notamermaid

The level at Pfelling did indeed struggle this morning and fell under 300cm. Currently the gauge shows exactly 300cm. notamermaid

I was a bit skeptical about the 2022 ships as well. It appears that both those German companies are not members, it could be a company behind a company that is a member but I do not recognize any names that would lead me to A-Rosa or Viva Cruises: https://www.igrivercruise.com/en/members/ notamermaid

A day trip to Königswinter part 3 continued from post #1139 About the donkey at the museum's entrance: several donkeys are standing around the town leading the way to the museum. The animal is the unofficial symbol of the town as donkeys used to carry tourists up the Drachenfels hill. You can still book a donkey ride for children up to 40kgs: https://www.siebengebirge.com/index.php/9-ausflugsziele/11-eselritt-zum-drachenfels Inside the museum we only wanted to visit the bathing exhibition but the exhibition on Baedeker guide books and landscape paintings had been extended by several weeks so we were lucky to be able to spent some time in that room as well. The bathing exhibition was a bit limited in the range of area of the Rhine that it covered, but I had expected that. So it was a nice bonus to read about Karl Baedeker. The gentleman had lived in Koblenz and was publisher of guide books covering many areas of Europe. The books in what was to become an iconic red binding and cover were known for their details and accuracy. With still time to spare we checked out the permanent displays upstairs. They cover the town and immediate area. Among the topics is sailing on the river of course: Peter Heinrich Merkens was the founder of the Preußisch-Rheinische Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft in 1825, a company that later turned into the Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD). Apparently he has a modern statue on Cologne town hall: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Heinrich_Merkens#/media/Datei:Rathausturm_Köln_-_Sulpiz_Boisserée_-_Peter_Heinrich_Merkens-4866.jpg An early version of the folding course of the Rhine maps: It was time to head back home and for that we chose the river route which gave us glimpses of the embankments of several towns and villages. Königswinter trees: KD landing stage in Königswinter: I think Viking uses that place to dock. Several years ago I saw the Viking Gefjon there. More trees further along: It was still raining in varying amounts. So the towers at Erpel looked a little gloomy and menacing: Erpel town is on the left bank, with the Erpeler Ley, that is the hill and rock face, here visible to the left of the towers. You will be more familiar with the corresponding side: Remagen bridge towers on the right bank, with the Peace Museum inside them. As we drove further along the river the weather got a little better and Linz presented itself in more favourable conditions: The small town Linz am Rhein, as it is also known to distinguish it from Linz in Austria, has a relatively wide embankment and therefore in the 19th century had room for the railway line to be built there. Passing underneath it you get into the town centre and that tower is - you probably guessed it - part of the Medieval town wall. A pleasant place. It also has a busy docking area for excursion boats, space for river cruise ships and operates a ferry to the opposite embankment. This was a pleasant trip and I can say that the town is interesting enough but the big attraction is Drachenfels hill and that certainly is worth visiting if you are in Bonn on a river cruise ship. Since my trip I have learnt that the Sealife Centre (an aquarium-cum-educational-museum-zoo also found in other countries as it is a chain) will be closing down at the end of this year. Königswinter loses an important tourist attraction but for me the draw at Königswinter has always been the traditional sights rather than this modern one. I hope to next year make my way to the town again, then up the hill to Drachenburg Castle. notamermaid

Had a comment about football from my friend in Charlotte NC. Having lived in Germany he actually follows the World Cup. Opinions were divided among my friends and family as to over who should win England vs. France. The disappointed comments were as a result divided correspondingly... And I am not saying who my friend in Charlotte supported. He is in good spirits @TheKingD and I look forward to receiving a Christmas card from him. He usually sends one with a gorgeous holiday ("wow, he has been to another magnificent landscape") shot while he receives one from here with a German writing and baubles photo or other depictions - meaning traditional. notamermaid

A report on river cruising this time not initiated by the industry itself but in response to an inquiry in the Deutsche Bundestag in Berlin. So mainly I am posting this for the perusal of @steamboats. The paper: https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/909510/0bd9e6659bea19350e4022b59299fe90/Stellungnahme_IG-RiverCruise-data.pdf Of course, feel free anyone to translate through a machine or read. I would say that as it is not coming from a government body it is actually readable . One positive thing that I will take out of the report and post for you. It is good to read that planned and ordered ships and outright newly contracted projects have been going ahead this year, so confidence in the tourism sector river cruising is high, they say. Among the members of IG River Cruise 12 ships have entered the market in 2022: notamermaid

It has been raining but in this cold weather precipitation is mostly snow. In the absence of long hours of rainfall the level at Pfelling has fallen again and now shows 301cm. Could we see another short spell of low water, something that even the Rhine is potentially getting to (there with few problems anticipated)? Forecast suggests it is going to remain stable just over 300cm but with the actual level being below what the forecast suggested for today I am bit skeptical about tomorrow's. notamermaid

