Danube water levels 2024 and similar topics - plus tips and info

[notamermaid]

5 hours ago, Nippy Sweetie said:

Now we're due to do Avignon to Lyons then Basel to Amsterdam and worry that it'll be so crowded with cruise ships that well continually be double docked.

I think the Rhone is not as busy as the Rhine but that is for others to comment on as regards the ports. The double docking is not standard on the Rhine, it really depends on company and port. These days you are more likely to be double docked with another Viking ship when you are on Viking than double docking of company x with company y. At least that is my impression. Again, it depends on the port. I am thinking of addressing that topic again in the Rhine thread.

 

But first it is time to look back at June.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

On 7/1/2024 at 7:43 AM, brian1 said:

One of the reasons we chose the Danube over the Rhine was that we drove through the Alsace twice a year going to and from Italy.A few of the towns we drove through were close to the cruise itinerary.Lovely medieval towns with a German influence.

Alsace has some beautiful towns and villages. As I had mentioned the fortified churches, may I just point to one in Alsace. There is the Saint-Jacques-Le-Majeur at Hunawihr. @Nippy Sweetie I highly recommend the excursion to the villages of Alsace, basically whichever one is offered as even just the drive along the country roads is lovely I find. As regards the villages, if I had the choice and not much chance of returning any time soon, I would choose Hunawihr over Riquewihr. The first is a small, quiet place with one shop for the locals (at least I only saw one) while the latter is beautiful and touristy in a still pleasant way, in my opinion.

 

Hunawihr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunawihr

 

notamermaid

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 07:50 PM by notamermaid
added link

[notamermaid]

The bridge at Bogen - again. Just for interest's sake. A WWII bomb of 250 kilos was found during the engineering works there. It has already been defused and river traffic, which had been halted for a short while, has already resumed. This is still part of the planned checks (sonar) of the area. So we may read about more finds.

https://www.idowa.de/regionen/straubing-bogen/landkreis-straubing-bogen/fliegerbombe-in-der-donau-bei-bogen-problemlos-entschaerft-3822418.html

 

notamermaid

 

[RDVIK2016]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

The bridge at Bogen - again. Just for interest's sake. A WWII bomb of 250 kilos was found during the engineering works there. It has already been defused and river traffic, which had been halted for a short while, has already resumed. This is still part of the planned checks (sonar) of the area. So we may read about more finds.

https://www.idowa.de/regionen/straubing-bogen/landkreis-straubing-bogen/fliegerbombe-in-der-donau-bei-bogen-problemlos-entschaerft-3822418.html

 

notamermaid

 

That news article mentions some sort of bridge construction work. That would be great it they are beginning work that would allow greater clearance under that railroad bridge, but I had read that there are no plans to do that in the near future. The road bridge has had a lot of work done lately to provide better pedestrian and bicycle access, but I can't find anything about work on the railroad bridge. The linked video from Bavarian Broadcasting shows where they exploded the bomb underwater.

https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/fliegerbombe-bei-bogen-zug-und-schiffsverkehr-eingeschraenkt,UHOBX9w

[notamermaid]

12 minutes ago, RDVIK2016 said:

The road bridge has had a lot of work done lately to provide better pedestrian and bicycle access, but I can't find anything about work on the railroad bridge.

It is all part of the so-called Donauausbau. The first section was completed last year. Navigation will improve, deeper draft will be possible but I am not sure what is going to happen to the bridge and directly at the bridge. Flood protection measures will also be taken. Audio does not work anymore I think:

https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/sanfterdonauausbau-erster-abschnitt-bei-straubing-ist-fertig,TlTkU7m

 

notamermaid

 

 

[RDVIK2016]

42 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

It is all part of the so-called Donauausbau. The first section was completed last year. Navigation will improve, deeper draft will be possible but I am not sure what is going to happen to the bridge and directly at the bridge. Flood protection measures will also be taken. Audio does not work anymore I think:

https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/sanfterdonauausbau-erster-abschnitt-bei-straubing-ist-fertig,TlTkU7m

 

notamermaid

Thank you for that information. It looks like they expected to find some unexploded WWII bombs in that area, because the bridge was targeted by allied bombers in April 1945 near the end of the war. (I found this diagram on the website of Gemeinde Aiterhofen - the community on the Danbube opposite Straubing).

[RDVIK2016]

3 hours ago, RDVIK2016 said:

Thank you for that information. It looks like they expected to find some unexploded WWII bombs in that area, because the bridge was targeted by allied bombers in April 1945 near the end of the war. (I found this diagram on the website of Gemeinde Aiterhofen - the community on the Danbube opposite Straubing).

Responding her to correct the end of my previous comment: It should read "the community of the opposite side of the Danube from BOGEN" (Not Straubing - and Danube not Danbube!)

[brian1]

10 hours ago, notamermaid said:

I can imagine some one reading in the background having a chuckle, thinking "I am a ship spotter".

 

 

 

notamermaid

 

Sorry, didn't mean that to come out like I was taking the pee.Our Cockney sense of humour may come across as a bit cutting sometimes.

