notamermaid

Würzburg gauge over the last four weeks: Well, compared to some other years this is nothing. Let us look back at a different leap year - 1784. In most of Europe - something you can spot in many old river towns that you visit - it was a terrible winter of flooding. Markings on buildings, either old or as a modern reconstruction of the event, tell of a natural disaster ingrained in European history. On 27 February in that year, the Tauber bridge at Wertheim was destroyed. On 28 February the old bridge in Würzburg was severely damaged. Here is a modern gauge to illustrate what the level was: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalenenhochwasser_1342#/media/Datei:Pegel,_Würzburg.PNG This article from 2022 has the headline "Wertheim: A town full of water". It has graphs in a photo depicting the heights of floods over the centuries. At the end of the article there is a photo showing the markings of two floods on a building: https://www.main-echo.de/sonderthemen/feste-events/wertheimerzeitung/wertheim-eine-stadt-voller-wasser-art-7513651 The flood of 1784 is an anomaly which is attributed to a volcanic eruption in Iceland the previous year. I have written about that in the thread of the Rhine here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2984992-rhine-water-levels-2024-and-similar-topics/page/4/#comments notamermaid

That is a good question. To be honest, I am not familiar with the Netherlands. They have locks, sluices and an admirable system of water control all round - as we know they rely on sophisticated solutions for their low-lying lands. Flooding does happen and they certainly had problems in December and January to the point of being almost non-manageable. The system of recording water levels is a bit different in the gauges so a bit more difficult for me to follow. At Emmerich, Germany's last gauge, you can check the levels and after that is Lobith beyond the border. I show you want I mean. This is the page from the German authorities, the caption says that the data for Lobith and Pannerdense Kop comes unchecked from the Dutch authorities: https://www.elwis.de/DE/dynamisch/gewaesserkunde/wasserstaende/index.php?target=2&gw=RHEIN The Dutch page for Lobith is this one: https://waterinfo.rws.nl/#/publiek/waterhoogte/Lobith(LOBI)/details?parameters=Waterhoogte___20Oppervlaktewater___20t.o.v.___20Normaal___20Amsterdams___20Peil___20in___20cm I cannot say how the authorities react to flooding, i.e. if there is a ban or not at a certain level. notamermaid

Love that motorbike, Daisi. They do here to take the caravans away from camp sites along the rivers that are in danger of being flooded. notamermaid

Ah, yes. Have not mentioned yet that Turner came to the Rhine and Moselle twice. You can see the style evolve between those two visits. Here is a news reel from British Pathé about one of the last times that ships got stuck on the Rhine. Along the banks, for example in a slow moving arm of the Rhine between bank and island, you could go onto the river. This is from 1962: https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/247365/ notamermaid

The winters tended to be colder in Europe for a long time and within living memory we have had ice on the Rhine. Without the involvement of a volcano. But with 1814, which may have been without the "help" of a volcano, you are close to what happened in 1815, the eruption of the Tamburo, causing the "year without summer" in 1816 - and the cultural achievements of the British in 1816/17, that is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein written in Switzerland, Lord Byron's travels along the Rhine and William Turner's paintings of the river. Just after the Second World War the Rhine froze "properly" for the last time. The current is now too strong, the water too warm, the winters are too warm and the ships too plentiful to create a scenario in which we may see more that a few little thin sheets of ice close to the river banks. Close to locks where the water is more stagnant the chances of ice are of course higher. We have had a bit of that on the Moselle, some years back, when there was a bit more ice floating. notamermaid

Back to an event I mentioned a few days ago. Remember that volcano in Iceland that caused disruptions in air travel several years ago? Ever heard of the Mississippi River freezing over a very long stretch? Read about parties on the frozen Rhine river? These phenomenons are somewhat connected. That almost unpronounceable volcano in Iceland is not the first one to have caused trouble. 1783 and then the winter months in early 1784 became a "little ice age" due to the extended eruption of a volcano, which was more like gas seeping out of holes in the ground for months. All this was taken into the atmosphere and distributed widely over countries and whole continents. After hot, misty days, a very cold winter and much precipitation, the weather changed in February 1784. On the Rhine the ice cracked, melting and floating down the river in huge blocks. We will get to that again. First, here is a very good description of what happened during those months. A lot of detail but a highly interesting read I find: https://www.marinersmuseum.org/2023/01/iceland-and-the-european-floods-of-1783-1784/ notamermaid

That is one of the scariest things that has happened to me on roads in England. We in the family car went round a corner on a narrow country lane in Kent and this huge, enormous tractor appeared in front of us. It literally filled the whole lane. I sometimes think about that when I see a similar model here in Germany. notamermaid

They are so practical for this aren't, they? The modern ones are often massive here now. I love the old ones that are occasionally used, the engine sound is great and you can see some of the mechanical and technical parts exposed. This girl does not understand any of it, but I like the machinery. We have Lanz Bulldog's in the area, but the Krämer ones are also interesting and nice to look at. notamermaid

