Rhine water levels 2017 and similar topics

Johann Gottfried Tulla and the straightening of the Rhine ... and mass tourism

I am going back in time a bit, to 1817, when the Rhine valley looked different from today. Quite a while ago I mentioned that Amsterdam was only established as a river cruise port fairly recently, Rotterdam - being the mouth of the river or more accurately the delta - had been the harbour for goods and people travelling into Germany and the Rhine valley. From Rotterdam the first steam ships made attempts to sail, i.e. steam, up the Rhine, a tricky business against the current, and the "Defiance" only got as far as Cologne in 1816. In 1817 James Watt jr. on his "Caledonia" managed to get as far as Koblenz. It would take another few years before anyone got any further upstream.

Meanwhile, Lord Byron in 1816 and William Turner in 1817 had made the Rhine valley extremely popular, kicking off mass tourism and increasing the demand in passenger travel.

But how to get further, with the rocks protruding at Bingen and the upper valley a treacherous, swampy, ever-changing course with flooding and no constant channel to speak of?

2017 not only marks the bicentenary of Turner's travels and a steam ship reaching Koblenz but also the appointment of Johann Gottfried Tulla, a German engineer and military man, to the post of director of (in wikipedia's wording) "the Oberdirektion des Wasser- und Straßenbaues (Directorate of Water and Road Construction)". Having previously been working on straightening and changing the courses of small rivers, he was now able to embark on his biggest project: the straightening of the Rhine. Most of the "corrections" and changes in the course of the river in the Upper Rhine valley are down to his plans which he started to draw up in 1809 and put into practice from 1817. Here is an article on the project: https://www.thelocal.de/20171017/how-the-upper-rhine-went-from-grotty-marshland-to-tourist-haven

It is mainly due to Tulla's vision and endeavours that we are able to sail the Upper Rhine valley in comfort. Here is the English wikipedia entry on Tulla (if you feel like seeing a few more photos - the German entry is a little longer): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Gottfried_Tulla

Oh, and not forgetting: the river level has fallen, Maxau is fine and downstream all the gauging stations in Germany show pleasantly low figures.

notamermaid

Preparations for the Christmas markets are well underway, huts have been put up, decorations in the streets have been prepared for Monday, when they can officially be lit, i.e. after Sunday of the Dead, and some markets have opened already. They have to close on Sunday in Germany, as it is a "quiet day" without dancing, official meetings and shopping. Alsace in France and the Netherlands could well have different rules. This is a nice website for Alsace during Christmas time: https://noel.tourisme-alsace.com/en

It has been raining a bit during the last three days but not enough for the river to react with high water levels. The level will rise a bit as more rain and a bit of snow in the high hills is forecast. Things are looking o.k. right now, Maxau is at 464cm, Kaub is at 215cm and Koblenz at 225cm. Predictions for the next 48 hours also look favourable, with a quite a variability put into predictions though. It looks as if the Southwest of Germany will get quite a bit of rain and depending on whether this comes down purely as rain and where, will determine how much the river will rise in the Upper Rhine valley.

I have resisted the temptation of buying "Weihnachtsplätzchen", Christmas biscuits, from my local baker, they have been looking at me, just sitting there on the counter, saying "Buy me, eat me!" for a week. I refused but Monday when the Christmas season starts I will walk very fast to the baker's and say, "I would like a bag of those and a bag of those and..." :D

notamermaid

Oh, those wonderful German Christmas treats.

Mentioned a while back we had spent time in a rented motorhome twice discovering France and Germany. On our last trip in 2014 we met a young woman named Jana at a campground on the North Sea. We have corresponded ever since that summer. The first Christmas she sent us a wonderful assortment of home made cookies(biscuits) and candy. What a sweet surprise. Last year it was tea and Halloren chocolates. We had toured the candy factory and had shared chocolates with her while camped next to each other.

I envy your ability to go to the local baker this time of year. Enjoy!

Thank you mysusie45,

I shall enjoy them. Actually, yesterday I went "a bit astray" and indulged in buying British Christmas treats online: mince pies!

How lovely of your holiday acquaintance to send you some treats, I hope this year she will bring another smile to your face and send you some to enjoy.

Talking of which, has anyone been to a German style market, I mean there must be some around the US in places where there were German settlers, and bought German biscuits? Just wondering... seeing that the British have adopted the tradition of (German) Christmas markets.

notamermaid

Here we go! Christmas is coming and I am off to the baker's for some biscuits... :) But before I go: there is widespread rain of varying amount forecast for today in the Southwest and West of Germany meaning the water levels will rise. Maxau is at 521cm right now and likely to rise close to 550cm in the next two days. The flood warning mark I is at 620cm, that means at that point shipping has to slow down. That is not a big deal going upstream but has potentially more of an impact to your schedule going downstream. So, it looks o.k. for a few days.

Today is the sort of day where you wish for dark so you cannot see the grey sky anymore. I am looking forward to seeing the first decorations lit up tonight.

