The while-we-wait-for-river-cruises photo quiz

[Canal archive]

I’m pretty sure it’s 3 rivers - R, M, & S plus 2 canals - NW & NSC. I got completely caught up with the history of the area amazing and if I’m right, I’ll leave getting the names for someone else to have a go but there’s a picture of the area taken from the space station on the internet. CA

[notamermaid]

It is amazing what the Dutch - and partly the Belgians - have done with the rivers and canals. The Netherlands is spending huge sums of money on the flood defences and buy quarried stone from the Rhine valley for that as well.

 

I would love to see the Delta Works. And the Thames flood barrier as well, have not been there yet.

 

Not sure if we agree on the area that Renmar is looking for. Hope we can get a third opinion on this from gnome12 or others that have cruised the area. I have actually never been, I have been only been to the islands and Groningen really, apart from short border crossings.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

The Delta Works are simply amazing a wonderful piece of engineering we went as an excursion on one of our Scenic cruises. It’s well worth a visit. Some of the most initiative engineering involves water. In the U.K. we have a few, the Falkirk Wheel, the Anderton Boat Lift there’s a similar one in France, the Caen Hill flight. We have a book in our archive printed in 1763 it’s a treatise translated from the French on canal construction, the end plates are absolute Heath Robinson. CA

[notamermaid]

The Caen Hill Flight has a got a beauty of symmetry to it. Amazing: 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/places-to-visit/caen-hill-locks

 

I have been to locks at near Stockport, Manchester. There is also a famous aquaduct, in this case carrying water and the boats in the canal over a gorge and right next to that at an angle it is the railway bridge. It looks stunning.

 

Great to look at old drawings, would be fascinating to see the original drawings of Tulla, who engineered the Rhine.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Maybe try to find out who holds his archive, I had a quick look and no luck. John Rennie engineered and built Caen Hill his handwriting is absolutely awful but his drawings for canal structures is exquisite. CA

[notamermaid]

I watched a documentary on Tulla not so long ago. I do not remember if it says in there, if not I reckon they will be with the KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Tulla helped to found a predecessor school (one half of the KIT) or they will know which archive they are in.

 

notamermaid

 

[gnome12]

Rivers are the Rhine (Rijn), Scheldt, and either the Meuse or Maas (which I think are 2 different rivers). There are so many different canals, I'm not sure which ones are being referenced, and I can't find my detailed map.

[sharkster77]

Watched the video on viking.tv about the Windmills and Tulips cruise,  Amsterdam to Amsterdam.  The presenter mentioned that if you're into tracing your route on a map, that cruise traverses 7 different rivers/canals.

[gnome12]

2 minutes ago, sharkster77 said:

Watched the video on viking.tv about the Windmills and Tulips cruise,  Amsterdam to Amsterdam.  The presenter mentioned that if you're into tracing your route on a map, that cruise traverses 7 different rivers/canals.

I found my map of Dutch Waterways. My Uniworld cruise was from Antwerp to Amsterdam and we were on many different waterways too. 

[Renmar]

You are all in the right direction but I think I better explain. What I was looking for is the following waterways;

1.      Rhine River

2.      Bijland Kanaal (Bijland Canal)

3.      Waal

4.      Pannerdensch Kanaal

5.      Neder Rijn (Lower Rhine)

Here are 2 maps to show the area.

 

 

I know the Dutch are strange with the way they name their rivers and waterways. To give you an example;

The mighty RHINE RIVER becomes “BIJLAND KANAAL” just after it enters into the Netherlands. At the point shown in the picture it splitting off, to the left it becomes “WAAL” and to the right “PANNERDENSCH KANAAL”

 

NOT MY PICTURE

Then after a few KM “PANNERDENSCH KANAAL” becomes “NEDER RIJN”

NOT MY PICTURE EITHER

and after that the name changes again to “LEK (LEAK)”. But we are not done yet, the “LEK” becomes “NIEUWE MAAS (NEW MEUSE)”

The “WAAL” in the meantime becomes “BOVEN MERWEDE (UPPER MERWEDE)” and a little later it splitting off in the “BENEDEN (LOWER) MERWEDE” and “NIEUWE (NEW) MERWEDE”.

 

Are you confused yet, just wait.

 

At the city of Dordrecht the “BENEDEN MERWEDE” becomes “OUDE (OLD) MAAS”.

 

Finally at the city of Vlaardingen the “OUDE MAAS” & “NIEUWE MAAS” join again and become “NIEUWE WATERWEG”. The “NIEUWE MERWEDE” in the meantime becomes “HOLLANDS DIEP” and joins the “BERGSE MAAS” to form the delta in the provinces of South Holland & Zeeland.

 

All those name changes happen over a distance of less than 150 KM (as the crow flies).

I hope I got this all right, it is even confusing for the Dutch😕.

 

Theo

[notamermaid]

44 minutes ago, sharkster77 said:

Watched the video on viking.tv about the Windmills and Tulips cruise,  Amsterdam to Amsterdam.  The presenter mentioned that if you're into tracing your route on a map, that cruise traverses 7 different rivers/canals.

That is quite something, I did not know that. Makes you wonder how the Dutch find their way...

 

I used to think that it is all low-lying land but found out only in recent years that the Netherlands are actually below sea level with almost a quarter of their territory.

