Rhine water levels 2022 and similar topics

[Daisi]

Our problem with roundabouts here (which we have had for years, but they are becoming more & more common to prevent traffic lights) is they forget that some need room for transports to go around.  We have seen a couple put in, only to be taken out & widened in order to allow them through.  That nice grassy garden they plant in the middle doesn't look so good when covered with tire tracks!

 

@doxielover47, you may find lots of information in the Viking roll calls :

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/851-viking-river-roll-calls/

 

or by a search on this main forum.  I've never sailed with Viking, so not sure exactly what is expected.  

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise.

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, doxielover47 said:

We will embark the Viking Hild on April 25th, 2022 - Basel to Trier (then on to Paris by coach). What is the water outlook this Spring in the Rhine and Moselle?

That date is too far into the future to say. 10 days out is maximum. There is a hint of experts saying the level of the Rhine may continue to be a little on the low side throughout Spring, but that is when referring to barge traffic. It is speculative at this point.  For the next seven days we will see a good level as Lake Constance is filled up a bit more now and rain has been plentiful. Right now it does not look as if we will get proper flooding any time soon. So, all good.

 

The Moselle is controlled by locks so does not have problems with low water (you know, hardly hardly ever...). Right now the Moselle is carrying huge volumes of water and may well see official high water levels which could lead to short-lived flooding, i.e. a sudden rise with a short peak in the next couple of days. The weather will improve. Again, we cannot predict far into the future on this river either.

 

As for your second question. Daisi has given you good tips. I think there is a thread somewhere where this has been discussed. Or perhaps ask your question in a separate thread?

 

One question from me: have you got a castle visit in or near the Rhine Gorge in your itinerary?

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

What a day it was in Rhineland-Palatinate yesterday. During the night into Saturday there was storm, then we got rain, then it snowed in the hills in for April unexpected quantities. Cars got stuck on motorways, trees came down as the snow was heavy and wet and we got mild flooding in some small rivers and on the Moselle (see post in that thread).

 

I was watching the (short) hailstorm from my office window.

 

The Rhine has indeed risen fast but Maxau gauge is already past the peak. Good thing is that, as mentioned in my previous post, the rain and snow are still filling Lake Constance further upstream. The Lake is the Rhine's natural reservoir and gives that extra help when the river is low. Good to get us through Spring and Summer. But that is just a general comment and no indication of what I think will be.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

While we are on the subject of gauges. Let us have a look at Kaub: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegel_Kaub

 

It is an old building but with digital modern display. On the embankment you can see two lines. The lower with I is at 460cm and means from that figure upwards river traffic is on alert and has to slow down. The upper one with II is at 640cm and means river traffic has to stop from the figure upwards. Right now Kaub is at 390cm and is forecast to peak tomorrow between 11am and 1pm. It is unlikely to reach 460cm.

 

notamermaid

 

[pgy]

We just received a notification that due to high water levels on the Moselle, our Viking longship has changed from the Herja to the Alsvin - we are boarding on the 18th in Basel. 

[notamermaid]

Thank you for the info. I was wondering if the Viking Alsvin getting stranded at Trier may affect her itinerary. Other ships could also have been at least a bit delayed depending on where they were at the time of the river traffic ban.

 

Cochem gauge figure has gone done over one metre already so the Moselle is returning to normal levels fast.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

I rarely mention what happens downstream from Koblenz because the area is normally fine in drought. In flooding it is affected as much as what lies upstream from Koblenz. Further downstream at Cologne, there was no large flooding but the city had to get prepared with various measures and the embankment was blocked for strolling and cycling, from what I read. The level rose fast, this is what it looked like:

The level peaked at 598cm. At 620cm river traffic would have had to slow down. Despite the fast rise, the situation was not problematic, thanks to the fact that the base line was low, i.e. quite a bit less that the mean (the MW line).

 

In the hope that we have put Winter now finally behind us and we can see no heavy rain coming in the near future, let us relax and enjoy the landscape...

 

Any tips, any unusual excursions, photos of Easter decorations - do join in with your comments and photos if you are on the river now or soon or just have been.