I mentioned Tulla and the Upper Rhine valley in a previous post. To expand on the topic of making the valley navigable I am leaving you with an article about the lock at Iffezheim: http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/marine-civils/port,-harbour-and-marine-construction/strategic-european-lock-marks-40-years

I hope you have great Christmas market river cruises, watch your intake of glühwein, vin chaud, egg nog and similar stuff and enjoy the decorations! :):)

notamermaid

Thank you Notamermaid -

Your posts are always so much fun to read. I appreciate all of your helpful information as well as some history too. And biscuits - I love any type of "sweet" and anyone else who enjoys them with enthusiasm too.:)

Thank you mysusie45,

 

Talking of which, has anyone been to a German style market, I mean there must be some around the US in places where there were German settlers, and bought German biscuits? Just wondering... seeing that the British have adopted the tradition of (German) Christmas markets.

 

notamermaid

Although not in the US, we have local Christmas markets here, and a couple Geman ones where we can buy goodies (mmmm), and crafts made in Germany. There are always a couple places selling "smokers" and also candle carousels..which we have a few. We are also lucky to have a Dutch store very close that also stocks in some German & Polish treats year round.

Thank you, helpmesailaway. :)

Daisi, that is great about the stores. I very much like the candle carousels. Koblenz Christmas market at "Am Plan" has got a giant one. A shop I saw online calls them Christmas pyramids, the authentic ones from the Erzgebirge mountains that is. For me the Moravian stars have become a symbol of Advent as there is one lighting up a street not far from where I live. They used to be sold in (almost) all sizes on the Koblenz Christmas market but I do not know if the stand is still there every year.

After much miserable weather yesterday, it was quite stormy, it seems to have calmed down now and the sun is out. Time for shopping!

notamermaid

We’re off to visit some Christmas markets a bit over 1.5 weeks from now, looking forward to doing another river cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. To kick start our travels, our local Aldi (in the Houston, Tx area) have gotten their stock of Lebkuchen in several weeks ago but it goes fast! Ahhh the sights, sounds and wonderful aromas of the markets.

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I did my first trip to a nearby Christmas market yesterday. It was really nice just to stroll around the stalls and see what is on offer.

suspaul, I hope you have a great time on your river cruise. Aldi in Texas? My goodness, help, get the kids inside, bolt all the doors! That sounds so not fitting... Aah, the joys and woes of global trading. Went to a greengrocers-with-small-restaurant-place the other day and they had freshly baked Lebkuchen. The aroma wants you stay and linger around the shop for hours. :D

In addition to all the lights and smells of Christmas time, this morning when I got up it was snowing!

The real stuff, big flakes, oh it was lovely. It lasted for about an hour then gradually stopped and later turned into rain. Tonight it is cold and wet and that is the weather we will see in the next few days. Cold, around freezing point (zero to three plus Celsius), with some rain in the valleys mainly and some rain mixed with snow in the hills.

As it is quite cold and some rain came down as snow the Rhine has not reacted that much and the water level is not getting nearer a flooding mark. Looks like a pleasant but rainy rest of the week to me.

notamermaid

notamermaid, surprisingly there are many Aldis in the US now and even Lidl is moving into the market over here, tho none in our area. We used to shop at Aldi when we lived in Stade, Germany so it was a surprise when they started springing up.

Thanks for the well wishes, we usually do the markets independently but sometimes it’s nice to leave the logistics to the river cruise company, no worries about driving in icy weather, accommodations, etc.

Not sure I’m ready for snow but it would put a festive touch to the ambiance. Happy Holidays.

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Aldi Süd operates as Aldi in the US, and Aldi Nord as the ubiquitous Trader Joe’s

suspaul,

oh my goodness, Lidl as well? I do admit, I got some Christmas biscuit selection from Aldi the other day and sometimes shop there, but have not stepped into a German Lidl for years... They both ruin traditional UK supermarkets trade. Anyway, personal believes aside, thank you hostjazzbeau, for the explanation as regards the US situation. I am in the Aldi Süd area and while they both trade as the respective Nord and Süd in Germany, they are sometimes different from each other in what they stock.

Will get some Stollen from my local baker's soon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stollen

The river level is still fine. It has been raining as rain and sleet, with a little bit of proper snow thrown in, more or less all day. It will have been lovely pure snow in the hills. A winter wonderland in the Black Forest, I am sure. :)

notamermaid

notamermaid, I do pick up odds and ends at our local Aldi but I’m not a fan of the Lidl stores in Germany and while I’d be curious to visit one here I don’t think it holds much appeal.

Interesting about Stollen, I’ve never had it hot from the oven but it sounds wonderful, however I am partial to Lebkuchen, good, bad or otherwise :)

I’ve been following the weather and it’s been very cold and lots of snow showers in the future too.

We’ve started packing as we leave soon, brrrr. It would be nice to see snow since we’re not driving this trip.

Thanks for the Rhine updates.