My pleasure. Good to read that you will be on the river again. You venture into what is indeed for me unexplored territory. More and more people are going that far down the river these days, hopefully we will hear comments and perhaps the odd report from on board a river cruise ship as the year progresses. Writing about Carnuntum the other day, I looked at the expanse of the Roman Empire again. It is enormous. When you sail from Amsterdam to Budapest, shortly after leaving Amsterdam you enter the Roman Empire, sail out of it on the Main river, re-enter it at Regensburg on the Danube and sail along the border into Budapest - Buda being within the old Empire and Pest not. But it does not stop there. The Empire spanned much further, on the river you go past the ruins of (Emperor) Trajan's bridge in Serbia and when you disembark at Russe to get to Bucharest you do so at "Sexaginta Prista", which means town of 60 ships. Apparently, some companies use Giurgiu on the left bank of the Danube. That town is in marshland and outside of the Roman Empire, but just across the bridge from Russe these days. And if you happened to fly into Budapest from London you left Londinium in the Roman Empire. I find it fascinating. By the way, not quite so charming, but the region being so far away from Germany and it being called Walachia (that is in Romania), in German language we call a rural place with little population "far away" (it may only be 50 kilometres), especially when sending a person there, "die Walachei" or "jemanden in die Walachei schicken". notamermaid

How different lives and therefore perceptions are! More than two a day is an unusual sight for me, especially in winter. But driving for a bit in the car will of course get me into the countryside where I may see more. I guess I would call 10 a lot. That is what is so unusual, the French are brilliant at striking (I mean that logistically and using opportune times of the year, always know when to use an event, etc. to get attention) and we are good with the transportation strikes. But farmers in Germany? Naaa, normally just busy with their lives and fairly content. Not now... Incidentally, I thought yesterday that I should mention this in the Rhine thread again as the protests are likely to continue into the river cruising season at this point, here meaning probably beyond 10 March. But we will see how it goes. Dutch, French and Germans farmers are certainly united in solidarity with each other. Independently of each other, two people told me about the Carnival parade each one of them saw along the Rhine. In both parades a tractor was displaying a sign with a protest message. Floats in the parades are usually pulled by tractors, that is standard procedure. notamermaid

Thank you. This reminds me - I had started a thread about it and should really continue that... notamermaid

All has been revealed! The Radiance will sail the Danube, while the Rose will sail the Douro: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tour-operators/riviera-travel-reveals-itineraries-on-two-new-ships notamermaid

Koblenz has now gone to navigational flood mark I. The level should peak tomorrow and is unlikely to reach official flooding status. All in all still good. The few ships sailing should be impacted only minimally. As a curious side note: there is one ship currently sailing on the Rhine that is on an errant for "its own sake". The MS Sans Souci normally sails mostly in the East of Germany, on the Elbe and thereabouts. She made a special trip to her new home port of Basel in order to register with the Swiss authorities. Ownership of the vessel has changed so she will soon appear with Swiss flag instead of German flag. Info from Binnenschifferforum. The MS Sans Souci on marinetraffic.com: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:136408/mmsi:211482300/imo:0/vessel:SANS_SOUCI#overview notamermaid

The Moselle went to flooding status due to heavy rain but the river was not closed to traffic. The level at Trier is now falling again. Traffic was halted though on a stretch of the river as a barge had had an accident at a lock. This "Koppelverband", as we call it, is a barge with a non-motorized lighter attached at the front. Apparently, some wires snapped so the lighter drifted, made worse by the strong current in these high volumes of water. This is what it looked like at Lehmen lock: https://www.rhein-zeitung.de/region/aus-den-lokalredaktionen/koblenz-und-region_artikel,-bergung-wegen-starker-stroemung-schwierig-mosel-bei-lehmen-nach-havarie-gesperrt-_arid,2627917.html If this was a lorry I guess you would call this "jack knifed". In the last few hours, special gear from The Netherlands has arrived and the barge been freed. Traffic has resumed but is still difficult due to the mild flooding. After a short fall the levels may rise again substantially from Tuesday. notamermaid

Interesting move. Mr. Hagen is not the youngest. Time to think what will be in a few years time? I would not touch that stock and never sail with Viking. You know, business ethics and all that. I would also assume that there is enough confidence in the stock, despite the large losses that happened during the WHO-thrown-onto-us-all pandemic. notamermaid

I mentioned Hainburg in post #45 and the Roman town nearby. That place is called Carnuntum: https://www.carnuntum.at/en The frontiers of the Roman Empire are joined together in a major UNESCO project, the Danube "Limes" is the third part of it: https://www.carnuntum.at/en/worldheritage If you want to get away from the Habsburgs and the coffeehouses, go and look for the much older history of Vienna when it was called Vindobona: https://www.visitingvienna.com/culture/vindobona/ notamermaid

