Kortrijk to Menen

First thing this morning, bright and early, I took a quick walk into town to buy some fresh bread and take a few pics.  Kortrijk is such a lovely town and it must be just about the cleanest I have ever seen.

The pontoon on an arm of the Old Leie River that runs through Kortrijk

The Broeltoren, ancient city gates straddling the river

The Belfry

Detail at the top of the Belfry

The Town Hall

Detail of the Town Hall

I wonder where they got that name?

Then Ian took a walk to one of his favourite shops, Mediamarkt, a huge electronics and technology store (where he bought his drone a few years ago).  He came back with a new electric toothbrush (to replace the one we bought about 10 years ago, and not before time!) and a Karcher Window Vac, a rather expensive present for me because I moan every morning when I have to wipe the freezing cold condensation off the windows.  Yay, no more cold hands!

While he was away I took the opportunity to fill a bucket with fresh water and clean the windows (if I’d known he was coming back with a window vac I might have waited!).  That turned into cleaning the solar panels and coachroof and scrubbing all the green winter gunge out of the various nooks and crannies on the deck.  It was so warm I could work outside without layers of jackets, etc.

We left Kortrijk at 11.00 without ever seeing the harbour master (Ian went looking for him yesterday evening but never found him). 

Menen is only 12 km from Kortrijk and there are no lift bridges or locks between them so it is just a short 1.5 hour trip. 

The flowers of spring

Back under the bridge with bimini down, and Ian ducking his head

Ian's favourite statue

A rather impressive bridge cum work of art

A des-res riverside home

Shortly before arriving in Menen I saw something floating in the water, it was a Karcher Window Vac, so Ian turned round and we picked it up and I left it lying on the foredeck to dry out.

As we approached the dock a few minutes later I heard a buzzing noise from the foredeck – it had switched itself on and we couldn’t turn it off.  When we pushed the off button it stopped but started up again when you let go, so Ian got a clamp and held the switch in the closed position till he could deal with it after we tied up.  Then, expecting to find the motor full of water, he opened it up and everything was bone dry inside.  Amazing!  That window vac had not been in the water long.  A barge had passed us a few minutes before we found it and we can only think they had dropped it overboard.

Ian doing some surgery

Twin window vacs

So within the space of an hour or so we went from owning no window vacs to having two of them; only one charger though, fortunately they use the same one.

And here we are at the free quay at Menen, in Belgium. 

On the opposite side of the river there is an expensive marina which is in France.   From here for the next 34 kms or so the border between France and Belgium is demarcated by the old Leie River.