Rhine water levels 2024 and similar topics

[notamermaid]

Before we get to the dolphins and the weird people at the tourism fair and Carnival, here is the good news. The latest long term forecasts for both Maxau and Kaub show no rise of note in water levels until 15 February. Even if the forecast changes a little for the worse it still leaves enough room for some rain. Looking good.

 

Excitement is growing with me about Carnival, helped by the fact that Koblenz was already in Carnival mode yesterday and someone asked me today about a "Rathaussturm". That is a great highlight of every Carnival season. Basically, storm the town hall and take the mayor hostage! Fools rule!!Enormous fun.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

Fun with dolphins

 

At the end of the 2023 thread we had some fun with dolphins so have a look here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2910181-rhine-water-levels-2023-and-similar-topics/page/44/#comments

 

Okay I have given it away – this is not about the animal but a structure related to navigation and docking. This is what it looks like, here ones in Koblenz at the Moselle docking area:

 

When I looked at them I thought to myself: “Funny, these do not look like dolphins. So where may that word come from?” And my language nerd brain was activated…

The German word is “Dalbe”. As language structures go in Germanic languages, the identical d, l and the similar ph/b point to one origin. But how did that happen? In maritime and navigational language the Dutch have often had a hand in such things so I thought this may have been the path. Well, I was not right as such but the Dutch were kind of involved. According to several sources the word Dalbe (sometimes Duckdalbe is used) comes from the fact that the Spanish Duke of Alba, when the country ruled over the Netherlands, had these constructions installed to create more anchor points in Dutch harbours so that they could accommodate more merchant ships. You can see the German almost in the Spanish duque de Alba. Okay the Spanish and the Dutch were involved. Or were they? There have been a few references to the story on the internet, claiming it is, well, disputed. Oh, well. I like the story. True or not, you will encounter the dolphins on your river cruise. And starlings. Those birds exist in Germany but here I mean the icebreakers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starling_(structure)

Oh, and we have a Moby Dick as well. That's right, that whale of that book. This one is an excursion boat. But that is another story.

notamermaid

 

 

[RDVIK2016]

6 hours ago, notamermaid said:

 

 

 

... you will encounter the dolphins on your river cruise. And starlings. Those birds exist in Germany but here I mean the icebreakers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starling_(structure)

Oh, and we have a Moby Dick as well. That's right, that whale of that book. This one is an excursion boat. But that is another story.

notamermaid

 

 

@notamermaidYou are not saying that a starling (structure) is called a "Star" in German are you? Doesn't German stick better descriptive work for such structures "Eisbrecher"?  Those "ledolamy" (Czech for icebreakers) made of wooden poles protecting the Charles Bridge over the Vltava (Moldau) in Prague are interesting.

RDVIK

[notamermaid]

Ah, no. Starling is an icebreaker and is in German also the bird called a "Star", der Star. Starling the icebreaker is an "Eisbrecher" translated.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Chris Ta]

We are considering a Rhine River Cruise in 2024/2025.  We were wondering what months do you recommend for the cruise?  At first we were considering Early September but we are nervous about the low water levels.  
We appreciate any insights or comments you have.  
 

[notamermaid]

3 hours ago, Chris Ta said:

We are considering a Rhine River Cruise in 2024/2025.  We were wondering what months do you recommend for the cruise?  At first we were considering Early September but we are nervous about the low water levels.  
We appreciate any insights or comments you have.  
 

Welcome to Cruisecritic.

 

The Rhine is an interesting river all year round, though I am not convinced that January and February are months in which cruising is attractive. We will perhaps find out more if the Viking river cruisers this year give feedback (I mentioned the two ships in a previous post). Early September is a really nice time, daylight is favourable, temperatures are pleasant generally speaking. All months are as good as or better if you want tho avoid low water, October is statistically worse. June is probably the best month overall, for daylight, weather, no low and no high water. July and August are also nice but low water can occur.

