Rhine water levels 2020 and similar topics

[notamermaid]

Last year the cooling tower at the retired Mülheim-Kärlich nuclear power plant was demolished with a huge amount of explosives. And what a spectacle it was! Impromptu parties, celebrations especially in Neuwied nearby, as the town was able to visually close a chapter in official history: the council had had law proceedings decades ago because of the plant.

 

Now - along the Rhine - the next step in the exit from nuclear power took place - more visually than in actual process - with another demolition in the early hours of today. The two cooling towers of Philippsburg, that is within the district of Karlsruhe are now also gone. The difference to last year: no spectators were allowed and the actual time kept secret. The company filmed it all though and you can look it up here: https://www.enbw.com/kuehltuerme/infomaterial-und-downloads/ 

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Who would have thought that a demolition site might need to be made safer than safe, even blocking off roads to keep spectators away from each other? What a strange world this is.

 

And we need our creative skills more than ever. One way of getting us together again in pairs or small groups is to form bubbles: travel bubbles, household bubbles. An Amsterdam restaurant is forming these bubbles with the help of greenhouses, small glass houses in a lovely setting at the water's edge: https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/52663568/coronavirus-amsterdam-trials-covid-safe-restaurant 

 

I wonder if something like that could be a feature on a river cruise ship? Complicated, there are all the bridges and locks, but there is a nice challenge for designers! 😃 

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Talking of the Netherlands. I think I have not specifically mentioned that the borders between the Netherlands and Germany and Belgium and Germany have remained sort of open. But the Dutch did not want us in their country for leisure purposes really, we were a little discouraged from coming over the Easter holidays. There would have been not much to do anyway. The Netherlands are behind us in reopening the country to proper tourism, but June will see an easing of the situation. Here are the measures: https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/tackling-new-coronavirus-in-the-netherlands/changes-to-measures-from-11-may 

 

notamermaid

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by notamermaid
No change

[notamermaid]

I am eagerly awaiting the first river cruise ships sailing up and down the Rhine, but it will be another few days. Meanwhile the excursion boats are sailing, but it is a slow start. The "Bonner Personenschifffahrt" for example used only the "Moby Dick" and the "Poseidon" for short round-trips without in-between stops. Ascension Day will probably see more people wanting to be on the river again. The Moby Dick vessel was inspired by the sighting of a whale in the Rhine some decades ago, in reference to the novel. This is what she looks like: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby_Dick_(Schiff,_1976)

 

Another old ship on the Rhine, a really old one, is in the local news. The "Mainz", the last steam paddle wheeler, is anchored at Düsseldorf and a debate has started to turn her into into a museum and display ship for a small antique ship. That's right - a ship within a ship! Will see how that goes. The other paddle wheeler that still has water under her keel is the MS Goethe. She can no longer be called a steamer since the year she lost her steam engine. The MS Goethe is still in the winter harbour at Cologne Niehl. I was going to post the link to her webcam, but the webcam is disabled. Hopefully they will get it up and running again when the Goethe starts sailing.

 

Museums and exhibitions. If there is one good thing in this crisis, it is the fact that life has slowed down a bit and there is a bit more understanding and time for being kind to the fellow beings near you. But there is also more space where there is social distancing bringing with it calm and enjoyment. An important factor for delighting more in the arts. The new normal works like this in a museum in Düsseldorf: https://www.dw.com/en/off-to-the-museum-and-dont-forget-your-face-mask/a-53455327

 

The weather is beautiful, but too dry for nature. The river levels are very good for sailing.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

A couple of days ago, I spotted the new ship by the German company Plantours, the "Lady Diletta". A sign of hope and the return of river cruising, for Germans at least, next week.

