notamermaid

The Rhine has so many docking locations at such a variety of towns that you can get an incredibly wide range of itineraries together, if a company so wishes. A smaller ship has more locations available but even with the 135m ships there are tons of options. On the Danube in Germany and Austria it is a bit more limited but you can still vary a lot. Hainburg is one place that has only recently come to my attention. It is a small town in Austria that looks quite attractive. Amadeus river cruises use the town quite often this year as a "technical stop", here meaning to pick up passengers from an excursion. This year the Viva Two actually has a proper stop in Hainburg with an excursion (afternoon guided tour) scheduled on a round trip Vienna itinerary. Hainburg dock was moved and updated in 2018 to allow for safer navigation in the now slightly wider navigation channel around Hainburg. According to a regional newspaper the new landing station can accommodate two large river cruise ships. Hainburg has no English website, so I roamed around videos for a change and found this really nice one about hiking around Hainburg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fJZUkLQiqQ notamermaid

Thank you. Yes, it is close and convenient. In Koblenz, due to lack of space, they now also dock on the right bank at least occasionally. I guess they will show neither location in the brochures or online. Of course, neither is industrial, just not the "prime spot". Niehl harbour in Cologne is industrial. And it is important to remember that no river cruise ships can dock in Strasbourg city centre as it is not on the Rhine but the Ill (capital i, two small ll) river. Ships are sometimes in the commercial harbour areas or in Kehl in Germany just across the river. I am not familiar with the Rhine river docks in Strasbourg in detail. In Rüdesheim, other river cruise companies dock closer to town than Viking. the prime spot is about where it says "Weingarten in der Brömserburg", Viking's private landing stage is marked on here: notamermaid

Amadeus River cruises in 2025: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tour-operators/amadeus-river-cruises-releases-2025-europe-programme Like Riviera Travel (UK) and A-Rosa (Germany), Amadeus is a company that has cruises starting in Cologne on the Rhine. I find that a good alternative to Amsterdam. It is of course more convenient for those coming from the UK but Düsseldorf and Cologne airport connections are worth checking out if you are coming from North America I find. Or connecting from Amsterdam by train. What caught my eye in the article is Hainburg on the Danube. I do not know this as a port but it looks nice and is certainly convenient for exploring Carnuntum, the Roman town. There does not appear to be a website in English: http://info.hainburg-donau.gv.at/ notamermaid

So, apart from the two Viking ships, I spotted - on online tracking websites - these ships sailing. The Viva One I knew would be doing short trips on the Rhine, some starting in Frankfurt and then coming onto "my" river. I had seen the offers in past years but forgotten about them: the Thurgau Prestige (for her Swiss operator) does short trips, too. In addition to those I also saw the Edelweiss. She is a Scylla ship sailing for Thurgau Travel. One of her itineraries is specifically focused on Basel Carnival. Do you remember the announcement last year by Amawaterways that they would start the 2024 season early? A few days ago the Amalucia started her first itinerary this year in Amsterdam, missed (!) the big day, Rose Monday, in Cologne and is now approaching Breisach. A-Rosa sailed throughout January with several ships but is having a break for most of February. All this only applies to the Rhine. notamermaid

The ASTA river cruise expo is in Amsterdam from 13 to 16 of March. At least one river cruise ship will be used as a hotel during that time, Amadeus River Cruises offered cabins on the Amadeus Cara on their website. If you are interested in the event: https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Insights/What-to-expect-from-ASTA-River-Cruise-Expo It is says the event is sold out. Still, I guess it must be possible to see the ships in the harbour. notamermaid

Good to read you found them interesting. I have been thinking, if one is okay with drab weather and widely varying temperatures that you cannot predict - it is mild with rain and grey skies right now - then Carnival can be an interesting time to be in Germany on a river cruise. One may not like it but one can say that one has seen the wondrous sight. 😉 More ships than I thought were here last week and this that I spotted online. Will get back to that. notamermaid

That is what I was thinking. Be polite, smile and look engrossed in something. You would be the husband with the nerdy introvert wife team. You may want to go at a time when the weather is favourable for being on the sundeck. It gives you "more space" and more easily obtained moments away from having to engage in conversation. notamermaid

I nearly missed this... Amawaterways had announced last year that they would be sailing early in 2024. The AmaMagna is now on her first 2024 itinerary. Looks like the passengers are having favourable water levels and pleasant February temperatures. I wonder if they got to experience Bavarian Fasching? notamermaid

