Dreaming of a White Christmas

Dreaming of a White Christmas - Day 16

December 16, 2023

Nijmegen

We docked in Nijmegem at 5am. I was woken by the ship stopping – it is amazing how your body so quickly becomes accustomed to the movement, that when it stops, you can’t sleep. It didn’t stop Wallsy however, so much so that I had to wake him at 9:20 and remind him that breakfast service finished at 10 and we needed to get down there if we wanted to eat before disembarkation.

Breakfasted, and shore passes in hand we set off into this unknown city, apparently the largest in the Dutch province of Gelderland, situated on the Waal River and close to the German border. From the dock we found our way into the town square, the Grote Markt, but having seen a steam train crossing the rail bridge earlier, we decided to pass on through in an endeavour to find the station. We walked through the Kronenburgepark and I was reminded how much I was missing green spaces and birdsong.

At the station, we were about to leave none the wiser, when Wallsy, who has a keen eye for these things, spotted an information board and the words Stoomtrein 11:27. With half an hour to spare, we ventured out to find a vantage point with great success, there being a huge pedestrian/cycling bridge running alongside the railway line for a distance of about 1km. Here we found other train enthusiasts waiting with cameras at the ready, so figured we were in the right spot.

The train did indeed arrive amidst a great deal of steam a few minutes later. We then walked to the riverside and stood below the bridge waiting for the train’s return. It seemed to be running a shuttle from Nijmegen to Arnhem. Again, with the right sort of timely information, it may have even been possible to secure a seat and enjoy a trip into the countryside in the time that we had here.

Steam train spotting done, we walked back into the old town and found a great little bagel café for lunch before wandering through the atmospheric street, by this time, bustling with people and buskers. I found some cute and unique gifts which were easily packable and not composed of any products that may pose a problem in re-entering Australia. Nijmegen turned out to be a bit of a gem, a city bursting with life and atmosphere.

We were back on board by 2, the weather having deteriorated into a cool mist by then, although I must admit, 10 degrees outdoors, when dressed in the appropriate layers, is a welcome relief after the overheated indoor environments we find ourselves in. We quickly secured ourselves two seats at a table in the lounge, often hard to come by, so I could use the slightly better internet and post yesterday’s blog which refused to send last night. We pulled away at 3 and it is nice to be doing some day sailing and seeing the landscape pass by before darkness begins to descend at 4:30. It is somewhat disconcerting however, to go into our cabin and see the water level from our porthole when we are motoring along!

After a relaxing afternoon in the lounge, we met up with our fellow Aussies for dinner and drinks, followed by the briefing on tomorrow’s visit to Dusseldorf. I think our German hosts must be reading my blog, because today they presented a glossy coloured map and information, just like the one provided to the German speakers, in English for us.

We have a very long stay in Dusseldorf from 5am until 10:30pm tomorrow, given that it is a very short distance back to our finishing point at Cologne, so it remains to be seen what we find to do. We do have the benefit of two English fellow travellers, who often spend time in Dusseldorf for work, having offered to show us around, so that could put a new spin on things.