The river Moselle infos and river cruising experiences

[notamermaid]

Hello happytaveler,

 

oh, the days back then when I hunted for cheap airfare and travelled on coaches with a student ticket. I went to an office in London and booked a discount flight from Heathrow to Cologne. A massive difference in size between the two airports...

 

As for maps: I still always take maps on holidays, but often have the SAtNav on in the car.

 

For seeing the Moselle on a land trip and possibly doing a river day trip the airports of Cologne and Frankfurt are also convenient. Both airports have direct rain routes to Koblenz from where you can change for a train to Trier and/or Luxembourg.

 

Does Viking's Cities of Light actually count Paris as a pre- or post-cruise port? If you have been to Paris and do not want to see it again (o.k., admittedly, unlikely) could one just turn up at the ship in Trier?

 

So many nice places to see, like Reims in France in the Champagne region or Nancy and Metz on the Moselle. Even the Vosges mountains and the area of the source of the Moselle are great places to visit before or after a cruise.

 

notamermaid

Edited May 18, 2016 by notamermaid

[FuelScience]

Hello happytaveler,

...

Does Viking's Cities of Light actually count Paris as a pre- or post-cruise port? If you have been to Paris and do not want to see it again (o.k., admittedly, unlikely) could one just turn up at the ship in Trier?

...

notamermaid

 

Several years ago Viking offered the cruise only option of Cities of Light (Trier to Nuremberg) as "Vistas and Vineyards." I can't find it on the site anymore. It might be worth asking them if they would sell the cruise only package if you were willing to make your way to and from Trier/Nuremberg on your own.

 

FuelScience

[notamermaid]

Thank you FuelScience,

 

I remember now, reading some time back, that someone here on CC did the Vistas and Vineyards cruise.

 

I have just learnt from the "AmaWaterways sailings 2017" thread that Ama offers Paris to Prague as "Europe's rivers and castles". According to their website the cruise portion of this trip is from Luxembourg to Nuremberg. Interesting as the Moselle does not flow through Luxembourg city and not really through the country either, but more along it. It forms the border of the two countries. Technically speaking one half of the Moselle belongs to them, the other to us (Germany). I wonder if they mean Remich, which is in Luxembourg, i.e. on the Luxembourg river bank?

 

Remich is close to Schengen, Apach and Perl. Those three places sort of form the "Dreiländereck", the three countries corner. Schengen is in Luxembourg, Apach in France and Perl in Germany. Within less than half an hour you can go through all three countries and return to the place where you started. A fun car ride with an interesting landcape dominated by vineyards.

 

Close to Perl is the Roman villa at Nennig with its famous mosaique: http://www.perl-mosel.de/fileadmin/user_upload/PDFs/Tourismusinfos/Imageflyer_englisch.pdf

 

In the region you can also get apple wine called "Viez". If you prefer the standard white wine such as Riesling, if you want to read up on it, wikipedia has got a very good article on Moselle wines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosel_%28wine_region%29#Wines

 

notamermaid

Edited May 22, 2016 by notamermaid

[Hydrokitty]

Hello Hydrokitty,

That is highly interesting. What the modern world can do! I know that people in Germany are still looking for the resting place of their ancestors, it is an on-going search and there is a very dedicated instituation in Germany at the forefront of it. Traditionally, November is the time for asking for donations for the upkeep of German war graves spread all over the world (mostly Europe of course).

 

In the case of my grand uncle it might be not as diffcult as his death certificate is in the family archives and cross-referencing with records of war cemeteries will help I reckon. The solution might just be a letter away and I would certainly like to go there.

notamermaid

 

Hi notamermaid....I've been away for past week and just saw your post today. I think we've already exchanged e-mails, but if I can help you with this, feel free to contact me again: chydro564@yahoo.com

[FuelScience]

Thank you notamermaid. I may make an effort to see the Perl mosaic on our Avalon cruise this fall. I will check to see if I can take a taxi from Remich to Perl (10 km) while others do the tour to Luxembourg.

 

Also, I noticed that on Avalon's 2017 Rhine Moselle cruises, they will cruise all the way to Thionville rather than Remich. All their other Moselle itineraries appear to just go as far as Remich, but they've decided to go on to Thionville for the 13-day Basel to Amsterdam cruise. I'm not aware of any other lines that cruise all the way to Thionville (Croisieurope?)

 

The Thionville activities are described below.

