Crystal Bach Amsterdam to Basel, October 27, 2019

[rafinmd]

3 hours ago, USC Adventurer said:

roy,

thanks for the information about the blankets.  have you had any or much rain so far?  i can deal with the cold by layering clothing but i really hope it doesn't rain all day.  are you enjoying the excursions?  the guides?  the other passengers?

thank you again for your reporting.

 

 

Pretty much yes on all counts.  Barely any rain so far; I did see some on the bus windshield on our way to Haarlem but it was gone by the time we arrived with the sun even coming out for a while.

 

notamermaid, that is our second dock in Koblenz.  Somebody was there when we arrived this morning and we spent the afternoon rafting across our sister Crystal Debussy by the bridge on the Mosel.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Day Bach2, Tuesday, October 29, 2019, [Cologne] Dusseldorf, Germany

When I woke at 5 it was still very dark but we had crossed the border from The Netherlands into Germany.  Sunrise looked like a bust but while watching the bow cam from my room I discovered that it made a very nice appearance a few minutes later.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/dawn1029.jpg

Due to port congestion in Cologne we docked in Dusseldorf, about 25 miles downstream from Cologne.  My tour was in the afternoon so I went for a walk in the morning.  We did not seem to be near much of interest (There was a shuttle but I didn't use it).  There was a nice walkway along the riverfront but I headed up to the street at my first opportunity and walked inland for a bit.  After a short walk I came to the Oberkasseler bridge.  There were stairs leading up to it and I set off across the Rhine where I got a very nice view of the river and a telephoto view of the Bach.  

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/therhine.jpg

On the way back as I descended from the bridge the dome of Dusseldorf's Concert Hall was right in front of me.  I walked back alongside the river and returned to the Bach about 11.When I started my walk we were the only ship in Dusseldorf but as I rounded the Concert Hall the Oscar Wilde docked just ahead of us.

With the coach ride to Cologne the day's tour was one of the longer ones.  We left the ship right after lunch and the drive into Cologne was about 50 minutes.  Our guide David said there was only one place in Cologne where the bus could stop and it was essentially right in front of the Cathedral.  The Cathedral was too big to get any kind of a photo from tat close, and while we organized David pointed out a gate of the old city wall.

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David explained some of the Cathedral history (a 400-year hiatus in construction until modern scaffolding was invented) but we did not go inside; that was left to do on our own at the conclusion of the tour.  We started our walking tour with a stroll through the city market square.

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Near the point where we turned around David pointed out another large church, St. Martin.  It is a very different style than the Cathedral and considerably older.  Today it is apparently mostly used as a monastery.

As we walked back towards the Cathedral David pointed out a flat part of the walkway with plates in the ground every few feet.  He said it is a flood wall for when the river is exceedingly high.  Posts for the wall anchored into the plates and then horizontal planks fitted into slots in the posts.  Erection of the wall took about 2 days but there would be advance warning of surges upstream to allow for the process to take place.  The wall has been used a couple of times and has worked out.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/floodwall.jpg

As we returned to the Cathedral we encountered an "oops" moment by the city planners.  The Opera House was built on the river level with the roof forming a courtyard.  They realized when it was finished that people on the courtyard could be heard in the opera hall.  They felt that putting something like a fence around the area would spoil the aesthetics so now a team of about 6 guards stands along the perimeter shooing people away. There are signs but they are only in German in one of the city's prime tourist spots.

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We walked around the Cathedral and David pointed out a workshop in the basement where stoneworks were repaired or usually re-created.  Maintaining the Cathedral is a perpetual project and there is always scaffolding around it somewhere.

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The Cathedral is almost too big to photograph but I am posting a couple of pictures from different angles.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/cathwide.jpg

After the tour ended I went into the Cathedral.  It is huge and very nice but I didn't find it as interesting as the Big Church in Haarlem.  The Ceiling is pretty and extremely high.

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I had some free time and was close to the train station and I took a look inside.  I also thought it would be a good place to find a toilet (for a fee).  There was a nice set of model trains in the station.

