Rhine water levels 2017 and similar topics

[notamermaid]

William Turner oil painting on display in Cologne prior to auction in London

 

Here is an article on the Turner painting being on display in Cologne: http://theartnewspaper.com/market/sotheby-s-drums-up-german-interest-for-turner-painting-of-rhine/

 

Why the hype? First of all William Turner is considered to be one of the greatest British painters of all time and an oil painting to illustrate Lord Byron's Childe Harold combines this fact with the work that fast forwarded an interest in the Rhine region from trickles of wealthy gentleman in the 18th century to mass tourism (by 19th century standards). Childe Harold canto no. III contains the famous verse on the castled crag of Drachenfels. A later verse describes the scene depicted in the painting by Turner. This year sees the bi-centennial of Turner's first visit to the Rhine area. This first visit has always had a special place in my heart as regards my home area's history and I cannot help joining in the celebratory mood.

 

Deutsche Welle published this article a few weeks ago on Turner's journey along the Rhine and the project to mark the views he painted with a plaque so that today's hikers can follow in Turner's footsteps: http://www.dw.com/en/200-years-ago-turner-on-the-rhine/a-37765158

 

I am sure the museum in Königswinter that specializes in Rhine Romanticism would love to buy the oil painting but I fear it is far above the museum's budget. Is it possible to make a joint bid by the public, co-operative style? OK, half-joking, but I would love to see the painting going to a museum in the Rhine area or at least a museum in Britain that already has a similar Turner in its collection. I am not a friend of paintings disappearing in a safe in Asia, or the like. Especially a Turner that depicts the memorials to two French war heroes like this oil painting.

 

One of my favourite Turner water colours of the Rhine area is the "Ehrenbreitstein from the Mosel": https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/19235/ehrenbreitstein-mosel-1839?subjects%255B30484%255D=30484&search_set_offset=39

 

Both the Tate Gallery in London and the National Galleries in Edinburgh own several works by William Turner, but the "Fighting Temeraire", his own favourite painting and which he never sold, hangs in the National Gallery in London: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fighting_Temeraire

 

It was voted the (British) nation's favourite painting in 2005 and having seen it myself I must admit can understand the public's choice.

 

notamermaid

[xmaser]

Excellent post on the history of romantic painting in Germany. Many thanks.

[notamermaid]

Thank you xmaser. Both the Mittelrhein-Museum in Koblenz (recommended) and the Siebengebirgsmuseum in Königswinter have romantic paintings on display. But I will come back to Königswinter in a future post. This is the permanent exhibition in Koblenz, art ranging over six centuries: http://www.mittelrhein-museum.de/dauerausstellung/?lang=en

 

 

The water level has fallen and is unusually low now, but it is not an issue. The warm spell has left us and it is windy and cloudy today, noticably cooler than in the last few days. Rain in April will get the water level to rise, plenty of room for rain, as long as it does not all come down by the bucketload within 48 hours. A bit of rain during the night and lots of sunshine during the day, I hope, for all you current and future cruisers, out there.

 

notamermaid

Edited April 5, 2017 by notamermaid
additional information

[notamermaid]

Just in case you come across the article issued by Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-rhine-shipping-idUSKBN1791PR

 

It only applies to commercial shipping, meaning barges cannot sail with full load. The Rhine is low for April but still fine. The Danube is showing signs of low water but the notorious stretch in low water around Vilshofen is not reporting official low water. I cannot report details about the Danube as I am too far away.

 

Yesterday evening, I had my first meal in a beer garden this season. We are enjoying a brilliant day with lots of sunshine and temperatures in parts of the Rhine valley are forecast to reach official summer's day status (25 degrees).

 

notamermaid

[amd1234]

Notamermaid....Enjoying your informative posts..We are cruising Rhine and Moselle the end of August on Uniworld. We usually cruise either June or September but this was a fantastic deal,and only two choices of dates the other Date Nov 1. What about crowds and heat this time of year? We have cruised Castles on the Rhine two years ago the first of June and weather was perfect... very excited about cruising Moselle.. also first time cruising 13 days... thx again for your posts.

[notamermaid]

I have to be vague as regards the crowds I am afraid as I have not been to those ports on the Rhine and Moselle for quite some time and never been to Amsterdam or Basel. Others will be better able to help you there. But I have personally never felt a place on the two rivers be as busy or hectic as Paris, for example. A place like Rüdesheim can feel crowded, though, it being small and now that ever more river cruisers are coming. I last went on a Sunday and it did feel busy. On the contrary, Trier is always full of day trippers but the town never feels rushed and crowded to me. End of August most school children will be back at school in Germany, the local ones for sure, France's children will return to school at the beginning of September.

 

As regards weather, well, the heatwaves are usually over and the nights get a little cooler by the end of August, but the previous years have proven unpredictable so I would say anything goes apart from snow. 30 degrees in the afternoon is still possible in the valleys.

