Susi and Austin's

Travelling the Rivers and

Canals of Europe

SUSI'STRAVELBLOG

Home stretch, Coevoorden to Papenburg

Thursday 29 August 2024

As the school holidays and our tour through the Netherlands come to an end, a late summer heatwave has suddenly emerged in Europe. Getting the headwind...

Arnhem, Doesburg, Zutphen and Hattem

Monday 19 August 2024

The rain came back at night and didn't look like stopping. It was a good time to move on! We really can’t complain. The weather in the Netherlands has...

Gouda, the Hollandse Ijssel and the Lek

Wednesday 14 August 2024

We have done the "Sauerkraut-Fahrt” in Germany, and now, after Alkmaar, Edam, Amsterdam and Gouda, we have done
the ultimate “Cheese Cruise” too,...

Back in The Netherlands, Amsterdam to Rotterdam

Monday 5 August 2024

We left lovely Alkmaar and made it to Sixhaven Yachtharbour in Amsterdam by early afternoon. Eva arrived on time, and as usual, half of her baggage was...

"Old" South Wales and North Wales

Tuesday 23 July 2024

A five am start got us from Alkmaar to the airport in time, and luckily, the worldwide Microsoft glitch from the previous day didn’t impact our flight.
On...

All about cows and cheese - Marken, Edam and Alkmaar

Wednesday 10 July 2024

Opposite Monnickendam on the Markermeer is the idyllic village of Marken. Marken has fewer than 2000 residents. Yet, this farming community harbours...

Volendam and Monnickendam

Sunday 7 July 2024

We have now really slowed down with our travels. This is partly due to The Netherlands making it easy for us to get lazy. There are no locks to manage,...

From Friesland to North Holland - Makkum, Enkhuizen and Hoorn

Sunday 30 June 2024

Now I know why the Friesian Skûtsjes, the old sailing boats, have big side paddles or “swords”. As we left Harlingen's harbour, the westerly wind rocked...

Franeker, Harlingen, Terschelling

Wednesday 26 June 2024

The sun has finally decided to stay! Temperatures are in the mid-twenties, and the skies are blue!
We found a good mooring on Franekers South Canal,...

Boating Woes - Papenburg to Leeuwarden

Friday 21 June 2024

We are starting to believe in the Celtic superstition that things always come in threes!
Off we went from Papenburg, unhindered by bridge problems...

Papenburg, Bourtange, Delfzijl and Norddeich

Saturday 15 June 2024

On a day when the rain blew horizontally across the channel, we arrived wet and cold at Papenburg, only to be faced with another defective bridge. To...

Appingedam to Leer, Germany

Monday 10 June 2024

From Groningen, the wide Ems Canal leads to the Wadden Sea and to the river Ems, which flows through the North of Germany, called Ostfriesland (East—Friesland)....

From Friesland to Groningen

Monday 3 June 2024

Austin was warned by our friend Georg, that the inhabitants of Dokkum are “famous for killing native brits”. Indeed, the lovely locals murdered British...

Leeuwarden and Dokkum - when it rains, it pours!

Friday 31 May 2024

By now, we are almost acclimatised to the Friesland spring weather, the heavy rain, the warmth when the sun decides to show and the strong, cold, arctic...

Sneek, Workum and Joure

Friday 24 May 2024

We are revisiting a few places from our 2018 cruise, and we have hired a new Aussie crew, Uschi and Stephen, to accompany us on our way to North Friesland.
Austin...

Riding the waves to Stavoren, Heeg and Sloten

Monday 20 May 2024

We left Lemmer with sunny weather and mild wind. As we moved further north on the Ijsselmeer, the wind increased to 15 knots, and we competed with an...

Lemmer-ing along

Friday 17 May 2024

For the past four days, while getting over a nasty Dutch cold, we have stayed in Lemmer! It's a long time staying in one place for us, but we needed...

Sailing off to Blokzijl

Tuesday 14 May 2024

Lodi was purring like a satisfied kitten, as we went for a little trial run to the town harbour of Meppel. We decided to stay overnight and take advantage...

Heavenly weather on Ascension Day, Meppel

Saturday 11 May 2024

The planning of our arrival date in Europe wasn’t perfect as the 9th of May is Ascension Day, a treasured public holiday here, and one we miss out on...

