EUROPE MUSINGS

MYSTERY BRIDGES
OK, so your confronted with this apparation and wonder how in hell does this thing work? We think it's a bridge. We finally find a elephone number to call and within minutes, this whole damn thing rocks and lifts the roadway up over our heads so we can pass under it. 

 The next one was just as weird. When closed, the pendulums are straight up in the air. The photo shows it starting to open by pivoting on the pylons. when open, all are horizontal. I never did find out how it started to open, as the roadway had to have some gismo that lifted it up a couple of feet first.

 

The next bridge was just as daunting and it blocked our access to our mooring for the night. We found a number to call the Port Kommandant, who ran out of his boat, across the bridge , and pushed the right button to raise it. This one had two large steel tubes across the top, that when turned, coiled the steel cable up and raised the pedestrian deck.

Brugge pedestrian bridge

I was accosted on the streets of Ghent by a small group of videoites who wanted to know if I could identify any European countries. I did pretty good, even started in on the Balkans. Good thing she didn't want me to identify any North-East States in US.

We picked up our boat in Niewport, Belgium, stayed a day to shop for supplies )Foof & wine).
Here you see Joy & Medina enjoying dinner in the mess hall.

 Here is our "Le Boat" moored behind he Opera house in Ghent, within walking distance of old town center.