Canal archive

If you pick up Notamermaids threads she’s been working here little cotton socks off about the water levels on the Danube and Rhine amazingly interesting stuff.

Same from me have a fantastic time.

Is it a bit like a tidal bore as in the river Severn and Bordeaux?

Okay awake now and an explanation, it’s a ringing stone you get a small stone and tap on this one and it rings, I kid you not a really clear beautiful tone. It’s one of the most amazing things to find half way up a Scottish mountain. According to the Scottish historian who first took us there no one knows who discovered it but it is very close to an ancient Bothy and close to what was once an ancient drover road.

The Bothy.

Over the top, Bridge of Gairn close to the stone is an old military bridge.

Ahhh but this one is special!

Ohhhh know what you mean about copyright, I spend an awful lot of my volunteering life as a archivist checking and protecting our charities collect for copyright.

Just watch out for the ‘smug brigade’ the group that considers themselves above all others and sends out the forward party to grab their considered table regardless of others on board. Luckily they are usually after one of the larger tables situated where they can be - to their eyes - seen by all and proceed to be loud and overbearing, they can be of any nationality and not only on cruises. 

Try doris.bmk.gv.at for the locks.

Ta all, look under any stone across the U.K. and up pops what any non Britisher would call an eccentric.

So what are there intrepid explorers up to with this enormous stone near The Bridge of Gairn in Aberdeenshire, there are a few sheep around but that’s it.

Oh their poor feet if they are wearing authentic replica Roman sandals.

No worries about sneakers there even derigueur with a skirt of dress these days and ohh so much easier than 4 or 5 inch heels, sorry guys.

CDNPolar very interesting my DH was in sales all his working life after finishing his apprenticeship. He can talk the hind legs off a donkey with anyone, I’ve seen him bring out the shyest person with smoothness and sympathy no forcing involved. We had a newly married male couple on one cruise some years ago who he managed to, with no obvious intentions, inveigle into joining in with the rest of us. We’ve met some super people on our cruises that if we had tucked ourselves away we never would have as neither of us are ‘in your face’ just there.

Mine is out of the arc so almost due for a new one but with Christmas approaching will it be an iPhone or a new SLR, hmmmmmmmmmm

Wow that last photo of the parliament building is a cracker, green is not a good complexion colour. Now your going to tell me you took it with your phone!

I may have said before but one year a few of us woke early to get that iconic photograph of the confluence and sometime earlier in the night our Captain had been advised to leave the Moselle as the waters were rising quite quickly. Note to self must do the trip again but not just for that photograph.

Thank you Steamboats for the webcam link that waters pretty high!

The sticks do now seem to be more in evidence with our Asian friends and those taking movies as phone cameras are improving in leaps and bounds as cameras did over the years.

Scenic have quite a few tables for two but they are fairly close but yes a table for two is for two if they join in or not is up to them. But a smile or odd remark helps if some are a little shy also useful for singletons at the beginning of a cruise. Just because you sit closish at a meal doesn’t mean you have to sit with them for the rest of the evening or cruise.

Thank you Jazz 🥵

Actually the worst period I find in Bath is the Christmas market and the selfie sticks I nearly had my eye taken out several years ago. Never again.

I must admit that way before I had health challenges I used the ‘gentle’ walking group much easier for a clicker, oops no shutter noise now.

Being a very keen photographer I get quite embarrassed at the impoliteness of many photographers, people seem to be in such a hurry to get as many of their must have shots as possible little realising that if they wait around for just a few minutes the shot would be all the better. 

PS of course most cities and towns are more than happy to welcome tourists as they spend far more than the locals.

Maybe the concern has been raised again as we hopefully are now over covid. All over the world there are tourist hot spots near us is Bath, for example we live 10 minutes away and don’t go near in the summer and it’s getting close to being a no go area at Christmas. There are surly other areas in the U.K. and I can understand why. Hopefully a some enterprising person will come up with a superb idea to solve the situation.

Question how long before the population off Passau and other pretty scenic villages and small towns decide to follow the example of Hallstatt? Serious question as in ‘cat among the pigeons time’.

Hallstatt: Austrian town protests against mass tourism https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66634889

Is Scotland the only place in Europe you can go without bumping into a Roman?