 

With this photo I am now more looking at the area of closer to Belgium and Germany rather than towards the coast. Would love to know what is written on those signs. I am wondering if it is a crossroads post, like where the Main and Danube Canal split, although I do not know what marker is placed there, the Main upstream from there is only suitable for small yachts. That post is certainly not a usual one I see along the Rhine, it may be for a fork or branch, i.e. it may be where you can sail either way. On the Upper Rhine you normally have a channel and a side arm or old river disused for shipping.

 

Must learn a bit more about those signs, I see them every time I go to the river and also occasionally see the buoy boat, but have not much idea what the signs are about. Eyeahh (sigh), not good...

 

notamermaid

 

EDIT: Renmar I was still typing and just missed your reply. My, I was close!

Edited March 13, 2021 by notamermaid
added info

[sharkster77]

2 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

That is quite something, I did not know that. Makes you wonder how the Dutch find their way...

 

I used to think that it is all low-lying land but found out only in recent years that the Netherlands are actually below sea level with almost a quarter of their territory.

 

With this photo I am now more looking at the area of closer to Belgium and Germany rather than towards the coast. Would love to know what is written on those signs. I am wondering if it is a crossroads post, like where the Main and Danube Canal split, although I do not know what marker is placed there, the Main upstream from there is only suitable for small yachts. That post is certainly not a usual one I see along the Rhine, it may be for a fork or branch, i.e. it may be where you can sail either way. On the Upper Rhine you normally have a channel and a side arm or old river disused for shipping.

 

Must learn a bit more about those signs, I see them every time I go to the river and also occasionally see the buoy boat, but have not much idea what the signs are about. Eyeahh (sigh), not good...

 

notamermaid

 

Your comment about below-sea-level territory jives with the statistic I once read, that 20% of the Netherlands is composed of land reclaimed from the sea.

[notamermaid]

I only got four of the names right, in my head only! I have never heard of the Bijland Canal.

 

Is this the one you photographed, if not it looks similar: http://www.deutsche-leuchtfeuer.de/binnen/rhein/pannerdens-kanal.html

 

So none I think got close enough.

 

Would you like to go again?

 

notamermaid

Edited March 13, 2021 by notamermaid
added link

[notamermaid]

4 minutes ago, sharkster77 said:

Your comment about below-sea-level territory jives with the statistic I once read, that 20% of the Netherlands is composed of land reclaimed from the sea.

That is even more than I have imagined, never seen a figure before. Truly magnificent job they are doing.

 

notamermaid

 

[Renmar]

24 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

I only got four of the names right, in my head only! I have never heard of the Bijland Canal.

 

Is this the one you photographed, if not it looks similar: http://www.deutsche-leuchtfeuer.de/binnen/rhein/pannerdens-kanal.html

 

So none I think got close enough.

 

Would you like to go again?

 

notamermaid

No thanks, make it a wild card.

 

Theo

 

I think that is the one.

Edited March 13, 2021 by Renmar

[Renmar]

 

32 minutes ago, sharkster77 said:

Your comment about below-sea-level territory jives with the statistic I once read, that 20% of the Netherlands is composed of land reclaimed from the sea.

Have a look at this website;

https://brilliantmaps.com/netherlands-land-reclamation/

 

Theo

[sharkster77]

13 minutes ago, Renmar said:

 

Have a look at this website;

https://brilliantmaps.com/netherlands-land-reclamation/

 

Theo

Thanks, that site has great and very interesting maps.  Their 17% agrees with the ~20% I had read somewhere.

[Canal archive]

Wow superb! Navigation signs can be thoroughly confusing, on an English canalised river we had never been on I’m forward noting directions for him on the tiller when I suddenly realised he was heading for ground I compounded the problem by pointing to the sign and shouting - with my back to him - the sign says (pointing at it) go that way, think about it, we nearly got into very shallow water.

 

The red is obviously a warning and the green is for safety these signs are usually self explanatory but of course different countries etc. CA

[Canal archive]

Wild card to keep us going fairly straight forward, estuary of which rivers then you’ll know the Country.

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2021 by Canal archive

[AnhaltER1960]

On 3/12/2021 at 12:03 AM, jpalbny said:

 

The tiny town is called Hals and the "castle" is Burgruine Hals. We did this hike in 2016. The town is less than 2km upstream from the confluence.

 

The vantage point is from near the Filialkirche St. Achatius. The bridge is (I think) Landdichterstraße. I don't have the exact same view in my pics but close enough to recognize where it was taken. That was a nice hike.

 

Another angle and close-up of the ruins. 

 

Thank you, now I cam follow. I just did not look enough upstream along the Ilz.

[AnhaltER1960]

22 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Wild card to keep us going fairly straight forward, estuary of which rivers then you’ll know the Country.

 

The sailing boat in the front says "FRA" on its sail, so I take a guess, France. The choice of estuaries in France would be limited, as the Rhone has a delta. So I take a second guess, off Honfleur, Seine.

[notamermaid]

I was wondering about the Seine as well, but not sure that there is a second river that is prominent enough to make it an estuary of two rivers. Further North or further South perhaps? Can't imagine it is in Portugal.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Not the Seine. CA

[Renmar]

Thames Estuary? England?

 

Theo

[notamermaid]

Interesting idea, the Medway would then count as the second river. I thought it looked a bit too industrial to be the South of France.

 

notamermaid