So what is all this Prussian soldier and princess thing in the Rhineland about? It can be traced back to (almost) a single historical event and Berlin is to blame [when is Berlin ever not to blame, says the jester 😜]. If you wanted to be pedantic about it is to do with a guy who was in Paris called Napoleon but the real blame lies with the victorious Prussians over Napoleon. In 1815 the Congress of Vienna rearranged Europe and the Rhineland became part of Prussia. Carnival in its other forms had existed for centuries but the revelling and excess metamorphosed over a few decades into the fools being a bit more orderly and - that is where the upside down world and jesters with a mirror come back in - the fools storm town halls to take over and they mock the new rulers and their authority. The Medieval jester is the only one who is allowed to mock the king... The mocking and free speech with satire is also present in the idea of the Büttenrede, a speech made not from a podium but from a "tub". This is an elaborate one: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Büttenrede#/media/Datei:Mainzer-Buett.jpg Likewise the idea of critizising the authorities is witnessed in the many political floats in the Carnival processions. Mainz, Cologne and Düsseldorf are famous for it. You can easily find this on the internet if you are interested, they make international headlines every year. And the Jeck, the Rhineland jester? From about Bonn downstream he is spelled with a j, further upstream with a g. You can listen to the difference in pronunciation from this website leading to the one for Geck: https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/Jeck Apparently, the word is etymologically related to geek. It is an old German word connected with a person wanting to stand out from the crowd with sometimes foolish behaviour and/or ostentatious fashion (clothes). Certainly true for the uniforms. Yes, it is more men than women. But the female noun exists, it is "Jeckin". This may be a bit difficult to understand, but it is interesting to see the fun even in a small place where the enthusiasm is strong. Heimbach-Weis is a suburb of Neuwied but draws the crowds with political floats and many, many groups on foot dressed up in splendid costumes (the lady being interviewed had been a princess and part of an old ladies' carnival club before now doing things "a bit more slowly"): https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/koblenz/veilchendienstag-2024-umzuege-heimbach-weis-100.html So while this seems all foolish, over the top and mad, there is a serious background to it. It is late in the evening here with me, so time for the fools to burn or bury Carnival. Yes, that is a tradition, too. On Ash Wednesday normal order is restored and fasting begins - the origin of the word Fastnacht. notamermaid

The river levels have been falling nicely again. Kaug gauge did not reach flood mark I. All good. Plenty of room for more rain and a bit of snow melt. This week and into next looking good. About the Viking Tialfi. The ship was indeed in Cologne yesterday. Unusually, it docked in Deutz, the "schäl sick", in Rhenish meaning the other side of the Rhine, usually the right embankment, i.e. in Cologne that is Deutz and other districts. This has happened before, not often at all, but it appears to be happening a bit more than let us say two years ago. No idea if this was to do with high water or even Carnival. I cannot tell you the exact spot. You can walk across the Hohenzollern Bridge. Not a big deal if you are mobile: notamermaid

I am not familiar with that area. What you mean with getting up at 4am is the Morgestraich apparently. Sounds fascinating. A bit early though... I found this website which may help you: https://www.baslerfasnacht.info/basel-fasnacht/index.php notamermaid

It has been a busy day of eating, little drinking by me actually, more drinking for others. Music, shouting, and collecting goodies, mainly sweets that are called "Kamelle" in the Rhineland. That is shortened for Karamell(e)bonbons. You can see it - caramel. Nowadays you also get tiny chocolate bars, packets of paper handkerchiefs and small popcorn bags thrown towards you. Great fun. My voice got a bit hoarse during the parade, I was a bit more enthusiastic than last year. When you shout and smile you may get a "personal" goodie, could be a bigger one then, perhaps even a flower handed to you. Did not get anything special this year but it was nice to have the standard stuff as well. There were two flavours of sweets I had not seen before, looking forward to trying those. Anyway... I posted this last year as well, but for those new to the topic it is a good "instruction video" how to greet and shout during Carnival. A young Australian was given the task of getting through a day of Carnival in Cologne with a "Garde", a unit of men in this case, dressed up as Prussian soldiers. In the video they do not use the "three times thundering..." but he says translated "three times from the heart...". I like that version: https://www.dw.com/en/an-australian-visits-colognes-carnival/video-64742923 notamermaid