There has been a sharp rise in the water level at Maxau gauge, more than expected on Wednesday. We know see the graph go over the line of the navigational flood mark I during the course of tomorrow. Official flooding as determined by the authorities is not forecast but could be reached if there is a turn for the worse in the weather. In the Middle Rhine valley Koblenz is likely to get to flood mark I. The Moselle is carrying high volumes of water but Trier gauge is now slightly on the way down again, it has peaked already. The weather has mostly calmed down. notamermaid

To another company. A-Rosa. I read in German news that they offer culinary cruises so I checked the website. There are dates marked as international so I guess they will be in English language as well. It is these: https://www.arosa-*****/river-cruises/offers/gourmet-cruises.html notamermaid

I always find it a bit weird visiting cemeteries as a proper tourist, but I too have heard that Pere Lachaise is highly interesting. One of the few places I would like to see in Paris. It is nice to be at the Seine, perhaps a boat trip may be good. Never did that, went for the art and history and then went again and did some more sightseeing and the large flea market. Musée Rodin was great, I had forgotten I had been there. You jogged my memory @Second seating. notamermaid

Not a fan of Paris myself and now prefer smaller cities anyway. The Eiffel Tower is not a good place to be I have been told, I mean, there is police presence for a reason. Not recommending Sacre Coeur hill at all. But all in all if you keep your eyes open and your wits (or gut feeling) about you, you will find it okay. You can always go shopping in Galerie Lafayette or see the Dome Les Invalides. Louvre fabulous in general - but Mona Lisa, seen it briefly, done that... No more. Prefer the Impressionists, but saw them before they were moved to the train station. That is fantastic I have been told. Versailles? Not sure if it is worth it to join the hordes, have never been. The thing to remember is that the Paris you see is much a creation of the 19th century, although there are many older buildings of course. For old feel choose Reims. The Arc de Triomphe is a nice edifice. Just sitting in a café at the tables in the street is certainly nice. Not sure why that should be special though, just because it is in Paris. 😉 notamermaid

That is great, lots of time to spend in the Paris area. There is much to see and remember that there are great trains in France. You can get to large towns in no time. If you do venture out of the Paris agglomeration I recommend Reims. Or go up the Seine to Fontainebleau. Anyway, have a great time. notamermaid

To the present day. We have storm warnings for much of the West of Germany, that is the hills and mountain ranges adjoining the Rhine valley down to Düsseldorf. The high Black Forest will see the strongest storms. Quite a bit of rain, too. This will of course make the rivers rise, but Maxau gauge is not showing flooding. No levels significant for navigation are forecast (yet). notamermaid

ceases operations: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tourism/americans-queen-voyages-ceases-operations notamermaid

Just to give you an idea what else is possible on the Meuse and nearby if you have a small enough ship I am posting this itinerary of a Swiss company. It sounds like a travel agent but it is not one. The Excellence Pearl sails from Brussels to Amsterdam via Tournai and Namur: https://www.mittelthurgau.ch/reise/excellence-pearl-bruessel-amsterdam-elbru2 notamermaid

How did that get in there? [Slight language embarrassment there, I always try to be so accurate] Perhaps a Freudian slip of sorts in that towns get seized by river cruise passengers, but I did not want to be mean. I meant ceased. Between 135m and 110m there is mostly a difference in the ports, i.e. the docking facilities, that a ship can go to, but a few stretches of river (not Rhine, Main or Danube) have a restriction in that size. You are right about 105m being another size advantage. As far as I know it does not apply to the Moselle, but it is curious to note that no ship of 110m or longer goes further than Grevenmacher or Remich in Luxembourg. The Moselle in France has a height disadvantage and only river cruise ships that are shorter than 100m go there. But they are also one deck lower, my guess is that this is the crucial difference here, meaning better for the low bridges between Apach and Nancy-Frouard. Not sure who to ask for confirmation. But the restriction of 105m in size is valid elsewhere due to locks, as are width restrictions. River cruise ships can go 345km on the Moselle if they are small enough, like the Excellence Pearl. 105m gets you onto the Neckar for a bit, but reduce the width and the length a bit more and you get all the way to Stuttgart. 90m width and 9.5m length puts your ship into the realm of "can sail almost anywhere and is still bigger than a cosy, converted barge". But we need not go that far up the Moselle river. Koblenz to Remich return with an overnight stay in that small town gives us enough time for a trip into Luxembourg city and to explore Metz on an excursion. Other rivers are also bringing news of new or at least renovated or sold ships. Not sure that the Douro is heading in a good direction as regards more river traffic but I think there is only one new ship this year, the other one is just changing the charter company. But that is for prospective cruisers to look into. notamermaid