Lovely. @Canal archive you have had more snow than us today. But the cold weather is coming to us from the West and Northwest. Winter is finally here and we can expect your weather to be with us in two days or so. I have been busy putting up with minor inconveniences like a computer problem at work, partly due to my ignorance using a new software. A tiny thing that took me half an hour to sort it all out. A builder accidentally hit a pipe the other day so that now we have a long trench in our yard. If it freezes for too long the hole could stay for quite a few days. A problem with the car meant that I am stuck here today and had to cancel my trip to a Christmas market. Which makes me a bit grumpy. My employer is still owing me overtime pay and heating the flat is becoming more expensive. But my contract means the rate is nowhere near as high as other people's and cheaper than what most of you pay in the UK I should think. Overall people are jolly and smile. Apart from a few masks and the odd hint at the situation with remarks like "stay in good health" Covid has been banished from conversation it seems. Of course we still get info sheets about vaccines and still have the odd testing center. But I have heard today that Denmark is supposed to have ended the pandemic emergency matters for the whole country. The forerunner, I mean leading the way in Europe? Not sure as I do not follow the news really. Have had a hot chocolate and will move onto putting more Christmas decorations up. Presents need wrapping and more need ordering. Hope to get the car sorted next week to be able to do a big shopping trip. I miss English supermarkets and mad as I am I will go and search for you tube videos of a supermarket full of Christmas decorations and blasting music. Have a great third Sunday Advent evening. 🕯️🕯️🕯️ notamermaid

Thank you for the info. It shows that things can still change and a slight shift in clouds and weather conditions can still bring low water issues, albeit on a small scale and usually only briefly. Forecast for today and actual level today are very close in figures so we can presume tomorrow's figure will be accurate, i.e. the level of 104cm in the table we are almost guaranteed to see. The down trend continues in the forecast and it is now very likely that the level will fall below 100cm. There is a strong probability to just scrape the 90cm before the level rises again. It should be clearer by Wednesday what happens with the figures. It is cold, day temperatures are around zero Celsius and precipitation is - when it happens - basically all snow. No real chance for the river levels to rise. The high hills and Alps now retain water as snow. The county (Land) Baden-Württemberg in the map, the Rhine is bordering the left of the green colour for much of it, the -3 figure bottom left is the Basel knee of the Rhine: We expect snow in many more areas during the week. Today there is not much in the valley. I have seen the odd flake, barely enough to create white specks on dark stone. Hillier regions have had a bit more and in photos I can see that they have a thin blanket of snow. Clouds are drifting in from the West so we may get a little more snow in the evening. The webcam in Rüdesheim with the Niederwald Monument: https://www.feratel.com/webcams/deutschland/ruedesheim-am-rhein.html notamermaid

Info and photos from German forum Binnenschifferforum: https://www.binnenschifferforum.de/showthread.php?100639-Travelmarvel-Polaris-KFGS-02338263 Were you able to see Nuremberg Christmas market and if so was it part of the transfer? notamermaid

That is what she looked to me like on the Rhine when I spotted her some time ago. No questions right now. Thank you for saying hello from Nuremberg. Hope your journey to the ship was smooth. It may snow in Regensburg late tomorrow. Have a great time. notamermaid

That is what I was trying to hint at in my post. It is not clear what virus it was but if Viking suspected anything they should have reported it. I am just not familiar with the specific regulations or procedures. I will not say that Viking did anything wrong but I am not convinced they did everything correctly either. Does the IG River Cruise give procedures that one can look up as a passenger? I think they are "voluntary obligations" that the members adhere to. That would be independent of the German authorities. The regulations of the association would apply to the ship, whether it was in Hungary or Germany or elsewhere at the time. I expect the OP did the Grand European, seeing that it was 15 days. notamermaid

The Rhine at Kaub in November: The month started with the level being on the low side but high enough for river cruise ships. The first half of November saw steady levels. Then, corresponding to the situation on the Danube, heavy rain set in and made the river shoot up to a level just over the mean water line. The gradual decrease following the spike was not fast enough to bring the level down again to what it had been in the first half of the month and remained at a pleasant level for all river cruise ships without bringing Kaub gauge close to any figures that could make us worry what will be in December. notamermaid

The Danube at Pfelling in November: The month started with enough water but the level was too low to make us at ease. Too little rain meant that the level fell indeed again and 12 November brought the gauge down to the dreaded 290cm. Ignore the two computer glitches where the blue line sparks downwards. After a few days rain finally reached Pfelling and saw a fast rise to a level over the mean water line. Since then, the level has been high enough and fell only gradually till the end of the month. notamermaid

The Elbe at Dresden in November: Erratic but overall good, despite being a little on the low side - without being too low - in the middle of the month. notamermaid

Sorry to read that your river cruise was not as pleasant as it should have been and that you fell ill. I am a little puzzled but not alarmed by the procedure on board. It is possible and has happened in the past that a river cruise ship is put under quarantine order by the authorities when a norovirus outbreak is suspected. It normally means that a team of doctors checks on passengers and the ship remains in port without anyone being allowed on land. After assessment, the authorities can allow the ship to sail on even if many passengers are ill. Of course, I cannot say that Viking has done anything wrong here. I do not know procedures or regulations that need to be followed. It does not happen often that the authorities step in and I read about such an incident in the papers perhaps once or twice a year. From what you describe though I would say that Viking could have been more forthcoming with info and be a bit more vigilant. I mean, what could be wrong with altering the dining room procedures? More awareness would have been good. Buffets are always a problem. On my river cruise, the hotel staff were insistent that we use hand sanitizer every time we return to the ship and before entering the dining room. notamermaid

