Mussels and chips Aquarius

I am up before seven again and make tea and eat the last of the really tangy mature Gouda on Ryvita, before the others surface. They aren't long behind me and I make bacon sandwiches for them, while Gino brews up the coffee. Then it is all hands on deck, to shower, pack and tidy the house. We fetch Waldo slightly before ten and he returns our one hundred Euro deposit and then we are on our way. We have decided to visit Helvetsluis, a small port near Breille, which we saw in a brochure when we were on holiday last year. It is only about ten kilometres from the Ferry terminal, so an easy run at the end of our last day in Holland. I make the same mistake with the satnav again and keep to the right as we enter the motorway and end up going in the opposite direction to Rotterdam. Fortunately the satnav routes us back the right way after five minutes and we arrive in Helvetsluis before noon and park at port Helios, which is a holiday village on the beach. We order coffee in the hotel, which we drink outside, the waitress tells us that the place we saw in the brochure is a short walk down the beach. After we finish our coffee we set off and soon find it. Helvetsluis used to be a Dutch naval base and the fortifications are still there. Now it is a combination of new town, marina and holiday village. After a walk round the small centre, we make our way to a restaurant on the beach called "Aquarius", it is a lovely place, which looks like a Cape Cod wooden villa, the decor is in naval colours of blue and white, and on the deck outside there are wicker tables and chairs as well as a few settees and armchairs. We order some beers, Jackie and the others have wheat beer and I try Belgian Palm beer, which is very nice with a distinctive tangy taste, but too strong for me to risk another. We tell the waitress that we want a slow lunch, and I ask her if they serve mussels, she replies, "of course", but when they eventually arrive the portion appears huge, (probably a two person serving,) in a large pan in marinaire sauce. None of the others like them and although most of the bulk is comprised of shell, it still takes a sustained assault to see them all off. Gino, Jackie and Andrew eat more modestly, but we all opt for the creme brûlée for desert. It comes with fresh pineapple, vanilla ice cream and cranberries and is by far the best dessert of the holiday. Whilst we were there, a large 600 seater river cruiser moors up outside and the restaurant is soon full. The young waitress copes admirably, staying cool, calm and efficient and manages to serve them all, despite being on her own. After coffee, I ask her if she is usually left on her own, she says no, not normally, but her colleagues' father died yesterday and she volunteered to hold the fort, whilst her friend helped her mother. We leave at four o'clock and give her a twelve euro tip, for looking after us so well throughout the afternoon. We retrace our steps to the car and by ten minutes to five we are at the Ferry terminal waiting to board. Loading begins at five and we are in our cabin by five fifteen. We have been sat in the sun again all afternoon and the others understandably want to rest, but I know that I will have trouble sleeping later if I drop off now, so take my book up to the lounge and read before dinner. Graham has given me a book called "Currency Wars", which basically claims the US is devaluing its currency through quantative easing, in order to export its way out of recession. The author claims that previous attempts to do this have ended badly and severely damaged global trade. He goes on to discuss various possible scenarios of what may happen. Whilst the book makes several telling and interesting points, it seemed, at least to me, to lack a coherent narrative. The author is in favour of a global currency based on the IMF's special drawing rights but anchored through a linkage to gold. Whilst it is difficult to argue with the need for a global central bank and effective global financial regulation, the author seemed muddled, torn between the logic of his argument and it's negative consequences for American hegemony and dominance. Of course he is an American, the rest of the World would almost certainly welcome a situation where America was treated the same as everyone else. Still it was thought provoking. I find the others in the bar at a quarter to eight and we have a quick beer before heading to Langhams for eight. They all have the two course menu, but I still feel the presence of the muscles, so have two starters, both smoked salmon, washed down with a half bottle of white wine. It was just enough and quite delicious. The waiter, whom we have come to know quite well, advises us to book breakfast for six fifteen, as the ship disembarks at seven thirty. With this in mind we turn in at ten.