Boating Season 2024 - The Netherlands

Wednesday 31 January 2024

Our new boating route for this year is up on show and can be seen in the Itinerary link on our home page. As you can see, Austin is having us cruising...

End of our boating season - stopover in Singapore

Tuesday 26 September 2023

Sadly it has come to the end of our boating season this year! As much as we are looking forward to seeing our family and friends in Australia again,...

From Germany into the Netherlands, Haren, Ter Apel, Veenpark, Emmen, Nieuw Amsterdam, Meppel

Tuesday 19 September 2023

On our way to the Netherlands, we had two more short stops in Germany. One was a lovely marina at Walchum which was surrounded by an estate of small...

Final stretch in Germany - Oldenburg, Papenburg and Leer

Thursday 7 September 2023

We left Bremen Marina about three hours before low tide, to then take advantage of the in-flowing tide when turning south into the Hunte Kanal. 
On...

Bremen and Hamburg

Sunday 3 September 2023

Bremen is the last stop on the Weser and also the beginning of tidal waters. (See the marina at high and low tide! 4.5-metre difference) A long pontoon...

The Weser, Nienburg and Verden

Saturday 26 August 2023

After a calm night on the side of the canal in Minden, Austin did his usual “Brötchen - Run” with his scooter and delivered some to the boot owners behind...

Going west on the Mittellandkanal

Monday 21 August 2023

After the excitement of the soccer world cup our heartbeat has settled down to the slow pace of canal boating again, and at 10km per hour, we are moving...

Potsdam and Potatoes

Saturday 12 August 2023

On a stormy day, we left wet Scotland and got back to rainy Potsdam. The Heron on duty seemed to have kept a close eye on Lodi during our absence.
What...

Scotland - Glasgow to Edinburgh

Wednesday 2 August 2023

We smuggled Austin out of Europe on the very last of his permitted 90-day stay. The German border control sounded slightly disappointed being unable...

Berlin

Sunday 23 July 2023

Leaving Spandau we heard that a lion was on the loose in Berlin, and that was where we were headed! So while cruising the Hohenzollern Canal to the Spree,...

From the Mecklenburger Lakes back to Berlin and Potsdam

Thursday 13 July 2023

The longer I am in Germany the worse my English is getting. I have started to translate again directly from German to English which doesn’t work. So...

Potsdam to Müritz

Monday 3 July 2023

Will we or will we not get a mooring, that’s the daily question, especially approaching Berlin! There are plenty of marinas on 33000 km of waterways...

Elbe - Havel-Kanal - Burg by Magdeburg to Brandenburg

Wednesday 28 June 2023

We have now crossed the former border which until 1989 divided Germany into East and West. One of the former, heavily guarded border crossings was just...

Mittellandkanal 2 - Hannover to Wolfsburg

Thursday 22 June 2023

We were told cruising the Mittellandkanal is a little boring. And yes, especially compared to the French or Belgian canals with their multiple locks,...

Mittellandkanal - Osnabrück to Minden

Friday 16 June 2023

Just as we were ready to leave the harbour in Münster, the busy to and fro of barges seemed to stop, and we were able to go straight into the 190m long...

Weser-Datteln to Dortmund-Ems-Kanal

Friday 9 June 2023

We have now left the Rhine and turned to starboard into the 60km long Wesel-Datteln Kanal. This canal is still frequented by many commercial barges which...

Hello Sunshine! From Cologne to Duisburg

Monday 5 June 2023

We just said good-bye to our friend Eva in Duisburg, and now it is time for our livers to recover. 

Eva hadn't only brought sunshine with her,...

Racing down the Rhine

Monday 29 May 2023

There were a couple of traffic jams in front of the last three locks of the Moselle and we had to take our turns behind the “big boys”. But what time...

On the Moselle with the Lodi

Monday 22 May 2023

Finally, just in time for our first days of cruising it's warming up! I am trying not to be too jubilant as the very chilly days of the so called “Eisheiligen”...

Cruising the Danube

Tuesday 16 May 2023

After our luxurious Danube Cruise we are now back on our humble Lodi. No more butler service, buffets and evening entertainment. From now on it’s just...

