Rare notamermaid Posted July 2 Author #726 Share Posted July 2 5 hours ago, Nippy Sweetie said: Now we're due to do Avignon to Lyons then Basel to Amsterdam and worry that it'll be so crowded with cruise ships that well continually be double docked. I think the Rhone is not as busy as the Rhine but that is for others to comment on as regards the ports. The double docking is not standard on the Rhine, it really depends on company and port. These days you are more likely to be double docked with another Viking ship when you are on Viking than double docking of company x with company y. At least that is my impression. Again, it depends on the port. I am thinking of addressing that topic again in the Rhine thread. But first it is time to look back at June. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 2 Author #727 Share Posted July 2 (edited) On 7/1/2024 at 7:43 AM, brian1 said: One of the reasons we chose the Danube over the Rhine was that we drove through the Alsace twice a year going to and from Italy.A few of the towns we drove through were close to the cruise itinerary.Lovely medieval towns with a German influence. Alsace has some beautiful towns and villages. As I had mentioned the fortified churches, may I just point to one in Alsace. There is the Saint-Jacques-Le-Majeur at Hunawihr. @Nippy Sweetie I highly recommend the excursion to the villages of Alsace, basically whichever one is offered as even just the drive along the country roads is lovely I find. As regards the villages, if I had the choice and not much chance of returning any time soon, I would choose Hunawihr over Riquewihr. The first is a small, quiet place with one shop for the locals (at least I only saw one) while the latter is beautiful and touristy in a still pleasant way, in my opinion. Hunawihr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunawihr notamermaid Edited July 2 by notamermaid added link 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 2 Author #728 Share Posted July 2 The bridge at Bogen - again. Just for interest's sake. A WWII bomb of 250 kilos was found during the engineering works there. It has already been defused and river traffic, which had been halted for a short while, has already resumed. This is still part of the planned checks (sonar) of the area. So we may read about more finds. https://www.idowa.de/regionen/straubing-bogen/landkreis-straubing-bogen/fliegerbombe-in-der-donau-bei-bogen-problemlos-entschaerft-3822418.html notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDVIK2016 Posted July 2 #729 Share Posted July 2 1 hour ago, notamermaid said: The bridge at Bogen - again. Just for interest's sake. A WWII bomb of 250 kilos was found during the engineering works there. It has already been defused and river traffic, which had been halted for a short while, has already resumed. This is still part of the planned checks (sonar) of the area. So we may read about more finds. https://www.idowa.de/regionen/straubing-bogen/landkreis-straubing-bogen/fliegerbombe-in-der-donau-bei-bogen-problemlos-entschaerft-3822418.html notamermaid That news article mentions some sort of bridge construction work. That would be great it they are beginning work that would allow greater clearance under that railroad bridge, but I had read that there are no plans to do that in the near future. The road bridge has had a lot of work done lately to provide better pedestrian and bicycle access, but I can't find anything about work on the railroad bridge. The linked video from Bavarian Broadcasting shows where they exploded the bomb underwater. https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/fliegerbombe-bei-bogen-zug-und-schiffsverkehr-eingeschraenkt,UHOBX9w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 2 Author #730 Share Posted July 2 12 minutes ago, RDVIK2016 said: The road bridge has had a lot of work done lately to provide better pedestrian and bicycle access, but I can't find anything about work on the railroad bridge. It is all part of the so-called Donauausbau. The first section was completed last year. Navigation will improve, deeper draft will be possible but I am not sure what is going to happen to the bridge and directly at the bridge. Flood protection measures will also be taken. Audio does not work anymore I think: https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/sanfterdonauausbau-erster-abschnitt-bei-straubing-ist-fertig,TlTkU7m notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDVIK2016 Posted July 3 #731 Share Posted July 3 42 minutes ago, notamermaid said: It is all part of the so-called Donauausbau. The first section was completed last year. Navigation will improve, deeper draft will be possible but I am not sure what is going to happen to the bridge and directly at the bridge. Flood protection measures will also be taken. Audio does not work anymore I think: https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/sanfterdonauausbau-erster-abschnitt-bei-straubing-ist-fertig,TlTkU7m notamermaid Thank you for that information. It looks like they expected to find some unexploded WWII bombs in that area, because the bridge was targeted by allied bombers in April 1945 near the end of the war. (I found this diagram on the website of Gemeinde Aiterhofen - the community on the Danbube opposite Straubing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDVIK2016 Posted July 3 #732 Share Posted July 3 3 hours ago, RDVIK2016 said: Thank you for that information. It looks like they expected to find some unexploded WWII bombs in that area, because the bridge was targeted by allied bombers in April 1945 near the end of the war. (I found this diagram on the website of Gemeinde Aiterhofen - the community on the Danbube opposite Straubing). Responding her to correct the end of my previous comment: It should read "the community of the opposite side of the Danube from BOGEN" (Not Straubing - and Danube not Danbube!