 

I know Cologne is a major attraction on a river cruise, but if you are doing the Rhine for the second time or just want to see something different, Aachen is interesting for a day trip out. You can take a fast train from Cologne and you will be there in well under an hour. Aachen with its special gingerbread is great in winter, but also enjoyable in the other seasons. This is Aachen: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-from-a-to-z-aachen/g-53491295

 

And as the text says, Aachen district borders on the Netherlands and Belgium and you can "stand in three countries at the same time" - the Dreiländereck: https://www.aachen-tourismus.de/en/discover/sights/details/the-dreilaendereck/

 

There is a similar spot near Basel, of course, where France, Germany and Switzerland meet but that is in the middle of the Rhine, so standing is not an option there.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

There is a blue sky over the Rhine valley.

 

We have beautiful warm weather, today it is up to 27 degrees Celsius in my area, tomorrow could see the temperature rise even further in the warmest parts of the valley. And the sky is of a splendid blue with those lovely clouds that one sees in church ceiling paintings. Now, some scientists in Mainz decided to check how exceptionally blue the sky is due to the Coronavirus lock down we had and the air traffic having been much reduced. Two specially equipped small planes will take a couple of scientists to the skies to examine them. And while they are at it they are taking some great aerial photos. Here is the study: https://www.mpic.de/4670371/bluesky-examines-the-atmosphere-during-the-coronavirus-lockdown

 

In an international study it was found that premature deaths from asthma in children are reduced due to the lock down and reduced pollutants in the air, you can also read this on the institute's website: https://www.mpic.de/4655104/corona-lockdowns-cleaner-air-saves-lives

 

We have got cleaner air, now how to tackle the drought. That will be very difficult indeed. The hydrology experts have uttered the notion that this year could be another difficult year. May has been too dry all over Germany, but it varies from region to region. The Danube area has suffered a little more than the Rhine, the Elbe is turning into a small brook again. But the Rhine is also showing signs of drought. With no rain before Friday and not that much forecast at the weekend as of now, if the situation continues next week, we could see a fall to unpleasant levels for some river cruise ships. If they were sailing. So far, only the nickovision is scheduled to do an itinerary of note on the Rhine.

 

For the record, here are the figures: Maxau 405cm, Kaub 111cm, Koblenz 109cm.

 

I saw on television that the Koblenz cable car connection to Ehrenbreitstein fortress is running again. With masks and social distancing, i.e. reduced capacity, tourists can now enjoy the splendid view from above the river over the valley and Deutsches Eck again.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by notamermaid
Spelling

[AF-1]

Unfortunately the cleaner air has not reduced my wife's asthma systems.  She has had same amount of systems as before.  But am glad you have great weather in Germany.

[notamermaid]

AF-1,

Sorry to hear your wife's condition has not improved.

 

The air is heating up fast and the clouds are forecast to shed their load faster than previously thought. Today will already see scattered showers and thunderstorms with the downpours happening tomorrow. A relief for nature and farming, but it will entail a temperature drop, giving us a weather singularity called Schafskälte. As Wikipedia has not got an English page on this here is my explanation: sheep are normally sheared by June but with a sudden cold spell that often happens at the beginning of June lambs and mother ewes could get dangerously cold, that is the Schafskälte phenomenon and that is why those sheep are sheared later in June.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

It is certainly much cooler today. Overnight the level at Kaub teetered around 100cms but is a little higher now. With more rain forecast it should keep above that level and give the nickovision plenty of room on her journey to Düsseldorf. She is currently on the Main and due to arrive in Düsseldorf on 13 June. Scylla have posted recent photos of their ship on Facebook. Scylla are the ship owners with NickoCruises being the operator.

 

notamermaid

 

[Steerage Club]

notamermaid,

Good to see you back reporting weather and river levels. Whether you are a river cruiser or not it is interesting data!!

 

As far as the river cruises go I am sad to say I think the experiences will not be the same in the foreseeable future. Avalon is not sailing at least until Sept. After attending a seminar on changes for 2021, those changes will definitely impact the experience for those who have traveled before. Less passengers on board, ...but there are plans for requiring masks at times, breaking up the dining times, no breakfast buffet, which if you have been to one is a highlight. No self serve coffee and pastry bar in the rear lounge. The rear lounge area is an amenity that sets Avalon apart from other cruise lines as others do not have this casual space to relax with a cup of coffee in the early morning. Maybe my concerns are trivial, but the fact is you pay decent amount of money for these trips and compared to the past it wont be the same. I am ready to cancel my October 2020 even if it ends up happening, to wait into the future where the Normal is Normal, not this "new Normal" everyone wants you to believe in. 😞

 

Steerage Club Member 

[worldtraveller99]

If the virus dies out and or a vaccine is found, then surely these changes wouldn't need to go into 2021? We can't live like this for ever!?

