Rhine water levels 2020 and similar topics

[notamermaid]

In this difficult time we need laughter and music more than ever. So many musicians have stayed connected to their audiences via social media. It is lovely and I thank them for it. Igor Levit, a German-Russian pianist is among them. Tonight's concert at 7pm local time (German Summer time) will not be broadcast from his living room but, by special invitation from our President, from Bellevue Palace: https://mobile.twitter.com/igorpiaigorpianist 

 

Hope the link works. If not, try through Igor Levit's website.

 

It is quite warm here today, sunny and lovely. Hope you are all fine. Keep in touch.

 

notamermaid

 

[pacmom]

Notamermaid, your Danube wave cake looks decadent.  With only two of us here, will have to wait til whole family can get together.  Also loved the video of the goats.  Thank you for adding a bit of levity right now. Blessings, Pat

[AF-1]

what is weather temps like in Jun for a Danube trip?  Budapest - Vilshofen  Thanks

[notamermaid]

AF-1,

 

June is a nice month for sailing with temperatures that are relatively settled and not too much rain anywhere. Expect double digits everyday, there can be hot days but real heatwaves are not common, at least in Germany and Austria. For details I suggest checking on accuweather.com for the ports you will be visiting. Wikipedia can also be quite good with charts.

 

You may want to re-post your question in the thread on the Danube where hopefully some past cruisers are still reading as we go along through this difficult time.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

It is Palm Sunday and we are fast approaching Easter. It will be quite different from other years. Here today, things are already much out of the ordinary with all the churches being closed. The traditional gathering of people and blessing of "palm" (mostly box tree around here) twigs cannot happen. Some churches have live streams of their service. Radio broadcasts have a long tradition and a few are shown live on television. Youtube has a recorded version of the live stream from Cologne Cathedral of today's mass. The priests and singers are all adhering to social distancing during mass.

 

Our chancellor and other politicians have praised us and thanked us for sticking to the rules. The worst is yet to come though and Easter will be the most difficult time to practice social distancing, I should think.

 

For those seeking solace alone in nature it is a good time, the weather is lovely, the trees are getting greener and greener. The daffodils are still in bloom, although nearing their end in some warm places. The grape hyacinths are looking splendid and the tulips are slowly appearing. I am strangely attached to daffodils this year, especially when the cats lie next to them. After having fixed the problem with my camera, I can now finally post the daffodils that attracted my attention in a garden the other week:

 

It is only a small amount of daffodils and nothing like what William Wordsworth saw at Ullswater on one of his walks, together with his sister Dorothy. That walk inspired him to write one of the most famous poems in the English language. Here is a recital: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slzqhOqvYGo

 

Now, if you will excuse me, after a quick lunch I shall seek out a pleasant spot in which to let my gaze wander and seek solitude in the nearby hills...

 

Take care.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[AF-1]

What a way to start Holy Week.  These flowers brighten up my day.  Thanks for sharing.  Blessings to you during this Holy Week

[Daisi]

Thanks for the flowers, my garden is slowly crawling it's way out of the snow, hopefully by next week I can get out and get it ready.  I will have to look up the YouTube video of the Mass in Colonge,  it will be nice to see how much of the interior they show.

 

Take care all, and dream of sailing.

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, Daisi said:

Thanks for the flowers, my garden is slowly crawling it's way out of the snow, hopefully by next week I can get out and get it ready.  I will have to look up the YouTube video of the Mass in Colonge,  it will be nice to see how much of the interior they show.

 

Take care all, and dream of sailing.

Daisi,

 

you can download it from the religious Cathedral website: https://www.domradio.de/video/pontifikalamt-am-palmsonntag-1

click on herunterladen. Gives you full screen without having to go through you tube.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[PrettyParrot]

Dear @notamermaid thank you for sharing the beautiful daffodils.  Our garden is starting to bloom. Here are some of our roses.  Stay safe and well everyone. 🌹

 

 

[Wannawander]

7 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Daisi,

 

you can download it from the religious Cathedral website: https://www.domradio.de/video/pontifikalamt-am-palmsonntag-1

click on herunterladen. Gives you full screen without having to go through you tube.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Thank you for the link to the Cathedral. We were planning to be there two weeks from today on our a Viking cruise and hopefully attending Mass on that day, but, “Oh well!” Instead we Zoomed with our daughters and grandkids over Chinese food for our 50th Anniversary. I have been able to attend German daily Mass with my cousins at exactly the same time, as “together” as we will be for a while. Thanks for the flowers and other info. Take care and be safe!

[notamermaid]

Cherry blossoms galore!

Bonn's trees are blossoming, so here is the picture gallery: https://m.dw.com/en/bonns-famous-cherry-blossoms-are-here/g-53056489 

 

And here is the website again that I had linked some days ago: https://www.kirschbluete-bonn.de/blog-3/ 

 

notamermaid

 

[TSmith48]

Cherry blossoms galore!
Bonn's trees are blossoming, so here is the picture gallery: https://m.dw.com/en/bonns-famous-cherry-blossoms-are-here/g-53056489 
 
And here is the website again that I had linked some days ago: https://www.kirschbluete-bonn.de/blog-3/ 
 
notamermaid
 

Thank you! Hope you are keeping well and keeping your spirits up.


