Before we left Leiden, after 6 nights on Tuesday the 20th around 11:20AM, we spotted an unexpected other ship – a huge one. Its limit (and everyone elses, except the low dinghies (‘sloepen)) is the bridge that is visible in the far background though. So its only inside Leiden’s municipal marina to turn and take in passengers. For the moment, that is. COVID-19 is hard to beat!

We cruised 2 hours and 40 minutes that day. Mind you, minus ¾ hour waiting time in front of the Doesbrug (brug = bridge), giving us access from the river Oude Rijn onto the Does. So that day we cruised the Oude Rijn, the Does, followed by the Kromme (= bended) Does, before arriving in Hoogmade. There we noticed an attractive spot inside a marina, ‘De Freek’ for a mere € 15,00 a day/night, all inclusive. Moreover a large grassy side seemed very well suited for the dog. So we did not hesitate and moored there at 1:57PM.

After we reported ourselves to the harbour-master we were told to leave the chosen spot because it is a private one – and to move to the visitor’s landing stage. We did, a bit reluctant because we had to lift our dog on/from board due to the height difference and we were no longer alongside the grassy side but, all right, it was still okay.

This is where a dog can run! Notice the difference in height between the marina and the surroundings. We never stop to be amazed about how the water management in our country is regulated. The water-level is higher than the land in this area most of the time.

Our fun, and that of our dog, was regularly interrupted by a lawn-mowing robot. At first our dog mistook that moving thing for a congener. He got used to it later. We experienced how quiet the mower is when the unit approached us from behind, got stuck under one of our seats(!), one of its wheels getting tangled up with our dog’s leash and stopped working. The harbour master/-owner had to intervene to get the robot up and running again. Luckily he didn't blame us. He only did ask us not to put anything (for example a parasol leg) in the ground because the buried wiring (robot) could get damaged.

The west. A summer sunset on the 21st of July, 9:04PM in Hoogmade.

The east. The moon on the 22nd of July, 9:53PM, still in Hoogmade.

Hoogmade was left behind on Friday the 23th of July at 11:15AM. We cruised De Kromme Does, followed by de Wijde (= wide) Aa, the Woudwetering (wetering = (an excavated) stream), passed the village Woubrugge where the waterway changes its name in Heimanswetering, negotiating two bridges on the way, and turned to the right onto the river Oude Rijn to moor almost immediately next to the ‘s Molenaarsbrug-restaurant (https://www.molenaarsbrug.nl/index.html) and opposite Avifauna (https://www.avifauna.nl/) at 12:15PM. In short, we are now in Alphen a/d Rijn!