[notamermaid]

@Steerage Club

I agree about the breakfast buffet. Enjoyed those on my river cruise. We had assigned seating at lunch and in the evening which I like as well. I am alright with whatever they implement in restaurants but having a blood test and having your temperature checked and the masks in hallways - that is bit too much for convivial atmosphere for me. I can understand you not wanting to go in October. Do not know where your cruise will be, on the Danube there is the risk of drought looming again over that month. I have more hopes for the Rhine but can see potential problems here again, too.

 

@worldtraveller99

I think over time people will get weary of the situation and will make their individual risk assessment in the sense of "how much am I sacrificing of all the life I led before the pandemic and what do I want back at what risk?" Viruses mutate all the time, hopefully this one will go the benign path, with that knowledge, which will come over time and our understanding of medical ways to treat the disease, I am sure 2021 will not be like 2020.

 

Oh, and the river levels have risen. The Nickovision has the ETA logged into marinetraffic.com as 12 June 1400 hours local time. English reports had said 13 June.

 

And now, to further lift the mood, it is UNESCO World Heritage Day in Germany today! More on that in my next post.

 

notamermaid

 

[worldtraveller99]

Thank you notamermaid, all your news always welcome.

 

I emailed to the Strasbourg tourist office, and they emailed back that at the moment their Christmas market is still on to start on 27/11. But then I looked on the Tauck website and it says most of their Christmas market cruise cabins are sold out?? Do you think that is true - when most of their clients are from the USA and we don't know yet if they can travel - unless I missed something and USA travel is unrestricted?

[Daisi]

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

@Steerage Club

I agree about the breakfast buffet. Enjoyed those on my river cruise. 

 

 

notamermaid

 

 

We also enjoyed the buffets, it was great to go in, grab something quick (in my case, fill up on the fresh fruit and cheeses), and have time to relax a bit before heading out on tour.  My main thought when I heard that was that we would be set down to a standard "American" breakfast of eggs & bacon.  But then I thought...for our sit down dinners, they were very accommodating on bringing us extra of some stuff, and leaving some disliked foods off, so I think the breakfast & lunch will be the same.  Just maybe no 2nd helpings - I seem to have a bottomless pit when it comes to fresh pineapple & melon: )

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, Daisi said:

standard "American" breakfast of eggs & bacon

 

Love proper British eggs and bacon, with sausage. "Luxury, lass!" (adopts half-decent Yorkshire accent).

But I am happy to have a bit of fruit salad when available, melon is also fine.

I think it will work, one probably just tells the waiter want one would like and it is brought over from the breakfast area or directly from the kitchen.

 

4 hours ago, worldtraveller99 said:

Thank you notamermaid, all your news always welcome.

 

I emailed to the Strasbourg tourist office, and they emailed back that at the moment their Christmas market is still on to start on 27/11. But then I looked on the Tauck website and it says most of their Christmas market cruise cabins are sold out?? Do you think that is true - when most of their clients are from the USA and we don't know yet if they can travel - unless I missed something and USA travel is unrestricted?

 

That is interesting about Strasbourg market, do keep us posted please if you hear or see anything new.

