notamermaid

"Chris will immer hoch hinaus" - she always sets her sights high - or should that be chooses the sights that have many steps? Here are the best views from up high across Hamburg according to Northern broadcaster NDR: https://www.ndr.de/ratgeber/reise/Panoramablick-Die-besten-Aussichtspunkte-in-Hamburg,aussicht105.html notamermaid

More footage of the U-Boot. Regional broadcaster SWR is based in Mainz and tonight the submarine is docked there. It was headline news: https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzE4NTc3MjY U17 had spent last night in Lahnstein where it was illuminated. By the way, the submarine would most likely not be able to sail under its own engine (if it was allowed to) in the Rhine Gorge. Its draft is 4.60m which is a bit too much for the current river conditions. notamermaid

So the river was too high and Viking did the ship swap(s). Thanks for the info. Have a great cruise. notamermaid

Maxau gauge has returned to more pleasant levels but a wave is coming on Thursday. This may bring the level to official flooding status again. Kaub gauge peaked at 356cm and the level is going down slowly but steadily. notamermaid

As regards the news cycle this is a finished incident, so I am unlikely to hear anything. Any mention of this in the roll calls? Have you checked the My Viking Journey pages of the company? Seeing that the ship was allowed to sail on, it could run the season with some cosmetics but I have no way of knowing this for sure. If there is anything you need to know before you leave for your cruise I am sure Viking will inform you. Water levels. All gauges in Bavaria have returned to below flooding status. Passau has risen to 648cm and should rise further. After this short wave (which may not reach flooding status again) the level will return to a more pleasant level during the course of tomorrow according to the forecast published at lunchtime today. notamermaid

Dresden is perhaps the main port and attraction visited by river cruisers on the Elbe, not counting Berlin and Prague of course. Both those cities are accessible by smaller (those with less draft) river cruise ships. All ships cruising the Elbe and Havel - whichever stretch - are smaller than the large ships on the Rhine for example. I have not been to Dresden. The popular attractions I am sure I would enjoy but these unusual modes of transport would really grab my attention: https://www.dvb.de/en-gb/excursions/hillside-railways The Schwebebahn is the oldest of its kind in the world, notamermaid

I like those: https://www.binnenschifferforum.de/showthread.php?114241-U-Boot-schippert-über-den-Rhein/page3 Well done to Kalle in Köln. And I recommend going up to Erpeler Ley (the rock opposite Remagen) if you are in the area. Quite interesting plateau and good view as you can see. Tomorrow, the Rhine Gorge! I hope someone posts a video or photos online. Bingen webcam for ship spotting: https://heimatzeithotels.panomax.com/bingen notamermaid

Level at Passau going down nicely, now at 631cm. Looking better by the hour but there may be another small rise coming. notamermaid

Brief news. U-Boot U17 drew the crowds in the lower Middle Rhine valley. Webcam of Andernach showed the embankment lined with people. Passengers on the Scenic Opal can pop down - up the river - to see the submarine. Both are docked in Lahnstein (blue dot at Niederlahnstein and green dot near river confluence): notamermaid

Yes, a real challenge. The U-boat will be turned 90 degrees to get under Heidelberg Old Bridge - like the sofa you turn to get through the door I suppose. But that will be next year. Next stretch, another video. Nice one from the bridge at Krefeld industrial areas: Passage at Deutsches Eck in Koblenz planned for 1600 hours local time tomorrow. notamermaid

Me neither. notamermaid

Viva Cruises, the company as such, is celebrating its 5th birthday. There are some special sailings. Perhaps in this context Cruisecritic - the company is increasingly targeting the North-American market - has been on the Viva Two: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2937126-cruise-critic-feature-what-its-like-on-a-river-cruise-with-viva-cruises-just-back-from-viva-two/ Here is an interview with the COO: https://www.travelweekly.com/On-The-Record/Andrea-Kruse-Viva-Cruises and a look at the Viva Two from another writer's perspective: https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Viva-Two-inviting-design-is-a-conversation-starter notamermaid

Not really. I cannot see long term forecasts published. But overall it looks good for the next three days. There appears to be no risk of flooding right now and the Main is regulated by locks so we virtually never see low water. notamermaid