Right. This may sound unconnected to Carnival but it is vaguely connected. Last Sunday I went to the tourism fair in Koblenz. Many regional attractions, town and cities were represented but also places from further afield. Nature (walking) and cruises were two big themes, CroisiEurope were there with their own stall (the German agent) and a large stall that combined travel agents and companies for cruising and river cruising drew quite a bit of attention. Mine as well, naturally. For the first time I saw Thurgau Travel, the Swiss company, represented. They (now) have a German office. You could get special reductions at some stalls if you booked at the fair or contacted them soon after. The excursion boat companies were also present. The "La Paloma" boat owner has one of the most interesting marketing ideas that I have seen in a long time. This little vehicle had a plastic box which contained leaflets: The tourism fair was in the Rhein-Mosel-Halle, a concert and events venue. On the sign you can see a traffic problem afflicting Koblenz - the bridge over the Rhine is closed to heavy (weight) traffic. Here is a mobile home used for exhibitions by ADAC, the German motoring organisation. This one is advertising Canada. Can you read what it says on the plaque? Just before I walked up the steps, when I tried to take a photo of the little blue three-wheeler soldiers and a princess appeared. Yes, it was one of those wondrous sights that surprise foreigners who encounter Carnival for the first time. I walked into the venue together with folk having dressed up for a Carnival event happening in there together with the fair. I mean not together, fair downstairs, Carnival upstairs. Now, about those greetings and rallying cries or battle cries. Many towns and cities have Alaaf or Helau but Koblenz has a different one. Just in case anyone forgets it is displayed in front of the venue and greets people: But wait a second, you cannot just blurt out Koblenz Olau! You need to know that in dialect it is Kowwelenz Olau. It is normally spoken three times and the introduction contains "ein dreifach donnerndes..." which means "three times a thundering..." How exactly that works a novice to Cologne Carnival and his chaperone will show in the next post. notamermaid

I have been reporting a bit more on the water levels in view of the fact that more ships are sailing than normal this year, especially the two Viking ships, the Alruna and the Tialfi. So, exciting stuff as they not only have good levels but they are also hitting Carnival. The Alruna is in the far South so the passengers are in the realm of "Alemannisch" festivities. Fasent-Sunndig they call this Sunday today in Breisach and it looks as if there has been a special celebration that the passengers of the Alruna could watch. Their Fasent is different from Karneval: https://www.narrenzunft-breisach.de/ The Tialfi is heading towards Cologne and is currently sailing near Xanten. So it looks like they will see "Rheinischer Karneval". That is quite a thing... I hope all passengers have been prepared by the crew. I have mentioned the dialect but there is more. Carnival seasons have a motto and when people meet and during official celebrations you shout a "battle cry". I will get back to that in a next post. notamermaid

Well, the flooding is back. Heavy rain has made the Main and its tributaries rise. This is Würzburg: The Main further downstream has been draining that excess water into the Rhine since Friday but this is not a wave one on one, i.e. this rise is not seen in the same jump in figures close to the mouth at Mainz. But the Middle Rhine is seeing high levels now. notamermaid

The recent concrete sickness thing, I read about that. There have been reports over the decades here and as I mentioned above I have seen it in a building. I guess it is just something that happens over time, not sure how much can be avoided, but I am not familiar with the topic much. As soon as you put metal in concrete you get two materials that react to each other, you have got to know what you are doing... I have just remembered - there was a case on the Rhine, at Neuwied. I recall from a newspaper report that the wrong concrete was used, i.e. for the re-development about six years ago. It could not sustain the action of the fast-flowing river and the pull from the ships that were supposed to dock there when the embankment was finished. They got it sorted and the new embankment is now complete but there is still no ship docking. Seem to be some further financial and legal issues that need to be sorted. The photos when the locks are drained and the workmen are standing in them are fascinating. That creature in the canal that you posted looks like something out of a black-and-white 50's science fiction film. 😉 notamermaid

The Rhine is draining well all the rain we have had, Maxau is already on the way down again. The Middle Rhine valley is still taking on the large volume of water from the Main. Kaub gauge is still rising. notamermaid

Interesting. Had not noticed the relatively early March closures. All in all the Moselle lock maintenance looks to be a bit more tightly scheduled, i.e. a very specific time frame with far in advance publication. Although everywhere you can never be sure that an "emergency" closure will not become necessary. Like with the very unfortunate and really annoying incident at Iffezheim lock on the Rhine. Sediment can become a real problem for sure, but there are of course what we call "Verschleißteile" (I like that word), which is standard wear and tear of the moving parts mostly and those parts need to be inspected and replaced. But every few years the concrete needs checking as well. We are talking heavy duty and in constant use "bathtubs" for ships. Age and regular use play into it, when new I reckon some intervals can be longer, but some things like these locks just need regular maintenance, I mean there are things you cannot push out a couple of years or at least you should not as an authority. The Canal in its present form is indeed relatively modern, completed in 1992, other locks are much older. About concrete: I was a bit shocked to see how concrete from the 50s had been working with gravity and the elements and in itself when a building in "my shopping turf" was knocked down. The steel inside had eaten into it and the concrete aggregate was brittle, i.e. partly visible. No chance of any repairs... notamermaid P.S.: Little change to water levels, relatively stable. The Main river will drain more of the rain than the Danube.