 

As regards the booking and the ship being (almost) full I can only speculate but there are two scenarios that one may consider. 1. Currently regulations in Germany mean that hotels are only allowed to run at reduced capacity, that applies to river cruise ships as they are regarded as hotels. The same applies to ship restaurants, i.e. they are restaurants like on land. This could mean that a ship is regarded as full when 60 percent booked - as an example. 2. The website allows bookings from outside of the US and some cabins have gone to group bookings from the UK or charter even from other countries if it is a ship that is also used for the German-speaking market, which is possible with Tauck ships. If there is anything regarding a specific date that is puzzling you I think it is best to phone Tauck to put you at ease. Of course, with earlier cruises having been cancelled there is a chance the passengers having missed out then have re-booked to late in the year.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited June 7, 2020 by notamermaid
added word

[notamermaid]

Right, UNESCO Welterbetag! Today, Germany celebrates its 46 sites, only virtually this year. This is the website (in German only): https://www.unesco-welterbetag.de/

What is nice is the map that you can click on and see a photo of the site. To complement this, here is the list from the German UNESCO organisation where you can read about them in detail: https://worldheritagegermany.com/

 

But I prefer the German map which puts the sites into better perspective within the country territory. To the West and down from the middle is a bright spot the colour of grass and there we have the Middle Rhine valley! The greatest allure to the valley for most river cruisers. Castles abound, vineyards...

 

So I would like to share with you today the lore of Lorelei which is centuries old but was first brought into "high literature" by Clemens Brentano: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/lore-lay-lorelei.html

 

What most know is the later poem by Heinrich Heine, set to music by Friedrich Silcher - you know, that song that is played through the ship's speakers when you pass by the rock.

 

This is the rock with the paddle wheeler Goethe in front: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loreley#/media/Datei:Loreley_rhine_valley_wp_d_schmidt_08_07.jpg

 

Clemens Brentano was a romantic poet born in the village of Ehrenbreitstein, i.e. next to the foot of the hill where the fortress stands overlooking Koblenz. The Lore-Lay is one of those stories in Romanticism that I would call "schaurig-schön". The dictionary translates it as eerily or hauntingly beautiful. Hmm, yes, I think that comes quite close.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited June 7, 2020 by notamermaid
grammar

[Steerage Club]

Hello Notamermaid,

Yes I have been watching your river level postings as our trip is on the Main, Rhine, Moselle. Since it has been a little dry there as you say, and the water levels are at least below normal, I wonder what late Oct time frame will bring. That's all we would need to have, changes on the ship to deal with and the joy of a motor coach ride to another ship! Really want to explore the German cities and countryside though! Oct 2021 seems so far away if we have to postpone. 

 

Always thanks for the links to German/local events and history!

 My German isn't so great,

 so thank goodness for Google translate! (little poetry there)

Cheers!

[notamermaid]

Today is a big day for Rhineland-Palatinate, another step has been taken forward in the easing of restrictions. Apparently, according to NickoCruises, they had to adjust the itinerary of the Nickovision because of it. From today those restrictions for tourism are no longer valid so the ship is in the state with arrival in Düsseldorf scheduled for 12 June in the afternoon.

 

Life in my state is easier now - as in the others as well - and cultural life is back on a small scale. Excursions for river cruisers are now also easier logistically and coach travel is possible.

 

Now a river cruise on the Rhine is possible from Breisach to Emmerich. Switzerland, France and the Netherlands are still not accessible on a river cruise, i.e. leisure travel. This will happen on 16 June and in the weeks following. 

 

notamermaid

[worldtraveller99]

We have taken the plunge and booked our Rhine Christmas Market cruise at the end of this November - Tauck from Basel to Cologne if anyone else is on that?  After the Strasbourg tourist board lady said their market should go ahead!x

 

So following along with you notamermaid and sincerely hope everything gets better rather than worse and we are able to travel.

[cruisr]

16 minutes ago, worldtraveller99 said:

We have taken the plunge and booked our Rhine Christmas Market cruise at the end of this November - Tauck from Basel to Cologne if anyone else is on that?  After the Strasbourg tourist board lady said their market should go ahead!x

 

So following along with you notamermaid and sincerely hope everything gets better rather than worse and we are able to travel.

The key word from the tourist board is “should”.  Considering the medical community are predicting a round two of CV19 starting in the fall and considering that the Xmas markets are shoulder to shoulder crowds I am doubtful the markets will be held.  I was shocked when Oktoberfest was cancelled as originally it was said it “should” happen.  I hope I am wrong.

