Deinze

Not much to write about today - we expected to have lovely sunny weather so we could get the bicycles out and do some exploring, but it was grey, cold and threatening to rain.  So we did 2 trips to the supermarket (within spitting distance of the mooring) instead.  By 10 am 4 boats had left the dock so we were down to just 2 live-aboards plus 2 other long term boats. 

Yesterday after we arrived we noticed 2 young ladies taking measurements on the Poppeplein right next to the dock, wondering what they were up to,  and today 3 trucks full of equipment arrived and within a couple of hours a marquee had been erected, plus a public toilet, and within a couple of hours, another 2 smaller marquees.

It turns out that on Saturday it is a festival day here in Deinze called "Dag de Klant Smaakt" - or something like that.  What it all breaks down to is that a bicycle tour (with some 150 participants) starts at 9 am, and gets back at around noon, meanwhile a whole load of stalls open up at 11 am offering local delicacies, including local restaurants offering samples of their "signature dishes".   In the afternoon there are workshops of local activities, one of which is electric bicycles, and in the evening there is live music and dancing.

Pity we are leaving at 9.00 to meet up with Lynn and Shaun in Bruges!  

However, the public toilet was right next to the spot where we were moored so we decided to move and put some space between us and the activities just in case it all kicks off tomorrow.

This afternoon we decided to brave the cold wind and went for a walk, but not 10 minutes later the rain set in!  We ducked into the local church, and I was amazed and amused, by the statues of the saints.  They seem to be really down to earth characters carrying the tools of their trade: a dagger, a club, an axe, a sword.  Blood thirsty lot, weren't they!

Later in the afternoon 2 boats arrived for the night, and one of them was no less than our friend J....!  As usual no one on deck and when the chap on the dock next to them went to offer assistance it was declined, and J.... proceeded to bounce his way off the dock!