notamermaid

Glad to hear it. Really tight. Current level is 280cm, so stable but no real improvement on yesterday. Indication of a recovery is during Friday, for tomorrow the forecast still only gives figures under 290cm. Would love to see Passau with Christmas lights on. The market at the Dom starts on 23 November: https://passauer-christkindlmarkt.de/ They do it the traditional way and start after Sunday of the Dead. notamermaid

As a small city Bruges for sure, absolutely charming. Much busier these days than when I was there though in the 90's. You can of course fly into Luxembourg which then gets you close to Remich. Somehow I would go for that and leave the Lowlands (Belgium and the Netherlands)) for another in-depth trip - perhaps the next cruise during Spring? Luxembourg has free public transport within the country and they have some great hiking areas to the East, complete with castles. Are you interested in WWII history? Then you can explore some sites in Luxembourg. I am a fan of Metz in France, the big town on the Moselle, but not so big that it is overwhelming. It has a direct train connection from Luxembourg. Train travel is great for exploring all those countries, whatever you decide I am sure it will be a fantastic experience. This is Luxembourg: https://www.visitluxembourg.com/ Perhaps you feel like roaming around in this thread: Have fun planning. notamermaid

Steiff is great, heirlooms no doubt. You can get smaller animals that are not so expensive. Steiff had been in China but as far as I know production is these days split between Germany, Portugal and Tunisia. The quality in China was not up to their standards and they scrapped the idea. Steiff can be bought in large toy shops and department stores like Kaufhof Galeria. Here is the online shop for ideas: https://www.steiff.com/en-uk I agree. Just looking at the fridge magnet of the Budapest baths brings back memories of the guy I bought it from, the special time with a beloved person on the river cruise and how I even managed to go on that trip. A small bit of plastic with a big story behind it. notamermaid

Gentleman's club, that is what I thought. I think as regards design this is a male ship, whereas Uniworld's S.S.Antoinette is clearly a design female ship, also reflected in the vessel's name. Gnome12, I struggled with saying "The Gentleman" ... she is ... and manged to avoid writing it. Yes, English does that with engines that have drivers or captains and should stick with the gender there and still say she to all ships in my opinion. I guess the name fits into the portfolio of the company as well seeing that the other ships are called something with man (in Dutch). I must say I find the design appealing, actually almost all work for me, apart from swirly design carpets (confuses my brain) and the whites on Viking (too "Northern Swedish doctor's surgery"). Will be interesting to follow this ship and its progress. It is not yer clear to me if it will be serving the Dutch river cruising market only. notamermaid

Another hull is on its way West. "The Gentleman": https://www.binnenschifferforum.de/showthread.php?112335-Gentlemen-FGKS-Kasko/page2 The ship had a long stop (weeks) at Linz in Austria but is now in Regensburg, pushed by the trusted Zasavica III, like many ships before. This is the Dutch page of the shipping company, saying they are branching out into building (and operating) a river cruise ship: https://www.vanloonshipping.nl/nieuwe-markt-voor-van-loon-shipping/ On the facebook page you can see The Gentleman leaving the slipway in Romania. This is the brochure where they explain what the new ship is about: https://www.vanloonshipping.nl/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/The-Gentleman-Brochure.pdf notamermaid

Forecast shows quite a bit of rain: Not sure if this will be enough, but it looks more promising than yesterday. Interestingly, the current level has substantially beaten the forecast modelled this morning, so I expect the amended forecast tomorrow morning to show us more promising figures: Which means that the computer got it quite wrong and even my slightly more hopeful but skeptical assessment at lunchtime was wrong, too. Tight but sounds possible indeed. Looks like Viking is expecting the additional inch in the level (i.e. closer to 290cm) they need to be there by Thursday. Really hope it works out for you. notamermaid

Perhaps others can help you with prices. For toys for small children, I think that is tricky as for that age group it needs to be safe and much stuff is made in Asia. Cuddly toys seem the obvious choice as they are also lightweight, but those made in Europe or Germany are hard to come by sometimes and expensive. You can also go for building blocks made of wood. Having said that, there are some really nice toys coming from India and China. I do not think I will have time to shop and take photographs. Plastic toys like Lego, Brio and Playmobil exist for the age group and are reasonable. But those are more in department stores and toy shops, not on markets. notamermaid

