The river Moselle infos and river cruising experiences

[notamermaid]

It is the problem with the ship size and the low water issues I should think. A few years ago one company decided to give up the Elbe and I think it was AmaWaterways that said they would not attempt the Elbe. A new-build needs very careful planning as regards specifications that the river demands and chartering or buying an existing ship depends on availability - not much there to be had for a takeover - and economic viability. Viking had originally taken over existing ships and then wanted to improve performance on the river with two new ships, that unfortunately did not fully work out as the river did not play ball. The problem is also around the more scenic stretches, i.e. the alternative downstream tour towards Hamburg is overall not a consideration - see Elbe thread. The Moselle will be a much more reliable and straightforward sale for TUI and on the Rhine and Danube working with and around low water is easier when it happens.

 

notamermaid

 

[gnome12]

29 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

I notice that TUI offers Moselle, Main, Rhine & Danube cruises but no Elbe. I wonder why?

Perhaps they have seen how few trips have sailed successfully over the last few years?

[Renmar]

6 hours ago, notamermaid said:

I find exploring the Moselle coming from Paris and following the river downstream more appealing. Of course, if you wanted Paris as your highlight at the end of your cruise (extension) then upstream is the way to go.

Is it not that coming from Paris (Metz) you go downstream to Koblenz, where it merges with the Rhine?

 

Theo

[gnome12]

24 minutes ago, Renmar said:

Is it not that coming from Paris (Metz) you go downstream to Koblenz, where it merges with the Rhine?

 

Theo

If you reread @notamermaid’s post it does say from Paris is downstream. Paris as a highlight post-cruise is upstream. 

[notamermaid]

Okay, you are both correct. To perhaps make it clearer Renmar: In my mind I was standing in Metz, having come from Paris. Then from there I follow the river downstream. The thing is that one always brakes up the journey; coming from the West you either hit the river at Metz as it comes from the South or later at Remich which is after the bend and there it is already flowing in a more Easterly direction.

 

I tried to make it clear that from Paris you need to cover quite a bit of land to get to the Moselle. The Seine and the Moselle are never close, by the way, you know they flow in opposite directions, both starting in hilly France but then turning, they are in different river basin systems in Europe and divided by a major European water shed.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by notamermaid
wrong word

[Renmar]

My bad, sorry I did not read your post correctly 🤐. Thanks @gnome12to point me in the right direction.

 

Theo

[notamermaid]

It is difficult to put a meandering river of more than 500km into a (tourist) nutshell, but this article does a really good job in my humble opinion. Written for the American Forces personnel living in Germany, it gives a nice overview of what the river is about and what a typical temporary expat complete with family may enjoy. But I like the author's choices, too. Here they are: https://europe.stripes.com/travel/germany’s-rolling-rivers-marvelous-mosel

 

Hopefully, I can return to Alken soon to explore that wine village in warm weather and have a nice stop in a café along the riverfront (see post #293).

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The Moselle - revisited, kind of...

 

Well, I had been planning to go back to the Moselle when the weather is warmer and the situation has improved. Little could I know in February that it would take so long. Let us just call it a short re-visit of the area described in post #293.

 

A trip in spring obviously means splendid green foliage and it was quite a nice day as well, so the landscape has acquired more appeal since I was last there. This is the Kobern-Gondorf castle on the embankment again (my poor skills and large zoom are to blame for the less than average quality):

 

And in the same place a few metres down the road there is another one:

This one is called Schlossgut Liebieg. And yes, it is connected to wine: https://www.schlossgut-liebieg.de/schloss/

 

On the right in the photo, partly covered by trees, is the chapel.

 

I took these photos from the other side of the river of course. The village is called Niederfell and what made us stop was the fact that the local café was open. I bought a nice selection of things. The biscuits were pleasant and the cake was really good. The covered apple cake had fresh apples, not too mushy and not too sweet. No, did not take a photo. While I was waiting outside in the queue (too little space indoors) I took a photo of this small monument:

It depicts the "Treidler", i.e. the men towing the boats, with or without horses, up the river. The other two scenes show the men preparing the horses and after work having fun "at the pub", according to a website. It is a wine village and there is a former inn nearby...

 

The village website says that there is a view tower on the hill overlooking the valley. Sounds good for another day out. I will be back, perhaps get another apple cake.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Edited May 19, 2021 by notamermaid

[notamermaid]

A bit off the beaten river cruise tourist track, but firmly established with regional tourists is the village of Lehmen. To no surprise to anyone, this is a wine village. It is in fact the oldest wine village on the lower Moselle. But sometimes vineyards are given up and would return to wild nature in an unkempt way. To prevent this from happening in one vineyard in Lehmen, it has been turned into a garden. And in this special garden they have also lavender. A plant that normally grows best in other climates thrives well here as the stones get hot in Summer. What is good for wine is good for lavender! This is the Würzlay and although in German, I will post a video as it gives you a good idea what the place looks like. What has come with the many plants is biodiversity, i.e. lots of insects and other creatures. Something that is addressed in the video. Slight warning: they also want to show this by putting a spider right in the middle of the screen at the beginning of the video: https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/landesschau-rheinland-pfalz/lavendelbluete-in-lehmen-an-der-mosel/swr-rheinland-pfalz/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzE0OTAxOTE/