Tara

[Roger88]

On 3/15/2020 at 11:26 PM, AF-1 said:

I live in Ohio and the Governor just closed all bars and restaurants as of 9pm 15 Mar.  My son is out of a job until they reopen.  

Each state descides itself how to fight the epidemy. Trust me, there are way more strict cases and policies issued in other states/countries. Well, it depends on a total amount of people getting infected, and maybe its a right decision to let people stay at home for awhile but I keep wondering how long can you keep people not busy with anything. Not every economy can handle it. 

[AF-1]

Roger88, I understand; it is a sad affair.  I have faith; that the doctors and scientists will get it under control within the next 45 days.  

[notamermaid]

25 minutes ago, TSmith48 said:

Thank you! Hope you are keeping well and keeping your spirits up.


Tara

I am doing fine under the circumstances, thank you.

 

About this lock down and not going out scenario: it it worse for some people than others of course. I like interacting with people on a small scale. Fortunately I have a few people very close that I love to be with and the others I can phone or send e-mails to. Enough for me. Although I did feel the need to phone my colleague week before last. That should last my work related soul needs for a week still. You can tell I am not a party animal! Fortunately, I can still go out under our rules and my current operational physical radius with the help of a car is around 20 kilometres. Plenty! Come May I will miss making holiday plans, for sure.

 

Now, when I first read this I thought it was some over-enthusiastic psychologist wanting to sound all scientific: there is a bore-out syndrom, i.e. in analogy to burn-out. Basically the opposite idea, under-challenged in your job, etc. German media says that psychologists claim they see it more in this crisis, partly due to working from home. Hmmm.... Well, there is the phrase "being bored out of one's brain". As regards the physical side of it, saw this is in a newspaper: a man in France got so bored, being used to even running marathons, he decided to use his seven-metre-long balcony to run a marathon. Problem was he got dizzy from the constant turning direction but made it in the end.

 

With household duties, posting on cruisecritic, shopping and private projects keeping me busy I cannot see myself getting bored anytime soon...

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Jcat2010]

Hello Everyone:   Been watching and waiting, but it now seems that Viking has cancelled us out for June.  Having been in the later months when levels are low, we're working to reschedule for next year.  Questions are, May or June, early or late ?    I realize, especially now, that no prediction is absolute, but historically, I'm sure there is a preference.

 

Thoughts.

[notamermaid]

@PrettyParrot

Thank you for the photo of the roses. Love the shade, it has got a "natural elegance". We have no roses blooming yet. I look forward to seeing the roses in my back yard that a neighbour has planted. They are mixed colours and some have a lovely stronger scent. Talking of scent: rose oil! I did not know that much of the most expensive oil for perfume-making comes from Bulgaria.

 

I have posted the video of Bulgaria's "valley of roses" in the thread on the Danube.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2721657-danube-water-levels-2020-and-similar-topics-plus-tips-and-info/page/4/#comments

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[PrettyParrot]

1 hour ago, Jcat2010 said:

Hello Everyone:   Been watching and waiting, but it now seems that Viking has cancelled us out for June.  Having been in the later months when levels are low, we're working to reschedule for next year.  Questions are, May or June, early or late ?    I realize, especially now, that no prediction is absolute, but historically, I'm sure there is a preference.

 

Thoughts.

Scenic has also cancelled cruises through June.  We have an August cruise scheduled for after our eldest DD's wedding in the Netherlands, which also may or may not go forth due to COVID-19.   

 

DH and I have done Viking Danube cruises in May and June.  Both were beautiful and no water issues but the June cruise was much warmer weather than the May cruise.  

 

all the best,

Pretty Parrot

🦜🌹

[Daisi]

4 hours ago, Jcat2010 said:

Hello Everyone:   Been watching and waiting, but it now seems that Viking has cancelled us out for June.  Having been in the later months when levels are low, we're working to reschedule for next year.  Questions are, May or June, early or late ?    I realize, especially now, that no prediction is absolute, but historically, I'm sure there is a preference.

 

Thoughts.

 

 

We did the Rhine in 2018, a bad year for low levels.  We sailed mid-May, had perfect weather & water....by the end of June, it was starting to get low.  Hope that helps, as you say, you can't predict anything, but hopefully next year Mother Nature will co-operate for all so everyone (including the towns that rely on tourists) can have a good year.

[notamermaid]

On 4/8/2020 at 3:52 PM, Jcat2010 said:

Hello Everyone:   Been watching and waiting, but it now seems that Viking has cancelled us out for June.  Having been in the later months when levels are low, we're working to reschedule for next year.  Questions are, May or June, early or late ?    I realize, especially now, that no prediction is absolute, but historically, I'm sure there is a preference.

 

Thoughts.

Generally speaking there is not much difference between the two months. Apart from daylight hours increasing up to 20 June and the nights being cooler in May, both months can have lovely weather, June a bit more than May. For the weather I would choose a time starting on or after 3 May (which avoids the 1 May public holiday) and ending 24 June at the latest if you want to avoid most of the European school holidays. Low water on the Rhine is rare before July (the Danube tends to start earlier with that). The greater problem is flooding which does not happen often in May and is unusual in June (we had it in 2013 when it was bad - not as bad as on the Danube) and on a couple of occasions for just few days since then.

