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

River level at Pfelling stable today - but a little too low as it dropped overnight. 289cm. notamermaid

Yes, that is the connection apparently: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_poppy notamermaid

Did you know, Lidl in England is more upmarket than in Germany. When both Lidl and Aldi started in England they were both too "cheap looking and German" to compete with the traditional supermarkets in Britain. They have learnt and when I was in a newly-built Lidl in the North of England I was impressed. Here at home I never go to Lidl but cannot resist buying some items at Aldi as the quality is so good. I have in fact just looked at the Aldi brochure for next week and, my, they have some goodies on offer. I do it the other way round and will by some English biscuits, Christmas pudding and other stuff from an online retailer, probably one based in Germany and one based in England. Panettone, the Italian cake, is quite popular in Germany and you can get it at well-stocked retailers. notamermaid

Time to look back at October: In October, the river at Pfelling again had its big ups and downs, yet without making us overly nervous. Somewhat surprisingly, the level stayed above 300cm the whole time. A good month for sailing. In the absence of rain the level fell to a low level at the end of the month that was to be expected. Unfortunately the dry period lasted longer this time and November started on a level that looked as if it should make us worry about sailing. As we have seen in last six days, this has come true. notamermaid

A Spanish rain song, never knew that existed but naturally it would in that climate! Thanks for the graph. Just need to get passed that low on 16 November and the rest of November should be pleasant and at ease. Time to look back at October: The month started on a relative high for autumn after long showers but lack of rain brought the level down quickly. Overall, the low levels we had feared did not happen though. Staying above 100cm the whole month made for pleasant sailing albeit not perfectly at ease. There was the slight risk of lower levels still in the back of our minds. Absence of rain brought the level down again at the beginning of November. But as posted above, there is a high probability of getting through the month with satisfactory to good levels. notamermaid

It is November so let us have a look at how the Elbe at Dresden did in October: Overall the river was low in October but a good amount of rain easily could raise the river to the mean (MW line) around 20 October. With the heat gone and the trend going towards more rain - compared to October that is - hopefully the satisfactory conditions will continue. notamermaid

It is an odd day today when you look at two countries in Europe and what went on there this morning. In the UK today is the culmination of the time of poppy wearing. I remember the first time I saw the poppies on clothes on British television and wondering what this is about. Reason is, we do not do this. 11 November is Remembrance Day in the UK (and many other countries) but in Germany we celebrate the Saint Martin with children going in processions with lanterns and singing at large bonfires, organized by the local authorities. We also open the Carnival season on 11 November at 11.11am, in some parts of the Rhineland a rather "loud" day. I always think that when a traveller comes to Germany on 11 November for the first time he must think that we have gone bonkers. Our remembrance day for the victims of violent conflicts is Volkstrauertag and is this coming Sunday: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkstrauertag And of course there is the remembrance of the Night of Broken Glass from 9 to 10 November 1938 with annual gatherings at memorials and sites, often with rabbis attending. If you happen to walk past such a place in the next few days you may see fresh flowers and possibly a wreath. November is our somber month but this year we still have more leaves on the trees than usual as there have been fewer storms and it is also mild. With Sunday of the Dead being early this year and the Christmas markets being set up already, it does not feel quite as "dark" as it normally does. notamermaid

Pfelling gauge is at 295cm, running above the forecast for this evening. Forecast suggests that the level will be more or less stable tomorrow. Hmm, a gap of quite a few centimetres between forecast and actual figure so it is unclear if tomorrow will be a tight day for sailing or not. notamermaid

Ah yes, stollen. There is even a mini version designed for one person. Really nice packaging, too. Got it as a gift one year. This may be more available in shops than on markets, but look around. Lebkuchen - gingerbread - is great. You may want to check the ingredients if you need to think of nut allergy sufferers. By the way, the local bakers here have biscuits already and my local supermarket is full of Christmas chocolate and other goodies. It is a looong way past the Christmas section. I keep walking past with the trolley thinking "look ahead not right, keep strong, you are nearly past it". Ha, so far I have not given in to temptation. I should post a photo of the Lindt chocolate "tower". Seriously, if you have time and want to stray away from the markets, go to a shop that is called EDEKA or REWE. Ten to fifteen minutes for an experience of what the locals buy. You can get regional stuff sometimes that is not available elsewhere but they also have the standard ranges and international foods. notamermaid

