Rhine water levels 2019 and similar topics

[USCAdventurer]

Not a mermaid yesterday I travel from rudesheim to Koblenz on the Rhine and view all the castles it was very clear hardly any rain and everything was in full View then last night and Koblenz it rained but we were already at the Pier what's around Koblenz City Centre today a little cold the little rainy the very interesting having a wonderful cruise on the Rhine no water level problems at all I'm on the Crystal b a c h cheers David

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, USC Adventurer said:

Not a mermaid yesterday I travel from rudesheim to Koblenz on the Rhine and view all the castles it was very clear hardly any rain and everything was in full View then last night and Koblenz it rained but we were already at the Pier what's around Koblenz City Centre today a little cold the little rainy the very interesting having a wonderful cruise on the Rhine no water level problems at all I'm on the Crystal b a c h cheers David

Hello David,

Good to hear you enjoyed the castles. In Koblenz, did you go up to the fortress? I saw on marinetraffic that  you docked on the Moselle. A bit far for a nice webcam screen shot from the fortress, did not do one. You have entered the Neuwied basin where the hills recede from the river but coming soon after that is the rock formation Andernach gate, the topographical gateway to the Seven Mountains range - the Siebengebirge - and then of course Cologne which you will see lit up. Enjoy!

 

notamermaid

 

 

[sharkster77]

@USC Adventurer, with all due respect, please find some punctuation!!  My brain gets out of breath reading your one-sentence paragraphs!!  (Meant in jest, please do not take offense)

 

PS glad you are enjoying the Rhine.  We did the Rhine earlier last month and had the time of our lives.

Edited November 7, 2019 by sharkster77

[Fourmiler]

Notamermaid, you always manage to find such interesting stories.  It would be nice to visit Guedelon but I don’t think I’d be offering to do work on the castle.  I noticed there was another article in the newspaper.  It was making bags from apples.  How do people manage to come up with such projects.  

[USCAdventurer]

Actually sharks to 77 I speak into my phone I do not send messages with my fingertip so the phone doesn't always understand punctuation it doesn't always understand what I'm saying as you can see by your name here it shorts there came out as short to 77 or short to 77 I know you mean your comment in Jest but I just wanted you to understand how I send my messages on the phone cheers David

[xo-cruzar]

On 11/4/2019 at 2:28 PM, USC Adventurer said:

Hello not a mermaid the dining room of crystal Bach I had a fabulous day touring Strasbourg this morning by foot in by canal boat and then they had a special concert for Crystal Bach at the cathedral of Notre dam in Strasbourg there is an organ recital in a tour of the cathedral and it was only opened for Crystal passage and have wonderful food infection I I'm having dinner schnitzel French onion soup instruct cocktail I love German food no problem with water level at all and I'm having the most fabulous time of my life and Crystal is beyond brilliant it's a wonderful Cruise Line cheers David

@USC Adventurer Good to hear that you are enjoying your cruise onboard Crystal Bach. I am very much looking forward to mine the week after yours. Fingers crossed that all's well with weather and water levels in the region.

[notamermaid]

"Ufftata, ufftata", "Saahankt Maartin, Saahankt Maartin"...

 

No, I have not gone mad, or been too close to the first glühwein of the year. Both types of music have strangely combined in my brain to make for an unpleasant sound that I find difficult to get rid off. The first is what you might call Carnival oompah music in English, the latter is the (sung) start of a song intonated by children during the lantern procession. The occasion is 11 November, both the beginning of Carnival season and the celebration of Saint Martin of Tours whose feast day it is in the Roman Catholic calendar.

 

Carnival (in the Rhineland) I have explained before and 11 November is not a good day for travelling on regional trains from my experience (unless you are at least quarter drunk yourself or studying humans when not at their best behaviour), so I shall refrain from saying any more about it.

 

The tradition of Saint Martin is well explained in this article, just one note: (small) children now mostly use shop-bought sticks with battery lights.

https://www.thelocal.de/20131111/15437

 

As regards river levels: all is well and it looks as if this should continue through the week. Kaub is at 228cm and although steadily falling should stay well above 120cm this week. As of today, no flooding indicated anywhere either.

 

Oh, and it is grey with a cool wind, often rainy with temperatures at night going down to freezing (zero Celsius or a little less in the hills). A November how we expect it to be.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Last weekend I took a trip out in the car and ventured into the hills, enjoying grey skies and some late autumn colours. I had a quick stop in Koblenz:

 

Yes, this is Koblenz, too, it is the village called Rübenach in the hills and belonging to Koblenz. After that we dropped down into the valley:

 

Looks somewhat like the Rhine gorge doesn't it?