Boating season 2023

Sunday 30 April 2023

This is our 10th boating season on the rivers and canals of Europe and we still get excited when first spotting our boat. In this case we had to wait...

Counting down to "travelling the rivers and canals of Europe"

Thursday 16 March 2023

Last year the La Niña weather pattern brought record rainfalls and floods to Australia. In contrast, we experienced prolonged heat waves in Europe and...

Our Itinerary for 2022

Sunday 12 March 2023

Please click on the link below to see the map of our journey through the European waterways during 2022
Map of our trip in 2022

After-word to our 2022 blog

Wednesday 26 October 2022

Although Austin says I never shut up, I’m not really in the habit of writing "after-words", but I did promise to post a few more photos from this year's...

End of the season: Schweich, Sankt Goar

Wednesday 17 August 2022
End of the season: Schweich, Sankt Goar

Sadly our boating season this year is coming to an end. We have arrived at our chosen winter harbour 10km north-east of Trier in a town called Schweich....

Last not least: Bernkastel-Kues and Neumagen

Thursday 11 August 2022

Bernkastel-Kues has to be one of the most charming places along the Mosel, that is: minus the many tourists who arrive with the cruise ships. We tried...

Moselling along: Senheim, Beilstein, Zell, Traben-Trarbach

Sunday 7 August 2022

We are taking our time moving slowly along the beautiful Mosel Valley. It allows us to take in different places and experiences than last time.
Senheim...

"Mittelrhein" to Mosel, Lorelei, Koblenz, Winningen & Cochem

Sunday 31 July 2022

On another beautiful sommers day we left Rüdesheim and headed towards the “Mittelrhein”. Here the Rhine Valley becomes winding and narrow and a traffic...

The "Oberrhein", from Strasbourg to Rüdesheim

Monday 25 July 2022

After a one-hour wait in front of the North Lock of Strasbourg and off we went down the Rhine, joined by the “Bona Verba” with Robert and Brenda. To...

Canal de la Marne au Rhin: off to Strasbourg

Monday 18 July 2022

The locks along the next stretch of the Canal de la Marne au Rhin are all under 3m and easy to manage. They are activated in several chains by rope pull...

Canal de la Marne au Rhin: Niderviller, Sarrebourg, Lutzelbourg, Saverne

Friday 15 July 2022

As we moved east into Alsace everything seemed to be still a bit German. From the fir trees bordering the canal at Niderviller to the restaurant next...

The French Canal de la Sarre

Sunday 10 July 2022

And before we knew it, we were back in France! At Sarreguemines, the confluence of the Blies and Saar constitutes the blurry border between the two countries,...

The German Saar: Saarburg, Saarlouis, Saarbrücken

Monday 4 July 2022

We are now on the so-called “Sauerkraut Route” although we haven’t eaten any sauerkraut yet as the weather is too hot for this traditional dish of the...

Thionville, Wasserbillig and Luxembourg

Sunday 3 July 2022

Well, we didn’t get checked by the water police in Thionville, or beyond. Maybe the Lodi is looking more dignified and less “pirate" than the Freshwater. 
A...

Lights and Music at Metz

Monday 27 June 2022

Neither the mixed weather nor that it was our third time dampened our excitement of being back in Metz. The harbour is ideally situated just below the...

And we are off!- Toul to Pont-à-Mousson

Tuesday 21 June 2022

It is always nice observing the comings and goings in a harbour! There are the evening invasions and the early morning rushes. Some provided unexpected...

And rest- we did! Still in Toul!

Saturday 18 June 2022

As expected, the dreaded lurgy got to both of us. Lodi has now become a quarantine station with supplies of paracetamol, cough syrup and tissue boxes....

Toul's down, ready for a rest!

Monday 6 June 2022

From Épinal we went in tandem with a German/Dutch team, lovely people! The VNF had already started preserving water resources and encouraged the grouping...

Locked in and "Locked" out!

Wednesday 1 June 2022

Canal Des Vosges

At Corre, the canalised Petite Saône meets the Canal des Vosges. We were hoping this canal was equally clean and free of weeds. 
It...