Vilshofen is on flood mark II. Passau gauge is showing expected figures, now at 679cm, so no change to the forecast. 700cm should not be reached. notamermaid

It almost certainly is the Tor, seeing that she is docked in this photo with a police car on the embankment: https://www.pnp.de/lokales/stadt-und-landkreis-passau/schiff-faehrt-bei-passau-gegen-felsen-zwei-passagiere-verletzt-11163713 Trying to dock at Lindau (part of Passau) the ship got too close to the side of the river and hit a rock. Although the damage is high, I reckon mostly due to the fact that a technical appliance in the engine room was dislodged, the hull is safe enough for the ship to continue its journey. Unfortunately, cruisemapper is not always accurate. Comparing that site with the info on vesselfinder and marinetraffic is helpful - or sometimes more confusing! The tricky bit can be the loss of terrestrial signal along stretches of the rivers. It then appears as if several ships are in one spot. Good example is Boppard on the Rhine where a bulk of ships usually "is affixed" to the map as the signal disappears at that bend in the Rhine Gorge. The actual ships "reappear" just after Rüdesheim. That is if you look in the upstream direction. notamermaid

The Pieter van der Wees with her highly unusual cargo is docking in Duisburg for the night. This is the pushboat and the company with the fleet, based in Dordrecht: https://www.vanderwees.nl/en/expertises/watertransporten/materieel/ Tomorrow the pushboat will dock at the "Bastei" in Cologne. notamermaid

Thanks for saying hello. June is a lovely month to be on the river, normally both weather and river levels are settled. Historical hydrology data is very favourable. And you have plenty of daylight of course. notamermaid

Maxau gauge stands at 668cm and looks to be going down again, ever so slightly though. Little rain is forecast, the river will likely stay high but should fall a little below official flooding status (650cm). Kaub level is still rising and predicted to peak on Sunday without reaching flooding status. notamermaid

The Danube at Kelheim is on flood mark I, as well as at Vilshofen. The Isar river past Munich is on flood mark I. That means there is a lot of water still coming from this big tributary and from the Bavarian Upper Danube as well. Passau level has peaked and is down to 665cm but with that high volume of water still coming the river could well rise again. The forecast does not suggest figures above 700cm though. notamermaid

My pleasure. Oh, and I very much like Passau. Came down a road and round the corner in the car and there it was! Not necessarily love at first sight, but certainly "wow, must check out this place in detail" at first sight. Loved the café next to the Dom. Would very much like to visit Passau again. notamermaid

Brief news: accident on the Danube of a river cruise sailing under Swiss flag and with 190 passengers. Two injured, damage to ship amounting to over 100,000 euros. Report from BR radio/television station in Bavaria: https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/schiffsunfall-auf-der-donau-zwei-verletzte-hoher-sachschaden,Te2nNdX Edit: Another report discloses that it is a Viking river cruise ship. notamermaid

Here is the website with docking locations and planned dockings at Passau: https://www.stadtwerke-passau.de/hafen/liegeplatzeinteilung.html Note that Lindau has been cut and inserted into the map, the place is 2.5km from Passau old town. Remember, dockings can change at short notice. notamermaid

This is how the official website writes it: You see it reads "manche" - some. At 780cm river traffic seizes. Passau is now at 670cm. notamermaid

Yes, it appears that what we call a "Tiefdruckrinne" is giving Bavaria and Austria a band of persistent bad or at least unsettled weather for several days. It is coming from the Southeast of Europe rather than the West and Britain, where most of our German weather is made, actually the Atlantic but we usually get what Britain and the Netherlands get. Austria does not look too bad to me as regards water levels yet. And the ship could avoid the low bridge at Passau by docking downstream at Lindau or Engelhartszell. A short bus ride. Provided of course your ship is not upstream from Passau now. But, not every ship has a problem with the bridge at 630cm automatically. Have a great cruise. notamermaid

This is the official French website for flooding vigilance: https://www.vigicrues.gouv.fr/ I cannot help you with details but the colours used are a hint. As I write, the Rhine - East of Strasbourg on the map - is on yellow, that is mild flooding. notamermaid