As we had arrived David pointed out a McDonalds as one of the landmarks for locating our bus.  I decided to get a coffee about a half hour before our departure but found it was undergoing renovation.  Fortunately there was a little coffee shop across the street and it worked out fine.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/cafe.jpg

There was heavy traffic on the return trip and what had been a 50-minute ride to Cologne became 75 minutes returning.  All aboard was 6:30 but we arrived about 6:45, leaving me only 15 minutes to prepare for dinner.  I had been invited to dine with the Crystal Society Hostess and it was a very nice dinner.  I am not exactly the model of Crystal's frequent cruisers but she listened with quite a bit of interest to how I combined my Crystal Cruises with other lines.  My choices were the mixed lettuce salad, Rheinish veal, and ice cream.  I did not feel it was appropriate to get out the camera during dinner.

The featured entertainment was Roz and James with a sing along in Palm Court but I pretty much crashed after dinner.

My parting shot will be an oldie.  Getting old is no fun but it sure beats the alternative.

Roy

 

Edited October 30, 2019 by rafinmd

[DeeniEncinitas]

Enjoyed your writings over my coffee this am Roy! I thought the sunrise pic you got was spot on. Always enjoy seeing them! A very interesting tour you had and really enjoyed all the pictures! 
Take care Roy

Denise😊

[MightyQuinn]

Hi Roy.  I'm enjoying your reports from Bach and look forward to following along.  We're doing this itinerary in reverse next fall so I'll be keen to read about your chosen excursions.  We took our first river cruise last spring on Bach during tulip season and we recently returned from a Danube cruise on Ravel.  To our surprise, we discovered that we loved river cruising as much, if not more, than ocean cruising!  If you're interested in an alternative to Waterside some evening, I can highly recommend the Bistro for dinner.  It was only open select nites on our recent cruise, so it's worth keeping an eye out for it in Reflections.  The theme is tapas food from around the world, small portions of delicious bites.  It's similar to the former Tastes on the ocean ships.  Continue to enjoy!

[USCAdventurer]

hello notamermaid,

i'm leaving for london and basel tomorrow (thursday) and will arrive basel friday late afternoon.  i an very excited about taking the river cruise on the crystal bach which leaves basel on sunday.

you have been just wonderful about providing river information to eveyone and i thank you very, very much.  i think the rhine is going to be ok for my voyage and i'm very happy for that.  you are wonderful world of river information for everyone traveling through europe on river cruises.  i'm sure everyone is very grateful for your insight and friendliness.

 

cheers,

david

[USCAdventurer]

hello mighty quinn,

i'm going on the bach from basel to amsterdam this sunday and i appreciate your recommendation of the bistro.  i love tapas and i will make sure to have a meal there.

thank you again for your recommendation.

[USCAdventurer]

roy, 

i am enjoying your postings very, very much.  and your pictures are wonderful too.  i just got a smart phone so i will plan on taking some pictures with it.  usually, i never take pictures when i travel.  i keep all the pictures in my head because i'm the only one that really cares about what i've seen.  i don't particularly care about seeing other people's pictures and i don't think most people would be interested in mine.  that's just my opinion and i'm sure the photos won't be very good ones either.

 

have you met many interesting passengers on the boat?  do you eat a table with other people or do you eat alone?  do you think we could meet up in basel when you get off the boat?  i'd like that if you would.

 

[rafinmd]

The Crystal Bach is one of 4 identical river ships, Bach, Debussy, Mahler, and Ravel.  They are among the most spacious ships plying the rivers of Europe at 11.5 meters wide, 135 long, and 110 passengers.  Most of the other ships I've seen are about 110 meters long and carry 180-200 people.  I think most of the ships have cabins on the bottom deck with just a little porthole at the top of the wall but ours are all on decks 2 and 3 with full windows wall to wall and floor to ceiling.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/thebach.jpg

I will start with a few things primarily for those familiar with Crystal's ocean ships.  There are a few things missing, necessary due to the size of the ship.  You will not find specialty restaurants, the Trident Grill,  Scoops Ice Cream, Hollywood Theater, a Promenade deck, casino or a kids club (although we do have a sweet boy on board who appears to be about 5 or 6).  Many of the rooms serve combined functions, especially the beautiful Palm Court (deck 3, forward).

