notamermaid

Ahh, it is Scenic! I just could not remember with which company I had read about Hockenheim. Nürburgring from Koblenz is a bit of a distance but doable and I am sure enthusiasts would happily spend that time on the coach, especially if it is that sophisticated one in the photo above. From Andernach it is a little less time and the scenery is nicer. I must admit I am not into racing and find going round in a circle weird, I normally go from place a to place b with a purpose or do a slow round trip to enjoy the scenery. But standing on a podium or getting to go inside a place that is normally not open to the public is great. I would choose Hockenheim over Heidelberg. I find it nice to have guided tours and standard stuff, but the exceptional, unusual places, especially when they are away from the big cities make itineraries stand out. Scenic is very good at that along the Rhine I find. But Avalon also has a couple of unusual places in their portfolio that they offer passengers. Amawaterways also does one or two but the APT itinerary passengers on the Grand Tour get the better offers I find. Uniworld stops in Boppard in the Rhine Gorge so that is what makes them stick out positively. Not as spectacular as mechanical technical stuff, but for craftsmen the museum there on Thonet chairs is an attraction. Update on Kaub gauge: 94cm, forecast for relatively stable figures, 90cm tomorrow probable, no further drop indicated. Rhineland-Palatinate did not get enough rain overnight so the landscape is dry but rain further upstream is keeping the river at a level that is somewhat satisfactory for river cruise ships, albeit not good enough for commercial traffic, still half load and impeded logistics. If it does not rain it could of course go down fast and affect river cruising to a greater extent again. The somewhat lower temperatures are helpful in reducing the loss of water in the rivers and the soil but we do need more rain. notamermaid

Hmm, yes, Tauck sound confident about the Rhine. I can imagine they have looked at the weather forecast and the projected river level in the next 14 days at Kaub. It does indeed look good for the Rhine being just within the good levels to keep more or less all river cruise ships sailing. And with the experience and info from the captains on the ships they will have a pretty clear picture what will be possible for their ships in the first week of September. All that is needed is the rain that is forecast to actually fall. Rain has fallen around Lake Constance earlier tonight and has also reached more parts of the valleys but Rhineland-Palatinate still has not profitted enough. I hope we will see proper rain during tomorrow. notamermaid

Ah, yes a detour via the Hockenheimring for a few laps is a good idea. Come to think of it, the excursion choice should be Speyer Museum or Sinsheim Museum, i.e. both in my itinerary to choose from rather than either, i.e throw out Heidelberg. For the autosports and the motorcycle fans. Can you imagine the comparing conversations in the evening at the bar? I am still hoping a river cruise company will pick up my ideas for a trial run itinerary next year around Fathers' Day. 🍻 And I am entirely serious about this - okay the Hockenheim laps are a stretch, but I know there is a river cruise company out there that has offered a tour to the famous race track in a past year. notamermaid

On my river cruise on the Danube I was fortunate to have a captain that one afternoon officially let us visit him in the wheelhouse. It was fascinating. Tough choice. People love Heidelberg and I am not sure if Speyer Technical Museum is more enjoyable. Things that go "vroom" or "clonk", or old stones? Not sure what I would choose. In Koblenz there is the small but interesting railway museum, only open on Saturdays, special group openings by arrangement: https://dbmuseum.de/en/koblenz/information Koblenz also has a army collection with lots of "big things made of metal" that is open to the public. But you would need to inquire for more details. Or you could go to the fish pass info centre. Or the museum on Ehrenbreitstein Fortress where they keep the famous big cannon. Or further upstream, Mainz has got the Museum of Ancient Seafaring (currently closed due to renovation). There are lots of places beyond the standard generic interests but it takes a bit of effort (and sometimes language skills) to find them and enjoy them. That is where a knowledgeable CD is a real asset. The offers of excursions have become broader but there is still room for improvement I would say. notamermaid

Yes, planned one of those in . Thanks for the tip. I have been to the Sinsheim one, not the Speyer one yet. It is amazing, highly recommended. notamermaid