 

I was wondering, what exactly worries you? Low water is a nuisance and when it gets really bad can very much impact your cruise and your enjoyment. That is clear. Do you have mobility issues? Do you just not want to be on a bus? Those would be the main reasons not to want to deal with low water. Crews on ships are very experienced with the problem, plans B and C "always" exist. I do admit you are somewhat at the mercy of the company, especially if you are not so familiar with making on the fly arrangements yourself. People have mentioned here on CC that they left the ship early and took a train, etc. You can do that if you wish to.

 

My tip: look at several companies and inquire about travel insurance and payment policies and refunds. Those can differ quite a bit from company to company, especially if you live in the US. That comparison can help with potential financial worries as regards low water (and flooding).

 

All in all, low water is a problem that occurs every year, sometimes more, sometimes less, "always" in late summer or autumn. But it need not be extensive. Impossible to predict. But we can have a look at the statistics some time.

 

The low water problem is actually a "bottleneck" problem in that it occurs around Kaub in the Rhine Gorge. When the river is too low there for sailing it cuts your itinerary in a top half and bottom half when you look at the map of the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam (Amsterdam being on the Canal not the river but for river cruising the most likely top end).

 

Oh, and it is important to remember that the low water is a draft thing, meaning the draft of your ship basically determines if your ship can sail or not. Several aspects play into this, size is of some importance, so generally speaking a 110m ship is less likely to have to stop sailing than a 135m ship. It is not much but just like with headroom in other scenarios, a few centimetres matter.

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

As we are on the topic of low water, just a quick geography lesson. Here is the map of the Rhine with its sections:

 

For river cruise ships it is navigable from Basel. The yellow section, the Middle Rhine valley, has an upper and a lower part. The upper part (the first one you sail through in the downstream direction) contains most of the splendid castles, it is the Rhine Gorge. Close to where the m of Rhein-km 530 hits the blue river line, just above I would say, is Kaub. The lower part contains a few nice castles, too and the Drachenfels I mentioned in a previous post.

 

This is what I mean when I say that those few kilometres around Kaub that you cannot sail cut your itinerary in a top half and a bottom half.

 

For those new to Kaub: it is a small town with a water level gauge important for navigation. It looks like this: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegel_Kaub#/media/Datei:PegelKaubRhein.JPG

 

notamermaid

 

[Chris Ta]

Thank you for your reply.  Your feedback is extremely helpful.  
 

Our main concern is the elderly couple in our group, it will be stressful for them sitting in a bus for hours and dealing with unpredictable events.  
 

We appreciate it and we will use your advice. 

[notamermaid]

27 minutes ago, Chris Ta said:

Our main concern is the elderly couple in our group, it will be stressful for them sitting in a bus for hours and dealing with unpredictable events.  

That is very understandable. Unfortunately, there have been mentions in previous years of companies putting river cruisers on a coach for a six hour journey (interrupted by comfort stops of course) to get to Basel. Again, it does not happen often but it cannot be ruled out.

 

As for the 110m ships, they are operated by CroisiEurope, some German companies, and internationally by Avalonwaterways and a couple of others on the Rhine and Danube. The Avalon Imagery II, the Avalon Tranquility II, and of Uniworld the River Empress and the River Princess are such shorter ships for example.

 

Statistics take a bit of time to compile and need explaining. This would be something like x days of a water level below y in year z at Kaub.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

Another way of almost completely avoiding low water issues is not sailing the Rhine Gorge. I know, tough decision. That can be done by sailing from Cologne into the Netherlands (best option), or sailing from Amsterdam and turning onto the Moselle at Koblenz (very good option). Or sailing from Basel to Mainz and then turning into the Main river (quite good option). Reason is, roughly speaking, the river is at its shallowest in the Rhine Gorge and is better from Koblenz downstream and from south of Mainz upstream.

 

But now it is time to look at Carnival!. 🥳

 

notamermaid

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 hours ago, Chris Ta said:

Thank you for your reply.  Your feedback is extremely helpful.  
 

Our main concern is the elderly couple in our group, it will be stressful for them sitting in a bus for hours and dealing with unpredictable events.  
 

We appreciate it and we will use your advice. 