One of the things that distinguishes a ship from a boat us that a ship carries boats.  We have one boat on the aft, making the claim that we are a ship legitimate.        

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/aftboat.jpg

The primary dining space is the Waterside restaurant.  Waterside really fits since if one were in a rowboat alongside the ship they could probably stand an look in the windows; it's that close to the water.  There are four sections, the forward most section (upper right in the photo) is a buffet area which is used for breakfast and lunch (blocked from view at dinner), at the entry there is a the width of the ship (upper left) and narrower sections on each side in the middle with a service area in the center of the ship.  Dinner menus are posted to the intranet each morning.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/waterside.jpg

The other 2 dining areas are near the midship stairs.  The Bistro is on deck 3 with less counter space than on the ocean ships but an attentive staff.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/bistro.jpg

Finally, on deck 2 starboard there is the Pantry.  It's all self service (24 hours) with espresso and tea as well as snacks like fruit and cookies.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/pantry.jpg

I posted a photo of Palm Court the day I embarked.  There is no separate library but there are a couple of shelves stocked with books and games on the corridor leading from the central stairs to Palm Court.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/library.jpg

The top deck (4) is pretty much all open space with loungers and some nice comfy sofas and canopies.  Everything is rigged to come down as we pass under a few very low bridges.  The front section is very narrow because most of the ship width is a glass roof for Palm Court.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/deck4.jpg

There's even a bar on the vista deck.  For low bridges it recesses into the inside of the ship.  Low bridges are no problem for the navigation bridge as it is on deck 3 immediately in front of Palm Court.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/vistabar.jpg

Some river ships have huge aft suites on the back of deck 3.  As on their ocean ships, that isn't the Crystal way.  Deck 3 aft on the Bach is an indoor swimming pool.  I believe the pool roof can be opened but have not verified that.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/bachpool.jpg

I've covered most of deck 2 and my room but haven't yet posted about the bath.  It's quite small and not much storage space (I've adapted by putting all the big tubes of toiletries on a shelf in the shower).  The baths in bigger cabins may be bigger as well.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/bachbath.jpg

Deck 3 is mostly crew area (crew cabins and the galley) but there are 2 things here, a small but pretty decently equipped fitness center as well as a laundry with 2 washers and dryers.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/fitness.jpg

Not exactly part of the ship but the Bach comes with it's own fleet (should be 4 but I've never seen more than 3 at once) of very comfortable buses which follow the ship and do both airport transfers and shore excursions.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/bachfleet.jpg

Roy

 

[Coral]

Thanks for the last post. I was on the Mozart and did have an opportunity to quickly walk through one of the quad sisters but just quickly walked into the dining room and that was it. I didn't know that these ships have a pool, etc....

 

The buffet area (for breakfast/lunch) looks very similar to Mozart. The Pantry is identical and it took us awhile to figure out how to open the refrigerator!

 

Thanks for taking the time to do an extensive write-up! I was too tired to do so when on the ship. I appreciate all of your posts and pictures.

[rafinmd]

12 hours ago, USC Adventurer said:

roy, 

i am enjoying your postings very, very much.  and your pictures are wonderful too.  i just got a smart phone so i will plan on taking some pictures with it.  usually, i never take pictures when i travel.  i keep all the pictures in my head because i'm the only one that really cares about what i've seen.  i don't particularly care about seeing other people's pictures and i don't think most people would be interested in mine.  that's just my opinion and i'm sure the photos won't be very good ones either.

 

have you met many interesting passengers on the boat?  do you eat a table with other people or do you eat alone?  do you think we could meet up in basel when you get off the boat?  i'd like that if you would.

 

I have mostly had a table for one.  There's quite a nice mix of passengers.  When I disembark I am going almost immediately to Zurich so the only possibility of a meeting would be at the Basel train station late morning.

 

Roy

[USCAdventurer]

roy,

i'd love to meet you.  what time would you be able to meet at the train station?  i'm staying at the Hotel Basel and I could probably take a bus from the hotel to the station and then back to the hotel to get my luggage and then head to the Bach.

perhaps it can work and possibly not but lets try.

