notamermaid

Here I am posting about the bridge construction on the Rhine at Koblenz and a few hours later a part of a bridge collapses on the Elbe at Dresden. 😱 I better move on to another topic... Let us just go back briefly to railways and steel and unusual places. "That is all very well with that water tower and far away places in hills, but we have little time in ports and need to stay in the valley", you may say. Fair enough. There are museums and sights that may fit your interest. There is - quite a few of you know this - the Technical Museum of Speyer. It has cars, etc. but also engines, meaning locomotives: https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/locomotives The paddle wheeler (not a steamer anymore) MS Goethe you will likely meet in the Rhine Gorge sailing past you or docked somewhere. For the real deal of steam ships head to Lake Constance. At weekends you can visit the railway museum in Koblenz-Lützel. If you have lots of time in Basel, take a train to Mulhouse to see the railway museum: https://www.tourisme-mulhouse.com/en/experiences/railway-museum-cite-du-train/ There used to be three railway crossings over the Rhine - the three sister bridges - only one of whom is standing today. The most famous of them is Remagen bridge. You pass the bridge towers while sailing and if your ship happens to dock there you can go to the museum. You can take ferries across the river; the Middle Rhine valley as a whole has few bridges; and at one you can see a special railway station. To be continued. notamermaid

Wonder if your ship will dock in Nussdorf? Several of the Anglophone companies appear to almost always dock in the city centre, but perhaps you would like to check? Here is the schedule of the authorities: https://www.donauraum.at/anlegestellen/aktueller-schiffsanlegeplan/ notamermaid

That is a weird one. Nuremberg is a "needing a shuttle" port anyway as ships cannot dock in the city itself. You are always in the commercial harbour on the Canal. Stops that show up as only half an hour are there to pick up passengers from an excursion. Basically pick-up-point only. But Nuremberg and then Roth? Not sure what is behind that schedule. Leave people in Nuremberg for longer and take them to the ship at Roth in the evening perhaps? That is correct for the small town but there is a harbour that is attached to Roth. See here, the docking for river cruise ships, it is called bayernhafen Roth: https://www.bayernhafen.de/hafen/roth/#cruise-services notamermaid

River cruises of a celebratory nature are actually typical over New Year's Eve. Lots of European companies do them. There are fireworks, both professional and private/amateur along the rivers. It can be great fun. Weather is cool to cold, freezing or not, rainy or not, snow rare. Shops are closed 25th and 26th December (depending in region and country), 31 December and 1 January. Museums likewise, often on other days, too, depending on management. It is quiet, but festive and family focused. A few Christmas markets are open, check this carefully. Not sure what I would do in a flat, windy and rainy country like the Netherlands between 22 December and 1 March😉. I recommend three days in Amsterdam/Groningen and then Antwerp/Gent/Bruges/Brussels. Budapest merits a longer focus, perhaps three to five days but do head out of the city. APT itinerary - superior over Viking's equivalent in my opinion. Not that you asked, but I thought I would mention it. Generally I like what APT overs. Not sure that I would do it in winter. Flooding like we had it last year is not the norm at all but can happen - let us say every five to ten years. Milder flooding you do need to prepare yourself for mentally. You can never predict. notamermaid

Scary stuff. I wonder what has happened. Bridges are regularly checked. I see that this is a steel bridge from after 1960. If bad turns to worse, it could mean the end of the whole bridge. The German word "Materialermüdung" springs to mind, especially as it says in reports that the bridge is undergoing repairs.Typical wear and tear that affects such constructions. Luckily no one was hurt, it says that 18 minutes before a tram had passed the bridge. Brings back memories of the bridge at Wiesbaden that was so dangerous that the workmen were not even allowed to take their vehicle off. It stood abandoned for months, it was a creepy sight. We will of course need to wait until the site is fully inspected and secured to hear when ships can sail again, I mean it may not be enough to just remove the fallen bridge section. The old paddle steamers dock very close. Thankfully none seem to have been affected directly, but the "Meissen" needs to be protected from the change in river current. Headline news all over Germany, of course but here is a regional report: https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/sachsen/dresden/dresden-radebeul/carolabruecke-einsturz-elbe-verkehr-102.html I see that it has made it into nternational news cycles already, so you will find reports in English. notamermaid

A good recovery albeit short. The level rose to 101cm and is now down to 91cm. But it should not fall below 80cm again. notamermaid

