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Rhine - water levels and similar topics 2015


notamermaid
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Hello DiPrincess,

 

and everyone who likes sampling wine :). As hostjazzbeau hast pointed out Gewürztraminer has a spicy note to it. "Gewürz" literally means spice or spices.

 

Federweisser according to my local greengrocers will be available from the vintners in wineries and at shops (even some supermarkets) until the end of October. It is unlikely that you will get it in November.

 

notamermaid

 

Grey and rainy morning here in the Rhine valley. The beer gardens will close soon for the season. :(

 

It sure does have a great spicy note! But, in response to a previous post - Gewurztraminer can be made in a dry or sweet style. I've had both...

 

Different posters are talking about different aspects of these wines. Without going too far OT - the spiciness of Gewurztraminer is a flavor that's intrinsic to the grape.

 

Dry vs sweet is not at all intrinsic to any particular type of grape. All grapes have sugar and the wines can be made in either style. Even the most bone - dry tannic Cabernet, starts with sugar. If you ferment all of it, the wine is dry.

 

Sweetness is therefore determined by how much of the natural sugars are allowed to ferment to alcohol, and how much is left behind.

 

So you can make any wine dry or sweet. But you can't make any other grape taste like Gewurztraminer (except maybe Traminette).

 

Here's another difference - if you sniff a glass of Gewurztraminer you will smell its distinctive aromas and recognize the grape immediately. But you will likely not be able to accurately tell sweet vs. dry until you taste it.

 

I'm not a winemaker so please excuse any oversimplification in the above. I'm much better at sipping wines. Even though I chat a lot with winemakers I am not an expert.

 

PS: how sad about the Biergartens! Say it isn't so! :( Will they be open in April for our next visit?

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Hello cashopgirl49,

 

have a look here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=47981965#post47981965

 

That is promising although I must report that the level has fallen again in the last two days. Impact might still be felt when docking, mostly.

 

It has not been raining enough. The sky over Germany according to satellite imaging appears completely void of any rain this morning. And "my" valley looks beautiful in splendid autumn colours right now. With a hint of autumn haze over the hills. :)

 

Rain is forecast in the middle Rhine valley for Tuesday (just a little) and Wednesday.

 

Just to mention this again: the upper Rhine due to its locks fares better at low water. The tributaries are not feeding the Rhine enough, though. That fact contributes to the low water issues that happen mainly downstream from Speyer.

 

I see many ships sailing, the barges sail at "half load", lots of traffic therefore; it has been reported here on CC that there has been waiting time at locks for cruise ships.

 

I have also seen the Arosa ships, Viking ships and others going downstream in the last few days. Those two are among the largest cruise ships with the most passengers.

 

By the way, if you are start your travels in the next two weeks and think "I will miss the Christmas ornaments and gingerbread because I am not travelling when the Christmas markets are on, what a shame" do not dispair. The Christmassy food is already in the shops (i.e. supermarkets and some department stores) and the ornaments might be on display if you are lucky. Shops start early with that these days.

 

notamermaid

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Thanks notamermaid! I still have a few weeks to go (about 7 until we fly over then another week after that until our cruise ). So plenty of time to get a little more rain, right? I can't wait to see the Christmas markets in the different towns!! I am sure it is beautiful to see and experience. Can't wait to try the food, too!! :)

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It has cooled down a lot, it is raining. Yesterday, I wore my (thin) winter jacket for the first time this season. Soon I will have to wear gloves as well. Night frost can now be on the ground in the higher hills. Snow is forecast for today in the hills as well. The faraway places that river cruisers do not normally go to. :) Because that would involve a bus ride of at least an hour. It is colder in the Middle Rhine valley than in the Upper Rhine region today.

 

The river levels are still very low and predicted to stay low. But the rain will ease the situation a bit. Bearing in mind that the Rhine, as cruisers have reported, is not nearly as bad as the Elbe. The Danube is still struggling a little. But some rain is forecast for both regions.

 

Message from a current cruiser: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=48005676#post48005676

 

We are still in the season of wine harvest festivals and (just past) Erntedank. Giving thanks for a good harvest, that is. It is not a holiday, but there are varying traditions for celebrating autumn harvests throughout Germany.

 

It is the time for vineyard peaches, apples, pears and in my region "Döppekoche mit Appelkompott", a heavy savoury potato cake with bits of saugage in it accompanied by stewed apples.

 

I am getting hungry, off to lunch. :D

 

notamermaid

Edited by notamermaid
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Yesterday we had awful cold autumn weather. A constant light rain kept people indoors and the ones having to go shopping did look a little miserable.

 

The rain has subsided and the temperatures are forecast to rise to 11 Celsius by tomorrow afternoon.

 

The water level is still low but the rain has kept it from falling further. The Danube has improved and it is raining in the East of Germany in the lower Elbe region.

 

notamermaid

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Yesterday we had awful cold autumn weather. A constant light rain kept people indoors and the ones having to go shopping did look a little miserable.

 

The rain has subsided and the temperatures are forecast to rise to 11 Celsius by tomorrow afternoon.

 

The water level is still low but the rain has kept it from falling further. The Danube has improved and it is raining in the East of Germany in the lower Elbe region.

 

notamermaid

 

Thank you for the updates.