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian1 Posted July 3 #733 Share Posted July 3 10 hours ago, notamermaid said: I can imagine some one reading in the background having a chuckle, thinking "I am a ship spotter". notamermaid Sorry, didn't mean that to come out like I was taking the pee.Our Cockney sense of humour may come across as a bit cutting sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian1 Posted July 3 #734 Share Posted July 3 9 hours ago, notamermaid said: Alsace has some beautiful towns and villages. As I had mentioned the fortified churches, may I just point to one in Alsace. There is the Saint-Jacques-Le-Majeur at Hunawihr. @Nippy Sweetie I highly recommend the excursion to the villages of Alsace, basically whichever one is offered as even just the drive along the country roads is lovely I find. As regards the villages, if I had the choice and not much chance of returning any time soon, I would choose Hunawihr over Riquewihr. The first is a small, quiet place with one shop for the locals (at least I only saw one) while the latter is beautiful and touristy in a still pleasant way, in my opinion. Hunawihr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunawihr notamermaid The Alsace was always our first overnight on our 1500 mile (2400km) drive to Italy.It's a shame we didn't have time to go off the beaten track.We did stay at lovely towns like Obernai and Colmar though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 3 Author #735 Share Posted July 3 5 hours ago, brian1 said: Sorry, didn't mean that to come out like I was taking the pee.Our Cockney sense of humour may come across as a bit cutting sometimes. No need to be sorry. Not to worry, I am used to British humour. Never knew that Cockney extended into Essex. 😁 But then, I always imagine Essex as the flat plains to the North Sea, not the Upminster/Romford Essex. Not probing, just saying - I once had a stop in Upminster to get some sandwiches and bought really nice cheese. Weird what one remembers. I often go for the unusual on holiday - like taking a photo of the litter in the Thames or the grill of the underfloor eating in Melk Abbey. So - not elegantly - I have steered this back on topic. I was truly stunned by the library at the Abbey. It is magnificent and while the church is great and all that, the library blew me away. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian1 Posted July 3 #736 Share Posted July 3 5 minutes ago, notamermaid said: No need to be sorry. Not to worry, I am used to British humour. Never knew that Cockney extended into Essex. 😁 But then, I always imagine Essex as the flat plains to the North Sea, not the Upminster/Romford Essex. Not probing, just saying - I once had a stop in Upminster to get some sandwiches and bought really nice cheese. Weird what one remembers. I often go for the unusual on holiday - like taking a photo of the litter in the Thames or the grill of the underfloor eating in Melk Abbey. So - not elegantly - I have steered this back on topic. I was truly stunned by the library at the Abbey. It is magnificent and while the church is great and all that, the library blew me away. notamermaid Spot on,Hornchurch,inbetween Romford and Upminster. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 3 Author #737 Share Posted July 3 6 hours ago, brian1 said: We did stay at lovely towns like Obernai and Colmar though. Then I would say you have already seen some great places. Talking of Alsace. There is the "alternative" grand European journey from Hungary/Austria to Basel instead of Amsterdam. Not sure which company does what exactly but I do find the idea of sailing that way a nice one. notamermaid 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izengolf Posted July 3 #738 Share Posted July 3 I'm sure many do that route but Uniworld goes from Vienna to Basel with the optional extension to Zurich: https://www.uniworld.com/ca/river-cruise/central-europe/rhine/grand-central-europe/2024-basel-to-vienna I think this new 2025 itinerary from Basel to Brussels with a detour down the Moselle looks wonderful! https://www.uniworld.com/ca/river-cruise/central-europe/rhine/rhine-moselle-and-belgium-grand-discovery/2025-basel-to-brussels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 3 Author #739 Share Posted July 3 Vienna to Basel - yes, good idea I find. The 2025 itinerary I like very much, without Amsterdam, even better idea. Do not fancy seeing that city. @Izengolf packing done? Have a good trip to Frankfurt and great cruise. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izengolf Posted July 3 #740 Share Posted July 3 Thank you Notamermaid, just landed in București for my flight to Frankfurt tomorrow morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 3 Author #741 Share Posted July 3 (edited) As you will be in Frankfurt two days early I am guessing you will head into town yourself. I see that the docking location is Osthafen, to which I assume those arriving on the day will be transferred by Uniworld. Never been to that area of Frankfurt. The harbour looks really big, it is industrial. On a Budapest to Amsterdam itinerary or similar river cruise ships dock at the city centre embankment of course (normally) but it appears that the embarkation process has mostly moved to Osthafen with many companies, although variations exist. notamermaid Edited July 3 by notamermaid clarification Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izengolf Posted July 3 #742 Share Posted July 3 The docking doesn't look very scenic but I may wander over to the ECB and give it a mean look just for fun 😊. Our itinerary has several different docking locations, including Mainz, which would have been a hefty cab fare after our 2 nights at the Kempinski Gravenbruch. Coming early to a spa hotel starts a trip off right for my mom to let the spa waters fix whatever the travel broke. