as the counter in the ticket office had closed and the machines had ‘tomber en panne’ but in Dutch.  So off down Damrak again in search of coffee and waffles.

Then a mooch around C and A, as you do, and the red light district before a bus back to the hotel.

A good meal in the brasserie to round off the day.

Cream crackered!