I have no idea. I would tend to go with Canal archive and say a very long time. It has to be after frost (and snow melt) so April is ideal I would say. River traffic knows this and can look this up far in advance. notamermaid

We are now seeing the big jump in the water levels in the Middle Rhine valley. This is Koblenz: SHWM I is the navigational flood mark I and calls for adjusted sailing. This could slow down a river cruise ship. Meldehöhe is official flooding as defined by the authorities. All in all not too much of a problem and the rain has subsided so the situation should get better again soon. notamermaid

Thank you for the extended assessment. Yes, it looks all okay for now. All problems are North of the Danube proper so we will not see any real impact from the Alps or the Danube itself. The colour map: https://www.hochwasserzentralen.de/en/aktuelle-situation Problems for the Rhine come mainly from the Neckar and the Main. But there are no through river cruises, meaning itineraries using the Main at the moment as far as I know. Hopefully all will stay good for the first long itinerary in March. By the way, looking further into Spring there will be the annual closure for maintenance of the Main, Canal and Danube locks again. Just in case you are wondering why there are no long river cruises scheduled for a period in April. notamermaid

The water levels are rising again in the Danube basin, the Regen river is carrying a high volume of water. That will make the Danube in Bavaria rise over the weekend, but it should not lead to flooding. notamermaid

It is another grey and miserable day in the Rhine valley, but if you are a true Carnival woman this cannot deter you. 🙂 I am not going to celebrate as such but no work for me or my colleagues, office is closed. Ha! Yesterday I heard in a comment on the news - last year's celebration that is - of the German (female) newsreader: "Let us remind our folk in the North of Germany..." Then a switch to the reporter on the ground in Mainz: "No one needs reminding here in Mainz that it is Carnival..." Then the guy is immediately interrupted by two women standing close to him, singing half-decently a typical Carnival "hymn", swaying, smiling, and holding plastic cups filled with, err, whatever tastes good. Oh, the fun. If you are male, do not wear a tie on this day, it will be cut off. Just to inform people of the standard procedure as regards shopping. Depending on local emphasis, Rhineland Carnival means that many smaller shops are closed Thursday afternoon. Friday is normal and Saturday again may be shorter in hours. Supermarkets are usually open standard hours but on Monday even they may close early. Sunday is closed anyway. Tuesday, again depending on local custom, shops may be closed, supermarkets may close early. Fasnet down there (on the map) close to Switzerland has other rules. This is from this morning in Mainz: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/weiberfastnacht-in-rlp-2024-100.html Something you need to know. If you are familiar with German from having learnt it at school or during holidays, do not be alarmed if you understand less at this time of year. More people use dialects and different words during Carnival. Hence "Mainzer Mädchen" (girls of Mainz) being "Meenzer Mädcher" in the video. notamermaid P.S. The water levels are rising all over Germany with all this rain. Smaller rivers have gone to flood mark I in places. Rhine still okay but will react quite a bit tomorrow.

Pfannkuchen, yes, I read about that. According to an article in the taz Karnevalsumzüge where not allowed in Berlin under the Allies. Protestant places, especially the North of Germany, tend not to do much at Carnival. True. We in the Rhineland actually with our Carnival soldiers and parades, etc. mock the Prussians. Which is a bit weird if you then see similar uniforms in Berlin, in, you know, what we regard as Prussia. When we take Carnival to Berlin from the Rhineland does that mean we mock the Prussians or get the Prussians to mock themselves? I am confused. Oohhh, not that Colonia song again!! It is ubiquitous, isn't it? I happened to find myself in Cologne main station one November the 11th. Never again will I have to do this I hope... As for eating the Berliners. I now prefer the Apfelberliner, the round Berliner dough which looks like a Zimtschnecke and contains apple pieces. notamermaid

It is Carnival, tomorrow will be Weiberfastnacht, the women take over and celebrate in the streets and pubs. There is normally no parade, but in the suburb of Bonn called Beuel this day is the main day of Carnival traditionally. I got my Muzen today, I prefer the Muzenblätter to Muzenmandeln. Here is a video on the delicious food: https://www.dw.com/en/sweet-carnival-treats-from-cologne-muzemandeln/video-52468540 Or how about Berliner, the German doughnut without a hole, and the Apfelberliner? Muzen are restricted to winter and Carnival but Berliner and Apfelberliner tend to be available for a bit longer. If you happen to be in Germany now I recommend a visit to a bakers... notamermaid