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 4 Author #743 Share Posted July 4 In the Middle Rhine valley there are the traditional fireworks events but on the Danube there are some, too. One "Danube in Flames" event is taking place at Vilshofen on 12 and 13 July. The town should be rather busy on that weekend: https://www.vilshofen.de/freizeit-geniessen/was-ist-los-in-vilshofen/veranstaltungs-highlights/donau-in-flammen The webcams of Vilshofen: https://www.vilshofen.de/wir-in-vilshofen/seien-sie-willkommen/webcams notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 6 Author #744 Share Posted July 6 The weather report and the computer modelling turned more favourable along the Rhine yesterday and I have the feeling that this may be due to the clouds having moved more towards the Danube basin. For a fact we can say that it is raining in the Southeast of Germany now, with the rain having swept in from direction France/Switzerland, so earlier in the day we saw rain in the Southwest with little North of the Main river and intensifying as the evening progresses over Bavaria. This means that the water levels may rise noticeably downstream from Straubing from what the radar and computer calculations suggest. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike R 2018 Posted July 6 #745 Share Posted July 6 (edited) On 7/4/2024 at 6:05 AM, notamermaid said: In the Middle Rhine valley there are the traditional fireworks events but on the Danube there are some, too. One "Danube in Flames" event is taking place at Vilshofen on 12 and 13 July. The town should be rather busy on that weekend: https://www.vilshofen.de/freizeit-geniessen/was-ist-los-in-vilshofen/veranstaltungs-highlights/donau-in-flammen The webcams of Vilshofen: https://www.vilshofen.de/wir-in-vilshofen/seien-sie-willkommen/webcams notamermaid Thanks so much for all of your postings on this site! We will be cruising on the Var between Regensburg and Passau the night of the 13th- we'll look for any fireworks/evidence of partying on the Danube while in that area :-). Unexpected entertainment may provide additional fun on our cruise! As we did while on the Rhine in 2019, we shall raise another glass of wine in your honor on the Danube next week. Yes, you are appreciated. Edited July 6 by Mike R 2018 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weliketocruise2 Posted July 8 #746 Share Posted July 8 Was following this topic before our cruise June 30 - July 7 on Uniworld from Budapest to Passau. Thanks to all who have posted. Everything went very well - water levels were a little higher than usual but there were no problems at all. Turned out perfectly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 8 Author #747 Share Posted July 8 2 minutes ago, weliketocruise2 said: Turned out perfectly. Good to hear. Hope you had a great time. I was just about to post that the levels continue to be high but even the latest rain has not brought the levels up to anything of concern at Passau. 🙂The river is going down again already there and is currently at 607cm. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 8 Author #748 Share Posted July 8 Let us have a look at what the river did in June. We know of course that the month started with exceptional flooding. It rained a lot all over the South of Germany, so the flooding already happened way up the river, the snow melt from the Alpine regions contributed a smaller amount. Of the Southern tributaries we for example have seen the Lech rising not as much as the Upper Danube and the Iller, which is still close to Lake Constance. Long before the Main Danube Canal ends at Kelheim the river is carrying a very high volume of water. At that point it still has not received the waters from the Regen river. This is Ingolstadt, upstream from Kelheim: The pattern is still basically visible after the Regen has joined the Danube. At Pfelling it looks like this: While the rise looks impressive at Ingolstadt already, at Pfelling the impact becomes clearer as here on the navigable river we can put it into context. The HSW line (on paper) triggers the river traffic ban. The situation was extreme. With a lock and two more rivers joining the graph at Passau looks a little different but as extreme: notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarheel423 Posted July 9 #749 Share Posted July 9 On our way now from Constanța to Amsterdam. We were in Rousse, Bulgaria, yesterday and are on our way to Vidin today. So far, no issues on the river. We’ve had clear blue skies and SUN, lots of SUN (read heat). There was a V longboat docked with us in Constanța but I haven’t seen it again. Actually, I haven’t seen any other riverboats - yet. I will post about docking situations when we get to the larger cities. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarheel423 Posted July 12 #750 Share Posted July 12 We were in Belgrade yesterday. We were tied up to AMAVerde and exited through their lobby. Uniworld Beatrice was also docked and by afternoon there were two other riverboats (that I didn’t recognize) tied up to her. To get from the dock to the street level required walking up a slightly steep ramp to a promenade, and then on to some broad steps (there was also a switch-back ramp) up to street level. It continues to be VERY HOT. The river looks high to me, but I’m told it was much, much higher a few weeks ago. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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