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Walking on the sea bed, flying cows and drowned rats.

Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on August 12th 2023. After our exciting crossing of the IJsselmeer last week we arrived in Flevoland, the 12th province of The Netherlands and also the newest, officially recognised in 1986. Imagine that you could walk on the sea bed, that the waterContinue reading “Walking on the sea bed, flying cows and drowned rats.”

Crossing the IJsselmeer

Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on July 5th 2023. When we began our boating life it was on the understanding that we wouldn’t go to sea. Michael had spent the first nineteen years of his working life on ships around the world and so it was a familiarContinue reading “Crossing the IJsselmeer”

North Holland in pictures

Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on July 22nd 2023. We have crammed in so much over the past week that I hardly know where to start. In these situations I always think the best thing to do is let the pictures do the talking. This first picture isContinue reading “North Holland in pictures”

Playing the tourist – windmills, clogs and cheese

Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on July 14th 2023. Earlier this week we left our mooring at Weesp and made our way through Amsterdam on the River Ij. This big commercial river goes through the industrial heartland of the city, and it provided us with a different perspectiveContinue reading “Playing the tourist – windmills, clogs and cheese”

The many faces of Amsterdam

Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on July 8th 2023. We have spent the last week or so moored at Weesp, a delightful town about 16 kilometres outside Amsterdam. It’s ideally situated for day trips into the city, either by bike or by train, and we experimented with bothContinue reading “The many faces of Amsterdam”

Gallery

Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on June 23rd 2023. Many of the Dutch people we have met over the last few weeks have told us that the Vecht river is the most beautiful waterway in the Netherlands. It’s not a particularly long river, running for just 40 kilometresContinue reading “Gallery”

Nostalgia

Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on June 16th 2023. We recently set our alarm clock, a rare event in our lives these days as we seldom have to be anywhere by a set time, and left Olivia Rose at 7.30am to cycle to the largest flower auction inContinue reading “Nostalgia”

All alone in the Netherlands

Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on June 9th 2023. One thing that has struck us as we cruise around the Netherlands is how many houses there are. We knew that it was a densely populated country but hadn’t expected that the smaller rivers and canals would pass throughContinue reading “All alone in the Netherlands”

Lifting bridges and cheese auctions

Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on June 3rd 2023. I seem to have gone overboard on the videos this week, but there has been so much to see and it is a good way to share it with you. We’ll begin with our final day on the RiverContinue reading “Lifting bridges and cheese auctions”

Paradise found

Hello and welcome to the latest blog from The Olivia Rose Diaries on May 26th 2023. I sat on deck, closed my eyes and listened. In the distance I could hear a cuckoo calling. Close by, hidden in the reeds, a coot was clucking in shrill annoyance at a duck that had strayed too closeContinue reading “Paradise found”