Again the current level is running above what the forecast suggested for today. A marginally good sign hopefully. 276cm now. For tomorrow the forecast suggests a slight drop, 268cm in the morning. If the level keeps beating the forecast it should stay above that. Still, it is too low and will be too low throughout tomorrow and into Thursday. A proper recovery is not yet anticipated. There is rain over the Upper Danube valley in Baden-Würrtemberg but it does not cover a wide enough area in large amounts to this laywoman's eye. notamermaid

I don't think I have consciously seen it in the shops, a bit weird, I know. Aniseed, yes, I hope that does not come out too much in the taste. Will try it out. Oh my goodness!! I mean the quantity... You are in Karlovy Vary? I am so envious. I would love to see that spa town. I hope you come out all smooth-skinned and refreshed after that treatment. 🙂 Sounds a fun thing to do. notamermaid

Themed cruises for 2023: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tourism/viva-cruises-introduces-themed-sailings-fro-2023 notamermaid

Viva Cruises present their ship "Viva One" on an open day in Düsseldorf: https://www.viva-*****/presse Press release says that there is a weekend special, 25 to 27 November. You can book a cabin on the stationary Viva One for one or two nights. The ship will be literally a floating hotel - no cruising. On 27 November during the open day from 1pm to 6pm interested folk can tour the ship, get booking advice, have coffee and cake, take part in a price draw and meet the team of the headquarters of the company in Düsseldorf. notamermaid

I have never noticed that Teekanne has that. I decided to try and make some Glühwein at home for a change when I found this mix at a farmers' market a while ago: Not sure yet if I will simmer and then strain it or use a tea filter to put the spice in. notamermaid

Radar image from 12.55: Around 11am the area around Stuttgart and Konstanz saw much rain which has now subsided but we still see rainy conditions there. Between the two towns we have the big divide between the basins of the Rhine (Stuttgart is on the Neckar river, which flows into the Rhine at Mannheim) and the Danube. Which river system will get more water? From the radar film I would say the Rhine and the forecast seems to suggest that. We will need to wait and see how the Danube situation develops. Pfelling gauge is at 279cm. Current level and forecast for today do not differ much so unfortunately it is likely that tomorrow's figures will be accurate - 270cm in the morning is suggested. A recovery is not anticipated for tomorrow. Could the rain be enough to help the level on Wednesday? notamermaid

In Germany only Euros are accepted. Yes, but make sure you have some cash for the markets and the occasional place/shop that happens to have no machine payment. A few places may be debit card only. Not sure about Strasbourg (basically Euros but may be more open to others) or Basel, I leave that for the experienced cruisers to answer. notamermaid

I had not heard the term The Forgotten War before. I am surprised about the lack of knowledge. No real criticism but surprise. Of course, I am quite close to that history geographically so know a far bit. 2018 saw large commemorations and was the start of exhibitions and projects around the American occupation of the Rhineland. The 1918 takeover of administration was the beginning of closer relationships with the US. Quite fascinating for me. I researched a lot and now am quite convinced that American soldiers marched, or at least walked, during my street in 1919 as well. They were kind of everywhere but gradually handed over to the French in the following years. I find the great legacy of the occupation is the photos and even reels the Americans took and filmed. Until a few years ago I did not know that such video footage existed. Here is one photo from Ehrenbreitstein unto Koblenz: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Blick_von_Ehrenbreitstein_1919.jpg see the source - Library of Congress A history project - for the real enthusiasts for details: https://www.regionalgeschichte.net/bibliothek/ausstellungen/stars-and-stripes-over-the-rhine-the-american-occupation-1918-1923/the-american-forces-in-germany-afg.html?L=1 You US Americans virtually ran this place for quite a while. It would be nice if tour guides talked about this, not sure if they do so. To my embarrassment I must admit that I have not attended many guided tours in the Middle Rhine valley. Must go on a river cruise some time... notamermaid

I am afraid that the time frame is too far out really for specific figures. For the shipping industry there is a probability pie chart scheme but for river cruising I do not find it helpful at all. The 14-day forecast for Kaub is favourable so I do not see low water as much of a problem now for this year (see my comment in the previous post). Over 110cm for your time frame is my guess, which would of course be enough for sailing uninterrupted. I would say five days before your cruise we will have a good idea what to expect. Now, to flooding. That is a possibility but in these current conditions very unlikely. For that we look at Maxau, which is near Karlsruhe and there the forecast shows no rise of significance for the next ten days. Weather. Hmm, cool and potentially a bit rainy. No snow of note. Night frosts are possible, temperatures usually above freezing during the day but below 12 degrees Celsius. Chilly winds but no big storms. Weather prediction models say that there may be a change in the weather next week and if that happens we may see snow in the valley. Current forecast for Mannheim I like accuweather for forecasts as well. Have a great cruise. notamermaid