 

[worldtraveller99]

I thought the 2nd spike was supposed to be in July. Tauck have said if they are cancelled so will the cruise be and we will all be refunded. We don't pay anything more than the deposit till mid-October. Hopefully we will know more then.

 

[cruisr]

From what i have read second spike in the US will be in the fall.  

[notamermaid]

On 6/8/2020 at 1:53 AM, Steerage Club said:

Hello Notamermaid,

Yes I have been watching your river level postings as our trip is on the Main, Rhine, Moselle. Since it has been a little dry there as you say, and the water levels are at least below normal, I wonder what late Oct time frame will bring. ...

Steerage Club,

 

late October is certainly a time when low water can happen. Fortunately for you late October is better generally than earlier in the month, well, a tiny bit.

 

There have been concerns lately about the low water and it was certainly noteworthy enough for the economics people earlier this month. Commercial shipping on the Rhine suffers from low water before any river cruise ships have anything to worry about as is evident in this article from Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-06/europe-s-most-important-river-dangerously-low-as-summer-starts

 

Reduced loading capacity is not something that happens that often so early in the year. At 150cm at Kaub a low water surcharge is charged by transport companies, i.e. that is already the start of official low water for the industry. Mean low water at Kaub for the hydrologists is at 93cm. When the gauge reads 78cm, the navigation channel depth is still 1.90m, which can be tricky for the large river cruise ships. Over the years I have therefore decided to alert river cruisers when the gauge reads 90cm. Who stops sailing when is an individual decision taken by the captain and is not determined by the authorities.

 

So what is it now? 204cm! We have had a good amount of rain at the right time and next week will see a bit more. This is what rain can do to the level - visualized in the graph from pegel online:

There have been years when we have had mild flooding at the beginning of June! So, it can vary a lot. But as it is relatively low this year, a dry spell can get the river to really low levels in (late) Summer that could also impact river cruising. It is too early to predict anything and one can see from the graph that it can change for the better quite quickly.

 

So, for now, the levels are fine and we can look forward to river cruising resuming on a bigger scale in July, with Viva Cruises and CroisiEurope returning to the Rhine. A-Rosa will return next week already!

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Something's brewing underneath the Eifel

 

A new study has revealed that the earth in this part of Europe is moving outwards and upwards, rising by 1mm a year. It confirms findings of 2019 in another study and expands on them. https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/new-hints-volcanism-under-heart-northern-europe

 

So, what is the Eifel? It is a region in Germany, its borders are defined by the Moselle and Rhine to the South and East and from there it extends towards Belgium and the tip of the border with the Netherlands. 

 

In 2019, we talked about the volcanic activity in the Eifel here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2622046-rhine-water-levels-2019-and-similar-topics/page/3/

from post #75.

 

Scientists conclude from the study that something is pushing up from underneath, presumably magma from deep down where it had risen from before, causing an eruption 13,000 years ago. Nothing to fear they say but the ground is definitely active and moving.

 

Being foresty, the maars (lakes) look peaceful. The bubbles, though, are definitely showing the gases rising out of Laacher See, the lake where the monastery Maria Laach stands.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Steerage Club]

Hello notamermaid,

Hopefully I find you in good health and spirits! Well as I have been monitoring the weather and water levels in your part of the world as well as how Germany and Europe overall is managing the Covid-19 efforts, I as a group lead on a Main-Rhine-Moselle trip in Oct 2020 made the decision to move our trip to Oct 2021. We have also made a change to the itinerary and will now be traveling the Danube from Regensburg to Budapest. Although my wife and I have done the Danube from Budapest to Melk, the rest of our group will be experiencing it for the first time. I'm excited to share what I had experienced and learned on that previous trip. So with that, I will be switching to your Danube water level channel 🙂 to get your updates over on that river! I still will be checking in here as I'm still interested on how the Rhine flows, as a geography geek. 

By the way here in the New England area of the USA we are experiencing high temps and lack of rain too.

 

Cheers,

Steerage Club Member

Edited June 20, 2020 by Steerage Club