 

Oh, and I forgot earlier: @pgy Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

[Gopherpharm]

We are just back from our trip up the Rhine from Amsterdam (then 2 nights in Lucerne). The weather was a bit challenging but we had a fantastic time regardless. 
 

I have some Easter decoration pics from Kaysersberg:

No clue why this is uploading upside down:

[Gopherpharm]

As far as unique excursions, Uniworld offers a couple exclusive experiences (included in cruise fare): Schloss Vollrads which is a tour of the castle and wine tasting. They only grow Riesling grapes, but dry wine people will be happy to know that the tasting included a trocken (dry), a semi-dry and a semi-sweet Riesling. 

 

The second was Doktorenhof vinegar estate tour and tasting. Very interesting (and I thought tasty, my husband disagrees)! My favorite part was the plague mask…they used to stuff the “beak” with vinegar soaked cloth to protect those caring for plague victims. And to think people complain about modern masks!

 

The vinegars made here age for a long time, most for 4-10 years if I recall correctly   (most mass produced vinegar is aged for 1 day)! The cellars were very memorable  

[BAYA]

On 4/7/2022 at 4:42 PM, notamermaid said:

Talking of bunnies. I have just remembered an earlier conversation about Easter chocolates in a cafe in Koblenz. In Cologne, rather than roaming round the chocolate museum, I personally would go to Café Reichard. If you would like to pop in virtually before going there personally (warning, this email link could make you put on weight 😀) here are some photos:

https://www.cafe-reichard.de/index.html

 

notamermaid

 

After our Cologne walking tour we weren’t allowed to enter the cathedral because Sunday masses were occurring. So we went into Cafe Reichard and had a wonderful coffee and cake break. What a lovely place! And you must check out the ladies room with the high tech glass doors. 🙂

[notamermaid]

Thanks for coming back to this, BAYA. So glad you enjoyed it. Yes, the toilets are quite unique. I tend to frequent the mundane ones at Kaufhof Galeria department store when I am in Cologne (closed on Sundays, though), must really have a look at Café Reichard again. It has been a few years.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

10 hours ago, Gopherpharm said:

Schloss Vollrads which is a tour of the castle and wine tasting.

I had read about the excursion and this special place. But, my what a sight. Thank you for that photo. I did not know that it is a moated castle!

 

The vinegar estate is quite a unique and interesting place it seems. I had not heard of it before it was mentioned here on CC. It is in the Palatine region. https://www.doktorenhof.de/en

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

On 3/27/2022 at 11:09 PM, notamermaid said:

Now we still needed to find the fort. We did. I will explain about that in part 2, plus: a view across to Ehrenbreitstein.

 

Koblenz and the Asterstein part 2

continued from post #68

The obelisk is a memorial to the fallen soldiers of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, erected by the officers of the 8th Royal Prussian Army Corps in memory of their fallen comrades. The obelisk itself is made of tuff (a volcanic stone). Three of the four sandstone plates contain the names of the 489 soldiers. Whereas on Ehrenbreitstein you can wander around somewhat detached from the purpose of all the buildings and enjoy the view, at this spot (at least for me) it is a bit more difficult. Especially with the cemetery more or less right behind you. Apparently the hill itself is called Glockenberg.

 

The monument with Sunday strollers enjoying the view:

Part of the inscriptions (and my shadow):

 

The obelisk explained:

 

Despite the somewhat sombre atmosphere of the place especially on a cool day, it is great how far into the distance and towards the Eifel, the Westerwald, and Andernach at the Rhine you can see, a bit of zoom in this one. There is a bend in the river, so I think on a clear day you can make out Andernach gate, the rocks that signal the start of the Lower Middle Rhine valley:

 

And on the opposite hill on this side of the Rhine is Ehrenbreitstein:

 

 Now, onto the fort which is sort of right there and not - because some of it has gone...

