sjde Posted December 4, 2021 #201 Share Posted December 4, 2021 So is Denver's Chriskindl Market! (Nov 19- Dec 23rd). https://www.christkindlmarketdenver.com/ The one in New York at Union Square wasn't very German. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted December 5, 2021 #202 Share Posted December 5, 2021 7 hours ago, sjde said: Maybe this calls for starting a new thread , but I am unable to private message others on here. When I try, it says it is disabled, but I don't see any way to change that in my settings? It is disabled at the system level, because CC feels it would compromise the anonymity we promise. Of course that leads people to post their email on CC, which is even worse – but then it was your doing... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canal archive Posted December 5, 2021 #203 Share Posted December 5, 2021 (edited) There is a theory that children are better at the ‘tiller bar’ of a narrowboat than adults but it is fairly straight forward and as the speed limit is below 4 miles per hour you soon get the hang of it. I made a rod for my own back in an effort to slow my husband down, as he was driving all over the country and flying all over the world, I organised a narrowboat holiday . Several thousand pounds later and I must admit many many happy hours afloat I do not begrudge a penny of it. P.S. in a roundabout way it lead us to river cruising as well. Edited December 5, 2021 by Canal archive 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milolii Posted December 5, 2021 #204 Share Posted December 5, 2021 And Chicago. https://www.christkindlmarket.com This market actually has vendors from Germany Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmomoftwo Posted December 5, 2021 #205 Share Posted December 5, 2021 https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/coronavirus-advice-for-foreign-nationals-in-france/ France is now requiring a booster for ages 65 and up, and those who had the JandJ/Janssen shot effective December 15. How will the river cruises handle this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted December 5, 2021 #206 Share Posted December 5, 2021 My friend did the Cologne market today. Said it was very crowded. Some rain also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VJONES125 Posted December 5, 2021 #207 Share Posted December 5, 2021 3 hours ago, texasmomoftwo said: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/coronavirus-advice-for-foreign-nationals-in-france/ France is now requiring a booster for ages 65 and up, and those who had the JandJ/Janssen shot effective December 15. How will the river cruises handle this? Unbelievable! Every day something new is added!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted December 6, 2021 Author #208 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Luxembourg Christmas market is still on: https://www.vdl.lu/en/visiting/leisure-and-recreation/festivals-fairs-and-events/winterlights-0 The regulations in Luxembourg are not as strict as in Germany. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeraen Posted December 7, 2021 #209 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Thank you, notamermaid and everyone else, for keeping us up on what is going on in Germany. Our Dec 16 Avalon cruise (CHRISTMASTIME IN ALSACE & GERMANY) is still a go, per Avalon. One or two markets are closed, but Avalon is offering free excursions to make up for them, so we are still going. We're returning to the US from Zurich, so signed up and received the Switzerland Covid certification, so that is printed and on our phones. Last info I found says this is accepted everywhere in the EU, but that info is from August and I assume things have changed. I'm pretty sure we are as prepared as we can be, health-wise, but rules for entry into each country seem to have changed drastically in just the past few days. Does anyone know if the Swiss certificate will still cover us in Germany and France? We are getting covid tests within 24 hrs of our outbound flights, but they will be "outdated" by the time we land in Germany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BQEC Posted December 7, 2021 #210 Share Posted December 7, 2021 As of now, the Swiss Covid certificate is being honored in the EU. Avalon should provide assistance with testing if it is required to transition into a country which requires covid testing to enter during your cruise. They should also assist with scheduling the covid test to fly back to the US. You need a negative result to board your plane. That is now required within one day. (not 24 hours yet) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted December 7, 2021 Author #211 Share Posted December 7, 2021 I think you have already answered all the questions aeraen asked, @BQEC. Perhaps this is of further assistance: https://foph-coronavirus.ch/certificate/where-can-the-covid-certificate-be-used/ @aeraen The Rhine area is not a fun, easy-going place to be right now, but you sound well prepared and ready to accept any short term changes. I am sure AvalonWaterways will look after you well and you will find magic and cheer sailing "my" river and visiting towns and villages. notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeraen Posted December 7, 2021 #212 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Thank you, BQEC and notamermaid. You've both helped calm the rough waters of my mind. We are experienced travelers. I've worked in airlines/travel most of my life and my spouse is a nurse, so we are usually prepared for anything (and have all the PPE we can pack.) But the policies are changing so rapidly it's like roller skating on ball bearings during an earthquake! Back in the summer, when we booked all of this, we added an extra day in Zurich, so testing on the ship won't help us, there, but the Zurich airport is offering covid tests (for $$$) and we've already signed up. Most of all, I'm glad to hear that the Swiss certificate will likely be accepted. I would hate to plan all of this and end up looking at the fun from the outside, like a kid at a candy store window. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BQEC Posted December 7, 2021 #213 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Aeraen, you are most welcome. For the return to the US , I believe that the US will accept Covid tests which are proctored on the internet. Test kits are purchased and taken with you for your use 1 day prior to departure. Your Zurich hotel may also be able to provide assistance at a more reasonable price. I understand that the airports are expensive. Also the antigen is acceptable and usually less expensive then the PCR. Hope that this is helpful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BQEC Posted December 7, 2021 #214 Share Posted December 7, 2021 notamermaid. Thank you for the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted December 7, 2021 Author #215 Share Posted December 7, 2021 38 minutes ago, BQEC said: notamermaid. Thank you for the link. You are welcome. