moonriver54 Posted July 20 #776 Share Posted July 20 My wife and I are looking forward to our lower Danube trip in mid-October aboard the Avalon Passion from Oltenița, Romania to Budapest, Hungary. This will be our fourth Avalon cruise. For those that might not know @notamermaid she is the absolute *BEST* regarding European river water levels. Her knowledge is astounding. No...it may not always be good news...however she'll tell you the way it is. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suefromthenorth Posted July 21 #777 Share Posted July 21 6 hours ago, moonriver54 said: My wife and I are looking forward to our lower Danube trip in mid-October aboard the Avalon Passion from Oltenița, Romania to Budapest, Hungary. This will be our fourth Avalon cruise. For those that might not know @notamermaid she is the absolute *BEST* regarding European river water levels. Her knowledge is astounding. No...it may not always be good news...however she'll tell you the way it is. Totally agree. Not a mermaid but certainly a guardian angel to all travellers on the river! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canal archive Posted July 21 #778 Share Posted July 21 For being Notamermaid she certainly has a ta(i)le to tell. Sorry couldn’t resist, but my full respect always. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 21 Author #779 Share Posted July 21 23 hours ago, notamermaid said: No time for further research at the moment. Well, what have I got the guys from Binnenschifferforum for? The push boat is indeed the Paula and the hull is "namenlos", so no name given (as yet). Here is the thread: https://www.binnenschifferforum.de/showthread.php?118676-FGKS-Kasko-namenlos&p=474678#post474678 Which means that there are two hulls at the same time making their way to the Rhine at the moment. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 22 Author #780 Share Posted July 22 Little creatures on your building site? No need to get antsy, just move them! Okay, joking aside, this is really what happened at the proposed site for the new lock at Kriegenbrunn on the Main Danube Canal. During tree clearing, nine ant hills were found in 2022. These are of a protected species so nature protection demanded a careful house move literally for the ants. In 2023 an expert moved the insects and their hills to a designated new site as their home. It was the last hurdle to be cleared from an environmental point of view. Now the engineering has just started. The Federal hydrology administration is inviting citizens to celebrate so should you see some unusual activities when you are going through the lock this may be the reason why. Invitation for Friday, 26 July, 2pm to 6pm (in German): https://www.schleuse-kriegenbrunn.wsv.de/Webs/Projektseite/Schleuse-Kriegenbrunn/DE/05_Schleuse_erleben/01_Buergerfest/Buergerfest_text.html?nn=1725280 notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canal archive Posted July 23 #781 Share Posted July 23 Ants hummm could this be a situation where a quick check of your ‘pants’ would be appropriate! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel54 Posted July 23 #782 Share Posted July 23 6 hours ago, Canal archive said: Ants hummm could this be a situation where a quick check of your ‘pants’ would be appropriate! Ants are the bane of my existence right now. In Texas we have the meanest ants ever. There are these tiny tiny ants that get in everything and if you get them on you they bite you before you realize they are there. I was moving a plant on Sunday and it was full of them an now my hands are covered in little itchy blisters. NOTHING stops the itch. It's so miserable. I knew better...but I was rushing and didn't put on my gloves 😞 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canal archive Posted July 23 #783 Share Posted July 23 Rebel your right they are really nasty little beasts I’ve seen them in Africa bigger and really really nasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 23 Author #784 Share Posted July 23 That ship in Regensburg from post #773. I may have found which one it is. If so, it is still "namenlos" but is supposed to be for Scylla and was built in Romania. Launched on 12 July, this short vessel was towed by a barge. I have cropped a photo for future reference: See the shipyard's website: https://www.snorsova.ro/portofoliu-imagini/ Again, the hint for where it was built came from Binnenschifferforum. notamermaid 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel54 Posted July 24 #785 Share Posted July 24 7 hours ago, Canal archive said: Rebel your right they are really nasty little beasts I’ve seen them in Africa bigger and really really nasty. I'm not leaving my house again until it's time for my cruise. Every time I go out either ants or mosquitos get me. I'm a magnet. I'm for sure bringing my epi pen for Europe. I remember all too well having bees flying around us at the beer gardens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 24 Author #786 Share Posted July 24 20 minutes ago, Rebel54 said: I remember all too well having bees flying around us at the beer gardens. The majority tend to be wasps. But, yes, be careful. Mosquitos tend not to be too nasty around here, but there sure are enough that make you feel not at ease. I use a cooling gel from pharmacies for my insect bites. Works well. My skin reacts strongly to the creatures. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel54 Posted July 24 #787 Share Posted July 24 5 minutes ago, notamermaid said: The majority tend to be wasps. But, yes, be careful. Mosquitos tend not to be too nasty around here, but there sure are enough that make you feel not at ease. I use a cooling gel from pharmacies for my insect bites. Works well. My skin reacts strongly to the creatures. notamermaid I have tried so many things since moving to Texas and nothing soothes these bites. They blister like little white head pimples and they just make you insane. The ONE thing that soothes them for me is hot water. I turn the hand held shower to the hottest possible setting and just boil them. It feels sooooo good....like scratching without scratching and then as long as I don't touch them again they stay itch free for hours. I will microwave a wet cloth for 30 seconds and apply it to a bite and same thing. Everything in this state wants to bite me. Makes me hate going out in my food forest. I need full body armor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canal archive Posted July 24 #788 Share Posted July 24 (edited) As I age I seem to be getting less flavourful to all of these little bitting beasties but when it was at its worst I discovered that they were at their most awful if I had any form of perfume about me. So no body low, shampoo and would you believe fabric softener etc. it really does help a lot to try for a neutral aroma. When in the U.K. watch out for Horse Flys boy do they bite! Edited July 24 by Canal archive 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare steamboats Posted July 24 #789 Share Posted July 24 12 hours ago, notamermaid said: That ship in Regensburg from post #773. I may have found which