Rhine water levels 2019 and similar topics

[notamermaid]

24 minutes ago, twincheryl said:

We are on the Rhine right now... AmaDante left Luxembourg last Thursday and the weather and river have been absolutely perfect!  The Rhine Gorge was stunning yesterday, although with a good cloud cover most of the day.  Perfect temp for walking around Rudesheim village... our favorite so far!  Today in Ludwigshafen and we’re going to bypass the tours and check out the big mall directly next to the ship.  Have seen plenty of castles!  Tomorrow is Strasbourg, then Breisach, and our week will come to an end in Basel.  Water level looks perfect from where we are... 

Missed wishing you a pleasant journey and a great time on the beautiful Moselle. Sorry. Great to hear that you are enjoying your trip. Staying in Ludwigshafen as opposed to going on an excursion is a bit rarer, seeing that Ludwigshafen is not considered that inviting. But having a shopping centre near the dock is inviting! This is the shopping centre, girls (and boys): https://www.rheingalerie-ludwigshafen.de/

 

Hope you have a splendid time today and for the rest of your trip.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

On 8/26/2019 at 9:32 AM, Fourmiler said:

I second your comments Mike R.  We are currently on the Emerald Sun on our way to Cologne, and everything is perfect.  Wonderful weather and last, but not least, lots of water in the Rhine.  Quite a relief since I spent the last year wondering if we would get a bus ride rather than a water ride.  On leaving Amsterdam we saw the Viking Kara, a Scenic ship (perhaps the Opal or Pearl) and also the Avalon Vista.

 

Fourmiler, I hope you have had a great trip. I assume you are back home now.

 

As there is not much on the board about Emerald might we see a review here or in the reviews section? Did anything stand out in particular that you have enjoyed?

 

I have got a short update for you on the steam engine in the Rhine: In July our regional broadcaster showed a short video and interview. The "hunters" are not giving up. After much debate and trying to find the reason why the engine was not in the Rhine where imaging had shown a large metal object, they found what had gone wrong and the findings were presented earlier this year. When the Rhine was straightened in the area part of the building material was a type of stone that contains 5 to 10 percent magnetite. A high amount of magnetism for stone and much stone was used so that the density made it appear in the imaging as a body made of metal in a size that could be interpreted as a small steam engine! The professor is showing the effect in the video: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/ludwigshafen/Suche-nach-Dampflok-im-Rhein-Die-Jaeger-der-versunkenen-Lok-geben-nicht-auf,lok-suche-100.html

The search continues, but the time frame is not known yet.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

On 8/22/2019 at 10:58 PM, Senga said:

notamermaid:  Following your posts in anticipation of our Scenic Opal river cruise September 4 Budapest to September 18 Amsterdam.  Your profile says Rhine Germany so, IF we have any stops in a town close to you, we’d love to treat you to a beverage!

Senga

 

Hello Senga, Thank you so much!

Your cruise date has arrived and I hope you are settling into your cabin now and getting ready for a hopefully splendid river journey through Europe.

 

With my team now being two employees short, my hours have been rearranged, i.e. overtime is in order for me in September. However, if you happen to be stopping in Koblenz for more than two hours...

 

Sailing out of Budapest is amazing.

 

Have a great time.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Just a quick note on river levels today: Maxau 479cm, Kaub 154cm, Koblenz 139cm. This looks well and rain is coming. Thursday and Saturday will see just a bit of rain in the High Rhine and the Upper Rhine valley, Sunday should bring wide-spread drizzly rain over much of the river basin and adjacent mountains, the most around Lake Constance towards the Alps, with varying minor amounts everywhere including the Netherlands.

 

notamermaid

 

[Senga]

On 9/4/2019 at 2:35 PM, notamermaid said:

 

Hello Senga, Thank you so much!

Your cruise date has arrived and I hope you are settling into your cabin now and getting ready for a hopefully splendid river journey through Europe.

 

With my team now being two employees short, my hours have been rearranged, i.e. overtime is in order for me in September. However, if you happen to be stopping in Koblenz for more than two hours...

 

Sailing out of Budapest is amazing.

 

Have a great time.

 

notamermaid

 

Unfortunately no Koblenz and also sailed out of Budapest at 3:15 which was a disappointment.

