Having exited our night’s berth, I turned Gratis away from the lock and motored her to the bottom of the marina. Turning to her to port we followed the channel down to the entrance of the Ijzer. Our destination of Diksmuide was only a couple of hours motor down the track. The peaceful river wound […]
It is best to be at the first bridge in Brugge by 9 for the morning convoy run. If missed, there can be long waits for the late comer. For us, this was a gentle rerun of our journey of last year, except no rain. An unusual lift bridge along the way. Arriving at the lock […]
With our New Zealand friends joining us this day, we took the train from Brugge to Heist, then completed the remaining 6km journey to the Zwin by bike. What a delightful dune and heath landscape this was, with its large tidal lagoons, tall grasses and multitudes of flora in bloom. Nosy geese peered, storks fed, horses […]
Drongengoedbos was created when the monks of the nearby Drongen abbey decided to set aside the area for the sole purpose of forestry – hence the wood’s name. Sections of the enclosure and buildings constructed for the monks who worked there still exist today. A small café/restaurant has been opened in here and the quiet […]
One of Bob’s wishes was to visit Zeebrugge where he could explore the marine shop and marina. Today was it! Roughly a 30km round trip, the weather was in our favour. The township, itself really was a true seaport town that, from the number of shops and apartments closed, appeared to be experiencing a slump in the […]
A pleasurable sixteen kilometre round journey from Brugge led us first along the Damme Canal, then through stunning countryside full of crops to the medieval township of Damme and back. Although its 7 star shaped walls are currently in the state of restoration, sadly much of the original old town has disappeared, the casualty resultant […]
Travel back in time to the denouement of the last ice age when, with the warming of the earth, waters rose as the melting of the ice caps commenced: this was the birth of the North Sea we know today. From this event, the great northern European rivers of today were created, which in turn […]
Exiting KGWV, one heads straight across the Ring Route Canal and immediately enters a very different Leie to that found leading from Deinze to Kortrijk. This is a meandering river that wends its way in twists and turns across the countryside for some 20km. Interspersed with small villages, farmland and tiny forests, for its contrast, […]
Having been given the incorrect data pack in the Netherlands (you really need to check that it is the international pack you are given prior to handing over the cash), we discovered our phones no longer worked on crossing the Belgian border yesterday. This meant a trip into Gent was required, so an unintended excursion […]
Unlike previous years, there are no set dates – besides departure to Oz, that is – ahead, so the aim is slow and enjoy. So, a lazy start behind us, mid – morning it was time to depart upon the Gent Terneuzen Canal for our second year running. From Vlissingen, this is the quickest way […]
High tide at 2pm, it was a lackadaisical start to the day. Bob went overboard to clean the prop. Those winter months spent up on the hard to dry out in order for the repairs to be made also meant the antifoul dried and is no longer as effective as was. A quick refill. A […]
A Busy few weeks as I have updated the home page map and created a couple of videos to replace the text. Click the link to take a squizz. http://www.gratisaustralis.com/ Would love to know what you think.
Bike ride around the countryside, which is a mix a waterways and farming land, with dikes made of sand dunes up to 4m high protect the coastline from storm surge inundation. Just for Terry, who loves unicorns. There is an interesting history to do the Battle of the Scheldt in WWII. The Battle for the […]
In the latest start of the summer season, this was the day that Gratis departed Vlissingen, setting forth to continue our travels through Belgium. Light winds predicted on the morn, an early start was the go. A short motor of 9km across to Breskins which was situated on the Westerschelde: practically opposite our winter home. […]
This is a hard vegetable salad that lasts 2 – 4 weeks 1 fennel, diced 2 very firm capsicum (red, yellow or orange work well for colour contrast), diced 5 – 10 stalks asparagus, chopped ½ leek chopped 5 sticks celery, chopped Broccoli, 2 cans of beans (cannellini, borlotti, black, red, chickpeas and so […]
5 cups oats 1 cup quinoa puffs ½ cup millet seeds ½ cup linseeds 1 packet pine nuts ½ cup dried cranberries 1 packet dried cherries 1 packet dried blueberries ¼ cup dried dates (chopped) ½ cup dried pineapple (chopped) ½ cup dried pineapple (chopped) ½ cup dried apricots (chopped) ¼ – ½ cup […]
Fennel is an interesting vegetable, and one that until I met Bob held no appeal. In his bean salad, the fennel taste a little like aniseed. In this dish, the combination of coconut milk, white wine and prosciutto assist in creating a very different flavour. Ingredients 3 tablespoons olive oil Salt to taste 4 garlic cloves […]
Hint: I pre – cut all ingredients, combining the salt/herbs/chives/leek/shallot/garlic/chilli/vegetable stock in a small bowl, capsicums in another, mushrooms and spinach are left draining in the strainer. Cooking time: 3 -5 hours depending on stove top heat used. (You can add corn/maize flour to thicken after a couple of hours if you want to […]
Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt to taste 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 shallot, chopped ½ leek, chopped Asparagus (15 of the small or 6 of the large) chopped 1 capsicum, chopped 1 bunch broccolini, chopped ½ large or 1 small Chinese cabbage/wombok, sliced 200 grams mushrooms diced 3 ½ tablespoons sesame oil 2½ tablespoons […]
It’s been a while, and you are probably wondering, ‘what are the plans for Gratis in 2019’? The simple answer is, we’re really not sure. Bob and I are still hemming and hawing…….. Do we complete our travels in Belgium, or do we take the bull by the horns, return to Port Napoleon, pick up the […]