I would suggest a cruise on the Moselle.  AmaWaterways has an itinerary from Amsterdam to Luxembourg that avoids all low-water issues, but is on their newer 135m ships:

https://www.amawaterways.com/destination/europe-river-cruises/2024/vineyards-of-the-rhine-moselle

 

[Chris Ta]

Thank you for all the options.  We will definitely look into those cruises.   

 

Thanks again!

[notamermaid]

7 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I would suggest a cruise on the Moselle.  AmaWaterways has an itinerary from Amsterdam to Luxembourg that avoids all low-water issues, but is on their newer 135m ships:

https://www.amawaterways.com/destination/europe-river-cruises/2024/vineyards-of-the-rhine-moselle

 

Yes, that is one of the really nice ones. Thank you for the suggestion. It falls into the category Amsterdam to Koblenz and turning onto the Moselle. See map.  I like that one as it goes all the way to Remich port (most likely port) in Luxembourg. The city is very interesting and the Moselle is beautiful. In some ways it is nicer than the Rhine - apart from the Rhine Gorge, that you cannot beat in my opinion.

 

For the shallow part around Koblenz the 135m of the ship is not that bad, when the level gets really low there is a problem with the Moselle stretch of 500m between mouth and first lock. But it needs to get really low for that. The plus is that from Koblenz to Luxembourg it is only about two hours by coach. If you had to cut your journey in Koblenz it would not be that stressful.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

It is Carnival, tomorrow will be Weiberfastnacht, the women take over and celebrate in the streets and pubs. There is normally no parade, but in the suburb of Bonn called Beuel this day is the main day of Carnival traditionally. I got my Muzen today, I prefer the Muzenblätter to Muzenmandeln. Here is a video on the delicious food: https://www.dw.com/en/sweet-carnival-treats-from-cologne-muzemandeln/video-52468540

 

Or how about Berliner, the German doughnut without a hole, and the Apfelberliner? Muzen are restricted to winter and Carnival but Berliner and Apfelberliner tend to be available for a bit longer. If you happen to be in Germany now I recommend a visit to a bakers...

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

It is another grey and miserable day in the Rhine valley, but if you are a true Carnival woman this cannot deter you. 🙂

 

I am not going to celebrate as such but no work for me or my colleagues, office is closed. Ha! Yesterday I heard in a comment on the news - last year's celebration that is - of the German (female) newsreader: "Let us remind our folk in the North of Germany..." Then a switch to the reporter on the ground in Mainz: "No one needs reminding here in Mainz that it is Carnival..." Then the guy is immediately interrupted by two women standing close to him, singing half-decently a typical Carnival "hymn", swaying, smiling, and holding plastic cups filled with, err, whatever tastes good. Oh, the fun. If you are male, do not wear a tie on this day, it will be cut off.

 

Just to inform people of the standard procedure as regards shopping. Depending on local emphasis, Rhineland Carnival means that many smaller shops are closed Thursday afternoon. Friday is normal and Saturday again may be shorter in hours. Supermarkets are usually open standard hours but on Monday even they may close early. Sunday is closed anyway. Tuesday, again depending on local custom, shops may be closed, supermarkets may close early. Fasnet down there (on the map) close to Switzerland has other rules.

 

This is from this morning in Mainz: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/weiberfastnacht-in-rlp-2024-100.html

 

Something you need to know. If you are familiar with German from having learnt it at school or during holidays, do not be alarmed if you understand less at this time of year. More people use dialects and different words during Carnival. Hence "Mainzer Mädchen" (girls of Mainz) being "Meenzer Mädcher" in the video.