That coincides with the level having dropped below 290cm again, it was at 287cm at lunchtime (see post above) and is now at 280cm at Pfelling. Whoever told you that the river is closed to traffic has either just got the words wrong or knows of a giant something being in the way just beyond the lock at Vilshofen. Apologies, but the authorities in Germany do not close the river unless there is a ship blocking the navigation channel or a similar incident. Not because of low water. I am sorry to read that you have just caught the low water again. It was still okay early this morning. The fall in river levels happened faster than expected. notamermaid

Well the weather radar map now shows quite a few red blobs. More scientifically speaking, we see scattered heavy showers of rain across Germany. Interestingly, hardly any in the valleys of the big rivers yet. It is very warm and humid right now, relieved a little by the wind blowing. Perhaps the evening will bring rain and better air to my area. notamermaid

Well, the river decided to go for the margin rather than the most likely line projected yesterday. Pfelling gauge is at 287cm. This is getting tight. Rain please, now! notamermaid

I would really like to see river cruise companies doing a bit more with this, apart from using it practically to perfectly float the ships, of course. River crossings, ferries, museum for ships and shipping, pilot museum, the facility in Karlsruhe... Great stuff. I have an itinerary in the back of my mind (and in a word file) that is honest technical stuff, stones, steel, mechanics, you name it. What we would consider traditional male interests (visit to beer garden in Koblenz in your free time). I want to see a river cruise company offer that. This river maiden says "Give the guys what they want, without a shoe shop, spa, or modern art gallery in sight!" 😃 The Karlsruhe river model will go into the file today... Update: Kaub gauge is at 99cm. Forecast says 90cm tomorrow, further decline likely, but looking further, we see no fall to 78cm in the figures. The rain that is forecast shows up in the river level forecast as keeping the level steady over the GlW line. Which means Kaub should be able to keep the navigation channel depth of 1.90cm. And that is good. Not guaranteed, but it looks promising and better than what was suggested yesterday. Now we just need that rain... notamermaid

Vigilance and basic rule of not displaying valuables are important everywhere, indeed. I am certain that Mainhattan is nowhere near as hattan as the other one. That is just the powerful financial district with the skyscrapers in the skyline that gave it its nickname. On a pleasant Summer's day in the shopping area or old town, Frankfurt is as pleasant as any other big town in Germany. As I indicated, it is a good place to start a river cruise. I have not sailed Amsterdam to Cologne but I have often thought that it is a long way without a stop, why not rearrange it and through in Nijmegen or Xanten? Anyway, Cologne is a fascinating place to explore, but Romantic it is not. I am sure Scenic does offer a great product here, just the stops alone would make me choose that over Viking or Avalon, no doubt about it. notamermaid

Thanks. Isn't CC fabulous, the problem has already been solved, we have texasstar! notamermaid

I explained the idea in basic terms in the post above. Let us get a bit deeper into the technical aspects and on the right of the explanatory article is a photo of the model of the "Jungferngrund" shallows (rocks) at Oberwesel, which I have mentioned before. And the caption gives us the English title of the project: project "Abladeoptimierung Mittelrhein, AOMR" (Optimisation of load draughts on the Middle Rhine). https://wiki.baw.de/en/index.php/Hydraulic_Modelling Fascinating. I seriously think they should offer guided tours of that facility. notamermaid

You know, big train hubs attract unpleasant folks... As well as a couple of streets around there. I have felt uncomfortable with begging and some guys being under an obvious influence of substances. Friend of mine was threatened and nearly got mugged there some years ago. Just be more vigilant than you would be in a small town. Frankfurt and Mainz differ from each other a lot in some ways and are similar in others. For choice of Cathedral and other architecture as well as the old ships' museum I would go to Mainz, for shopping, a bit more financial elegance, art museums and the river view I would go to Frankfurt. As regard atmosphere and laid-back feel definitely Mainz. I have had a look at the itinerary the OP is inquiring about and I see Mainz is not in, but neither is Rüdesheim! Which IMO is a plus. At Koblenz you can choose an excursion to Cochem. Really nice. Hopefully a past cruiser of this itinerary will give their input. notamermaid

