Around in Twente

Today we finally left Meppel, one of the best berths so far that is why we stayed there about a week.
We have changed our plans and are now going through the Hoogeveense Vaart and Stieltjeskanaal making a tour through Twente, a part of the Netherlands that for both of us is unknown.

Once we are in Zutphen we first go down the IJssel to Deventer and than back down in the direction of the Maas.

Our time in Meppel was well used, the console around the steering wheel is finished and painted, the cabinet below the starboard window is almost off and painted. That makes the wheelhouse now fully operational which suits us because the next week we have friends and family coming along so nothing will come of jobs and the pilothouse is a great place to be. At the Paradise lock we lay opposite 3 former lime kilns now commissioning a restaurant and at night it is beautifully illuminated.
On one of the three towers is a stork's nest and it is used by a stork couple.

During the day I've never seen them but every night at dusk they came simultaneously or in rapid succession on the nest, and then got some time to rattle, talking about the past day and discussing what happened in the office and stuff like that, and then go to sleep.A toutching sight and hearing, especially because they were so faithfully there every night.