River Cruising Water Cooler

[Canal archive]

On a large Scout campsite I service teamed at we used the site tractor to tow bogged down vehicles off a particularly muddy fields, the only time I’ve driven a tractor in anger but sadly not one of those huge great beasts. 

[CPT Trips]

On 2/26/2024 at 10:41 AM, Canal archive said:

Brussels protesting farmers are bombarding the police with rotten eggs and poo slurry. Puts a new slant on term dirty tricks !

Did they use one of things manure spreader gizmos that GIs in Germany called Schitzenschipzers? 😉

[notamermaid]

Now that is an image that I will not be able to ban easily from my mind. Grin. Never heard that word, sounds like a slightly misheard thing that made its way into the lingo. Leave it in the streets for a while and wait for Brussels (to) sprout(s).

 

Okay, just to get away from that for a minute, the ITB is happening again, if you are interested: https://www.itb.com/en/

 

Also, new announcements by river cruise companies coming in almost every day. New solo cruises, waivers, special offers, new itineraries, ship christenings coming up. Difficult to keep up posting them. Really some interesting stuff on offer for this year and next.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[pontac]

On 2/22/2024 at 7:45 PM, notamermaid said:

It is nice to be at the Seine, perhaps a boat trip may be good.

 

An evening dinner cruise on a Bateaux Mouche  ( bateaux-mouches.fr ) is the only thing I remember well about our only trip to Paris long ago. Good meal and the boat has arc lights both side that illuminate the banks as it passes along the Seine

[Coral]

5 minutes ago, pontac said:

 

An evening dinner cruise on a Bateaux Mouche  ( bateaux-mouches.fr ) is the only thing I remember well about our only trip to Paris long ago. Good meal and the boat has arc lights both side that illuminate the banks as it passes along the Seine

Thanks. I will look it up!

[Canal archive]

CPT now that would be worth seeing, I wish.

[franski]

On 2/23/2024 at 10:10 AM, CPT Trips said:

We really enjoyed the Musee d’Orsay. Beautiful art in an interesting setting, a converted railroad station. Also Monet’s Water Lilies at Musee de l’Orangerie pairs nicely with Giverney. 
 

I second the suggestion about the Orangerie...  Giverney is magical - but then you can go to the Orangerie and see Monet's canvasses of the Water Lilies.  I had no appreciation of impressionist art until I saw the Water Lilies.

 

Fran

[Canal archive]

Now you just have to decide which of his WaterLilies about 250 different paintings you prefer, he outdid Van Gough and his Sun Flowers many times over. It could of course be something to do with trying to achieve perfection. Some of his Water Lily canvases are huge.

[Canal archive]

Thought I would let you all know ‘we have snow! woke up to a mini white out, slowly dripping now one guy clearing his driveway. Just a little unusual for Wiltshire but I’m not going out to build a snowman although my grandson has decided I should much to the enjoyment of my daughters and son in laws.

 

[Nippy Sweetie]

I remember being so pleased when my daughter told me that she'd burst into tears on seeing Monet's water lilies at L'Orangerie. Before that she'd not been interested in art at all. 

Edited March 2 by Nippy Sweetie

[Canal archive]

Ohh it can get you when you least expect it. Just go to see The Gurnica.

[CPT Trips]

5 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Now you just have to decide which of his WaterLilies about 250 different paintings you prefer, he outdid Van Gough and his Sun Flowers many times over. It could of course be something to do with trying to achieve perfection. Some of his Water Lily canvases are huge.

For those who aren’t aware, the ones at l’Orangerie are in the huge category. 

[Daisi]

6 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Thought I would let you all know ‘we have snow! woke up to a mini white out, slowly dripping now one guy clearing his driveway. Just a little unusual for Wiltshire but I’m not going out to build a snowman although my grandson has decided I should much to the enjoyment of my daughters and son in laws.

 

 

 

Nice... those of us in "the great white North" are looking at green (well, it's starting to go green again) grass, and watching the ducks playing in the creek. Very unusual to see the grass so early, it's going to be hard for the Sugar Bushes to have taffy on the snow with no snow!

 

[notamermaid]

It is a bit colder here today, you can feel the little chill on the wind, but overall it is sunny and mild. Spring started meteorologically yesterday and the small varieties of narcissus are blooming in sheltered places in gardens.

 

I live in a warm area of Germany of course so bloom is a little earlier than in the high hills, or the North.

 

I have reduced hours at work, using up holiday from last year. A quiet time for tourism, it will get busier for me in two weeks time. And river cruising starts again then as well on a larger scale.

 

Must admit that while the water lilies are nice I prefer other impressionist paintings and painters. Had a great time in Paris with my art class, really would not mind seeing the paintings again in a kind of "dash in, see 'em, dash out of Paris again quickly" fashion. I have been told that Giverny is interesting but so full that one cannot properly appreciate it. And if that person says something like that to me then I know I would not like it.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Go to Giverny first thing in the morning it’s worth getting up early for. When we left the queue at the entrance was huge. The photo of the bridge with no one on it was the bonus.