Thank you for saying hello from your cruise. Glad it worked out for you with staying on the same ship. Unfortunately the levels on the Danube did not improve for the ships following yours. The Rhine is still okay and to be honest, I do not expect any real problems here for the rest of the year. But you never know with the rivers. The warm weather has now gone and today the temperature barely went over ten degrees Celsius. But after the mist cleared it was a beautiful day. And the sunset was lovely again. Hope your journey continues as planned, I read that the Christmas market in Budapest on Vörösmarty Tér has already opened! notamermaid

Thank you for the suggestion. Last year, I tried to get the type of sausage that is used in my local shops but it proved to difficult. Now that you have reminded me, I will try again and see if I can find a butchers that can help me. Got my first Christmas biscuits today! From a bakers on the Moselle. Buttery swirls (sort of) with a bit of cinnamon and spice taste. Nice. notamermaid

In contrast to the Rhine at Kaub, the Danube at Pfelling has no long distance forecast. 36 hours into the future is already regarded as an estimate, meaning a "computer generated good guess" (my words). Just to give you an idea of what I mean when I compare the current level to the forecast here is the table of tonight: At lunchtime, actual level and forecast were almost identical, tonight we have a higher discrepancy, actual level is 281cm (as published on a different website) compared to 278cm. notamermaid

A cloudless sky over Germany today. Ominous. Pfelling gauge is struggling to recover. Current level is 284cm. Forecast suggests a further drop for tomorrow - overnight from 280cm to 274cm possibly. Hmm, I fear those on the Main and those in Austria now will need to prepare themselves for potential ship swaps, possibly not just with Viking. notamermaid

A pity but understandable in your area. I wonder if an area of London has such a baker who does that? I know a couple of German restaurants exist but I am not sure about bakers. I have seen German artisan bread in the past but it is rare I think. Funny how we crave each other's food. I would love to have pigs in blankets but alas the EU will not allow me to import them. I would have to drive more than sixty miles to get any proper British sausages these days and the supply is very limited. Sadly, my favourite online dealer has stopped meat deliveries. notamermaid

That tends to be the problem. I had the pleasure of being able to share one last Christmas, a very good quality from an online luxury retailer, not dry at all. Stollen can be a bit hit and miss, i.e. dry, and I only get it fresh from bakers not a supermarket. notamermaid

I think Basel to Trier is a great itinerary and something the OP should consider. Flying from Vienna to Switzerland is an option and as the Paris extension is a typical one on this route, a day in Paris and flying home from there may work. notamermaid

Welcome to Cruisecritic. Amsterdam to Basel is a great route for an introduction to river cruising. May I recommend the stickies (pinned threads) at the top of the river cruising board for lots of info? Also, perhaps you fancy joining or starting a roll call for your cruise. Viking has so many ships on the rivers that naturally you hear a lot about the company but in low water the problems with cruising tend to arise just that tiny bit earlier with Viking than with Avalonwaterways. It adds to the volume of Viking being mentioned. We have a thread for things relating to Avalonwaterways: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2268322-all-things-avalon/page/69/#comment-64289670 notamermaid

That is touching. As far as I know I have lost only one relative, a greatuncle in WWI. He is buried in France. My grandparents lost one house, I mean a shop building they owned in WWII, but not the house they lived in. I can imagine. As a teenager I took part in the scheme collecting money for the upkeep of war graves. Part of school and education. Last week I was reminded of the terrible tragedies that happened along the Rhine when I read the story in a regional newspaper of remains of soldiers having been found and identified earlier this year. Part of a buckle lead to one soldier being traced and relatives found. For the other soldier they have not traced any relatives (yet). Both were German and stationed at the bridge at Urmitz near Koblenz. I happened to be involved briefly there through work some years ago and the brutal tragic stories I learnt about the 1945 bombings I will never forget. If you are interested in the work of the institution Volksbund have a look here: https://www.volksbund.de/en/together-for-peace They look after German graves all over the world but there are also other nationalities buried alongside them occasionally. notamermaid