 

As for the Moselle, the Romans raved about it and started growing wine there (there is actually a poem written by a Roman on his travels through the valley, you can buy a printed version of it) and some of that magic of 2000 years ago is still there for me.

 

13 days can seem long, after 8 days of being pampered with great food I longed for a frozen pizza out of my oven at home! :D

 

 

 

The river level is still low with a bit of rain only just keeping the ground from drying out North of Bonn. Not much forecast, either, but the temperatures will go down a little.

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Another WWII bomb found ...

 

Just when I thought everything was going smoothly I read on the news today that a WWII bomb has been found in Mainz. It is close to the river in the harbour area where a large building project is taking place. This necessitates an evacuation - luckily mainly industry and offices, hardly any people live there -, the closure of a tram line, a main artery into town, the railway line and all shipping will be halted, as well. This will happen tonight at 8pm local time. The diffusion of the bomb is scheduled to take place at 9pm.

 

River levels are stagnating or slightly falling.

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

It took longer than expected but the bomb was safely diffused and shortly after midnight everyone could return to their home or workplace (night shifts at some companies). If you happen to be slightly delayed in your ships sailing schedule the four hour closure of the river is likely to be the reason.

 

The river levels, also on the Danube, are still very slightly falling.

 

notamermaid

[ikesyd]

Hubby & I will be on the Avalon Artistry II departing Amsterdam 12 October on the Moselle Rhine cruise to Basel (24 October). Have been following your thread and had a quick look back at your 2016 Rhine water levels. Hoping that the Artistry has a low draft and will be able to navigate both rivers if the water levels are low.

[notamermaid]

Hello ikesyd,

 

yes, October can be tricky. The Avalon Artistry II's details are given as 110m by 11.4m with a draught of 1.28m to 1.96m (empty versus full). Sounds allright, if she does not carry the full load of water in her tanks. I got the info from: https://www.riveradvice.com/fleet/avalon-artistry-ii

 

All river cruise ships are fine on the German Moselle as the river's navigation channel has been dug out deep. The Rhine is the problem in a few stretches.

 

I really like this itinerary and I am sure you will have a great time.

 

notamermaid

[nreeder]

So we see now that Vienna, Salzburg, and Munich are due for snow this week. Does that mean that Spring melt and the resulting rise of the river levels is going to be later than usual?

Norm

[steamboats]

nredder,

 

Nope, that´s just regular April weather. Spring melt is over for weeks and we didn´t have much snow in the mountains this year.

 

The snow in the forecast won´t last on the ground but melt away quickly.

 

steamboats

[notamermaid]

Hello steamboats,

 

we are certainly in a cold spell right now. I reckon you will be feeling this on the Danube even more than we here on the Rhine. It is really cool, with frost back at night in the hills. Today it is raining on and off with hail mixed into the rain. Yesterday there was even some snow in the air but it did not reach the ground. The rain is welcome by the farmers,people were already speaking of losing some of the harvest if it does not rain. The river level was getting low. Yet, with the rain right now the situation is easing off.

 

Some more rain spread over several days is needed to keep the level from falling to low water markings by May. But April normally keeps up to its promise of being wet and cool on many days.

 

notamermaid

[steamboats]

Had to rub my eyes this morning when everything got white in some kind of snow storm. But all is gone already.

 

I´ve been to Cologne on March 31st for the christening of the MS Asara. Can´t believe I wore a summer dress and was still sweating!

 

steamboats

[notamermaid]

Beyond the standard ports... part 5

 

A little downstream from Wiesbaden, almost opposite Rüdesheim, on the left bank of the Rhine lies the town of Bingen. Downstream from the town centre is the confluence of the Nahe with the Rhine. Bingen is an old town, with military importance in the Roman era, but an earlier Celtic settlement gave the town its name. Famous and notorious is the "Binger Loch", a rift of stone in the river that made navigation treacherous; the Romans, before any modern alterations, had even attempted to blast the rock. "The Binger Mäuseturm" is the setting for one the gruesomest tales of all the Rhine legends. Bingen is the birthplace of Hildegard von Bingen, a medieval abbess. A museum is dedicated to her.

 

The pilgrimage church Rochus Kapelle above Bingen is interesting, with great views of the valley. Even more picturesque - in a different way - is Burg Klopp, the castle in the hills. There is a restaurant.

 

You can read about some of the interesting sights here: http://www.bingen.de/en/tourism-culture

 

You might have guessed it, the Nahe is also an area for wine-growing. I really like this website on German wine as a whole, but here is the page for the Nahe: http://www.germanwines.de/tourism/wine-growing-regions/nahe/

 

Bingen acts as the Southern boundary of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Middle Rhine Valley.

 

It was the site (nearby Kempten to be precise) of the bridge to Rüdesheim, destroyed during WWII. The stumps are still in the river bed.