Edited March 2 by Canal archive

[franski]

32 minutes ago, Canal archive said:

Go to Giverny first thing in the morning it’s worth getting up early for. When we left the queue at the entrance was huge. The photo of the bridge with no one on it was the bonus.

Completely agree... We were there early - and I also have a shot of the Japanese bridge with no one on it!!

 

Fran

[CPT Trips]

16 minutes ago, franski said:

Completely agree... We were there early - and I also have a shot of the Japanese bridge with no one on it!!

 

Fran

Is that really the name of the bridge? 😉 I thought maybe it was called that because of all the tourists with selfie sticks and posing. 😎🤦🏻‍♂️

[franski]

2 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

Is that really the name of the bridge? 😉 I thought maybe it was called that because of all the tourists with selfie sticks and posing. 😎🤦🏻‍♂️

HaHa...   Yes - it is identified as the Japanese foot bridge - that Money constructed.

 

Fran

[CPT Trips]

Those that appreciate Impressionism might want to make a trip to Philly this summer. 
https://press.philamuseum.org/mary-cassatt-at-work/#:~:text=Mary Cassatt at Work opens,by a fully illustrated catalogue.

 

In addition they have a good collection of other impressionists. 
https://philamuseum.org/collection/curated/impressionism

If that doesn’t provide your fill of Impressionism, try

 https://collection.barnesfoundation.org 

 

 

Edited March 2 by CPT Trips

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Must admit that while the water lilies are nice I prefer other impressionist paintings and painters. Had a great time in Paris with my art class, really would not mind seeing the paintings again in a kind of "dash in, see 'em, dash out of Paris again quickly" fashion. I have been told that Giverny is interesting but so full that one cannot properly appreciate it. And if that person says something like that to me then I know I would not like it.

 

Monet was not my favorite Impressionist artist (vs Renoir's nudes and Van Gogh's exuberance), until we visited l'Orangerie!  The monumental size of those canvasses, in a circle surrounding you, is truly impressive.

 

As to Giverny, the trick is to be on a river cruise that has early access just before the gates open to the public.  If you rush through to the water garden, you have it to yourself for a few minutes.

[Canal archive]

 

I love this photo and count it as one of my favourites, so worth the early rise. I think it shows just why he painted it so many times, I just wish I had one iota of his talent.

[pontac]

Another day, another invitation to cruise at a deeply discounted price.

 

We've already booked an extra cruise this year because we had a flyer from Scenic. Then in the past month there was a Uniworld cruise I really wanted to go on across the Venice lagoons discounted by 50% and just now I've received an email from Viking with the offer of a deeply discounted Danube cruise.

 

Since we're now repeating routes I'm wondering if we should wait till 2025 to book discounted cruises.

 

We booked our two Viking cruises long ago last year and got the dates Mrs P wanted but apart from the Venice cruise I don't think I'm bothered enough to ensure a place by booking early.

 

But it's a bit risky - there might not be discounts next year.

[ural guy]

Received a Viking mailer, the Grand Europe 14 night cruise, with airfare, June 24, is $4,000 USD p/p.  That's what we paid for the same cruise with airfare on our first river cruise back in 2014.  They were also doubling the returning cruiser credit.  Now that all the Covid vouchers have been used, the demand will fall?

[notamermaid]

Yesterday I was in the hilly region of the Westerwald in the North of my state. While I was sitting in a café far away from any river cruise and even a navigable river I thought that it is a shame that so many little known places you will likely never be offered to see during an excursion. And then I remembered something I read about A-Rosa. I will post this in the thread about the popularity of river cruising but here are more details about this. This is the original news article I saw: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tour-operators/a-rosa-adds-50-extra-excursions-to-2024-programme

Not many details, but "Idar-Oberstein" caught my eye, so I checked A-Rosa: https://www.arosa-*****/fileadmin/media/presse/PM/2024/KW09/A-ROSA_PR_New_Excursions_26.02.2024.pdf

And there is the info: "Alternatively, there is a new group excursion from Trier to the historic gemstone city of Idar-Oberstein and the possibility to marvel at over 100 historic airplanes from aviation history in a nearby museum after."

Idar-Oberstein is literally a gem town, you will find the gem stone museum there: https://www.edelsteinland.de/en/sightseeing/all-sights-and-attractions/jewellery-and-gemstone-town-of-idar-oberstein-kopie.html

But that place of aviation history?? I found it, it is a private museum and what a place it is. You can find it in nearby Hermeskeil. This is the website with video: https://www.flugausstellung.de/

They have a "Tante Ju" and a replica of the Concorde, among many other historic objects. I really like that A-Rosa has been adding these rarer places. Probably sheer coincidence that we had a conversation here on CC about Idar-Oberstein a couple of years ago discussing it as a possible excursion...

 

The Palace of Gödöllö in Hungary by the way was offered as an excursion on my river cruise in 2013 (another German company). I am surprised this has so far not been part of the A-Rosa portfolio.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

Surfers enjoy a five-star Severn Bore https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-68543486
 

This happens yearly on the river Severn and evidently it also happens in Bordeaux has anyone ever seen it?

 

Bit of a surprise passing a river boat!