 

FuelScience

 

Today the choice is yours. Join and an excursion to METZ, a city with a rich history and many cultural and architectural gems, or alternatively, history buffs might prefer to participate in the excursion to a nearby area of the MAGINOT LINE, which stretched from Switzerland to the Belgian border. The line was composed of huge fortresses with smaller defense posts or simple blockhouses. Return to your vessel in time for lunch. The afternoon is free with the possibility to join an optional excursion. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

[TravelerThom]

I have cruised many rivers on four continents, and the Mosel is one of my favorites - lovely towns and vineyards!

...What the modern world can do! I know that people in Germany are still looking for the resting place of their ancestors, it is an on-going search and there is a very dedicated instituation in Germany at the forefront of it. Traditionally, November is the time for asking for donations for the upkeep of German war graves spread all over the world (mostly Europe of course).

In the case of my grand uncle it might be not as diffcult as his death certificate is in the family archives and cross-referencing with records of war cemeteries will help I reckon. The solution might just be a letter away and I would certainly like to go there.

Although most of my ancestral immigrants to America were German speaking (almost all from the Rhine Valley), they came to America almost 300 years ago and my German is sadly lacking. My brother-in-law was born in New York City in the 1930s to parents who had immigrated as teenagers separately from Niederbayern and Franconia. His mother had three brothers in the German Army; one was lucky and after capture spent four years working on a farm in Scotland. The other two brothers both died in WWII. Two years ago, despite my lack of German, I was able to negotiate the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge site at http://www.volksbund.de and found records on both these Uncles giving their birth and death dates and locations.

 

Thom

[notamermaid]

Hello Hydrokitty,

 

Thank you for your kind offer.

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Hello FuelScience,

 

Thank you notamermaid. I may make an effort to see the Perl mosaic on our Avalon cruise this fall. I will check to see if I can take a taxi from Remich to Perl (10 km) while others do the tour to Luxembourg.

 

Also, I noticed that on Avalon's 2017 Rhine Moselle cruises, they will cruise all the way to Thionville rather than Remich. All their other Moselle itineraries appear to just go as far as Remich, but they've decided to go on to Thionville for the 13-day Basel to Amsterdam cruise. I'm not aware of any other lines that cruise all the way to Thionville (Croisieurope?)

 

The Thionville activities are described below.

 

FuelScience

Today the choice is yours. Join and an excursion to METZ, a city with a rich history and many cultural and architectural gems, or alternatively, history buffs might prefer to participate in the excursion to a nearby area of the MAGINOT LINE, which stretched from Switzerland to the Belgian border. The line was composed of huge fortresses with smaller defense posts or simple blockhouses. Return to your vessel in time for lunch. The afternoon is free with the possibility to join an optional excursion. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

 

Wow, I am astonished and quite "smitten" by this itinerary of 13 days! They sail to Thionville (a town of medium interest I would say), go to Metz by coach (one of my favourite towns within a 4 hour car journey radius from home), you can visit the Maginot Line (peculiar line of defence and I am told very interesting) and they stop at Beilstein (fantastically quaint small place) with an excursion to Eltz castle. Just great :) :).

 

Eltz castle is brilliant, has been in the same family for hundreds of years and used to adorn the 500 Mark note. You can see a picture of Burg Eltz and the note here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eltz_Castle I did not know that it featured in an American film, by the way.

 

Not even CroisiEurope goes to Thionville, they turn after Trier at Konz into the Saar river. The two German companies Phoenix and Plantours go to Remich on some itineraries, I have found no others. I wonder if Avalon is doing a river cruise industry first here? There might be a Dutch or French company doing this but that would be more difficult to find out for me.

 

The area Lorraine in France (that Thionville and Metz are in) has got a chequered history and has changed hands several times, for me in feel it is neither France nor everything else (very different from Paris or the South of France) just Lorraine. The history is reflected in the architecture, the people and the language, many places are still known - if not really called so in everyday life anymore - by two names, e.g. Thionville - Diedenhofen. In that it is similar to Alsace.

 

Some more info about the area another time...

 

Practical info for the mosaique: the places Remich and Nennig are so close together that they are served by a local bus route: https://www.bahn.de/saarpfalzbus/view/mdb/saarpfalzbus/aktuell/mdb_177089_db-spb-saarluxbus-flyer-rz-web.pdf

 

Alternatively, of course, the taxi pre-ordered from the ship should work, a shorter trip than to Perl as it is in Nennig, next to Perl.