Yes of course. I see. The map reveals they sail through the Gorge onto the Moselle and back and then up the river to Basel: https://www.scenic.ca/tours/charming-castles--vineyards-of-the-rhine--moselle/13495 Scenic got me confused there... Really nice this itinerary, forget big, dirty Cologne. I do not recommend hanging around the Frankfurt main train station area for too long, but other than that the city on the Main is a great place to start a cruise from. From me another vote for the itinerary with the detour onto the Moselle or Frankfurt to Basel as an alternative. I am an armchair traveller these days but judging from land trips I would make my choice like that. If you would like to see magnificent Cologne Cathedral and a few Roman ruins, go for Amsterdam to Basel. Worth exploring for sure. notamermaid

That sounds really nice. How come, though, that they sail on the Main and Rhine but call it Rhine and Moselle?? notamermaid

Weather forecast? In this heat I say only one thing: "Scorchio!"* Poula Fisch certainly gave the presenters a shock when she announced the weekend weather forecast all those years ago. But she did not get into trouble, after all, it was not her fault that a "Nimbo Cumulos" had appeared in the sky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abFJuqp867g *The British comedy series "The Fast Show"'s classic term has entered the English dictionary. notamermaid

In the Rhine Gorge, not all of it but we will leave it at that for simplicity, the navigation channel depth maintained by the authorities is the lowest in the whole navigable Rhine, 1.90m. The other sections are 2.10m or more. So why not just dredge? Sorry, not possible. A riff, rocks and gravel banks as well as the tight bends make it a very difficult stretch, especially seeing that whatever you do will have an effect just a little bit downstream and that is often not calculable. Quite literally, you cannot just do it with a computer model. But the desire to deepen the channel to 2.10m is there, and the plan is going ahead. The word is "Abladeoptimierung". Basically alter the river so that the loading capacity of ships is increased. In this low water situation it has been easier to survey the area with laser and all sorts of hightech. Very useful. That data and the real life 3D to scale model of the Rhine in a "warehouse" in Karlsruhe will very much help the hydrologists work out how to best achieve the "Abladeoptimierung". The project will still take several years to complete. That's it for now, but I will get back to that topic. notamermaid

Brief update this lunchtime only. Lake Constance slowly but steadily loosing water again. Maxau at 404cm, expected to fall below 390cm on Saturday, continuing a slow, steady decline. Kaub at 106cm. Forecast for tomorrow 100cm to 98cm. Potentially less. Saturday 90cm likely. Good amounts of rain forecast for tomorrow over Lake Constance. The Rhine valley - mediocre rainfall. notamermaid

Brief update. Pfelling gauge has gone down steadily and a bit more than I had thought it would. 300cm. Forecast suggests figures a few centimetres above that with a further slow decline tomorrow. Rain in Austria today, with drizzle perhaps coming into Bavaria. Tomorrow more rain in Bavaria. Looks like a decent level at Pfelling of a little over 290cm at the weekend could be possible. Difficult to judge. The authorities indicate so but the range of figures they give for Saturday suggests there is quite a bit of room for error, or let us say the river's reaction being unpredictable. notamermaid

Worst case scenario, yes. That is one neat little map with drawing you have posted. Thank you. Great to visualize what might happen, might in only when the water is very low. Hopefully it will not happen at all. It did happen to a few itineraries, people did just that about 10 days ago. It may just be Speyer to Koblenz ship swapping, I honestly expect them to happen again, meaning that the level will get so low that ship swaps are needed. I think I am not the only one. It is only August, we have a long September in front of us. notamermaid

Yes, that is important to note. @geekette on your map you have marked Strasbourg to Koblenz. Viking did that, then they switched to the even longer swap, i.e. your red line would extend down(stream) to Cologne. Within that section is the Rhine Gorge that you need to bypass when it cannot be sailed on a river cruise ship, i.e. you swap ships and do that stretch with the famous castles on an excursion boat, by rail or by car/coach. I copied it, again with all passenger ships in: Bingen to Koblenz. When you enlarge your map, you will find Bingen on your map south of Koblenz accordingly. notamermaid