 

notamermaid

 

P.S. The water levels are rising all over Germany with all this rain. Smaller rivers have gone to flood mark I in places. Rhine still okay but will react quite a bit tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8 by notamermaid
grammar

[notamermaid]

We are now seeing the big jump in the water levels in the Middle Rhine valley. This is Koblenz:

 

 

SHWM I is the navigational flood mark I and calls for adjusted sailing. This could slow down a river cruise ship. Meldehöhe is official flooding as defined by the authorities. All in all not too much of a problem and the rain has subsided so the situation should get better again soon.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

The Rhine is draining well all the rain we have had, Maxau is already on the way down again. The Middle Rhine valley is still taking on the large volume of water from the Main. Kaub gauge is still rising.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

I have been reporting a bit more on the water levels in view of the fact that more ships are sailing than normal this year, especially the two Viking ships, the Alruna and the Tialfi. So, exciting stuff as they not only have good levels but they are also hitting Carnival. The Alruna is in the far South so the passengers are in the realm of "Alemannisch" festivities. Fasent-Sunndig they call this Sunday today in Breisach and it looks as if there has been a special celebration that the passengers of the Alruna could watch. Their Fasent is different from Karneval: https://www.narrenzunft-breisach.de/

The Tialfi is heading towards Cologne and is currently sailing near Xanten. So it looks like they will see "Rheinischer Karneval". That is quite a thing...

I hope all passengers have been prepared by the crew.

 

I have mentioned the dialect but there is more. Carnival seasons have a motto and when people meet and during official celebrations you shout a "battle cry". I will get back to that in a next post.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Right. This may sound unconnected to Carnival but it is vaguely connected. Last Sunday I went to the tourism fair in Koblenz. Many regional attractions, town and cities were represented but also places from further afield. Nature (walking) and cruises were two big themes, CroisiEurope were there with their own stall (the German agent) and a large stall that combined travel agents and companies for cruising and river cruising drew quite a bit of attention. Mine as well, naturally. For the first time I saw Thurgau Travel, the Swiss company, represented. They (now) have a German office. You could get special reductions at some stalls if you booked at the fair or contacted them soon after. The excursion boat companies were also present. The "La Paloma" boat owner has one of the most interesting marketing ideas that I have seen in a long time. This little vehicle had a plastic box which contained leaflets:

 

The tourism fair was in the Rhein-Mosel-Halle, a concert and events venue. On the sign you can see a traffic problem afflicting Koblenz - the bridge over the Rhine is closed to heavy (weight) traffic.

 

Here is a mobile home used for exhibitions by ADAC, the German motoring organisation. This one is advertising Canada. Can you read what it says on the plaque?

 

Just before I walked up the steps, when I tried to take a photo of the little blue three-wheeler soldiers and a princess appeared. Yes, it was one of those wondrous sights that surprise foreigners who encounter Carnival for the first time. I walked into the venue together with folk having dressed up for a Carnival event happening in there together with the fair. I mean not together, fair downstairs, Carnival upstairs.

 

Now, about those greetings and rallying cries or battle cries. Many towns and cities have Alaaf or Helau but Koblenz has a different one. Just in case anyone forgets it is displayed in front of the venue and greets people:

 

But wait a second, you cannot just blurt out Koblenz Olau! You need to know that in dialect it is Kowwelenz Olau. It is normally spoken three times and the introduction contains "ein dreifach donnerndes..." which means "three times a thundering..." How exactly that works a novice to Cologne Carnival and his chaperone will show in the next post.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

It has been a busy day of eating, little drinking by me actually, more drinking for others. Music, shouting, and collecting goodies, mainly sweets that are called "Kamelle" in the Rhineland. That is shortened for Karamell(e)bonbons. You can see it - caramel. Nowadays you also get tiny chocolate bars, packets of paper handkerchiefs and small popcorn bags thrown towards you. Great fun. My voice got a bit hoarse during the parade, I was a bit more enthusiastic than last year. When you shout and smile you may get a "personal" goodie, could be a bigger one then, perhaps even a flower handed to you. Did not get anything special this year but it was nice to have the standard stuff as well. There were two flavours of sweets I had not seen before, looking forward to trying those. Anyway...

 

I posted this last year as well, but for those new to the topic it is a good "instruction video" how to greet and shout during Carnival. A young Australian was given the task of getting through a day of Carnival in Cologne with a "Garde", a unit of men in this case, dressed up as Prussian soldiers. In the video they do not use the "three times thundering..." but he says translated "three times from the heart...". I like that version:

https://www.dw.com/en/an-australian-visits-colognes-carnival/video-64742923

 

notamermaid

 

 

Edited February 12 by notamermaid

[Novakc]

We are going to be in Basel for Monday of Fasnacht.  Not sure if I am getting up for the start at 4 am.  Is there anything special I should learn to try to shout?  Keep in mind, my German is limited. Looking forward to our two days in Basel before going to Viking Tialfi on Sunday. I just hope that Lufthansa get us there through Munich without any problems on Thursday. I am REALLY looking forward to this trip and have never done a Carnival in Europe before.       