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The feast of St. Nicolas is coming up and children get their boots (or shoes) ready to have the benevolent gentleman put some goodies in them. Usually chocolate, oranges, these days often small toys and similar treats. They say that the naughty children still get coal put into their shoes these days. When I was a child I hated the bad guy accompanying the guy in the St. Nicholas costume, he looked intimidating and unpredictable. Some people still organize St. Nicolas visits at Kindergartens, old people's homes and club gatherings. The Koblenz train museum has a visit from St. Nikolaus every year, a very nice day out for small boys (the big boys can look at the railways but do not get a treat).

Connected to St. Nicolas is another tradition on the Rhine that the Rüdesheim Christmas market website mentions: https://w-d-n.de/markt/en/nikolaus-am-rhein/

St. Nicolas is the patron saint of Lorraine, the region of France bordering on Germany and Alsace in France and his feast day is much celebrated there: https://www.tourisme-lorraine.fr/en/discover/winter/saint-nicholas/

If you can organize it I highly recommend being in the Lorraine area on 6 December and if you can plan in a visit to Metz Christmas market, even better!

notamermaid

Edit: nearly forgot: the weather is wet and the sky a miserable grey. The water levels are fine. The Maxau gauge is unlikely to rise much in the next three days despite the rain.

Thanks for the nice St Nicolas posting. I understand that Nicolas is the patron saint of Holland - presumably the sailing connection. Last year I had the enormous pleasure of watching a glorious sunset on December 5th (St Nicolas Eve) over the Stint Nicolaaskirk in Amsterdam from my French Balcony docked on the Ruijterkade. A fortuitous coincidence of events at the start of two weeks of Christmas market sailing. This is part of what makes Christmas river cruising a joy.

We’ve had the opportunity to be in Bavaria and Austria in early December for the Krampus. Last year we went to St Gilgen for the Krampus run, what a blast. Several years ago we were in Berchtesgaden during their Krampus, probably the best we’ve seen but the small towns have their own versions of St Nicholas and the Krampus.

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suspaul,

"Krampus" vaguely rings a bell. We call him Knecht Ruprecht and I have heard "schwarzer Peter" as well, he is often himself dirty from coal stains, hence the black Peter. Schwarzer Peter by the way is also the bad card in a German card game which gave the game its name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_maid_(card_game) and has created a phrase in the German language referring to loosing or blaming.

The two guys are a common theme in many Christian countries for good and evil.

xmaser,

what a lovely experience in Amsterdam. I especially like the sunsets in December, on clear days the red is more intense than in the other seasons here in the valley and we have a saying in my family "the Christkind is baking Christmas biscuits" like the sky were a red-hot oven...

notamermaid

Love the 'Christkind is baking biscuits/cookies/platchen'. We called them 'kuchlein'. Interesting variety in vocabulary. Saw the red hot oven over a village in the Palatinate Rhine. Thanks for your sharing on the subject.

Things are quite here in my area of the Rhine valley. Christmas markets are busy with shoppers. I have stocked up on Lebkuchen and the mince pies have arrived from England.

It has been stormy and raining in the last few days but today it is snowing, right now! Although it is too warm to settle for long the snow is still a lovely sight.

In the hills the snow and ice have caused a few accidents but the valley looks ok. It is cold but in the mild parts of the valley the temperature is staying above zero degrees. The water level is stagnating more or less.

Sorry, gotta dash, I am off to the shops, hope to have more time in the next few days. Will be back.

notamermaid

Had a lie-in this morning and opened to shutters to thin snowflakes falling outside my window. It is a couple of hours later and my world is now covered in a blanket of white. The snowflakes are bigger and more plentiful - there is even a bit of snow drift - and are settling very well indeed. While it looks lovely from the warm office I do not think I will stay out long and just spent a few minutes at a Christmas market sipping hot chocolate... It feels really cold in the biting wind. And I live in the mild valley, would not want to be in the high hills right now... More snow to come later in the day.

Have a good second Sunday of Advent.

notamermaid

Had a lie-in this morning and opened to shutters to thin snowflakes falling outside my window. It is a couple of hours later and my world is now covered in a blanket of white. The snowflakes are bigger and more plentiful - there is even a bit of snow drift - and are settling very well indeed. While it looks lovely from the warm office I do not think I will stay out long and just spent a few minutes at a Christmas market sipping hot chocolate... It feels really cold in the biting wind. And I live in the mild valley, would not want to be in the high hills right now... More snow to come later in the day.

 

Have a good second Sunday of Advent.

 

notamermaid

Thanks for your post. Enjoy the rest of the day and your hot chocolate!!

Thanks for the update notamermaid. Heading to Switzerland today.

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I thought Zvarte Piet was a Moor, Sinterklaas' servant in the "Low Countries."

He is all over Europe CPT Trips. I grew up with a second "father" who was Swiss. He would tell us of growing up misbehaving and having Schmutzi (who was actually a friend of his father who was like a mayor in the town) come and take him from his house one year. Samichlaus would be the one who left treats in the shoes. When I married my husband who is Dutch, and somehow mentioned the Dec. 6 tradition, he told me about Zwarte Piet & Stinterklaas. His Zwarte Piet was nicer though, I guess they watered him down over the years.