 

This is the description of the project, if you are interested in details: https://aroma-forum-international.de/lavender-cultivation-on-the-mosel/?lang=en

 

The lavender is in full bloom - a bit later than in previous years - and will be harvested any day now.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited July 8, 2021 by notamermaid
added info

[notamermaid]

The constant and partly heavy rain has caused many small tributaries of the Moselle to swell. The Saar and the Sauer are also rising much. The Moselle at Trier has started to react and will continue to do so, accelerating as we go through today and tomorrow. The level now stands at 3.78m. The authorities expect the official flood mark of 6m to be reached by the early hours of tomorrow.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The river has risen fast, much faster than predicted. The small tributaries have added to the load. The Kyll river coming from the North in the Eifel region, burst its banks and caused much disruption, also at its mouth in the suburb of Trier called Ehrang. There much of the village centre, the hospital and the old people's home have been evacuated.

 

The Mosel itself has risen like this at Trier:

 

After evaluation, today's highest figure may replace no 10 of the list of the top 10 floods (figures, not volume of water) recorded at Trier. Needless to say, shipping has been halted.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

The level at Trier peaked officially at 934cm yesterday. Now at 776cm it is already way down. There is mild flooding along the Meurthe in France and its tributaries and some on the Upper Moselle in France so all that water will come to Germany over the weekend and on Monday. For now the peak of the wave at Trier has moved further to Koblenz. Should this reach when the Rhine is still as high as it is now, Koblenz itself and the Neuwied basin may well have got a problem, something that will only be eased when the river has passed the Seven Mountains range and makes its way to Cologne where the valley is much wider.

 

It is July, not Spring. Unbelievable.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

 The Elzbach which flows past Eltz Castle flooded as well but the situation has eased a bit. The level at Cochem has been falling since early afternoon. So things are getting better there. The level at Lehmen is also now falling.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The peak of this wave has left the Moselle but the level is still high of course. At Trier where the peak was on Thursday the level is now at 675cm which means river traffic can run again but the level at Cochem is still too high for traffic.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The river is back to normal and after an unusual July and relatively cool and wet first week in August, we are in a warmer spell, much like it should be in August.

 

In such temperatures it is nice to stroll through your own garden idyll at your villa and cool down in your swimming pool with a dinner prepared by your cook and served by your servants... Well, a few of us may be able to do just that these days. Want to see how the rich did exactly the same thing nearly 2000 years ago? Head to Villa Borg at Perl on the Moselle:

https://m.dw.com/en/roman-pastoral-the-villa-borg/av-58177245

 

notamermaid

 

[Wings55]

7 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Want to see how the rich did exactly the same thing nearly 2000 years ago? Head to Villa Borg at Perl on the Moselle:

https://m.dw.com/en/roman-pastoral-the-villa-borg/av-58177245

 

notamermaid

 

We very much enjoyed a visit to Villa Borg on a Uniworld cruise in 2019! Highly recommend a visit.

[notamermaid]

24 minutes ago, Wings55 said:

We very much enjoyed a visit to Villa Borg on a Uniworld cruise in 2019! Highly recommend a visit.

Good to read. Was that part of a Uniworld excursion (package) or did you go on your own? Where you docked in Trier at the time?

 

notamermaid

 

[Wings55]

7 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Good to read. Was that part of a Uniworld excursion (package) or did you go on your own? Where you docked in Trier at the time?

 

Yes it was a Uniworld excursion. I pulled up the daily calendar I set up for that trip and that day is listed as "Remich to Bernkastel" so I'm not sure exactly where we docked. It could have been the ship moved while we visited the VIlla. The optional excursion was a visit to the WWII cemetery but we visited that two years before. So many wonderful options along the Moselle. 

[gnome12]

@notamermaidcan I take advantage of  your local knowledge again. I'm trying to do online research, but I keep ending up with German language websites, and I can't see how to auto translate with Firefox. I have to make my final payment early next week, so I'd just like to find out what the conditions are in the Moselle area right now.

 

For France I need the health pass (assuming that we don't get anything for Germany) but it looks like there is no equivalent in Germany, although we may have to provide proof of vaccination multiple times. Is that true, or is there something that we can do either before arrival or at Frankfurt airport that will take our documentation and give us something that we can use going forward? I can't see any way for a non-EU citizen to register for the EU pass - is that true?

 

We have 2 nights in Cochem at the beginning of the trip, arriving on Thursday and boarding the barge on Saturday. What are the requirements in that part of Germany for restaurants, for stores, and for places like Burg Eltz (hope to go by BurgenBus on Saturday morning) and Cochem castle? We are on the barge for breakfast and dinner every day (except one night not included, which I think will be in Bernkastel-Kues because we are there for 2 nights). Lunches are packed after breakfast on the barge and taken with us when we cycle so that isn't an issue, but what can we expect in the towns that we visit (Trier and Saarburg are the other 2 towns in Germany although we probably cycle through others along the way)?