 

i'll be at heathrow for around 5 hours on friday between flights and i arrive in basel at 6pm.  what's strange to me is that my smart phone won't let me reply to posts on cruise critic.  i can only reply on my desktop.  but i'll try to make it work somehow.

 

cheers,

[DeeniEncinitas]

Hi Roy!

First thank you for all the photos you have taken👍 I hope you and USC Adventurer can connect for a short while. Erewhon on HAL board just told me how you were able to meet up with him in Dunedin his home town when you were cruising.Stay healthy and look forward to more of your adventures!

Denise😊

[rafinmd]

2 hours ago, USC Adventurer said:

roy,

i'd love to meet you.  what time would you be able to meet at the train station?  i'm staying at the Hotel Basel and I could probably take a bus from the hotel to the station and then back to the hotel to get my luggage and then head to the Bach.

perhaps it can work and possibly not but lets try.

 

i'll be at heathrow for around 5 hours on friday between flights and i arrive in basel at 6pm.  what's strange to me is that my smart phone won't let me reply to posts on cruise critic.  i can only reply on my desktop.  but i'll try to make it work somehow.

 

cheers,

I'm thinking it isn't a good idea to give out too much information over the internet.  Can you send me an email at rafinmdcc-info AT yahoo DOT com?

 

Roy

[USCAdventurer]

roy,

i just sent you an email.  hope i got the right address for you.  let me know.

 

cheers,

david

[USCAdventurer]

roy,

just in case i got your email wrong, here is my email address:   dir44@msn.com

 

cheers and great sailing for you.

 

david

[rafinmd]

Just sent you an email.

[rafinmd]

Day Bach3, Wednesday, October 30, 2019,Koblenz am Rhein, Germany

After crashing so badly Tuesday night I slept in an extra hour.  It was still dark at 6 but I could see there was fog on the river.  We arrived in Koblenz near the cable car base, paused a bit in the river, and then started backing away.  We backed down to the mouth of the Moselle (Koblenz is derived from the German version of "confluence", and headed up the Moselle coming to a stop alongside our sister ship, the Crystal Debussy.  Gates were opened on the top deck allowing us to "raft" across Debussy's top deck to their gangway.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/dockingkob.jpg

My tour for the day was "Ehrenbreitstein Fortress by Cable Car".  We left at 10 and walked across the strip of land between the Moselle and the Rhine, passing by the Basilica and the churches garden and boarded the cable car.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/basilica.jpg

The Prussian fortress of today was built in the early 19th century and was occupied by various armies during both World Wars but is no longer of military value with the advent of modern aircraft.  As we entered we passed through a series of gates and tunnels which made storming the facility very difficult.  It was generally taken by siege although it had a pretty extensive water system and could withstand a siege of over a month.  As our guide described life in the fortress it was very difficult under the Prussian rigid discipline.

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There were severe housing shortages in the area after WW2 and the fortress was used as emergency housing.  Our guide took us through one of the old "houses"

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As we walked out from the "house" she pointed out a stage area where the fortress is used for summer concerts.  It is also used for meetings, weddings, conferences, and such.

Our last stop was an overlook where we had a view of the town and especially a statue right at the confluence.  The original statue celebrated the unification of Germany after Napoleon's occupation but was destroyed in WW2.  It was re-created to celebrate the re-unification after the fall of the Berlin wall.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/overlook.jpg

Our guide took photos of us at the overlook.  She noted that we would be the last Crystal group to do this tour this year.  The cable car shuts down for the season November 1.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/atfortress.jpg

The guide would lead those who wanted to accompany her directly back to the ship but also gave us directions to return through the center of town and through the town square and shopping areas.  I opted to go through the town.  The two ships were just below a bridge across the Moselle and before reboarding I walked up onto the bridge for a photo of the 2 sisters together.

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We were due to stay in Koblenz overnight during lunch I noticed we were leaving and learned that Debussy's stay in Koblenz was midday Tuesday to midday Wednesday and she was leaving.  We had only docked next to her because somebody was sitting in our dock which was now vacant, and we docked almost directly under the cable car.