 

notamermaid

Edited May 23, 2016 by notamermaid

[FuelScience]

Notamermaid,

 

I had missed the Burg Eltz tour. This and the Thionville trip really make this itinerary unique among all the Moselle cruises. I also noticed that Cochem isn't included, but I think that I would prefer this one with a chance to see some of the Maginot line and Burg Eltz. This is one I'd really love to do.

 

FuelScience

[notamermaid]

Hello FuelScience,

 

I had not noticed that Cochem is not included. But that would not be a problem for me either, Cochem is really nice, but for a unique river cruise experience I rate Beilstein and Eltz superior to Cochem. Beilstein is tiny: http://www.beilstein-mosel.de/englisch/ Here is a fun fact: if a fully booked Viking cruise docked in Beilstein and stayed in the village for a few hours and presuming all Beilstein people were at home, it would more than double the people in the village for those few hours as Beilstein has only around 160 inhabitants!

 

notamermaid

[FuelScience]

Hello FuelScience,

 

I had not noticed that Cochem is not included. But that would not be a problem for me either, Cochem is really nice, but for a unique river cruise experience I rate Beilstein and Eltz superior to Cochem. Beilstein is tiny: http://www.beilstein-mosel.de/englisch/ Here is a fun fact: if a fully booked Viking cruise docked in Beilstein and stayed in the village for a few hours and presuming all Beilstein people were at home, it would more than double the people in the village for those few hours as Beilstein has only around 160 inhabitants!

 

notamermaid

 

I'm with you! I would gladly miss Cochem for the opportunities on this itinerary.

 

FuelScience

[notamermaid]

A bit more info on Metz and Lorraine:

 

Metz is a very interesting town with an architecturally famous train station. At the heart of the ancienne ville - the old town - is the cathedrale St. Etienne. Right next to it is the tourist information centre in a great old building - very representative. Lorraine is famous for growing mirabelle plums. At the information centre they stock mirabelle souvenirs; got one here in my home, reminding me of a nice trip a few years ago. At the corner of Place d'Armes with the street En Fournirue, just opposite the cathedral, is Patisserie Jean. The sort of place where mere window shopping makes you put on weight. :D

 

If you do not have come across it, this is the Mirabelle plum: http://www.tourisme-lorraine.fr/en/discover/the-mirabelle-plum/

 

As Metz and the area was German from 1871 to 1918 and again from 1940 to 1944 many representative buildings and the train station stem form the former period. It is "wilhelminischer Stil" meaning built in the imperial architectural style pre-dominant in Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm. It is sometimes called Romanesque as well. It is nice walking through this Nouvelle ville and then going to the old district and see the differences.

 

Behind the train station is the Metz Centre Pompidou, a venue for modern art exhibitions and events. Very striking modern architecture.

 

Metz is very old and therefore the local museum also houses Roman artifacts.

 

If you get to Metz in December I highly recommend the Christmas market.

 

notamermaid

Edited May 27, 2016 by notamermaid
Spelling

[notamermaid]

The water level has risen a lot due to the heavy rain we have had over the weekend, but there is no official flooding status.

 

This is by the by of no significance, anyway, as this week sees the annual closure of all 12 locks on the Moselle. This is regular maintenance work and therefore knwown beforehand to the shipping industry, including cruise companies. It ensures sudden disruptions due to otherwise unforeseen wear-and-tear problems are kept to a minimum.

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Well, the maintenance week is over and as bad luck would have it, the flooding that also affected the Moselle of course, slowed down the maintenance work. It could not be completed and will be continued next year.

 

Those river lock closured are pre-scheduled and announced years in advance so the cruise companies and barge operators can plan ahead.

 

However, this year due to the flooding, important repairs mean the Koblenz lock will have to close again for a few days soon, as those repairs cannot wait till next year. It is not clear from the newspaper report if that will impede shipping much. Koblenz lock has two chambers.

 

This would only affect cruises along the Moselle, the lock is beyond Koblenz, ships that dock in Koblenz on the Moselle embankment do not have to go through the lock.