Pfelling gauge inching closer to acceptable levels - quite literally one inch up on yesterday (not counting daily fluctuation). At 288cm. notamermaid

12 November Saturday is Day of Inland Waterways Shipping (my understanding and translation) in the Netherlands: https://www.dagvandebinnenvaart.nl/ Lots of activities including the chance to see river cruise ships. In several towns across the country. Easy to figure out (for me) without speaking the language: bezoek een cruiseship in ... Sorry, have only just seen this advertised on Binnenschifferforum. Unfortunately too short notice for me to hop down to the Netherlands. notamermaid

Pfelling gauge is looking a bit better today but it looks as if last minute decisions will still be necessary - ship swap or not? It is a little tight for large river cruise ships that have the deepest drafts. The figure now is 283cm. The forecast for tomorrow is suggesting a higher figure so the situation may ease. notamermaid

Yup, unfortunately the reputation is all that is left for us. If you want precision look towards the Swiss. Possibly the worst train journey I have ever had was the return journey from my river cruise via Frankfurt. I commuted for several years in the 90's over a long distance and trains were sometimes delayed. I find it has got worse since then. My default thinking is now that if a train is only five minutes delayed I regard it as being on time. That is worse than I thought it may be. Luckily I do not to commute these days over a fair distance. Bliss. Back to the markets. I have read that Duisburg Christmas market opens today! https://www.duisburger-weihnachtsmarkt.de/ Now that is a bit early I find. Not that many people will stop there on a river cruise. If you are desperate to see a market, i.e. you are cruising now, you could get a train from Cologne to Duisburg, it takes less than an hour one way. notamermaid

I tend to agree that Riviera Travel is a good alternative to a North American line. CroisiEurope fits into that range but there one needs to consider that the food is French-European and the overall experience will likely feel more different to a line on the Anglo-American market. notamermaid

Yes, in such places a shuttle is standard really. But others can tell you more about that. I had the shuttle experience in Vienna as we were out in the suburb of Nussdorf. notamermaid

Strong stuff. And not for me. I tend to just have hot chocolate really. Or coffee if it is during the day. Bonn. Now that brings back memories. I worked in Bonn many years ago and occasionally stayed longer in town to see the market. I wonder if it is still as pleasant. You have left Munich behind, at least for work? I hope you are happy with the change. Would like to see a different market this year. Perhaps I will finally make it to Rüdesheim. notamermaid

Aaah, that is another thing to consider. While most docking is right in the centre of a place on a river cruise that is not always so. An extreme one is Nuremberg. You dock in an industrial harbour and you are not even on a river. It is a modern canal. At the other end of the scale is Koblenz for example. For me one of the best settings there can be. Probably topped by Budapest, though. notamermaid

Unfortunately. the forecast was correct this time. Pfelling gauge was at 278cm earlier, right now is at 279cm. notamermaid

So you would be willing to fly home from somewhere else as well, i.e. a completely separate experience? From Vienna it is easy to get to other big places. You could start from Regensburg or Nuremberg and sail West. A route from Nuremberg to Trier could be great. Or fly to a completely different place, like Paris and do a cruise along the Seine. There are so many options. Fancy a different cuisine, want to see castles, have more hiking and biking options? Prefer a large ship, like the Amamagna or the Arosa Sena? Or spend an enormous amount of money for the MS Mozart? Stick to a North-American line or join the English or Germans? All things to consider. notamermaid

Now you know what Kinderpunsch is you can work out what Kindersekt is. For the punch, perhaps here is a recipe to try out at home: https://www.recipesfromeurope.com/kinderpunsch/ notamermaid

Pfelling gauge is still running above the forecast, but only slightly and shows 284cm now. A further fall is forecast for tomorrow which could see a figure of 278cm. notamermaid

Strasbourg with sampling the local food, the tarte flambée. Either Colmar with the Isenheim altarpiece, or if no time then the wine villages. In Koblenz my favourite tip for river cruisers is the view from Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, you can see German Corner and your Viking ship from there (unless it docks in Ehrenbreitstein). notamermaid

Have a good start with a cosy cabin and great food. Brief update: Pfelling gauge staying above forecast for now - is at 286cm. notamermaid