Thursday the 9th of June, after 10 days, we finally left Heerenveen/It Hearrenfean behind around 10:30AM, accompanied by two family members, for a three days-roundtrip, which, via Aldeboarn/Oldeboorn and Nes/Akkrum, would take us back to Heerenveen/It Hearrenfean. Because, you know, on Monday June 13 (that's tomorrow) we will try for the third consecutive year (COVID-19!) to make an appointment for a much-needed repaint of our ship. Of course our friend Tineke Heek made this action photo when we passed her and Ad's ship 'Avontuur', moored in Haskerdijken/Haskerdiken. (© Tineke Heek)

We stopped in Aldeboarn/Oldeboorn at 1:50PM, therefore after an extensive cruise – for us, that is. As you can see, it is a really picturesque village.

Jay, as pictured in Aldeboarn/Oldeboorn. He’s utterly ‘strokeable’. Isn’t he? We were able to sit outside; summer seems to have arrived – at long last!

We stayed in Aldeboarn/Oldeboorn for only one night. The next morning we left at 11:26, were served by the local bridgekeeper with the three manually operated swing-bridges and arrived at Akkrum just after 1:00PM. Mooring there was not simple because of a strong south-westerly wind. Nevertheless we sat outside but our seats were blown away when we got up… As we forgot to make a picture here’s one just made after turning 180° the next morning; we left the marina ‘Drijfveer’/‘Tusken de Marren’ (Spring (?, the pun is not easy to translate)/Between the Lakes) a few minutes after 11:00AM – on our way back to Heerenveen/It Hearrenfean.

On the way a railway-bridge has to open in order to let us continue our journey into Heerenveen’s/It Hearrenfean’s centre. We were lucky: the bridge opened immediately after we contacted the remote bridge control by telephone. There were two boats trailing ours but the alarm bell rang immediately after (almost while) we passed the bridge and the other two had to wait for what later turned out to be two trains; one Leewarden/Ljouwert - Heerenveen/It Hearrenfean (and beyond), the other in the opposite direction. The technique of this drawbridge always amazes us. The operation of it is carried out on a distance (Zwolle?) and its just great that the system seems to be flawless. Note the lack of overhead wires. For a brief moment, the pantographs lose contact with the overhead wires.