[brian1]

9 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Alsace has some beautiful towns and villages. As I had mentioned the fortified churches, may I just point to one in Alsace. There is the Saint-Jacques-Le-Majeur at Hunawihr. @Nippy Sweetie I highly recommend the excursion to the villages of Alsace, basically whichever one is offered as even just the drive along the country roads is lovely I find. As regards the villages, if I had the choice and not much chance of returning any time soon, I would choose Hunawihr over Riquewihr. The first is a small, quiet place with one shop for the locals (at least I only saw one) while the latter is beautiful and touristy in a still pleasant way, in my opinion.

 

Hunawihr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunawihr

 

notamermaid

 

 

The Alsace was always our first overnight on our 1500 mile (2400km) drive to Italy.It's a shame we didn't have time to go off the beaten track.We did stay at lovely towns like Obernai and Colmar though.

[notamermaid]

5 hours ago, brian1 said:

Sorry, didn't mean that to come out like I was taking the pee.Our Cockney sense of humour may come across as a bit cutting sometimes.

No need to be sorry. Not to worry, I am used to British humour. Never knew that Cockney extended into Essex. 😁 But then, I always imagine Essex as the flat plains to the North Sea, not the Upminster/Romford Essex. Not probing, just saying - I once had a stop in Upminster to get some sandwiches and bought really nice cheese. Weird what one remembers.

 

I often go for the unusual on holiday - like taking a photo of the litter in the Thames or the grill of the underfloor eating in Melk Abbey. So - not elegantly - I have steered this back on topic. I was truly stunned by the library at the Abbey. It is magnificent and while the church is great and all that, the library blew me away.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[brian1]

5 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

No need to be sorry. Not to worry, I am used to British humour. Never knew that Cockney extended into Essex. 😁 But then, I always imagine Essex as the flat plains to the North Sea, not the Upminster/Romford Essex. Not probing, just saying - I once had a stop in Upminster to get some sandwiches and bought really nice cheese. Weird what one remembers.

 

I often go for the unusual on holiday - like taking a photo of the litter in the Thames or the grill of the underfloor eating in Melk Abbey. So - not elegantly - I have steered this back on topic. I was truly stunned by the library at the Abbey. It is magnificent and while the church is great and all that, the library blew me away.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

Spot on,Hornchurch,inbetween Romford and Upminster.

[notamermaid]

6 hours ago, brian1 said:

We did stay at lovely towns like Obernai and Colmar though.

Then I would say you have already seen some great places. Talking of Alsace. There is the "alternative" grand European journey from Hungary/Austria to Basel instead of Amsterdam. Not sure which company does what exactly but I do find the idea of sailing that way a nice one.

 

notamermaid

 

[Izengolf]

I'm sure many do that route but Uniworld goes from Vienna to Basel with the optional extension to Zurich:

https://www.uniworld.com/ca/river-cruise/central-europe/rhine/grand-central-europe/2024-basel-to-vienna

 

I think this new 2025 itinerary from Basel to Brussels with a detour down the Moselle looks wonderful!

https://www.uniworld.com/ca/river-cruise/central-europe/rhine/rhine-moselle-and-belgium-grand-discovery/2025-basel-to-brussels

[notamermaid]

Vienna to Basel - yes, good idea I find. The 2025 itinerary I like very much, without Amsterdam, even better idea. Do not fancy seeing that city.

 

@Izengolf packing done?

 

Have a good trip to Frankfurt and great cruise.

 

notamermaid

 

[Izengolf]

Thank you Notamermaid, just landed in București for my flight to Frankfurt tomorrow morning.

[notamermaid]

As you will be in Frankfurt two days early I am guessing you will head into town yourself. I see that the docking location is Osthafen, to which I assume those arriving on the day will be transferred by Uniworld. Never been to that area of Frankfurt. The harbour looks really big, it is industrial.

 

On a Budapest to Amsterdam itinerary or similar river cruise ships dock at the city centre embankment of course (normally) but it appears that the embarkation process has mostly moved to Osthafen with many companies, although variations exist.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 06:56 PM by notamermaid
clarification

[Izengolf]

The docking doesn't look very scenic but I may wander over to the ECB and give it a mean look just for fun 😊.

 

Our itinerary has several different docking locations, including Mainz, which would have been a hefty cab fare after our 2 nights at the Kempinski Gravenbruch. Coming early to a spa hotel starts a trip off right for my mom to let the spa waters fix whatever the travel broke. 

[notamermaid]

In the Middle Rhine valley there are the traditional fireworks events but on the Danube there are some, too. One "Danube in Flames" event is taking place at Vilshofen on 12 and 13 July. The town should be rather busy on that weekend: https://www.vilshofen.de/freizeit-geniessen/was-ist-los-in-vilshofen/veranstaltungs-highlights/donau-in-flammen

 

The webcams of Vilshofen: https://www.vilshofen.de/wir-in-vilshofen/seien-sie-willkommen/webcams

 

notamermaid