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted December 8, 2021 Author #216 Share Posted December 8, 2021 The Christmas market in Bernkastel-Kues on the Moselle is still on. And this is how the mayor gets into the Christmas spirit: https://www.bernkastel.de/feste-konzerte-auftritte/weihnachtsmarkt-an-der-mosel/ 🎄 notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldtraveller99 Posted December 8, 2021 #217 Share Posted December 8, 2021 That is really sweet! Of course our Boris is like that all year round! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare steamboats Posted December 10, 2021 #218 Share Posted December 10, 2021 The lawsuit filed by the Thurn und Taxis Christmas Market has been decided. They have to stay closed. steamboats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted December 10, 2021 Author #219 Share Posted December 10, 2021 Thank you for the info. It was certainly worth the try for them, I would say. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare steamboats Posted December 10, 2021 #220 Share Posted December 10, 2021 Good news from Vienna... the markets are supposed to open on Monday (Dec 13th). The food and Glühwein stalls might still be closed or you can only have it for take away. In other Austrian cities it depends on the local lockdown rules. steamboats 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjde Posted December 10, 2021 #221 Share Posted December 10, 2021 Our friends have returned from their 10 nt AMA Rhine Christmas market cruise. Only the Rudesheim market was closed but after they left , Speyer was going to be closing. Cologne's I think was the only really busy one. They chose to go to Colmar (Riquewihr was another option) rather than Heidelberg because for that one they wouldve had to take a Covid test). The ship was giving antigen tests (not sure of the cost, it said "minimal') but since it has to be within 24 hours and they were staying on, they were told about a place they could go to have it done. The antigen test is quicker than the PCR test but not nearly as accurate if you are asymptomatic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BQEC Posted December 10, 2021 #222 Share Posted December 10, 2021 2 hours ago, sjde said: Our friends have returned from their 10 nt AMA Rhine Christmas market cruise. Only the Rudesheim market was closed but after they left , Speyer was going to be closing. Cologne's I think was the only really busy one. They chose to go to Colmar (Riquewihr was another option) rather than Heidelberg because for that one they wouldve had to take a Covid test). The ship was giving antigen tests (not sure of the cost, it said "minimal') but since it has to be within 24 hours and they were staying on, they were told about a place they could go to have it done. The antigen test is quicker than the PCR test but not nearly as accurate if you are asymptomatic. Hi, sjde, We are booked on the Rhine over the holiday with a 2 day pre stay in Amsterdam, AMA Captivating Rhine 7 days, disembark Basel, 2 days Lucerne, 2 days Zurich and back to the USA. I am trying to get a sense about the itinerary changes and general experience. As you know, we have to jump through a lot of hoops, paperwork, tests, $ for the tests. And the unknown factor of turning up positive asymptomatic ... quarantine. Did you get a sense from your friends if it was all worth it? Thanks for any insight which you can provide. I realize that this is a personal decision. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjde Posted December 13, 2021 #223 Share Posted December 13, 2021 BQEC-Yes, they were glad they went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BQEC Posted December 13, 2021 #224 Share Posted December 13, 2021 sjde. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrcooper Posted December 31, 2021 #225 Share Posted December 31, 2021 We returned from the Christmas Market Cruise on the Rhine (Dec.7-14) on the AmaLucia. As with most of you, we considered cancelling or postponing the cruise until next year, but decided to go ahead and go. I am really glad we did! We compared the pros and cons of "to go or not to go", and the "to go's" won. Since this was my first river cruise, I can't compare experiences on prior cruises, however. For those of you that have upcoming cruises here are some things that might help you a little bit. 1. Masks are worn everywhere and these must be either the surgical type, KN95, or N95 masks-no cloth-except when you are eating or drinking something. That is on the ship, outside on tours, on excursions, in the markets, etc. They are very strict about enforcing this, and if you forget yours when you leave your cabin, they will hand you one. I know because we forgot ours several times! 2. All Christmas markets had one entrance ,and you were required to show your Swiss COVID certificate as well as a passport to enter. Even some vendors asked to see it before serving you. Restaurants and shops required it as well. The Swiss certificate was excepted in Germany and France, as well. 3. All Christmas markets were open on our cruise except Rudesheim- which we knew was closed before we left. The Heidelburg market was closed, and if you wanted to take the tour to Heidelburg, you were required to take a COVID test before going. We went to Speyer instead, and at that time, the Speyer market was open. 4. Most markets were not too crowded, which we were happy to see, except for the train market in Zurich and the markets in Cologne. They were both very crowded! 5. One word of advice: be sure and take walking shoes that have a good, sturdy, heel support. I took warm, fur lined snow bootie type shoes, and found that they were really warm, but did not provide enough support on the uneven, cobblestone streets, resulting in back and hip pain, so I ended up buying a better pair of shoes while in Lucerne. 6. While we were on the cruise, the US changed the COVID test requirement from 48 hrs. before your flight home to the 24hr. time frame before your departure flight. AMA quickly changed their testing procedures that are usually done in Cologne to bringing a testing crew onboard ship when we arrived in Amsterdam in order to meet the new requirements. We got our results back quickly, and everyone onboard the ship passed with flying colors! As I said at the beginning, we were glad we decided to go ahead and take this trip. We had a fabulous time, and the weather cooperated with us. We had a mixture of weather- some cold temperatures, a little rain, sunshine, snow showers, and a drenching rain in Cologne, but very little wind which made it all bearable! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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