Jacob van Lennep route, Part 36 (Gorinchem - Breda)

Wrong suitcase
Tuesday 19 August. It is not only airlines that sometimes mix up suitcases. This also happened in 1823 during carriage transport. Upon arrival at the lodging in Gorinchem, Van Lennep discovers that it is not his suitcase, but someone else's that is waiting for him. Van Hogendorp advises him to immediately complain in letters, but instead Van Lennep tries to open the suitcase to see"(...) if there might be better stuff in there\\\". In vain: the lock is too good.

Dike maintenance
The travellers take a trip with a dike inspector. He tells them that the state once paid for all waterworks. For reasons of efficiency, these costs were partly shifted to the provinces. Since then, there has been an eternal discussion between the state and the provinces about who should pay for the costs of waterworks. As a result, among other things, dike maintenance has come to a standstill. According to the dike inspector, the flood of 1820 (when large parts of the Alblasserwaard were flooded) was a consequence of this.

Prediction
Van Lennep notes the prediction that similar problems were to be expected in 1824. He was only one year off: during the storm surge in early February 1825, Groningen, Friesland, Overijssel, Utrecht and Holland suffered severe flooding. Back at the inn, it turns out that Van Lennep's suitcase had been sent from Utrecht after all. The next day, the two leave for Breda (after a bad breakfast and an even worse bill).

Riveer Gorinchem - Sleeuwijk takes you across the river. The ferry is active daily, from October to April it does not sail on Sundays.

In-depth sources
-Jakob van Lennep," The Summer of 1823": part 3, chapter 4.
-Geert Mak, The Summer of 1823 as a television series : episode 9.
-The walks through Brabant are not included in the radio episodes.