 

Those of us who are sailing in a couple of weeks are very happy about the rain.:) Those being rained on now may not be so happy.:(

 

All I ask for is that it rain every day until my cruise starts and then clears up to a nice sunny day at each location right before I get there. Is that too much to ask?:D

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Not much change here on the Rhine as regards water levels. It is still low, Koblenz currently at 90cm. Impact will be felt, as mentioned earlier in this thread, possibly at docking station. Difficult to access or a change to a docking station nearby. Depends of course on the draft of the ship (and the harbour master in charge and the amount of river traffic at that time). Slow sailing or waiting time at a dock is possible. But in general smooth sailing for everyone judging from all the ships that are sailing on marinetraffic and past the webcams. And the ones I have seen. At Bonn a few days ago a Viking ship was sailing under a bridge while I was going over the bridge on a tram.

 

A bit of rain today. Weather is forecast to be mixed with no rain, clouds and sunny spells for the next two days. Mild temperatures in the Middle Rhine valley.

 

The leaves are the full palette of green, yellow golden, orange and red.

 

notamermaid

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The water levels have fallen since my last post. It has - as forecast - been mild with very little to no rain. This morning more than ten official stations on the Rhine in Germany report low water levels.

 

We have not had much storm this autumn yet so the trees are still covered in very colourful leaves.

 

Anybody on the Rhine on a vessel right now or starting their cruise in the next two days can still enjoy the great landscape before the somewhat grey November. Note though that we already have mist and sometimes even fog in the morning hours. The redeeming feature of this is the eerie scene of a ship sailing along and disappearing into the mists. Makes for good photos for those that like the more somber scenes and the fitting legends of the Rhine valley ;).

 

notamermaid

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It is still mild and sunny but misty in the Rhine valley here. Not much rain, so the water levels have fallen further.

 

notamermaid

 

Thank you for the updates, Notamermaid. I am not seeing much chance of rain in the forecast for the next week or so. Glad the folks traveling now are having pleasant weather but also hoping our GCT cruise - and other river cruises - along the Rhine and Mosel rivers (in the next few weeks) will be able to follow the anticipated itineraries.

 

Looking forward to being back in your part of the world again!

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I agree Sapphire... here's hoping for some rain soon... Our cruise leaves 12/12. Even if my trip gets disrupted though due to low water I plan to make the best of it. After all.... We'll be in Germany/France in December, with holiday decorations, Christmas markets, good food, new friends.... what more could you ask for? :) (well... besides more vacation time.) :)

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The latest official report of the hydrological institute in Germany (my rough translation of the title of this organisation) is out. The water levels on the Rhine, here meaning the Middle and Lower Rhine, are much lower than the mean low to be expected at this time of year. Due to the lack of rainfall they expect the levels to fall a little further. But there is no mention of it getting as low as at the historic draught of 2003 yet.

 

It is misty but the trees still have a nice golden glow in the subdued daylight.

 

notamermaid

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Just received email from viking that we will be doing ship swap mid way through the cruise. Leaving amsterdam to basel on nov6 viking mani then swapping with viking eir. I'm kinda bummed at the moment, this will be my first ever river cruise

 

 

If a ship swap is the only Hiccup in your River cruise you should rejoice! It could be soooo much worse!

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It is certainly unusual to have a ship swap on the Rhine. But seeing that the level has fallen down to 57 cm in Koblenz this morning I can understand why Viking does it. If it is indeed the water level and not some other organizational adjustment. I met an engineer from the water board this morning which resulted in the typical conversation: "Isn't the Rhine low! And still no rain in sight. You can walk across to the river island." And so on...

 

But I agree with JVilleGal that this should be a minor hiccup. Have a look at the Danube ship swaps reported in some threads. That should reduce your worries. Viking had those running very smoothly. :)

 

I would be interested to know where the swap will take place.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

notamermaid

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Speaking of the Danube, anyone know how the Danube from Budapest to Nuremberg is doing? Four of us are doing Viking's 'Romantic Danube' eight day cruise next week and sure would like to avoid the logistics of mid tour ship changes.

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Speaking of the Danube, anyone know how the Danube from Budapest to Nuremberg is doing? Four of us are doing Viking's 'Romantic Danube' eight day cruise next week and sure would like to avoid the logistics of mid tour ship changes.

 

Check out this current thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2098866&page=6

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The latest official ("German water board") report is out: headline reads "Low water now for over six months"

 

Water levels will continue to stay low or even fall a little over the next week with little or no rain forecast for the next three days. That is the situation for the Rhine. Although the figures are not as bad yet as during the draught of 2003 there is now again a bottle neck of a very low water stretch from St. Goar to Mainz (upstream from Koblenz that is, yes the famous "castle stretch" I am afraid) with a depth in the navigation channel of 1.80m. The river cruise ships with the deepest draft have 1.65m. Quite literally almost scraping the ground.

 

Elbe and Danube still fare worse.

 

Forecast is for 18 degrees in Düsseldorf. :eek: That is far too warm for November.

 

notamermaid

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We've already been notified by Viking that we will have a ship swap part way through our cruise. We leave Saturday the 7, Basel to Amsterdam. Will be sorry if we have to miss the castle stretch, but what can you do? Have to be flexible, and know that we will have a wonderful time regardless! We will be in Europe, on vacation, etc....not too bad!!!

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