 

notamermaid

 

 

Edited April 15, 2022 by notamermaid
clarification

[notamermaid]

Koblenz and the Asterstein part 3

 

Asterstein fort suffered the fate that had been intended for all of the fortress buildings on the hills surrounding Koblenz and at the Rhine. It was partly demolished in accordance with the demands of the Treaty of Versailles. Other parts of it were demolished later or destroyed during WWII. A few scattered walls are still there and what is called a reduit, that is still complete!  This is an inner circle of a defense structure and this type here is actually a near circle. An explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduit

From a distance it looks like this:

 

It had been neglected and in disrepair but in recent years a circle of friends has been looking after it and the fort is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site, which helps of course. To get a better picture of it (we did not go inside) here is aerial footage: https://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/a-fort-astertstein

 

But hang on, Ehrenbreitstein Fortress still looks complete, doesn't it? Indeed, during the American occupation after WWI it was decided to keep Ehrenbreitstein intact and apparently one person was instrumental in this. I mentioned him here in post #30: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2771435-rhine-water-levels-2021-and-similar-topics/page/2/#comment-61064662

 

Returning to the car we passed another scattered bit of defenses, more or less destroyed:

 

It is a strange place, somewhat. There is also something called a "Teufelstreppe", the devil's staircase or steps. This is what it looks like at the top end, the path leading to it, right at the hotel:

If I wanted to be dramatic I would translate this as "walk at your own peril". In former times this would have been truer than now (these are still uneven, steep steps) as the staircase was part of the defense system. A shortcut up from the valley that could be deadly, i.e. well defended by soldiers from the fort. Some photos on this gentleman's website: https://www.rund-um-koblenz.de/teufelstreppe.html

A challenge in its steepness, for sure.

 

It was time to head home after that. If you want to do this little trip in a car, here is how you can drive (I used the Moselle dock as start and end point):

 

Not too great a distance, so a taxi should not be too expensive. And there is a bus stop on the main road behind the fort.

 

While we were up there the church bells rang for late afternoon mass. It added to my contemplative mood. Koblenz has always been a strategic place for its geography and as a result has both thrived and suffered greatly. The city is still a major centre for the Bundeswehr. If the military is your field of interest you may want to check out the collection: https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/organisation/ausruestung-baainbw/organisation/wehrtechnische-studiensammlung

At the time of this post it is closed so check before you plan to go.

 

When you are in Koblenz you are more likely to end up on the other hill, Ehrenbreitstein, so for a piece of history of the struggles between France and Germany and a symbol of reconciliation between the two countries why not go inside the museum and look at this beast of a cannon, "Vogel Greif": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greif_cannon

 

By the way, if you had been standing on this hill in Asterstein in 1813 you would have been looking at France. Koblenz and the area were French and there are several reminders, i.e. memorials, of this turbulent time in Rhineland history to be found. But that is another story that I will come back to another time.

 

Now to happier topics, tomorrow is Easter . Hope and life.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2022 by notamermaid

[notamermaid]

It is a beautiful sunny day in the Middle Rhine valley. River cruise ships are finally sailing in their dozens again all over the Rhine. And the excursion boat season officially started this weekend. Hopefully, I can join the crowds of day trippers at one of the next few weekends.

 

As I write, the Viking Idi is passing through Boppard and the Asbach boat left five minutes ago. I watched it on the live webcam. A happy sight. Soon, the new Emerald Luna should pass through. Better than television.

 

The paddle wheeler MS Goethe is still in the dock and will not be active before May it appears. Her webcam is currently disabled.

 

Boppard webcam operated from the hotel Bellevue: https://www.bellevue-boppard.de/en/hotel-boppard/service/webcam-boppard

 

notamermaid

 

[worldtraveller99]

Hi notamermaid. Rhine looks lovely!

 

Please may I ask - when things change going forward, please can you update us re the tests / masks / vaccination rules for the Rhine in Germany / France / Switzerland - if you know them? We aren't coming till November but it would be really helpful, thank you if you know this.

 

Our Cruise Operator Tauck has just sent me an email saying our booster vaccines from the end of 2021 - which will be more than 270 days old by the time we travel to the Rhine - won't be valid any more?? As no-one under 75 (who is healthy enough to travel anyway) is getting any more jabs in the UK - possibly ever? - this is worrying!  I sincerely trust if no more variants appear (who knows) this requirement may go away? Or we may all get a 4th booster - have you had that?