 

Anyway, thank you so much for all of your help.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I have to stoop and use Chrome for auto-translate...

[notamermaid]

@gnome12 to be honest I dare not give you official answers of any nature, I could be mistaken as I am not familiar with non-EU stuff. I have heard of the EU pass being tricky but I am not sure where to look to help you. My best guess is this: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/einreiseundaufenthalt/coronavirus

 

On the ground, i.e. in restaurants and other places there are few restrictions. A fully vaccinated info on smartphone or paper that you can show opens most doors, but I doubt a CDC card works. Again, I am not familiar with these things. If it does not work, testing stations abound. Rhineland-Palatinate tourism: https://www.rlp-tourismus.com/en/information-covid-19

This may not be updated as fast as the German pages.

Basically, all establishments are open, but may have restrictions like no indoor seating, or time slots for entry, or pre-booking, etc. If you are interested in something specific, you will need to ask there. Eltz castle says this: https://burg-eltz.de/en/

 

The BurgenBus: https://www.radbusse.de/pages/radbusse/mosel/burgenbus-330.php

There is talk of the route being changed but the news article from two days ago does not say when that will apply.

 

For showing your vaccination status there is the luca app for showing at cultural establishments and for tracking but I have absolutely no idea how it works: https://www.luca-app.de/

 

I think you can use it instead of filling in a form with contact details, something you have to do in many institutions.

 

What basically applies in public spaces is mask-wearing (indoors or in a queue, rules differ slightly), physical distancing and contact tracing. What you need to check is the incidence rate, as a high rate will put restrictions back in place, at 35 and over (not such a big deal) and 50 and over (a bigger deal). These incidence rates apply to individual municipalities, i.e. Bernkastel-Kues, Trier and Saarburg will differ from each other.

 

Testing rules for the river cruise will obviously apply (as of now it is the 72 hours rule), please check with the cruise line seeing that you are doing pre-cruise on your own.

 

Travelling is complicated these days...

 

notamermaid

 

P.S.: Cannot help with the technical stuff of translating through Firefox

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by notamermaid
added PS

[notamermaid]

@gnome12 For testing for the hotel stay I would check with the hotel in Cochem directly, I assume the test you take before leaving the US is sufficient but I cannot be certain. I am sure they will also be very knowledgeable about what is going on in Cochem and the area. Cochem has its own incidence rate again, to be found under the name Cochem-Zell, this website is good but the official figure that determines restrictions is published by the RKI. https://lua.rlp.de/de/presse/detail/news/News/detail/coronavirus-sars-cov-2-aktuelle-fallzahlen-fuer-rheinland-pfalz/

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Revisiting the Lower Moselle including Alken part 1

 

See posts #293 and #308 for the previous trips.

 

Late Winter and Spring saw me explore the Lower Moselle a bit on day trips. Now I was back on a nice Summer day in August. Coming from the direction Koblenz we passed the lock at Lehmen where a Viking ship was in the approach to the lock going downstream (you can just about make out the logo on the side of it):

 

This time I really wanted to see Alken and its old church on the hill. We parked at the side of the road at Alken right where the excursion boat MS Goldstück docks:

 

 

Alken is a popular place with not only local tourists and it was busy on that day. Lined along the river bank are the restaurants, wine taverns and shops, so it was bustling with people. But it did not feel crowded. It is a village that is quite frequented by British holidaymakers on coach tours and river cruise ships, especially one vintner that offers wine tasting for English-speaking groups.

 

There is a little stream flowing past the buildings that look to have been the old smithy as the wine shop in the street is called "Alte Schmiede" (sorry about the overexposure):

 

We bought a bottle of Mosel Gewürztraminer and walked into the village where it turned out to be quieter than at the river. It is a steep flight of steps to the church just round the corner from this splendid vintners' house:

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Revisiting the Lower Moselle including Alken part 2

 

The steps:

 

Along the sides are the stations of the cross. This is a fortified church, so you walk into the precincts through a gate. The info (this is a touristy town) in both German and English. I thought the word was ossuary, but perhaps there is a distinction between the two words that I do not know:

 

From the church you have a great view over the town and the river. There are even vineyards in the, well, backyards!

 

 

 

A path leads from the church to Thurant castle:

 

The spire with its arrow slit and castle tower character:

 

Moselle slate with its many hues, the path at the back of the church... :

 

...with a cross fastened to the rock face:

 

It is a beautifully serene site, it really feels ancient, it kind of connects you to a world long gone. It felt good to be up there. The graveyard has some of the oldest Christian basalt crosses of individuals I have seen for a long time. The oldest dates back to 1557. And the inside of the church? That is unfortunately another story for another visit.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Wings55]

I think the Moselle is my favorite river. We've been there twice and I could easily go back again. Glad you had such a great visit!

Paul