Huizen - Utrecht

Weather wise it has been a pretty dismal few days. From Eekt we cruised to Spakenburg. This is a very pretty old fisherman's town, but at 8 degrees C max and a howling wind it was not really inviting to wander around, let alone take pictures.

This morning we did an hour and a half to Huizen. On the way we were hit by a heavy hailstorm but fortunately we were able to tie up during a short dry spell.
Our friend Michael picked us up from the boat, he had a business appointment in Utrecht and we walked around a bit in this nice old student town. We used a few bookshops to find shelter from the weather. When Michael had finished his meeting, we had dinner together.

Tomorrow is the King's birthday, 'Koningsdag' and tonight is 'Koningsnacht', when there are (all night) parties in the main centres (which usually end up with people drinking way more than is good for them). Koningsdag itself is more of a family affair, it usually starts with a 'freemarket', where children sell unused toys to other children, a clever way to 'recycle' toys. There often are young musicians performing as well as children's games being played. We plan to see how Koningsdag is celebrated here in Huizen, although the forecast is once again a maximum of 8 degrees with rain showers which will probably dampen the spirits a bit.
In the evening we'll go to Michael and his wife Annemieke.

The plan after that is to continue to Amsterdam on Thursday, but we'll try to report back tomorrow night.

Location:Havenstraat,Huizen,The Netherlands