 

notamermaid

[Sapphire73]

Hello everone, I would like to start this thread on the Moselle, a tributary to the Rhine and a beautiful river to cruise along. Some of you already have, so I would like to invite you all to share your experiences and any tips you might have for future cruisers. notamermaid

 

I wanted to share some thoughts on the Moselle earlier but was too busy. Finally finished my trip review of our (first) river cruise in November on the Rhine and Moselle. Like others, I was enchanted with the scenery and smaller towns along the Moselle. We had already seen several towns along the Rhine - by boat (day trip) and driving - so we chose this itinerary largely because it would take us along the Moselle and stop in some towns we had not visited along the Rhine.

 

Happy to answer questions about ports we visited but will start by sharing my review (with photos) of our trip on the Rhine and Moselle.

 

Thanks for starting this great thread, Notamermaid!

 

Coming back to add a few photos. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of Zell because we took the all day trip to Luxembourg. Did manage to glimpse the statue of the black cat as we drove by.

 

Cochem

 

Bernakastel - Doors to Winery

 

Trier - Porta Nigra

Edited June 23, 2016 by Sapphire73

[notamermaid]

Hello Sapphire73,

 

Thank you for your post and the photos. I love the one of the Porta Nigra, the rainy weather actually helps to enhance the structure of the building, I find. I noticed the large fir tree on the right hand side. It must be part of the Christmas decorations.

 

This year, Trier is celebrating 30 years of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site with exhibitions and other events.

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Like so many strategic places, Trier was heavily bombed in WWII, mostly by British Lancaster bombers it seems. Such a British unexploded bomb was found on Tuesday in a garden in the old town during excavations. A digger was preparing the ground for a planned extension to a building. The authorities and the bomb disposal unit decided on Friday evening for the evacuation and bomb disposal. During that time 5000 people have to be evacuated. River traffic wil not be affected as the area does not extend to the river.

 

I dread to think what damage that bomb would have done if it had exploded being so close to the historic sites. They were damaged enough already.

 

Such a bomb find is not unusual and is sadly not an uncommon occurence in some places still after all those years.

 

I hope all goes well and people can lean back and enjoy the football match on Saturday.

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

M&Rsquared asked this as post #213 in the thread Rhine water levels...

 

Smile Mosselle River tour

Notamermaid,

Question/OPINION: Viking is offering tour; Journey upriver into Moselle Wine Country. Explore the small villages and steep hillsides that produce some of the finest Rieslings in the world. You will head up the winding Moselle River by coach. All around you, terraced vineyards climb dramatic slopes, the walls of a deep valley cut by the river. During your journey, you will pass through typical Moselle landscapes, with some vineyards squeezed in small spaces between cliffs. Along the Moselle’s shores, lovely riverside villages are home to half-timbered houses and to wineries that produce the sweet white wines for which this region is known. During your excursion, you will stop at a local winery for a tour and tasting.

 

Googled map of Koblenz to Cochem to Beilstein - it takes an hour to get there so I presume an hour back . Not much time for photo stop then wine tasting... but I'd love to see the Cochem Castle... YOUR OPINION PLEASE.

 

I would do this in place of the Marksburg Castle (ankle problems).

 

...

Marcella

 

The question was answered there.

 

I would like to give some additional info on Beilstein (see also the post #35 on this thread): Beilstein is a tiny place yet has been a town rather than a village for centuries. It also has a market charter. Its economic mainstay is tourism and wine. The town is not exactly a hidden gem having been made popular in old German films and being known as a very pretty place in the certainly already very attractive Moselle river landscape.

 

The ships dock at the town, but while the embankment is easy for walking, the town can be hilly, it has cobblestones and steep steps in parts. I think they mainly lead to vineyards and the church. You do not have to climb up there. The Metternich castle ruins are perched high on a hill. The English wikipedia site is quite comprehensive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beilstein,_Rhineland-Palatinate

 

notamermaid

[mancunian]

Just returned from our Rhine/Moselle cruise. Not a particularly good week - lots of rain and we started in Bonn (should have been Cologne on the wrong boat as ours was trapped beyond the locks on southern Rhine. Joined our boat on day 4 where it was trapped, but lock opened that night and we proceeded north.

 

We went on this cruise particularly as we wanted to cruise the Moselle - had been on Rhine previously. Sadly not to be as ships could not get under bridge. We did have a trip along the Moselle by bus to Cochem.

 

Really not sure about river cruising for future. Seems to be happening a lot over recent years.

[notamermaid]

Hello mancunian,

 

I am sorry to hear about your cruise. I hope you were able to enjoy it to some extend. As you are in England, Manchester I expect, may I ask you what company you travelled with? Did they give you any extra treats to make up for what you missed?