In the afternoon we had a guest speaker, Verena Wirtz, on the Rhine and European history.  She was interesting but I found her accent very hard to follow.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/wirtz.jpg

Dinner was a buffet and served a half hour due to plans for the evening.  I chose a basic salad, pasta, and a dish of mostly strawberries.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/dishes30.jpg

There was a "Crystal Signature Event"; kind of reminded me of the onshore events offered to full world cruisers.  We left for our buses and were taken to the "Election Palace" with a massive public room for events.  We had a performance by the LaFinesse string quartet featuring a variety of classical and modern music.  Very good.  We were back at the ship about 10.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/lavinesse.jpg

My parting shot will be a belated wish for everyone who celebrates them for a great Halloween and All Saints Day.

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

Day Bach4a, Thursday, October 31, 2019, Rhein Gorge, Germany

This was a big day that I'm breaking into 2 parts.  Our call in Rüdesheim was in the afternoon but we spent the morning sailing through the Rhein Gorge.  It was quite foggy when we left our dock in Koblenz.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/sailaway.jpg

 

We were given a cheat sheet for the castles listing the kilometer markings for each castle and the side of the river they would be on:

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/castles.pdf

Many of the castles were shrouded in fog.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/foggy.jpg

While many people were up on the top deck wrapped in blankets I was largely warm in my room at the computer and watching the kilometer markers for each castle, mostly going to the aft deck as we approached a castle.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/chillin.jpg

The fog was variable and there were times where the views of the castles were quite clear.  Many of the castles were owned by bishops but a number were also erected for the purpose of collecting tolls from passing ships.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/castles.jpg

There were no bridges on this stretch of the river but a number of ferries crossed at various places.  One thing that appeared quite odd is what appeared to be 2 tunnel entrances together, one tunnel following the river at a point where the hill got extremely close to the river, and the other heading straight inland through the mountain.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/twintunnels.jpg

About 10:15 we passed Lorelei Rock, the top still shrouded in fog.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/lorelei.jpg

Sometimes a town and castle would be extremely close together with the castle sitting above the town and associated church.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/together.jpg

Once while walking through the pool to the back deck I encountered 2 ladies taking photos of each other by the fireplace in the pool.  I asked if they would like a photo together and they were pleased to have it and then offered to take one of me, which I did on the back deck.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/ondeck.jpg

The final castle I noted was hanging kind of midway up the cliff.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/midcastle.jpg

We arrived in Rüdesheim (pop 10,500, 2 million annual tourists) just after noon and passed the town settling in a sports area about a half mile upstream.  We were among the first ships to arrive but several others came soon afterwards.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/arrrudesheim.jpg

Roy

 

[Coral]

So sorry for the fog! Again, enjoying blog!

[notamermaid]

Roy, Thank you for taking us along your cruise in such detail. It is a pity you got to see the castles mostly in fog. I was quite intrigued by your photo of the two tunnels, technically they do not work like this as railway tunnels. They look familiar but I cannot exactly place them. Wondering what their function is today.

 

You write that the cable car in Koblenz stops running (for the winter), i.e. Crystal no longer offers the excursion. To be precise there is no cable car service from 4 November till 29 November. There is service during Advent. Details on the website.

 

The signature event concert in the palace in Koblenz seems to be exclusive to Crystal. A nice idea. I hope they offer this for the rest of the season and next year.

 

Have a great time in the South of Germany and France.

 

notamermaid

 

[rafinmd]

Day Bach4b, Thursday, October 31, 2019, Rüdesheim am Rhein, Germany

While Halloween was not a big celebration on the Bach, the ship was nicely decorated in several spots.  

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/halloween.jpg

My tour in Rüdesheim was called "Miniature Train Ride and Mechanical Music Museum".  Other than getting me to the museum the train was pretty much a waste.  Kind of like Key West's Conch train, it was a series of little wagons pulled by a jeep.  I ended up facing backwards at the end of the train and the forward view might have been a BIT better but the commentary gave very little clue to what we were seeing.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/thetrain.jpg

The one sight that did make sense was a large convent, and there was a lot of talk about vineyards.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/convent.jpg

The museum was in a large private house, the project of an enthusiast and collector.  Sadly, the owner passed away a couple of years ago but his children continue to maintain the museum.  There were several rooms and the guide typically played one of the instruments in each room, using either a piano roll type roll of paper or a large metal disk.  I'll start with a composite of several of the varied instruments.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/musicboxes.jpg

