Tuesday 7 November
Another stunning sunrise, with a soft mist rising this morning from the water surface, 
and the first frost on my decks. Hundreds of cute coots live hereabouts, feeding on grassy fields by day and sleeping on the water in the yacht haven once it’s dark.
Peaceful and relaxing as it’s been, it was time to move on to the bright lights of a new old city, just a few miles upriver, but still with another four bridges to negotiate. Mate was back on helm duty, confidently (or so it felt to me) reversing me from our berth of the last few nights to rejoin the main waterway and continue North. We landed right in the heart of Haarlem, amid yet more church tower carillons and bicycles, and the crew soon left me to snooze while they took a first look around the city.
First they followed the river to the Harbour Office, where they were delighted to be offered a ‘buy two, get one free’ deal for each three nights of our stay. Mate had been able to do some internet research beforehand, so they then headed for the Grote Markt, the main square that surrounds the Grote Kerk, where the tourist information office is located (VVV). Haarlem is only 15 minutes from Amsterdam by ‘normal’ transport, and is popular for short visits. Formerly one of the main North Sea trading ports, it has many historical buildings, beautiful architecture and a maze of cobbled streets lined with interesting boutiques, cafés and restaurants. My crew enjoyed the ‘vibe’, the atmosphere, and soon had a list of places to visit in the following days.