[notamermaid]

51 minutes ago, Novakc said:

Is there anything special I should learn to try to shout? 

I am not familiar with that area. What you mean with getting up at 4am is the Morgestraich apparently. Sounds fascinating. A bit early though... I found this website which may help you: https://www.baslerfasnacht.info/basel-fasnacht/index.php

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Basel was the scene of a few firsts for myself and my year mates from school. We went on a school trip, by coach to Natters in Austria. First time we encountered Duvets, first time the toilet was the two foot places and squat. All this on the top floor of what is now a very posh hotel by the Central Park in Basel. An eye opener for a fourteen year old.

[notamermaid]

The river levels have been falling nicely again. Kaug gauge did not reach flood mark I. All good. Plenty of room for more rain and a bit of snow melt. This week and into next looking good.

 

About the Viking Tialfi. The ship was indeed in Cologne yesterday. Unusually, it docked in Deutz, the "schäl sick", in Rhenish meaning the other side of the Rhine, usually the right embankment, i.e. in Cologne that is Deutz and other districts. This has happened before, not often at all, but it appears to be happening a bit more than let us say two years ago. No idea if this was to do with high water or even Carnival. I cannot tell you the exact spot. You can walk across the Hohenzollern Bridge. Not a big deal if you are mobile:

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

So what is all this Prussian soldier and princess thing in the Rhineland about? It can be traced back to (almost) a single historical event and Berlin is to blame [when is Berlin ever not to blame, says the jester 😜]. If you wanted to be pedantic about it is to do with a guy who was in Paris called Napoleon but the real blame lies with the victorious Prussians over Napoleon. In 1815 the Congress of Vienna rearranged Europe and the Rhineland became part of Prussia. Carnival in its other forms had existed for centuries but the revelling and excess metamorphosed over a few decades into the fools being a bit more orderly and - that is where the upside down world and jesters with a mirror come back in - the fools storm town halls to take over and they mock the new rulers and their authority. The Medieval jester is the only one who is allowed to mock the king...

 

The mocking and free speech with satire is also present in the idea of the Büttenrede, a speech made not from a podium but from a "tub". This is an elaborate one: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Büttenrede#/media/Datei:Mainzer-Buett.jpg

 

Likewise the idea of critizising the authorities is witnessed in the many political floats in the Carnival processions. Mainz, Cologne and Düsseldorf are famous for it. You can easily find this on the internet if you are interested, they make international headlines every year.

 

And the Jeck, the Rhineland jester? From about Bonn downstream he is spelled with a j, further upstream with a g. You can listen to the difference in pronunciation from this website leading to the one for Geck: https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/Jeck

Apparently, the word is etymologically related to geek. It is an old German word connected with a person wanting to stand out from the crowd with sometimes foolish behaviour and/or ostentatious fashion (clothes). Certainly true for the uniforms. Yes, it is more men than women. But the female noun exists, it is "Jeckin".

 

This may be a bit difficult to understand, but it is interesting to see the fun even in a small place where the enthusiasm is strong. Heimbach-Weis is a suburb of Neuwied but draws the crowds with political floats and many, many groups on foot dressed up in splendid costumes (the lady being interviewed had been a princess and part of an old ladies' carnival club before now doing things "a bit more slowly"):

https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/koblenz/veilchendienstag-2024-umzuege-heimbach-weis-100.html

 

So while this seems all foolish, over the top and mad, there is a serious background to it.

 

It is late in the evening here with me, so time for the fools to burn or bury Carnival. Yes, that is a tradition, too. On Ash Wednesday normal order is restored and fasting begins - the origin of the word Fastnacht.

 

notamermaid