Tunnelling and Pedalling

Friday 27 May 2022

Savoyeux, Seveux and Traves

After Gray the river, which we largely had to ourselves, became busier.  For the first time, we had to wait in front...

Green and "Gray"

Wednesday 25 May 2022

The Petite Saône and the City Gray

A fresh wind from the North - I think - (in Australia it would be a “Southerly”), has helped cool down temperatures...

New plans, new wheels and old mustard

Sunday 22 May 2022

Velars-sur-Ouche & Dijon
Now that we’ve turned around, it is so nice going down instead of up in the locks. It hardly puts any strain on ropes or...

Nice Visit and turn of Events

Wednesday 18 May 2022

Slowly we have come to realise that the VNF map books are no longer up to date concerning moorings and facilities. So now in lock keepers, we trust!...

Climbing the locks of the Burgundy

Sunday 15 May 2022

Well, we love Lodi! But already in the first lock, we realised that we’ve got a new challenge on our hands. As the locks are very narrow here in France...

Guten Tag and Bon Jour!

Monday 9 May 2022

It has been 3 years since we last arrived in Europe but it seems like an eternity! And yet, now we are here, everything is so familiar! After a week...

Ready for another season

Wednesday 27 April 2022

In the immortal words of John Denver, “All our bags are packed, we’re ready to go”. It’s been a while, but now all the borders are reopened and after...

Gundagai and the Dog on the Tuckerbox

Saturday 11 December 2021

Our last fuel stop on the way home was at a little truck stop at snake Gully,  nine miles out of Gundagai. This is where the famous statue of the "Dog...

Beechworth

Friday 26 November 2021

The “weather" has finally caught up with us and we are sitting here in Wagga Wagga in our caravan surrounded by huge puddles. The river in the back of...

Yanga National Park and Echuca

Wednesday 24 November 2021

Just south of Balranald, on our way to the Murray Valley, we followed the signs to Yanga National Park and Yanga Lake, and this time it was a real lake,...

Mungo National Park and Balranald

Tuesday 23 November 2021

We are in a small town called Balranald, the very place where famous Australian explorers Burke and Wills crossed the Murrumbidgee River, where Charles...

Parkes and Narrandera

Friday 19 November 2021

All the eastern access roads to Forbes were closed as the Lachlan river spilled over it’s banks and flooded vast areas. So we decided to move on to Parkes...

Dubbo and Orange

Wednesday 17 November 2021

In the meantime we met up with Nina, Callum and our 9 months old grandson Milo in Dubbo about 260km south-west of Gunnedah. Those three are on 
a...

Gunnedah - postscript

Tuesday 16 November 2021

Post script for last blog entry: For all my Non-Aussie followers here is the beautiful poem of Dorothea Mackellar in full. The first verse describes...

Gunnedah

Thursday 11 November 2021

When we arrived in Gunnedah it was 29 degrees with close to 100% humidity. Thick cloud banks overhung the town with more severe rain predicted. This...

Mudgee, Gulgong & Dunedoo

Wednesday 10 November 2021

We sure have funny sounding names for places here in Oz! “Mudgee" possibly derived from the aboriginal word “mothi” meaning “nest on the hill” or maybe...

Rylstone

Sunday 7 November 2021

Leaving the Blue Mountains via Lithgow and the Capertee Valley we took a small detour to Portland to see the Silo-art on the old Portland Cement Works....

Freedom!!!

Thursday 4 November 2021

After several months of lockdown, we finally can leave Greater Sydney. Like a horse before the race, Austin has been raring to go for weeks. So we took...

Still in lock down till 2022

Saturday 10 April 2021

Hi once again from Sydney Australia! 
We hope you are all well. Here down-under we have been pretty lucky during the pandemic, yet travelling overseas...

Interesting Times

Thursday 16 July 2020

We are glad to hear that some of our boating friends are back on the water! Unfortunately, we still have a travel ban here in Australia and won’t be...

Mind Shift during the pandemic

Monday 6 April 2020

We have a saying in Germany: "Erstens kommt es anders und zweitens als man denkt!” - meaning, that you never know how things turn out. And who could...

Welcome to our new Website

Saturday 8 February 2020

Welcome to our new website. Unfortunately, the  app we used to create our old blog has gone out of business, so Austin had to rewrite the site using...