 

For public holidays look here: https://www.feiertagskalender.ch/index.php?jahr=2020&geo=0&klasse=5&hl=en&hidepast=1 

 

Hope this helps.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited April 9, 2020 by notamermaid
Grammar

[notamermaid]

It has been a few days since my last post and if it was a normal year my post today would read like this:

"After several days of lovely sunshine and warm temperatures of more than 20 degrees Celsius it has cooled down considerably today. Rain is in the air at last. It has not been raining enough round here in April and the river levels have gone done a lot. Maxau is at 406cm, Kaub at 125cm and Koblenz at 135cm. This means barges cannot sail with full load. It is a rare occurrence at this time of year. Not much rain is forecast for this week either with only Friday bringing an adequate amount. This should not alarm river cruisers on the Rhine yet, but the Danube at Pfelling is getting low, 306cm is only 16cm above the minimum it needs to be for all river cruise ships to be able to sail (those with the deepest draft can have problems from that level onward, but most will still be fine). Update to follow in the Danube thread."

 

Alas, this is not a normal year so my words above are superfluous, as would be an update on the situation at Pfelling. Boohooarggh! 😢😢

 

How I wish we only had to deal with flooding or low river levels.

 

If there is one constant in this weird, unusual situation it is the river ever flowing towards the North Sea, it is still here and will be when you can finally cruise again. Here is a view from Oberwesel Schönburg Castle: https://www.feratel.com/webcams/deutschland/schoenburg-oberwesel.html

 

Stay safe.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[jerryd1]

45 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

If there is one constant in this weird, unusual situation it is the river ever flowing towards the North Sea, it is still here and will be when you can finally cruise again. Here is a view from Oberwesel Schönburg Castle: https://www.feratel.com/webcams/deutschland/schoenburg-oberwesel.html

 

 

Thanks for posting this link.  It brings back fond memories of when we stayed in the Hotel Weinhaus Weiler in the center of Oberwesel with our 2 children about 25 years ago.   You're post got me looking at their website and I'm sorry to see that Klaus and Trudel Weiler are leaving after being delightful hosts for the last 33 years.

[notamermaid]

Just in case you are wondering where we stand as regards tourism in Germany and river cruises on the Rhine in particular, here is a brief summary of relevant measures that have been extended to 3 May. All hotels are closed for the purpose of tourism. All restaurants and cafés are closed except for pickup or delivery. No congregating in public with more than one other person who is not part of your household. Upon new arrival or after returning following a time abroad of more than 24 hours 14 day quarantine if your travels were for leisure or are for leisure purposes. This basically rules out river cruising till said 3 May date. After that who knows.

 

And if you had a river cruise planned that includes a special event you might want to check up on that as all large-scale events are cancelled until 31 August. No Rhine in Flames fireworks, no music at Rock am Ring, etc.

 

notamermaid

 

[TSmith48]

Just in case you are wondering where we stand as regards tourism in Germany and river cruises on the Rhine in particular, here is a brief summary of relevant measures that have been extended to 3 May. All hotels are closed for the purpose of tourism. All restaurants and cafés are closed except for pickup or delivery. No congregating in public with more than one other person who is not part of your household. Upon new arrival or after returning following a time abroad of more than 24 hours 14 day quarantine if your travels were for leisure or are for leisure purposes. This basically rules out river cruising till said 3 May date. After that who knows.
 
And if you had a river cruise planned that includes a special event you might want to check up on that as all large-scale events are cancelled until 31 August. No Rhine in Flames fireworks, no music at Rock am Ring, etc.
 
notamermaid
 

So sad. But thanks again for the updates,@notamermaid. Always appreciated. Keep safe and well.


Tara

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, TSmith48 said:

So sad. But thanks again for the updates,@notamermaid. Always appreciated. Keep safe and well.


Tara

My pleasure. Greetings to Australia, keep safe. Sorry about the cruise ship problems, a real mess in March and early this month. I read about the investigation that has just started.

 

I do not really miss anything but it will be nice to get some flowers on the market again.

 

I saw parts of the press conference with questions and answers section with the minister for health and medical experts this morning. Sounds cautiously optimistic, also as regards international research. Again, the German public was thanked for following the rules so well, apparently we are good boys and girls! I like how quiet and reduced in stress factor everything is. It helps not to live in a big, badly affected city. It will take quite a bit more time till we can have an adequate amount of tourism again and we will need to adjust to - as Jens Spahn put it - a "new normal". And as much as it hurts, I agree that there is no going back to the old normal. Perhaps a new normal closely resembling the old normal when we together find several good vaccines.

 

We are doing okay round here, nature is in full Spring mode, but there is not enough rain.

 

Looking forward to seeing river cruise ships on the river again. Ohoh, now I am getting sad. Off to stroke the cats...

 

See ya.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Edited April 17, 2020 by notamermaid
Missing word