one it is. If so, it is still "namenlos" but is supposed to be for Scylla and was built in Romania. Launched on 12 July, this short vessel was towed by a barge. I have cropped a photo for future reference: See the shipyard's website: https://www.snorsova.ro/portofoliu-imagini/ Again, the hint for where it was built came from Binnenschifferforum. notamermaid I just saw a post by Scylla announcing the Riviera Radiance for 2025. Maybe it's that ship. steamboats 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 24 Author #790 Share Posted July 24 4 hours ago, coachsusan said: I’m sorry if this has been addressed, but there are 32 pages here and I’m on a spot with sketchy internet. Would a cruise from Nuremberg to Basel heading south after Frankfurt have to worry about high or low water levels? If so, at which location(s) would that be a concern? Thanks so much! You put your question within the quote which means it does not display well - just a tiny technical tip from me. I have been able to quote it though. That is a very good question actually. This itinerary basically avoids the trouble spots so there is not specific problem either in high or low water. But the caveat is that the bridges on the Main river (as well as on the Canal) are low which is of course a concern in high water. It is a general problem and not as much a big deal as the two "troublesome bridges" on the Danube. The low water problem is much reduced as you turn South at Mainz. While the river can be low at Mainz, looking at it from the Main river confluence, the upstream direction on the Rhine is less affected than the downstream direction on the Rhine. The low bridges on the Main normally only lead to the sun deck being closed rather than it being a rapid concern when we have rainy days. Many river cruise ships have the sun deck closed for many hours or even days. That is up to the company and the crew to decide what is best and safest. Something you unfortunately have to content yourself with on the Main river. You can read about this here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2670259-the-river-main-infos-and-river-cruising-experiences/ notamermaid 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachsusan Posted July 24 #791 Share Posted July 24 Thanks for the technical tip and your answer. I seem to remember you were quite helpful in 2017 when we were supposed to go from Amsterdam to Budapest. (That didn’t happen as planned!) We would like to take this trip at the end of August 2025, but want to avoid a river cruise that turns into a bus trip. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJSANDFS Posted July 25 #792 Share Posted July 25 I'm also following this thread, having rescheduled my Danube trip to late October, early November. The cold won't worry me and I am hoping for less crowds and good water levels. Many thanks to Notamermaid for all the information. Fascinating. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 25 Author #793 Share Posted July 25 Thank you for all the kind comments in the last week, folks. 🙂 14 hours ago, coachsusan said: We would like to take this trip at the end of August 2025, but want to avoid a river cruise that turns into a bus trip. As you avoid the shallows (more or less) on this itinerary August is a good time to go. The Main is lock controlled in its entire waterway used by commercial river traffic which means that the authorities are also able to maintain a certain depth of the navigation channel. On the Main it is so much that I have never heard of any problems in low water, not for any river cruise ship that is and there is never a mention of the barges sailing at "half load". And high water in August is rare. 8 hours ago, CJSANDFS said: having rescheduled my Danube trip to late October, early November. That time tends to be better than early October. I am compiling a list of river levels in November (I had promised to do so a few weeks ago) which I hope will help to illustrate how much the river levels can vary. Should be ready to post in the next couple of days. notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 25 Author #794 Share Posted July 25 Talking of the river cruise ship hulls. I have been looking on marinetraffic.com and I think both hulls are now in the Main Danube Canal or on the Main. Perhaps I happen to see one of them on a webcam in the next two days. Better than television these days. 😉 notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 25 Author #795 Share Posted July 25 Just a brief note on water levels. The river is seeing ups and downs with rain and drier weather alternating. So Pfelling gauge is back over 400cm. 433cm is a good level from which to approach potentially dry days in August. notamermaid 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachsusan Posted July 25 #796 Share Posted July 25 Thanks notamermaid. You rock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 25 Author #797 Share Posted July 25 4 hours ago, coachsusan said: Thanks notamermaid. You rock! Thank you. A pleasure to help. Here is a fun fact and something for a nerd or to show off, like "Did you know that...?" The Main Danube Canal actually runs through two more rivers, meaning you on that itinerary - if you choose it - will be on the Regnitz river for part of the way from Nuremberg to the Main river. Those that sail the whole Canal are also on the Altmühl river for some kilometres. The majority of the Canal is an artificial waterway. You can see it here where the lighter blue sections are the canalized rivers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhine–Main–Danube_Canal#/media/File:Main-Donau-Kanal-Karte.jpg notamermaid 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 26 Author #798 Share Posted July 26 Zasavica with her hull cargo has just passed under Würzburg Alte Brücke: Time stamp is 21:13. The webcam picture is cropped, so the original time stamp is not visible. The Paula with her hull (if she is still pushing it) is between Wertheim and Miltenberg. I know that there are still river cruise ships in the order books of the two East European shipyards so we may see another hull coming up the Danube this year, it is only July after all. notamermaid 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted July 28 Author #799 Share Posted July 28 There has been heavy rain over the Rhine valley and beyond but those clouds have not reached the Danube much. So the Rhine has risen but the Danube has not really. Pfelling gauge has for the second time this month fallen below 400cm. Remember, it was very high in June and that has kept it going for a long time over the drier days we have had. Likely, it will look good going into August, 374cm is still a very pleasant level. We will see hot, dry days this week so just cannot say how the river will have reacted by next weekend. notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarheel423 Posted July 28 #800 Share Posted July 28 We’re home now having traveled from the Black Sea to the North Sea. No issues on any of the rivers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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