Particularly notable instruments included a huge one used at carnivals which produced a nearly deafening sound.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/carnival.jpg

There was also a large console with a piano on the bottom and 2 columns of violins each, all of which played in unison.  Other displays included a grand piano and a workshop.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/strings.jpg

When we left the museum we were offered the options of returning to the ship on our own or walking back with the guide.    I opted to go on my own.  The town's main church, St. James was nearby.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/stjames.jpg

It was pretty much a straight shot down hill to the Rhine, and then a little over a mile upstream to reach the Bach.  As I walked I noticed the sun was getting close to the top of the hills behind me.  I had just boarded the ship and stepped up to the top deck when the sun was about to disappear, about 15 minutes before official sunset.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/dusk1031.jpg

The Crystal Society party was held in Palm Court at 6:30.  It is a bit different from most cruise loyalty programs as there is only one level, "member" and very little difference in the onboard experience but the benefits are discounts for each cruise and onboard credit or deeply discounted cruises for "milestones", about every 5 cruises.  The count of cruises is a bit artificial as longer cruises count as 2 or more cruises so I am officially at 46 cruises but have in fact embarked the ships about 30 times.  At the party certain milestones and a few top cruisers are recognized.

I have the feeling that the river has broadened Crystal's customer base as there were 85 new members and only 22 members returning.  On the ocean ships the records of the people recognized is quite impressive; it was 100, 115, and 145 "cruises".  This time it was the top cruisers had 17, 20, and 46 cruises.  I was given a book as a memento of the occasion.

My dinner choices were chicken consume, the grilled chicken breast and (surprise) ice cream.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/dishes31.jpg

There was another guest entertainer, Ulrike Rollshausen, accompanied by Christian Mauer, with a tribute to the French and German stars of Chanson.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/rollshausen.jpg

At 10 Ros and James presented "Name that Tune" but I retired for the night soon after we set sail (about 10:15).

My parting shot will be about the wisdom of arriving for a cruise early.  There is a Cruise Critic member who has been posting on my River Cruising thread as well as the Rhine Water Levels thread who boards the Bach as I leave.  He suggested we meet in Basel, and we have been emailing back and forth.  His latest string of emails has been that his transatlantic flight has been cancelled and his efforts to get to Basel.  I have not heard from him in some time but based on what he has said he should be in the air all day Friday and arrive in Basel about 24 hours ahead of the cruise.  He will have far less time to recover from the flight than planned but  if he had planned to arrive the morning of the cruise it would have been a real mess.

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

6 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

You write that the cable car in Koblenz stops running (for the winter), i.e. Crystal no longer offers the excursion. To be precise there is no cable car service from 4 November till 29 November. There is service during Advent. Details on the website.

Do you know if buses can navigate to the parking area at the top of the fortress?  I wonder if the tour is still operated but without the cable car.

 

Roy

Edited November 1, 2019 by rafinmd

[DeeniEncinitas]

Good morning Roy🎃

Finished my coffee and really enjoyed all of the recent new writings and great pictures! I for one really enjoyed your pics of the castles emerged in fog! 
Im sorry that USC Adventurer and you could not meet up. I hope all goes well with him and his flight.

Looking forward to your next cruise coming up!

PS The ladies took a nice picture of you!

Glad your staying healthy too.

Denise🎃

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

Do you know if buses can navigate to the parking area at the top of the fortress?  I wonder if the tour is still operated but without the cable car.

 

Roy

There is a dedicated free parking area for coaches up on the hill. According to the fortress website it is an 800m walk from there to the entrance of the fortress.

 

Sorry to hear that the excited Crystal Bach traveller after you has problems getting across the ocean. What a stressful way to start a holiday.

 

Have a relaxing evening, this weather today is perfect for getting comfy in the lounge or retiring to bed early.

 

notamermaid

 

[rafinmd]

4 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Sorry to hear that the excited Crystal Bach traveller after you has problems getting across the ocean. What a stressful way to start a holiday.

At least he is in the air now.  Estimated arrival Heathrow 1AM.

 

Roy