 Strangely absent, though, are castles and ships. It is the Moselle valley outside the village of Winningen. On a  grey Sunday in November it was a pleasantly quiet stroll through the village. A bit more info on Winningen can be found in the thread on the Moselle: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2268619-the-river-moselle-infos-and-river-cruising-experiences/page/9/

 

 

To the situation on the Rhine. Experts have ascertained that most likely there will not be a scenario of low water for the Rhine in the remainder of this year. Snow has got closer to the valley, with elevations of over 600m having experienced some or soon to do. That is the Vosges mountains just West of Strasbourg and the hills just past Basel to the East and the Black Forest. Next week will see slightly milder temperatures though.

 

Today I have seen the first "building site" for a Christmas market. Traditionally they start after Sunday of the Dead but a few have opted to open in the days before that, to the criticism not only of church officials.

 

Talking of church: a church in Mainz reached international "fame" earlier this year and I would like to update you on that in my next post.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

This morning, my part of the valley is shrouded in fog that is only lifting very slowly. The other embankment is almost invisible and depending on where you are on the river ships seemingly appear out of nowhere and disappear again, a kind of "the world ends at the next river bend".

 

Today is Sunday of the Dead, observed in the Protestant church as a day of Remembrance, but it is an official quiet day in all of Germany with restrictions on public life and entertainment. Therefore you will find that the Christmas markets that were already open yesterday are closed today (at least during the day). I always say that if you would like to see the markets at their best leave home after 26 November and return before 22 December (you will find that a few markets are still around after 26 December, but it is the minority by far).

 

To the church in Mainz. In June a church made it into the international news when the lid of a sarcophagus was lifted to ascertain who was buried there and thus leading to a hopefully clearer understanding of the status of said church in early mediaeval Mainz. I reported on this in this thread. The archeologists have recently confirmed that the interred is archbishop Erkanbald, who died in 1021. It also confirms that the church Sankt Johanni is indeed the first cathedral of Mainz and therefore Mainz has two standing architectural cathedral buildings. This is quite unique in Germany. As regards consecration there is only one as Sankt Johanni is actually Protestant (has been since the 19th century). I could not find an English article, so here is a German one: https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute/in-tausend-jahre-altem-sarkophag-liegt-mainzer-bischof-erkanbald-100.html

 

It is a remarkable story that should have a headline like "They wanted to install a new heating system but rewrote Mainz city history instead".

 

With that I take a deep breath,  close my eyes and enjoy the silence of this quiet day.

 

Tomorrow, we may put the lights on, start the festivities and the running to shops, the stress of yet another business Christmas party, etc.

 

As I learned in meditation, it is always worth taking three minutes out everyday to "return to your breathing anchor".

 

I hope you all have that space in your life to anchor yourself and then sail on refreshed.

 

Have a good Advent time.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Yes, I have been to my first Christmas market. A short trip but it is only the beginning of the season and due to work commitments my time is a bit more limited this year. Oh well...

 

If you are in Germany during Advent I hope you have a great time at the markets. Here is a list of 10 from the old, the traditional, to the big and to the small: https://www.dw.com/en/10-beautiful-christmas-markets-in-germany/g-51355982

 

If you get the chance head to the small town of Gengenbach in the Black Forest, the countryside is splendid and the small town lovely (I have been told). Along the Rhine Cologne is not my favourite as it is so huge (the one at the Dom). I like the small ones with local stuff, charity stalls and tiny prize draws. But this year perhaps I will head up to Drachenfels palace with its lights, it looks great. Last year I had the chance to see Hever Castle in Kent illuminated, what a great afternoon it was. Ohhh, I am really getting into this now.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

It is a relatively bright day in my part of the valley with storms and mild temperatures but things are going to change. From Sunday, temperatures will be closer to zero Celsius, especially at night. This could bring snow to even the lower altitudes, this means here the Upper Rhine valley around Basel towards Breisach and the area.

 

The river is a little on the low side, Kaub being at 125cm. But this is only significant for the loading capacities of barges and tankers.

 

If you are on a ship, have just been or are about to sail do say hello here. Share some tips on Christmas markets...