[Gopherpharm]

@worldtraveller99 I can tell you what the requirements were as of two weeks ago if that’s helpful. We just returned last week from Amsterdam, the Rhine and Switzerland. 

[worldtraveller99]

That would be very helpful Gopherpharm please?

 

[notamermaid]

2 hours ago, worldtraveller99 said:

Rhine looks lovely!

And so does the Moselle! I just needed to get out to the river so decided on a tiny trip up the Moselle. Need to move quickly onto the chores now...

 

39 minutes ago, Gopherpharm said:

I can tell you what the requirements were as of two weeks ago if that’s helpful.

Thanks for that. I do not think much has changed since then.

 

For me life has returned to almost normal. Nearly fell over backwards when I heard the other day at work a customer saying the she will have a 4th shot in May. She did not look that old and vulnerable. - besides, I had not heard about any recommendations yet. I am completely out of news or info apart from bare necessities. But promise to keep up with some bits to post in the other threads. @steamboats appears to be better informed these days - thank you! - due to her travels.

 

notamermaid

 

[steamboats]

@worldtraveller99 don´t worry, you´re absolutely fine! The booster shot so far does not expire. Of course rules can change but so far you are "up to date".

 

Yes, there´s a 4th shot available here in Germany for people 70+ and health care staff. While people 70+ could get the 4th shot 3 months after the 3rd one the health care staff has to wait 6 months. My mom did get her 4th one already but she´s 80. @notamermaid maybe that person was health care staff (which included nursing homes, all staff of private practices and of course all staff of hospitals).

 

In the US the 4th shot has been recently allowed for the 50+ age group. But here in Germany (and the rest of EU) we´re a bit more reluctant.

 

steamboats

[Gopherpharm]

Hope this helps @worldtraveller99

Germany: 

No testing or proof of vaccination required

masks required at some sites (example: indoors at Heidelberg castle, inside a pharmacy)

compared to the other countries we visited, there was more masking in general by locals/tourists (Example: wait staff at some restaurants wore masks)

 

France:

No testing or proof of vaccination required

we did not witness anywhere that required masks and overall low mask usage

 

Switzerland:

No testing or proof of vaccination required

we did not witness anywhere that required masks and overall low-medium mask usage

Swiss airlines requires masks on board

 

 

 

[worldtraveller99]

Thank you so much gopherpharm and steamboats. This all makes sense. Let us see what happens (hopefully good) as the year progresses.

[notamermaid]

43 minutes ago, worldtraveller99 said:

Thank you so much gopherpharm and steamboats. This all makes sense. Let us see what happens (hopefully good) as the year progresses.

Yes, it is going to be interesting how things develop and how the industry will react in the near future to there not being Covid regulations anymore. Right now, the companies are stricter than life in Germany is.

 

notamermaid

 

[steamboats]

12 hours ago, Gopherpharm said:

Germany: 

No testing or proof of vaccination required

masks required at some sites (example: indoors at Heidelberg castle, inside a pharmacy)

compared to the other countries we visited, there was more masking in general by locals/tourists (Example: wait staff at some restaurants wore masks)

 

 

If you want to travel with any kind of public transportation you do need a KN95/FFP2 mask - this includes local public transportation, all long distance trains and all flights going out or flying to Germany. Silly thing... you don´t need the mask at the airport anymore. But when you are bussed to a plane you need it in the bus and in the plane.

 

steamboats

[worldtraveller99]

Just read on another Board that in the USA their CDC has made masks on planes optional? And that people traveling cheered!

 

But in Shanghai people are being thrown out of their homes by the Govt so that blocks of flats can become quarantine areas - and the Chinese economy is suffering as there is no trade out of Shanghai (which was one of their biggest ports). So now don't know what to think (other than that I am glad we went to China over 10 years ago and don't need to return). Really hope they haven't found a variant which we don't know anything about.