 

As the continent is not too far from you I am confident that you will see the Moselle in the future.

 

There is a short trip that is offered on the Moselle, I mentioned it in post #13 of this thread.

 

If the recent experience put you off river cruising, perhaps consider a land trip with some lovely daytime cruising on sections of the Moselle.

 

notamermaid

[mancunian]

We travelled with Riviera on the Lord Byron - at least we did for the last four nights of the trip. We were fortunate that we were put on Tauck cruises Inspire for the first three days.

 

I think Riviera handled it well and you ask about extras they gave. We were bussed to the Byron on day four which was stuck at a lock north of Strasbourg and in that afternoon they offered a complementary bus trip to Strasbourg. When we got through the lock and arrived at Bingham (not on our itinerary) we were offered a coach trip to Trier, and then we went on to Koblenz and offered a coach trip to Cochem.

 

The trouble was it was day to day decisions which is unsettling, and when we reached Lord Byron on day four we were much further south than we should have been. There was the worry that if the lock did not open how would we get back.

 

We are usually ocean cruisers and in our case this is what we will return to. We have only done river cruising twice - the first time the river level was too low which created its own set of problems - missed ports, having to sail very slowly overnight every night etc.

 

Feel as I said before river cruising is getting more doubtful, probably due to climate change, but we also feel far too many boats on the river and we hated being moored against another boat.

 

The scenery was lovely - often through rain, but I love the sea so I think we have made our decision.

[notamermaid]

Hello mancunian,

 

oh well. I hope you enjoy all your ocean cruises whereever they might take you. There are always coach tours to be had to the continent. I have looked at some brochures over in the UK and there are some great itineraries... Perhaps for you for the future...

 

By the way, the Moselle is accessible through Eurostar, fast train and a local train connection from Koblenz.

 

For those over the pond: train travel is very good in Germany (just do not travel via Frankfurt Airport on a Friday afternoon in 2nd class). You can get from the North of England to the Moselle in 11 hours, almost 1,000 kilometres that is. Admittedly not from the small towns, but from a major railway station.

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Following a post of M&Rsquared on the thread "Rhine water levels..." I would like to share a video by Rick Steves that I found on youtube:

 

 

Somewhere in Rick Steves' shows (not this video) he suggests trying "Roter Weinbergspfirsichlikör". It is a liqueur of medium strength made from a red local variety of peach:

 

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roter_Weinbergpfirsich

 

The fruit is so specific and regional it does not have an English wikipedia site. :D

 

In the German text it actually says that an initiative/group of interest founded in 2010 strives to bring the fruit tree to "protected geo variety status". Just like champagne or parma ham.

 

It is a nice alcoholic beverage, probably more liked by the ladies ;), ehh, I had a bottle myself in my drinks cabinet. All gone. You can buy it in the Moselle valley or a specialist drinks shop near the valley. You might find it in Koblenz.

 

A local market might sell the fruit itself. It is a little stronger and tardier in taste than a German or French peach. Also smaller in size and with a thicker skin that is not nice to eat. It should be peeled.

 

If you would like to plan ahead and want to know where to find the drink try contacting the tourist information center in Koblenz or the one in Cochem: http://www.cochem.de/tourismus/en/vacation-recreation

 

notamermaid

Edited July 1, 2016 by notamermaid

[notamermaid]

The WWII bomb found in Trier city centre (see post #42) has been defuzed successfully.

 

Friday was chosen for the procedure as not much was happening in the town Friday evening. Today Saturday would have been a bigger disruption to people' s lives as it is a more important day for shopping and the Germany against Italy football match is on tonight!

 

notamermaid

[Hydrokitty]

The WWII bomb found in Trier city centre (see post #42) has been defuzed successfully.

 

Friday was chosen for the procedure as not much was happening in the town Friday evening. Today Saturday would have been a bigger disruption to people' s lives as it is a more important day for shopping and the Germany against Italy football match is on tonight!

 

notamermaid

 

Well that's good news!! I wonder where that bomb was when we were walking around the city center last August!!

 

I remember when we were in Serbia about to take a walk in what looked like a lovely forest.....until we saw the signs that pictured a bomb and advised "do not enter, unexploded landmines" .... War....the gift that keeps on giving. :eek:

Edited July 2, 2016 by Hydrokitty