Below 90cm for nervousness - in dry conditions and summer. No bus rides that I know of at 90cm, just the "prepare yourself for the possibility if the level falls further" feeling. In the conditions now and at this time of year I do not see that happening and the long range forecast almost rules it out, meaning probability is below 10 percent as of today. notamermaid

Pfelling gauge: the level is quite stable now, after that relatively fast drop on 4th December. Daily fluctuation, as always, overall we can see it staying well above 300cm for now, i.e. better than anticipated. Current level 321cm. No real change forecast. notamermaid

Yes, all good for now. Kaub level running a little below the forecast all day today. Is stable though. 124cm. We can anticipate it getting lower than 120cm. Slight risk it will scratch the 100cm mark on Monday. Should rise after that low point, i.e. which ever figure it will be on Monday. Have a great cruise. A double one. Great! Have you mentioned before how you will be getting from Basel to Budapest? I do not recall. notamermaid

I think snow is coming to the North of England, the forecast certainly said Scotland. We will see more snow Thursday to Sunday, depending on region. I did not know that existed, interesting. Have only ever made normal mince pies. I have tried filling that contained orange or cranberry from shops, but I have only bought standard ones this year. notamermaid

I have been out and about a bit but have not much time to take longer trips to Christmas markets that needed more than an hour's attention. So it has been smaller places so far. One afternoon was an unplanned stop at Andernach. But first, here is one of my standard German food traditions. I have mentioned the supermarket chains that stock regional stuff. From REWE I get just a few foods that are connected to Christmas. For a simple afternoon treat I get Lebkuchen that are from the organic range. A bit cheaper than the big brands, but the quality is nice enough: We have organic food shops but supermarkets have been selling organic food for many years. Standard word by which you can recognize the products and produce is "Bio" or the longer word "ökologisch". notamermaid

The river level has gone down as forecast. Kaub is currently at 135cm. It has been raining but most of the precipitation in the last 24 hours actually has come down as snow even in the valley! Kaub is forecast to fall to below 130cm tomorrow and continue to go down. It could get as low as 110cm. But long term modelling suggests we will most likely see a rise next week. A dusting of snow on my dustbins: Okay, a bit more than that perhaps but I wanted to get the pun in. (sorry!) notamermaid

Schneeeee!!!!! (excited notamermaid running through the flat smiling) It has been snowing. When I went to bed last night, the rain sounded different, kind of icy drops on leaves. When I got up the landscape was covered with a dusting of snow. Which means the snow had reached right into the valley where it was apparently cold enough. I mean 60 to 70 metres above sea level. Much of it is gone again around here in town already but I managed to take a couple of photos. Busy Friday and Saturday - still stepping in for a colleague. Unfortunate illnesses and even an accident have hit my department this winter. Catching up with stuff and Christmas preparations. My outside fairy lights chain has "disappeared", something I can only blame on myself or kobolds reorganizing my cellar (it is of course the former...). My neighbour, a young man, is still recovering from his terrible fall, he just fell over in the street, collapsed. I dare not ask what happened in detail, he looks miserable. It happened at the end of September. Shortly after that, another neighbour was found dead in her flat, she was not young but no very old either. A shock. The family thinks it was asthma. And my other neighbour who fell down the stairs (I had mentioned it in September) has recovered but cannot return to the flat. She has now officially moved into an old people's home. I miss my neighbour's cats who died in Spring. So before I make everyone else morose, I will say that the mince pies have arrived by post and yesterday I got my first "Gewürzkuchen" of the season, a chocolatey spice cake, at a village bakery. Now join in with Bing Crosby: "Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!" - Oh hang on it has snowed! notamermaid

At Dresden it is 104cm. High enough. On a downward trend. Summary for November coming up. notamermaid

In March/early April you get the effects of snow melt (it will start earlier than that) and potentially some heavy rain. It depends on the weather conditions in each individual year. It can lead to flooding but does not have to. Historical data from the "Undine" website points to high water issues rather that low water issues in that time frame. This is as much as I can say. Unfortunately, Viking does not appear to give away data easily as to how many sailings of theirs are affected each year. I have seen sporadic comments from Croisi Europe in articles. notamermaid

Let us have a quick look at Pfelling gauge. The water levels of the rivers are on the way down. Whereas the Rhine has got plenty of water to get through many days without rain, the Danube is a little more prone to problems - even this late in the year. It need not be the case always but this year in December we see it potentially going towards a brief low water situation. Now at 321cm, the trend is for 315cm to be reached by Tuesday. That is still 25cm above the critical level, so the level may well stay okay. Logically, much precipitation does not mean the level will rise accordingly. It is quite cold now and much rain can come down as snow in the South of Germany. Both rain and snow are forecast in varying, overall not huge, quantities in the German Danube basin for next week. I think Tuesday will give a clearer picture. Time to have a look back at how November went. notamermaid