River Cruising Water Cooler

[notamermaid]

Glastonbury - the legend. I will probably never be in the vicinity to be able to go there. Festivals are not my thing, I would not make a special trip. I am sure it appeals to Germans though. Young folk here are very much festival goers - w, some of them. My young neighbour has been to one in Denmark and to the North of Germany. He is a rock fan. There are several music festivals here that very much draw international crowds. Rock am Ring at the Nürburgring has happened already this year. Many moons ago I went to the Loreley festival, you know, the rock festival right on top of the mountain at the (modern) amphitheatre. Great fun. There are still concerts up there sometimes.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Oohhh, I see Rick Astley has played Glastonbury. The memories, "never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down..." He looks smashing in that suit.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Bit of real rock tonight Guns & Roses

[Canal archive]

Or should I say old rock but  still cutting the mustard.

[CPT Trips]

@Daisi, @gnome12, Gearing up for Canada Day. The first day of a four day weekend here south of the border that closes with our Independence Day. And thanks for having a singable National Anthem. 

 

 

[gnome12]

@CPT Trips thanks for the clip. It was fun. I’m sure with a bit more work they could have come up with many more languages spoken by Canadians, but they would have had to go to verses that no one knows. I think there are some.

Since I no longer work I’m less aware of what happens with holidays. Since Canada Day is on a Saturday, it could be celebrated either on Friday or Monday. I think most closures here will be Monday July 3. So, for us just a 3-day weekend. For me in particular, a constant weekend. 

Edited June 25, 2023 by gnome12

[Canal archive]

Will be thinking of you whilst on our way to our Seine river cruise on Saturday, have a great weekend.

[notamermaid]

@Canal archive have a great cruise. Upon your return from the continent perhaps you may be interested in travelling to Portsmouth to see the maps: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-65959498

 

notamermaid

 

[Daisi]

@CPT Trips, great clip, hadn't seen that one yet. Not sure how much "celebrating" will be going on, we are back under a fire ban, and I hear that Gatineau (across the river from Ottawa) has banned even fireworks. We are back under heavy smoke again, and it's hot out. We need the rain, so if anyone cares to do a rain dance it would be much appreciated!

 

Have a great July 4th weekend, like Gnome12, every day is a holiday for us. 🙂

 

[Canal archive]

Notamermaid thank you so much for the tip, we will definitely go. My dad was a Navy man and I spent many of my early years in Portsmouth (Pompey) I did my early training in a Royal Navy facility. If you ever get the chance the dockyard is home to HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship and still technically the flagship of the Royal Navy, HMS Warrior the first ironclad warship in the British Fleet and the Mary Rose Henry V111s flagship the one that was raised from the Solent plus loads of other things it’s an interesting place. When you’ve done that go through the shopping centre and up the Spinnaker tower. We have several friends who still live in the area, home from home. 

[Canal archive]

Well I found this and thought of us, the great wine unwashed. If your anything like me (and I’m most probably in the minority) choosing a wine is more - ohh that’s  nice - regardless of cost, where it comes from and does it suite my ‘palate’ what! Can I drink it? In my case Merlot no way but thats a real minority thing. 
 

Cheers! Can AI help drinkers buy a better bottle of wine? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65959815

 

All, enjoy your wine on board and remember regardless of your cruise after the first sip and if you don’t like it tell the waiter and get it changed to something you enjoy, that’s what a wine is for, enjoyment.

[notamermaid]

An interesting thought, such an app. It could save you money and a few very disappointing choices. I am not a fan of wine jargon and sometimes just go "no understand, but wine taste good". But over the years I have learnt and choose relatively confidently these days.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

You may find this a strange question and please do not read too much into it but I have been wondering for some time. How come American cruisers talk so much about wanting to visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam? Who "spawns" the interest? School? Other people? Guide books of Amsterdam?

 

I honestly never knew about this place. Back in the day, I read the diary and school trips involved Berlin torture chamber or some other gruesome place but I do not recall being familiar with any interesting place like that in the Netherlands. Been to a famous site, now in Poland ((no mention of name for bots reasons)). Nuremberg is a straight forward place of course.

 

So, how do you folks know about this?

 

notamermaid

 

[sharkster77]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

You may find this a strange question and please do not read too much into it but I have been wondering for some time. How come American cruisers talk so much about wanting to visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam? Who "spawns" the interest? School? Other people? Guide books of Amsterdam?

 

I honestly never knew about this place. Back in the day, I read the diary and school trips involved Berlin torture chamber or some other gruesome place but I do not recall being familiar with any interesting place like that in the Netherlands. Been to a famous site, now in Poland ((no mention of name for bots reasons)). Nuremberg is a straight forward place of course.

 

So, how do you folks know about this?

 

notamermaid

 

The Diary of Ann Frank is a staple in US middle schools---EVERYBODY here, it seems has read it (or was supposed to have read it).

 

Similar to the Sound of Music----HUGE in the US, but Saltzburgers don't see what the fuss is.

[Host Jazzbeau]

37 minutes ago, sharkster77 said:

or was supposed to have read it

You've met my son???  🤣

[notamermaid]

40 minutes ago, sharkster77 said:

The Diary of Ann Frank is a staple in US middle schools---EVERYBODY here, it seems has read it (or was supposed to have read it).