 

notamermaid

 

Edited November 28, 2019 by notamermaid
Grammar

[Opa10241]

Getting ready to board the Viking Tialfi in Amsterdam on Sat. Looking forward to many Christmas Markets and much joy. Thank you

[notamermaid]

On 11/28/2019 at 7:46 PM, Opa10241 said:

Getting ready to board the Viking Tialfi in Amsterdam on Sat. Looking forward to many Christmas Markets and much joy. Thank you

Hope you have arrived safely in Amsterdam and have had a good start to your cruise.

 

Chances are you will see a bit of snow as it is forecast for tonight down to altitudes of 200m. The Rhine valley itself is lower but some of the close hills are from 200m to 460m, those highest ones are in the Siebengebirge mountain range upstream from Bonn. There are more hills upstream from Koblenz of course but we cannot say yet how long the snow will stay on the ground.

 

Have a great time.

 

notamermaid

 

[Opa10241]

Thank you so much for all the most useful information. We are on the Tialfi enjoying a great holiday. We will keep watching for your posts because we will also be boarding the Viking Egli from Nurnberg to Budapest next Sat.

[notamermaid]

Christmas markets galore, for you then! 🙂 

Kaub gauge has seen a remarkable rise by 45cm in 24 hours bringing the level up to 203cm earlier this morning. That is short-lived and we will see it drop again but overall the level is good and is mostly likely to stay so, unless it rains by the bucket load for 24 hours in Southwest Germany, then there is the small risk of minor flooding upstream from Mannheim.

 

The Danube in Germany by the way is recovering.

 

Coming up: my short trip to a small Christmas market yesterday.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

As I have mentioned, I like the Christmas markets that are small in size, not too full, stocked with items by charities or sold in aid of them and are often on only at the weekends. They also attract stall holders that are artisans or have a day job during the week. They sell their wares at weekends and those can be so different from the usual shop products.

 

On Sunday I had a trip out to Namedy Castle near Andernach. Before you ask, no, I did not buy anything in particular, apart form a book on regional history and places. But I did some "window shopping" in lovely surroundings. Namedy ring a bell? Yes, we have mentioned the small place here before as it is a "signature event" on the APT Amsterdam to Budapest itinerary (or vice versa). Namedy is really small, but even so, has a train station and an excursion boat jetty. For the dinner in Namedy castle, APT uses the Andernach dock. You can find a bit of info on Andernach here in post #8: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2516698-rhine-beyond-the-standard-ports/

 

 

Namedy castle is owned by Princess Heide von Hohenzollern and she opens her family home as a venue for concerts and cultural events. Every year on the first weekend of Advent there is a small do with music on Saturday and a Christmas market on Sunday. The castle grounds are filled with stalls, pleasantly lit in the dark and the castle adorned with a huge Christmas tree. Stalls fill the ground and first floor rooms. A five euro admission fee keeps the herds out and even when full with people it does not feel "unruly". Gifts are of good quality and are often handmade. It is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon or early evening and this is what I did. Here is a photo of the tree-lined path towards the castle entrance:

 

The castle from the side :

 

The grounds:

 

Yes, there is actually room to wander around, not like the huge markets, is it?

 

This window I really liked, for its shape and the personal touch. Displayed are photos of Heide and her family, including her late husband:

 

At five o'clock a small band played on the first floor balcony of the Rittersaal - the red-walled great hall. With the Christmas tree all lit up it became really festive.

 

Yesterday, the Amavenita passengers had their dinner at Namedy. If the castle was as lovely as it was on Sunday, they will have had a splendid time!

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[jpalbny]

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Namedy castle is owned by Princess Heide von Hohenzollern

 

Is she related to the family that owns Burg Hohenzollern?

 

That is a beautiful castle, perched on a hilltop outside of Haigerloch. We drove by once on a very busy day a few years ago but didn't have time to stop. We started in Baden-Baden, then drove by Burg Hohenzollern, then visited Schloss Lichtenstein, Blaubeuren, then Ulm to climb the Münster, followed by a visit to Schloss Harburg, before driving to Würzburg for the night.  

Edited December 4, 2019 by jpalbny
The ue was bothering me. Had to change it to ü!

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

Is she related to the family that owns Burg Hohenzollern?

 

Her husband was a "son of a relative" of the Hohenzollern castle people, I think the family split into branches in the 19th century, so basically, yes.

 

This is Namedy on German wikipedia: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burg_Namedy

The castle was originally moated. A pity it has not been preserved in such a state. The family bought it in 1909. Heide in conjunction with her husband has done an amazing job of restoring it and keeping it going.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2019 by notamermaid
Grammar

[Ethel6666]

Certainly a splendid visit to Namedy by we Amavenita passengers last night. Highlight a performance by young pianist Galayna Gusachenko

[notamermaid]

Deck the halls with boughs of holly and see if "de Niggelaus" has left some sweets and nuts in your boot...