Continued... The story of the architectural feature, a building basically (but an unusual one), and recognizing it on my river cruise goes back to my teenage years. I collected stamps and one of the Austrian ones was this one: https://austria-forum.org/af/Wissenssammlungen/Briefmarken/1959/Wien-Heiligenstadt It must have left an impression on me visually, not sure why, it just "sticks out of the crowd". I had forgotten about it and had never looked at a map of Vienna so did not know where Heiligenstadt is. So imagine me on the tram that the gentleman took in the video I posted above. We boarded in Nussdorf and wanted to go to the city and its sights. The tram takes you right there. I post the follow-up video to the one above as it is more or less exactly what I saw. In the previous video he stops in Grinzinger Straße and with a following tram continues to Heiligenstadt (I did not stop but went directly to the centre). At 1:26 you see an archway, which already caught my attention and then at 1:56 comes this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK83G1wxV8M What the...? This was a strong visual experience, something going back a long way and right there in front of me! The gentleman gets off there and wanders around. It means that you can see a bit more of it than I could. It was only a couple of years ago that I actually looked up the story why the building is on a stamp and what the significance of the building called Karl-Marx-Hof is. What makes it stand out from the crowd as well is the fact that is one of the longest - if not the longest - residential building in the world. Does not look long? That is because most of the structure is not iconic but more typical of that decade. You can see the whole thing here on marinetraffic, it really is classified as one single building, more than 1km long: If you are interested, look up this social housing project and its revolutionary (in more ways than one) aspects. notamermaid

I see. I know the Moravians from research and you have had them in England for just a few years longer than we have in Germany. Count Zinzendorf preached in London. Thank you for the info, must look into that. They are Protestants basically, but separate from the others. They built their own settlements or town quarters according to how they wanted to live in the congregation. This makes for interesting aspects of social, cultural and religious history. Their place in Denmark called Christiansfeld is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. notamermaid

It is a cool day today. The rain and the absence of heat make for a great forecast for the river's levels. Maxau gauge is going fast towards the mean again and Kaub gauge is at 146cm, forecast to rise pleasantly. Just as a side note for the curious: I got a bit lost in road works trying to get to Lahnstein and saw the river at Koblenz. The huge construction works of the bridge there affects river traffic of course, so the place looks a bit "messy". During the construction work in Spring it seems they found additional military tunnels (casemates) and more recently a WWII bomb. That bomb was detonated in a controlled environment (empty spot near a forest) away from the city. Photo of the bridge in Spring, text says they are building the new bridge next to the old one and then move it after the old bridge has been demolished. https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/koblenz/baufortschritt-pfaffendorfer-bruecke-rhein-koblenz-100.html notamermaid

A pity for those who prefer to go on a 8 to 10 night trip. But combining the Rhine with the Moselle is possible for that length. It is not as good as the Uniworld one I find but for those who want to ignore the Netherlands this would work on Riviera Travel's Rhine cruise from Cologne: https://www.rivieratravel.co.uk/river-cruises/rhine-moselle-river-cruise For convenience from the America's you can fly into London and travel with the company on Eurostar to Cologne. And there are other European lines that may offer something similar. notamermaid

Had forgotten about that one. Actually, I had never known a Christingle before I went to England, I do not know what the German equivalent is and I do not recall celebrating in such a way. Perhaps we just never did or I was too young to remember. notamermaid

I see the itinerary (Frankfurt to Frankfurt) header here but the link does not give it for 2025. Perhaps they will not offer it in 2025? That would be a real shame: https://www.uniworld.com/ca/ships/ss-victoria Still, the one Izengolf linked looks really good. They even stop in Cuijk on the Meuse, which is a rarity for river cruises. notamermaid

Dresden gauge went down as far as 65cm this morning but is back to 72cm. The river is certainly struggling a bit. But that should change as with the rain that has swept over Germany and the Czech Republic we should see the level rise tomorrow. 85cm to 90cm are suggested. notamermaid

Remind me again please - is that Basel via the Moselle detour to Nijmegen and then to Brussels? Never really cared for ending (or even being) in Amsterdam, if others feel the same this could be a good alternative. notamermaid

Forgot to mention this: there is another company that uses Lahnstein and that is Uniworld. It is a relatively new itinerary that includes a visit to the brewery in Oberlahnstein. Here is a CC review of this unusual itinerary that only goes on a smaller section of the Rhine (part of the German Upper Rhine valley and the Upper Middle Rhine valley) but arguably takes you through the most scenic parts. There is much daytime sailing on this Rhine and Moselle itinerary and I must admit that it is one of the best itineraries for scenery on the two rivers that I can think of: https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles/moselle-rhine-uniworld-ss-victoria?stay=1&posfrom=1 notamermaid

On CC UK: editor review of Rhine and Moselle cruise on S.S. Victoria: https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles/moselle-rhine-uniworld-ss-victoria?stay=1&posfrom=1 I will just post it here, it is displayed on the right side of my screen in the article suggestions so I reckon many people will notice it. notamermaid

