notamermaid

I do not think this is a German castle, the roof on the left makes me look to Southern France. Rhone? @jpalbny the flexibility of a land trip is certainly a plus for touring small places, especially those not close to rivers that an excursion will never take you. Even in Germany which is crisscrossed by navigable rivers and canals and you could easily spend six weeks on water on river cruises, a whole part of hilly country you will never see. Parts of Hesse and most of Thuringia with the the city of Erfurt are never visited. The Moselle is a great river for cruising, I

Daisi, we have a word for that in dialect - Durjenanner That means Durcheinander meaning jumble, or better in this case: a mess. Interesting that with the Texas grid - saw the explanation on CNN. I also have a different provider from my neighbour for example because I choose to, but the grid stays the same as regards hardware, we rarely have problems in my area it is quite well regulated. Touch wood... notamermaid

As requested, here are the rules for the game that is here to while away the time till we can river cruise again. The rules for the game: Eligible for photo: River suitable for river cruise ships and canal suitable for river cruise ships that includes their excursions nearby, can be anywhere in the world, from the Mississippi to the Yangtze. This means okay is as follows: river - yes large canal - yes inland body of water (lake) - yes popular pre-cruise close to river - yes popular post-cruise close to river - yes

A sign of life, hope and Spring for the river cruising season in Europe. Yes, the Neptun Werft in Rostock has been busy again and two new ships for Viking have left the nest. The fledglings have gone through the Kiel Canal, have been readied and made safe for the potentially dangerous journey via the North Sea. They docked in Rendsburg and there is of course very little risk as the ships just wait for the perfect window for good weather and it should be plain sailing all the way. As I write they have already managed much of the journey and are docked in Harlingen near the Frisian I

@dogs4fun just a lucky combination of ideas for a Google search. Castles, have I mentioned before that there are supposed to be 25,000 in Germany? 😉 If this game runs long enough I have big plans for venturing out into neighbouring countries and photograph some there as well. You have been warned. notamermaid

Thanks for the correction and clarification about sailing downstream. I should have mentioned that the canal is used very much instead of the Elbe proper. Around Magdeburg is the worst part it seems, after that downstream, well, depends on which it is river or canal, then Geesthacht has the lock, but the effect does not extend far enough upstream. And there appears a lot of resistance to changes to the river from an environmental point. Not so much resistance on the Rhine it being th most important waterway. After Geesthacht, Hamburg is quite close but one could even go further to Kiel from th

@Renmar that was quick, Alken it is. I went there on a day trip last week, hence the barren slopes. I painted over the writing "Alkener Burgberg" on the vineyard's wall. The photo shows the Moselle with the town and Burg Thurant as you will see it from the other bank at the village of Kattenes. Alken is popular with British cruisers, but AmaWaterways also stop there on the West to East itinerary through Germany (and vice versa). The Dutch are very regular customers: https://www.feenstrarijnlijn.nl/cruises/over-de-rijn-en-moezel-naar-cochem/ Over to you, Renmar.

I do hope it continues that way. Downstream from Magdeburg the situation is of course a bit better in dry years, not always mind you, but seeing that European lines do the downstream route from Magdeburg makes me wonder why Viking will not go for that? Something logistical? Contractual obligations with whomever? Dresden too great an allure? As I still have the German catalogue of CroisiEurope for 2020 I had a look at the Elbe itinerary. Last year there were also no sailings offered in the Summer months on the paddlewheelers to and from Prague. So CroisiEurope had also adapted last

It is the transept organ from 1948 according to Wikipedia. I assume you have taken the photo from there. It looks weird, partly because it rests on concrete, they kind of stuck it where it was convenient after WWII and before the full restoration of the Cathedral. I only found it after I had figured out the name Saul and started looking around for David and Saul together. I leave you with this one overnight. Yes, I am afraid it is an abc - another blessed castle . Please name the river and town - add the castle's name if you like but it is not necessary. It is a river c

Suddenly, I had this idea... @Host Jazzbeau I think I have found it (and I am a bit embarrassed that I did not recognize this from the background). It did look familiar a little bit but it has been a while since I was in that huge building. I think it is the part that holds the modern organ in Cologne Cathedral on the Rhine. And the painting is modern as well. I said, there was something odd about this whole assembly. notamermaid

King David as in "from the House of David"? Not that it helps me either. I notice now that there are names left and right of the figure, the left one seems to say "Saul". It looks Eastern to me, but the Latin letters do not fit, true. I keep thinking there is something wrong with this photo. The pillars, the vaulting and the medieval scroll carving on the left do not fit with the concrete-modern looking part above. Still no clue. notamermaid

Somewhere along the Dnieper river? notamermaid

The third photo certainly is French, the street sign (plaque) on the house looks French and there are French flags in the street. A nice old building, perhaps a fortress. I would say it is on the Rhone, but it may be the Garonne. Rhone? notamermaid

@Renmar glad to read you are having so much fun. Dream we can - and should. Looking forward to the next photo. No rush, though. I believe jpalbny has handed over to dogs4fun, I am sure the puppy is keeping the human mother busy. notamermaid

The Viking ship allowed to sail the river at this time despite restrictions, is one that does not sleep passengers in cabins but does provide a small home for the weary crew. Introducing... the Viking Orvar: The tug and bush boat is a helping hand for Viking, to move landing stages but also has already lent a hand to other contractors for moving equipment along the river. It was built in 2019 in the Lux-Werft shipyard at Mondorf, that is at Rhine kilometre 660 and is 27.3m long and 6m wide. For those interested in technical descriptions and story details, here