[jeb_bud]

14 minutes ago, Senga said:

Unfortunately no Koblenz and also sailed out of Budapest at 3:15 which was a disappointment.

 

3:15 in the morning?  That would be disappointing. 

[notamermaid]

5 hours ago, Senga said:

Unfortunately no Koblenz and also sailed out of Budapest at 3:15 which was a disappointment.

Senga,

oh well, Marksburg castle is great and more interesting than me. I had forgotten that in the grand European journey Koblenz is often skipped.

Sailing out of Budapest at 3.15 am is certainly not great at all.

 

Hope you enjoyed Vienna. Germany is getting a chilly wind and temperatures are going down. Feels like early autumn. But so much better than exploring towns in 30 Celsius.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Exploring. Old stones, even older stones... This and more is what you can do - often at places that are not generally open to the public - during the European Heritage Days. This is the idea: http://www.europeanheritagedays.com/Home.aspx

 

Germany celebrates its version this coming Sunday under the title "Tag des offenen Denkmals". This year the motto is actually focussing on more modern stones, inspired by this year's centenary of Bauhaus: https://www.tag-des-offenen-denkmals.de/besucher/

 

Not sure yet where I will be headed but I will definitely try and see at least one site.

 

notamermaid

 

[Senga]

5 hours ago, jeb_bud said:

 

3:15 in the morning?  That would be disappointing. 

No, 3:15 in the afternoon.  I had seen gorgeous pictures taken as the ship sailed under the Chain Bridge all lit up so that’s what I expected.

[Senga]

47 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Senga,

oh well, Marksburg castle is great and more interesting than me. I had forgotten that in the grand European journey Koblenz is often skipped.

Sailing out of Budapest at 3.15 am is certainly not great at all.

 

Hope you enjoyed Vienna. Germany is getting a chilly wind and temperatures are going down. Feels like early autumn. But so much better than exploring towns in 30 Celsius.

 

notamermaid

 

Was expecting a night sailing under the chain bridge BUT, that’s heading in the wrong direction so it didn’t matter in the end.  Sailing UP the Danube towards Vienna where we arrive around 4.  I’m FINALLY getting my directions right!

Edited September 5, 2019 by Senga
Error in direction

[notamermaid]

11 hours ago, Senga said:

Was expecting a night sailing under the chain bridge BUT, that’s heading in the wrong direction so it didn’t matter in the end.  Sailing UP the Danube towards Vienna where we arrive around 4.  I’m FINALLY getting my directions right!

Senga, they really tempt us with their glossy photos, don't they (the companies)?

Directions are a tricky thing. Haha! You are going all the way up, through many locks until you reach the European Watershed somewhere on the Canal. There is a monument somewhere there and I have read in the past that the CD's on board point it out to the passengers. I find it fascinating how these waterways connect through human engineering. On a small river cruise ship you can go from Berlin via Amsterdam (if you like) all the way to the Black Sea.

 

The Rhone really confused me many years ago as I lost my bearings looking at the river's flow. I am so used to seeing the Rhine flow to the left when standing on the left bank that it just looked wrong when I saw the Rhone flowing to the right! The two rivers are of course on two different sides of the watershed dividing the continent in North and South flowing rivers.

 

Onto more mundane matters, i.e. the river levels. In short: Lack of rain will see Kaub gauge fall in the next couple of days, but no further than 120cm is the prediction right now. After Sunday a rise is possible.

 

notamermaid

 

[jeb_bud]

18 hours ago, Senga said:

No, 3:15 in the afternoon.  I had seen gorgeous pictures taken as the ship sailed under the Chain Bridge all lit up so that’s what I expected.

 

The afternoon sail out is normal. They used to do the evening lights cruise the night before but after the collision between a river cruise ship and a local tour boat earlier this year some cruise lines apparently discontinued the practice while others made it up to the judgement of the captain. It sounds like your captain judged it to be unsafe this week. That’s too bad as it is a very nice excursion. 

[notamermaid]

Old stones again...