 

Similar to the Sound of Music----HUGE in the US, but Saltzburgers don't see what the fuss is.

Thank you, that part explains it. You are already familiar with the book in the US before you reach the "age of river cruising". I guess you stumble across and pick up the House excursion option more readily then. I do not know how long this place has actually been open to the public.

 

Until nine years ago I had not heard of the musical as such - just kept wondering what on earth the fuss was all about. Sound of Music, hmm, a woman dancing about on a meadow singing??  The film was big in Germany, you know, the actual German film "Die Trapp-Familie" from 1956.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

It wasn’t required reading in our school but Anne’s story was included in the history of religion across Europe. 
 

When the sound of music was released I was earning my pocket money to afford my scooter, as an usherette in the the Odeon North End Portsmouth and had to go home after the half way intermission, to this day I have never seen the second half the first half was quite enough, thank you. 

[capriccio]

We lived in Brussels in the mid 1990s and our children attended an international school run by English nuns.  One (or maybe more) of the nuns in the order knew Miep Geis who helped hide the Frank family and 4 others and for years the middle school class (12 and 13 year olds) that read the Diary of Anne Frank had a field trip to Amsterdam and had a meeting with Ms. Geis.  At the time our daughter participated Ms, Gies she was in her mid-80s.

[notamermaid]

Never knew that it was read so much in other countries. Not sure but I when I was young it felt a bit like we were supposed to read this - you know, being German and all that - for education. Part of the curriculum. Sounds like it was already possible to go and see the house when I was at school but I do not know anybody who went there on a school trip. Would have been easy, it being just a five hour drive.

 

For history, art and language training I have been to quite a few places in Europe but the Netherlands I went to on a church youth hostel holiday.

 

notamermaid

 

[sharkster77]

35 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Thank you, that part explains it. You are already familiar with the book in the US before you reach the "age of river cruising". I guess you stumble across and pick up the House excursion option more readily then. I do not know how long this place has actually been open to the public.

 

Until nine years ago I had not heard of the musical as such - just kept wondering what on earth the fuss was all about. Sound of Music, hmm, a woman dancing about on a meadow singing??  The film was big in Germany, you know, the actual German film "Die Trapp-Familie" from 1956.

 

notamermaid

 

Upon emigrating to the US the von Trapps opened a resort/ski lodge in Stowe Vermont.  Called it the Trapp Family Lodge (dropped the "von").

 

It is still in operation today, some of the grandchildren (or great-grandchildren?) have opened a brewery that brews kolsch and other German-style beers.  My daughters stopped in last summer and bought me a sampling of their brews, along with this hat (to show their logo).

[dd57]

I went to the Anne Frank house in 1973, so it has been open at least that long.

[jpalbny]

Same here; even in my tiny little rural school in Upstate New York, the Diary of Anne Frank was required reading in English class. So it was a no-brainer for us to visit the house in Amsterdam. And it was moving for sure.

 

The Trapp Family Lodge is an easy trip from Albany. Had dinner there last year, with our friends who have a cottage near Stowe.

[Lois R]

5 hours ago, notamermaid said:

You may find this a strange question and please do not read too much into it but I have been wondering for some time. How come American cruisers talk so much about wanting to visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam? Who "spawns" the interest? School? Other people? Guide books of Amsterdam?

 

I honestly never knew about this place. Back in the day, I read the diary and school trips involved Berlin torture chamber or some other gruesome place but I do not recall being familiar with any interesting place like that in the Netherlands. Been to a famous site, now in Poland ((no mention of name for bots reasons)). Nuremberg is a straight forward place of course.

 

So, how do you folks know about this?

 

notamermaid

 

This question is very interesting and I have read the replies. There are also those of us who are of the Jewish Faith and Anne Frank was part of our upbringing.  I remember learning about her and her family's story going back to when I was a young child.  So there is more than one way that we know about her. Some kids read her Diary in regular school  and others learned about her through the Synagogue/Sunday School/Hebrew School. To be honest,  I don't remember it being required reading in middle school. Now, I am 65 so maybe my era is different than those younger than me.

[CPT Trips]

5 hours ago, notamermaid said:

I do not know how long this place has actually been open to the public.

Nor do I, but it was open in 1973 when we visited Amsterdam. 

Thinking of musical films, that are set in pre-war Europe, along with “The Sound of Music,” there is also “Cabaret.” We saw that in a Berlin Kino shortly after it was released. There were special showings of the original American version containing scenes not included in the dubbed German print normally shown. The American version was quite popular

 

I never did understand why “Two Ladies” was cut, it wasn’t any racier than many other elements of the film. The other cut scene was “Tomorrow Belongs to Me.” And it was obvious why it was cut from the German print. It’s also the answer to the trivia question,”what is the only song in the film Cabaret not sung in “The Kit Kat Club.” This scene is readily available in YouTube.

[notamermaid]

9 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

There were special showings of the original American version containing scenes not included in the dubbed German print normally shown.

I never knew there was an American version that was different. Must check that out. Sounds "sanitized". I enjoyed watching Cabaret. Fun fact, one of the German actors, Fritz Wepper, was offered a job in Hollywood after having been "discovered" in Cabaret. He declined and became a much beloved TV actor in Germany.

 

notamermaid