 

Oh yes, I am a shameless mixer of traditions. Grin. "Falalalala lalalala" is going round in my head and I have given gifts of chocolate to loved ones on 6 December. I have eaten Lebkuchen (gingerbread) but the mince pies are lying ready to be devoured. But one thing I refuse to accept: that Saint Nicholas has a red fur coat and white beard with a cloth hat, no that is the American Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas wears a mitre! Full Stop. Smile.

 

By the way, Saint Nicholas uses all modes of transport these days which can get him in sticky situations sometimes... But to fullfil his mission - which is getting ever more complicated these days, seeing that he also goes under water these days, not just visiting the crews on Rhine ships - he is allowed to bend the rules a bit. Apart from defying the laws of physics.

 

Here is a little photo gallery (you may notice that it is republished from last year): https://m.dw.com/en/saint-nicholas-one-man-one-mission/g-18874923 

 

notamermaid

 

P.S.: Water levels looking good, rain this coming week will push them over the mean, but as of now no flooding is indicated.

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by notamermaid
Word Missing

[Beach Wings]

@notamermaid Thanks for your earlier water level reports on the Rhine, as well as your other detailed accounts. Sailing the Debussy's last  of this season's  A-Dam to Basel run.......Happy Trails

Edited December 9, 2019 by Beach Wings
misspell

[notamermaid]

On 12/9/2019 at 1:31 AM, Beach Wings said:

@notamermaid Thanks for your earlier water level reports on the Rhine, as well as your other detailed accounts. Sailing the Debussy's last  of this season's  A-Dam to Basel run.......Happy Trails

Thank you. Hope you are having a great time. I am surprised you are docked in Andernach. A bit unusual as their Christmas market is quite small. Yet the town is nice and quickly explored.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

It has been an eventful few days on the Rhine in Germany. A few ship accidents of the minor kind involving barges and tankers, heavy storms and quite a bit of rain.

 

So let us forget low water for this year, we have had enough rain to rule it out. Mild flooding has reached the Moselle in Germany which means more water for the Rhine downstream from Koblenz but that will not be a problem. Looking at the Koblenz gauge on the Rhine we see 353cm. The river has risen fast and will rise further, but is not close to major navigational impacts. The notorious gauge at Kaub is likewise high now, at 262cm but not a problem. For what could be in store we need to look further upstream to Maxau (near Karlsruhe). The gauge there says 520cm. This is high but not flooding yet. The forecast shows that the first flooding level is unlikely to be reached before 23rd December. The bridges along the Rhine are high with much headroom for ships but there have been reports by past cruisers of a couple of bridges causing problems near the docking locations in Basel.

 

notamermaid

 

[pacmom]

Notamermaid, a joyous Christmas season to you and yours!!!!!   Thank you for all your wonderful help and your great sense of humor.  Looking forward (hopefully) to next years  help on the rivers.

We will not be on the rivers of Germany, but on a barge trip in France in May.

Again, many thanks, Pat

[foodpolice]

On 12/8/2019 at 5:14 AM, notamermaid said:

Deck the halls with boughs of holly and see if "de Niggelaus" has left some sweets and nuts in your boot...

 

Oh yes, I am a shameless mixer of traditions. Grin. "Falalalala lalalala" is going round in my head and I have given gifts of chocolate to loved ones on 6 December. I have eaten Lebkuchen (gingerbread) but the mince pies are lying ready to be devoured. But one thing I refuse to accept: that Saint Nicholas has a red fur coat and white beard with a cloth hat, no that is the American Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas wears a mitre! Full Stop. Smile.

 

By the way, Saint Nicholas uses all modes of transport these days which can get him in sticky situations sometimes... But to fullfil his mission - which is getting ever more complicated these days, seeing that he also goes under water these days, not just visiting the crews on Rhine ships - he is allowed to bend the rules a bit. Apart from defying the laws of physics.

 

Here is a little photo gallery (you may notice that it is republished from last year): https://m.dw.com/en/saint-nicholas-one-man-one-mission/g-18874923 

 

notamermaid

 

P.S.: Water levels looking good, rain this coming week will push them over the mean, but as of now no flooding is indicated.

 

notamermaid

 

You're a guardian angel!  Thanks for all the helpful Rhine updates. 

 

Hope you & yours and all the Cruise Critic family have a very Merry Christmas & Happy 2020.

 

Safe travelling folks.