 

Deutsche Welle on the occasion of the "Tag des offenen Denkmals" brings us a photo gallery of castles along the Rhine river. It includes the well-known ones but also a lesser known one. Here is their top ten of castles: https://m.dw.com/en/knights-and-kings-the-loveliest-castles-and-palaces-on-the-rhine/g-50322998

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

The river Rhine famous for its castles and its wine...

 

Yes, I covered the castles yesterday, today we shall have a look at the wine. And what the Oktoberfest (held mainly in September) is to Munich that is the Wurstmarkt to Bad Dürkheim. Hang on, I can hear you say, you were talking about wine... Quite right, as with the wrong month in Munich, the name containing Wurst (sausage) is deceptive as the festival is actually the biggest wine festival in the world.

 

So if it is so big, why might you have never heard about it? And where is Bad Dürkheim anyway? Reason could well be that the town is in the vicinity of the Rhine, but actually nestles at the foot of the Palatinate hills west of the modern Ludwigshafen. And probably more importantly, you folks from overseas tend to be driven to Heidelberg instead. Grin. Which the companies are very much forgiven for.

 

As this week saw the opening of the Wurstmarkt, Bad Dürkheim is very much in the regional news right now. As I have never been there I cannot tell you what it is like there, but from what I have heard and seeing the photos, I would say it deserves a bit more attention from river cruisers and the respective companies.

 

Bad Dürkheim does not have an English website, an indicator that is does not get - or does not need - international attention I would say: https://www.bad-duerkheim.com/

But as so often is the case, wikipedia helps us out with some good info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Dürkheim

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[foodpolice]

On 9/7/2019 at 2:11 AM, notamermaid said:

Old stones again...

 

Deutsche Welle on the occasion of the "Tag des offenen Denkmals" brings us a photo gallery of castles along the Rhine river. It includes the well-known ones but also a lesser known one. Here is their top ten of castles: https://m.dw.com/en/knights-and-kings-the-loveliest-castles-and-palaces-on-the-rhine/g-50322998

 

notamermaid

 

notamermaid,

 

Thanks for the constant updates repecting the level of the Rhine River.

 

Further to notamermaid's link to a photo gallery of castles along the Rhine, I like to share 6 pictures of castles not included on said link, I'd took pictures of during my recent trip.  The Sterrenberg & Liebenstein castles are also known as the "hostile brothers" castle.  Don't know if you can see the wall inbetween them.

 

Enjoy.

[foodpolice]

Further to my last post, the castle names are as follows:  1st picture is of Reichenstein, 2nd is Sterrenburg & Liebenstein or the hostile brothers castles, 3rd is Gutenfels, 4th is Nollig ruins, 5th is Schonburg & the 6th is Stahleck.

 

Regards.

[Fourmiler]

Lovely photos of the castles.  Notamermaid, we loved Koblenz and how fortunate you are to live there (hope I remembered correctly).  We had great views from the cable car going up to the Ehrenbreitstein fortress as it was a hot sunny clear day.  Incidentally our guide had just finished giving us information on the cable car, explaining that it had only broken down once when it was inaugurated and filled with dignitaries, when you guessed it, it stopped working.  Thankfully we were not over the river at the time, but waiting at the top for the next car.  It was only stopped for about 20 minutes.  Was our guide correct?  In any event, it makes a great story!  I hope to post more about our Emerald Waterways Rhine cruise when I have more time.

[notamermaid]

Fourmiler,

 

Good to hear you enjoyed Koblenz. I do not actually live there but it is close enough for me to call it my home turf and I enjoy going shopping there.

 

For those with a sweet tooth or just for a cup of coffee I recommend the Cafè Baumann on Löhrstrasse. It is a bit further out in the Prussian extension of the town but still within walking distance of the ships. Fewer tourists than in the old town... They even do a chocolate bar with map (not edible map coloured icing, but all chocolate from what I remember).

 

I did not know that story about the cable car! A bit of disclosure here, I have never done a full guided tour of Koblenz, I always guide myself around while shopping 😉.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

A new week and a quick look at the river levels. Lake Constance is filled okay and the gauge is at 394cm. Maxau has risen sharply to 500cm and is still on the way up, due to peak tomorrow. Kaub is at 139cm and should react with a rise soon. A level of 170cm is very likely on Wednesday. Koblenz is at 127cm. Looking good for the next few days, probably for the whole week actually. After today the rain will subside and make way for warmer and dry days. Lovely late Summer days .

