Jacob van Lennep route, Part 35 (Utrecht - Gorinchem from April 1 to September 31)

Not happy
On Saturday morning, August 16, Van Lennep immediately goes to the post office. He finds nine letters there: "Reading them cheered me up." Later that day, Van Lennep and Van Hogendorp visit many acquaintances. "We were constantly being sent from one to the other," writes Van Lennep, who clearly does not feel happy.

Utrecht is flourishing
On Sunday morning, the young men skip mass. They spend their time writing letters. They also explore the part of Utrecht within the city walls. The city center makes a gloomy and melancholic impression on Van Lennep. Yet, according to him, the city is flourishing like no other in the Netherlands at that moment. He mentions the flourishing university, the large garrison and the court of justice as causes.

Thief dike
The next day, Van Lennep and Van Hogendorp pay a "shamefully expensive bill" to the innkeeper and take the boat. Not towards the west, but remarkably southwards to Vianen. In the eighth television episode, Geert Mak expresses the suspicion that the young men probably wanted to stop their journey, but at the urgent request of father Van Hogendorp they continue anyway. In the Vijfheerenlanden they walk right onto the Diesdijk near Everdingen. This is probably the medieval Diefdijk that was reinforced in 1824 so that it could be incorporated into the New Dutch Waterline. Van Lennep is not impressed by Asperen: "It looks miserably dilapidated." And this while the rich farmers here bred horses for which buyers even came from Paris. After another expensive overnight stay (this time in Leerdam) they walk to Gorinchem.

There are two ferries on this route. Foot-Cycle ferry Vrevia does not sail on Sundays from 1 November to 31 March.

Bicycle and Foot Ferry Carolinge does not sail between 1 October and 1 April. From junction 37 you then drive directly to junction 39.

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.
-Maya Schepers, The summer of 1823 as a radio series : episode 8.