Fun with Maths - and Geography Those ship swaps got me thinking and and I keep wondering why some ships came from Basel down to Strasbourg or to Speyer or to Mainz or even as far downstream as Rüdesheim. Okay, we know now that the ships have their individual differences and it seems clear that while Viking did not make it to Rüdesheim from early on Amawaterways still sailed down there. The last week before the level rose again I did not spot any of those either but I may have missed one or two. Gradually all the ports from just past Iffezheim to the Rhine Gorge must become inaccessible with the fall in water levels, but why did Viking choose Strasbourg and why so early? Safety? Convenience? And likewise, why Cologne so early and not Engers, Andernach, Königswinter or Bonn? Are their ships really lying so much deeper in the water? I will probably never find out, but the point is that many passengers have spent a large amount of time on a coach rather than on a ship. You may of course not mind. I just wanted to know what it looks like on the ground and in distances. If it is just a question of getting from Strasbourg to Cologne fast, yes, that is a doable distance in a day. But what about the actual distance, the sailing kilometres you have missed? I wanted to find out and first had a look at a map. I chose marinetraffic with the passenger ships filtered in, as that gives you a nice idea where the course of the Rhine is: A couple of notes: I think the river cruise ships dock where the word Basel is and just under that. The last blue dot, i.e. towards the East must be an excursion boat. Strasbourg dock is underneath the word Strasbourg, Cologne has tons of blue dots, the Waal, where ships sail, is underneath the word Netherlands I think and then you look at Utrecht and Amsterdam. Now, from a certain day onwards and with several itineraries Viking did not sail the stretch Strasbourg to Cologne. That looks to be a third of the itinerary to me. But the map is only a rough estimate, so I calculated the Rhine, Waal and Canal kilometres, as best as I could. And that is interesting. Naturally, some places have an embankment on the Rhine for several kilometres so please do not nail me down on one or two less or more. Here goes: 1. From Basel dock at Klybeckquai at km169 - sail to Strasbourg/Kehl dock at km293 - makes 124km sailed 2. Strasbourg/Kehl to Cologne unsailed 3. Cologne dock at km687 (near railway bridge) - sail to turn-off Rhine Amsterdam Canal at km913 - sail Canal for 72km (if sailing the whole length) - makes 298km sailed So in all that is 422 kilometres that have been sailed. And the unsailed part from 293 to 687 is how many kilometres? You can work it out and find out the percentage between sailed and unsailed. I was surprised. I am still so surprised that I think the maths must be wrong. Over to you: could I be wrong? By the way, the Rhine Gorge is officially about 65km long, The UNESCO world heritage site is slightly longer, 67km. notamermaid

You know, that is a very short and succinct comparison. Like it very much. Thank you. What a great mindset to have, puts all those moaning, grumbling 70 year olds in their place... I think on balance I would also prefer to sail and on the luxurious ship rather than the excursion boat, as fun as it can be. Thanks for the European weather map. Really interesting to look at. I see Hamburg people may be drenched with rain, for our Rhine it is a bit more difficult to make out. It is not clear to me how much will go the Rhine river basin. I had a look at the weather map just before I posted and notice that drizzle to moderate rainfall could happen on Friday, but a good amount of rain could come down on Saturday, with pockets of heavy rain in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. No downpours in the Upper Rhine valley. This scenario I would say is reflected in the graph at Maxau, which has been adjusted and now shows no further spike and rise but just a gradual decline, very slowly, due to widespread rain over the whole basin further upstream keeping a higher volume of water going. Which could be all we need to keep Kaub at a sufficient level for sailing through the Rhine Gorge over the weekend and into next week. Quick look: Kaub continues the slow decline, 114cm, all good. Emmerich 48cm. Now that is certainly much better than it was. notamermaid

Ah, yes. Nothing as such, but I call it vigilance. 93cm is the official low water mark at which figure the green dot on the gauge map turns into an orange dot. In the past I have observed that 90cm on the gauge when it is not raining and the river is on a downward trend is noteworthy and soon after that a few ships may need to change their docking location as they cannot safely reach their landing stages and generally speaking sail more slowly, potentially creating short delays in an itinerary. I realize it sounded too dramatic, sorry about that, and I shall change how I report on it. notamermaid

According to a regional news report Danube rive traffic was halted overnight at Vilshofen. From around 10pm last night till 8.30am this morning. A barge got stranded on a gravel bank during a docking manoeuvre and partly stood in the navigation channel therefore the authorities prohibited ships from sailing past. Traffic has resumed but the ship is still there awaiting being towed free. A closure like this can cause delays also for river cruise ships, depending on traffic, especially going through locks. notamermaid