 

The cool, rainy days brought early snow to the lower Alps, by the way, to regions that do not see snow in September normally. What a difference to last year!

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Senga]

notamermaid, SO looking forward to the rain subsiding and warmer, dry weather coming.  We had a full days rain in Vienna and still managed to see and enjoy all the sights.  The cloud/fog seemed to add to the atmosphere in Dürnstein and had no effect on our time in Melk and Passau.  Rained all the way to Passau but we were still able to get some lovely photographs and not a drop of rain in Passau although it was a very chilly 13!  Keeping our fingers crossed that YOUR forecast is more reliable than our weather people at home!!!

Thanks again for all your helpful posts.

[notamermaid]

Good morning Senga,

Thank you for your kind words. And for reporting from your trip. More great places to see for you from today and you are making it through the shallow stretch with quite a bit of water under the keel. But more on that in the Danube thread. Regensburg is supposed to be dry at 21 degrees today. Further along your journey on the Canal and the Main it could hit 24 on Friday.

 

 As it is the season, here is a tip. If you are offered Federweisser or Rauscher, that is young wine still fermenting in the bottle, consume with caution.  For the same reason that the bottles are not corked. Onion tart is a speciality offered with it in the Rhineland.

 

Have a great time.

 

notamermaid

 

[rcaruso]

2 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Good morning Senga,

Thank you for your kind words. And for reporting from your trip. More great places to see for you from today and you are making it through the shallow stretch with quite a bit of water under the keel. But more on that in the Danube thread. Regensburg is supposed to be dry at 21 degrees today. Further along your journey on the Canal and the Main it could hit 24 on Friday.

 

 As it is the season, here is a tip. If you are offered Federweisser or Rauscher, that is young wine still fermenting in the bottle, consume with caution.  For the same reason that the bottles are not corked. Onion tart is a speciality offered with it in the Rhineland.

 

Have a great time.

 

notamermaid

 

Oh the memories of Federweisser and Zwiebel Kuchen, a good thing to try!

[notamermaid]

A German lesson ("oh, nooo"): Großreinemachen

 

That would have been a nice slogan for the day that is called Rhine cleanup, happening on 14 September. A big task that they hope will be eased by 20,000 volunteers. In several countries along the whole river many volunteer groups are going to gather to collect rubbish, basically everything that us humans have left in the river and along the embankments which should not be there, from plastic bags to cars!

 

But perhaps, I am contemplating, such a day is not enough to do justice to the German word which means a very thorough cleaning of a house. It can also be used figuratively by the way.

 

Here is the website with a photo gallery of people and their "rubbish collections" of last year: https://www.rhinecleanup.org/de 

 

I am off to do some cleaning myself and getting ready for a weekend at work.

 

But I  am not leaving you without the info that the level at Kaub peaked yesterday, as forecast. It is currently at 168cm and as the level is forecast to fall only slowly this is looking really good for this weekend and also into next week.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[LiveLoveItaly]

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

But I  am not leaving you without the info that the level at Kaub peaked yesterday, as forecast. It is currently at 168cm and as the level is forecast to fall only slowly this is looking really good for this weekend and also into next week.

 

notamermaid

Thank you so much for all the lovely posts and local information. So excited to see more of your beautiful country. The last time we were winding around the hills by car in the Rhine Valley, I was 2 months pregnant with our first child. Now she is 23 and joining us, along with my best friend, for a Viking cruise. We depart Basel on 9/17, and I'm very happy the water levels are improved from last year. I followed along anxiously with last year's travelers even though our trip was a year off.  Safe and happy travels to everyone here!

[notamermaid]

A new week and a look at the water levels. Maxau 437cm, Kaub 137cm, Koblenz 124cm. With hardly any rain falling in the upper catchment area of the Rhine the forecast shows the levels falling slowly. Later in the week a figure of 120cm at Kaub could appear.

 

At the weekend we will see sunshine and temperatures in the mid twenties Celsius but the "promise" of lower temperatures and rain is already in the air by Sunday, approaching from the West.

 

notamermaid