It is cooler and rainy today. The chestnut trees around here are getting ready to drop their pods with chestnuts and the leaves are beginning to turn brown. Wine festivals and other merriment are plentiful, the first vineyards peaches were available in my greengrocers last week. Over this past weekend I could have gone to a food fair, two wine festivals, visit churches and castles, or a mansion not normally open to the public, do idle talking at an arts events, basically do what is normal on a September weekend along the Rhine. I chose to go to a disused water tower. The end of the Rhine Gorge with its famous castles is marked by Schloss Stolzenfels on the left and Burg Lahneck on the right (yes, Koblenz is not part of the Rhine Gorge geographically but do not point it out to them, they will not be happy😉). The UNESCO World Heritage Site does include Koblenz which is just after the two hilltop edifices. Schloss Stolzenfels is not normally offered on an itinerary but Burg Lahneck is visited as part of an exclusive Amawaterways arrangement. The ships dock in Lahnstein for that. That town has a partially still standing town wall, a mixed arrangement of architecture from 1500 to 2024 [the last twenty years things are eyesores rather than buildings IMO] and a railway. There used to be a lot rail yard stuff but over the last five decades life has changed and steam engines have completely disappeared of course. But the water tower is still there so this being open yesterday for the monuments event, this was in my top three places of choice. I went to this water tower that supplied the steam railways with Rhine water (endless supply😉) through a system of pumps and really enjoyed it. The couple have spent vast sums of money and many weekends over several years slowly and thoughtfully turning this into a small space to live, store stuff and eventually make this available as a venue for small events. It is private so I am not going to post any photos, just tell you that they have a completely new floor with tiles that have been manufactured to an old design by a company in Bacharach. Bespoke, expensive and beautiful to look at. Parts of the pump system are still there and of course the massive dome of steel (or iron, not sure). You need to be steady on your feet to manage the steps. I love riveted metal so touching the walls was a good feeling. A nice experience. Next month I may try and go to the railway museum in the Westerwald run by volunteers which was also on my wish list. This is not the best photo of the tower, but you get the idea: https://www.kuladig.de/Objektansicht/KLD-252755 notamermaid

The rain has gone through Bavaria and more is coming. Pfelling gauge is already back up. Now 316cm. Fun side note: a couple of days ago, as part of work, I happened to meet a gentleman who told me that he had studied in Linz. I stumbled over that for a split second as there is no university in that town. Before I could ask further he smiled and said that he meant the Linz in Austria. He was travelling along the Rhine and was heading downstream, definitely wanting to see "our" Linz here. 😊 notamermaid

About Nussdorf and the reality of the place that is known for its wine connection. The Canal and the railway mean that the river bank is more or less modern with a busy road also following the river. The more appealing parts of the village are a short walk. From the dock you follow the elevated dual carriageway then go under it. And in this video you can see what it looks like, first shot is of the lions on that weir bridge and then the gentleman walks to the tram stop. The tram ride itself is not interesting as regards the scenery. But you can see the route I took (not much has changed since then): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E75QghGnfiI He gets off briefly and then takes a next tram into town. And that is were the interesting architecture appears - and appeared for me eleven years ago. By the way, the video is five years old. Newer videos show more or less the same of the tram line but not the walk in Nussdorf so if that underpass situation is different please tell me. To be continued. notamermaid

Just a brief note on Kaub gauge. It has risen to 146cm so this takes us well away from low water. Looking really good. The temperatures are going down and you will see the first fogs over the valley in the mornings. Dramatic photo ops, drawback is it can be so bad that you cannot see the castles at all. notamermaid

I must remember to get ready early soon in the mornings (I am a late riser) and pop down to the riverbank. I have been told that the first mist was already good. It is fun to see more or less nothing and you hear that chugging engine noise. Spooky indeed - and then the ship appears out of the mists. The castles surrounded by fog just about visible are fun, too. I am sure it works on the Danube as well even although it is of course to a lesser extent as the castles are fewer in number. There is a warning for heavy rain over much of Bavaria, it is finally breaking the summer's grip I think. It will be back to socks and jackets, especially for those early morning excursions... notamermaid

The Czech authorities let some additional water through so the level at Dresden briefly went to 93cm. It is now at 70cm. Rain is forecast for tomorrow and early on Monday. notamermaid

Pfelling gauge has gone down to 305cm. Tomorrow should be another warm day along the German Danube, but then autumn weather will hit us with a drop in temperatures and probably quite a bit of fog in the mornings. We have had the first proper fog on the Rhine this morning. notamermaid

The Rhine is a very busy waterway with all sorts of ships and boats sailing every day, from small to big, yacht to double barge. The age range is wide, but almost all ships were built between 1920 and 2024. Occasionally, an older one can be spotted and here is one, perhaps the oldest one to sail the Rhine at all: Currently docked at Düsseldorf is the Helena, the Netherlands' oldest still sailing Rhine ship. She is visiting the museum in its anniversary year and can be visited as part of the "Tag des offenen Denkmals". Info from the museum website: https://freunde-schifffahrtmuseum.de/ein-schwimmendes-denkmal-auf-dem-rhein/ notamermaid

That is a relatively new addition to Viking's regular ports and from what I have understood is only used to save time, that is shorten the sailing towards Cologne for the passengers and thereby lengthening the time they have in Cologne. Yes, it means that the ships stops at Zons at 8am, the passengers get off and onto the coach that will take them to the city. That procedure appears to be scheduled to take an hour. The ship sails on without the passengers (unless they opt to stay on board) to Cologne and then just docks there until 11pm. Using this procedure several times means they maximise times in ports and better manage the time frame for excursions. The ship has to cover a lot of miles in 14 days... notamermaid