 

Who stops there? Phoenix Reisen with the MS Switzerland. It was apparently used as a "technical stop" for some international river cruise ships last year. The dock allows the 135m ships.

 

Bingen, facing the very famous, Rüdesheim on the opposite bank, will never reach "stardom", but is a great vantage point from where to stage alternative itineraries like a trip to Bad Kreuznach and its famous bridge houses. If one feels so enclined one can always reach Rüdesheim by ferry from Bingen.

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Back to river levels.

 

All parts of the Rhine look fine, it is a little on the low side but not a problem for cruise ships. It is quite cool today, will be a little warmer tomorrow, but rain is coming so Tuesday and Wednesday will feel like April. Not exactly "beer garden weather".

 

notamermaid

[pbeach]

We are currently on Tauck Inspire heading North on the Mosel. Next port of call was supposed to be Cologne, but the captain has informed us that we will dock in Bonn tonight due to low water at Cologne.

[notamermaid]

Hello pbeach,

 

what a pity! Thank you for letting us know. I am surprised to read this as Cologne and Bonn are not yet at low water status although the levels have fallen since my last post. As Cologne has a couple of shallow banks within the harbour areas perhaps there is a risk when leaving the navigation channel to dock in which case you might have been diverted to Bonn for safety reasons.

 

I hope you can enjoy Bonn, it is a pleasant town: http://www.bonn-region.de/overv/sights-culture.html

 

 

Make sure to take of photo of Deutsches Eck and Ehrenbreitstein, the view of the fortress better from the Moselle than from the Rhine I find.

 

notamermaid

[pbeach]

Thanks Notamermaid,

Actually it will be fine as we have already been to Cologne on a previous cruise. Dinner at Burg Satzvey castle is still on.

 

Pbeach

[notamermaid]

Oh, I am sure that is a relief as it would have been a shame to miss Burg Satzvey. It is actually a little closer to Bonn than to Cologne, but the driving distance will depend on which route the bus driver takes. It could in minutes be a little longer than from Cologne. Bonn is not too far from Cologne either, so you would not be too long on the bus if you went with Tauck to Cologne, I expect they offer that? It is also easy to get by train from Bonn to Cologne, depending on the traffic you might be faster that way than the coach...

 

But Bonn is really nice, I like the University gardens on a sunny day, ahem, must admit, have never been to the Beethoven Museum. Tend to go shopping only when I am there, although a couple of years ago took part in a guided tour, it was great fun.

 

notamermaid

[denny girl]

We are currently on Tauck Inspire heading North on the Mosel. Next port of call was supposed to be Cologne, but the captain has informed us that we will dock in Bonn tonight due to low water at Cologne.

 

Assume this was just an isolated glitch as I haven`t seen any similar reports.

Sailing in a week and keeping my eye on the River Cruise App but don`t really understand how low is too low and I guess it varies with different towns. The levels look to have risen in Cologne anyway in the last day or so :)

[notamermaid]

dennygirl,

 

I assume it was an isolated event (and a surprising one to me) to do with the harbour situation in Cologne. The river level was not too low for sailing and certainly is even better now. The levels have indeed risen, as you have noticed, not only in the Cologne area but also further upstream. That is good because that is normally where any problems first occur with low water. We need a bit of rain to get us through the Spring and the forecast for tomorrow looks promising for that. Presuming it does not rain hard and continously, sailing should be fine in the coming week.

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Here is a nice report of two European countries working together for the benefit of the local population, and tourists like river cruisers, hence my post: http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/light-rail/strasbourgs-cross-border-tram-line-inaugurated.html

 

France and Germany have been politically close for many years and the Schengen agreement has helped so much. Yet, in this time and age things are not going so well and while you might not be checked and stopped do take your passport if crossing the border. You might well have to as it appears quite a few river cruise ships dock in Kehl, the German town and bring their passengers across on a shuttle into Strasbourg. Now river cruisers will be more indepent and can take the tram if they so wish. And it appears that it makes getting into Strasbourg city from its harbour easier.

 

While such projects are politically and administratively easy in modern times (usually), sometimes regulations and sheer cost get in the way. I am happy to read that they even managed to procure the funds for a new bridge for the tram. Great.

 

Oh, river level. The Rhine has risen due to the rain of yesterday and this morning. But the rain will subside and it is going to be sunny tomorrow. No flooding in sight right now (always excepting isolated incidents in harbours or at low bridges).

 

notamermaid

[xmaser]

In 2015 and 2016 whenever we left the ship for an excursion that crossed in and out of Germany we were instructed to carry our passports. Easy to do and glad to do. But, sad that those days of carefree trans-European movement are over.

[mskaufman]

In 2015 and 2016 whenever we left the ship for an excursion that crossed in and out of Germany we were instructed to carry our passports. Easy to do and glad to do. But, sad that those days of carefree trans-European movement are over.

 

Did you have to carry the original passport or was a copy fine?