River Cruising Water Cooler

[ural guy]

Thanks Canal Archive and JP.  To bring it back to cruising, the Viking Hilgrim was chugging upstream this morning.

 

[notamermaid]

Interesting, the Viking Hilgrim looks just like the other Viking ships but kind of cut off at the back, I guess because the ships have to be so short. A bit weird but cute.

 

@ural guy Hope the scenery and the lovely people make up for your discomfort somewhat. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

notamermaid

 

[ural guy]

Notamermaid, yes, these appear to be the 'runt of the litter'.  The locks on the Douro are 85 meters long.

 

Second thing, river cruise ships don't go that fast, especially upstream.  The roads that follow the river are so curvy, filled with hairpin turns and narrow, that the Viking ship actually passed us in a twenty minute span.  It had been behind us, both traveling upstream, and I figured I wouldn't get a picture...and then there it is again.  If you want to drive this region and a passenger tends to get motion sickness, dramamine and maybe a different route. 

 

Here is the second ship we saw, the Douro Serenity.  The lighting isn't doing her any favors, but not real attractive, IMHO.  Vantage charters her, maybe others do as well.

 

 

 

The Quinta we are now staying at is from 1722, and has its own chapel attached.  Nice they've been able to save so many of these old buildings, and that you can stay in them.  Beautiful wood and stonework throughout, we're told the dark altar wood is from Brazil.

 

 

 

 

My knee, thanks for the sympathy, the braces help a lot, it's just the uneven steps that get me.  My wife already sets a....slower....pace, so good there.  🥰  Just keep ole' girl off too many hills, caffeinated and with some bench breaks, and she can go forever.  A herd of turtles does not go fast, but they do get there.

 

[Canal archive]

My sympathies are all with you both. I didn’t think there could be a more unattractive bow than those on Viking but I’m pretty sure you’ve found one. The Portuguese are a warm friendly nation with some amazing history. Have you seen any old red English telephone boxes yet?

[Second seating]

We are about to book the Uniworld France Cruise from Arles to Lyon April 2024, this itinerary looks very interesting.  This is combined with a Cooking vacation for me.  No river cruise this year a Windstar starting in Bordeaux and December trip to the Netherlands and Belgium!

Second seating

[Canal archive]

You’ll go under the rising bridge, interesting. Lyon have you been to the Paul Bacous institute if not it’s well worth a visit and Arles is interesting it’s a great cruise we’ve done it twice.

[Second seating]

1 hour ago, Canal archive said:

You’ll go under the rising bridge, interesting. Lyon have you been to the Paul Bacous institute if not it’s well worth a visit and Arles is interesting it’s a great cruise we’ve done it twice.

The Bacous Int. looks great but the amateur courses are 3 weeks!  We will spend most of our time pre cruise in Marseille, I look forward to seeing the bridge.

 

Second seating

[Canal archive]

Our first South of France on Scenic we had I suppose a taster about 10 of us had a tour and a demonstration plus taster in one of their lecture theatres. Quite an eye opener I hadn’t realised how many famous chefs had taken at least some training there and reciprocated by doing training sessions themselves.

[CPT Trips]

Here’s a potential stop for family cruises with kids. Neiderrhein near the border with Netherlands, a never commissioned nuclear power plant. 
 

https://jalopnik.com/this-german-amusement-park-is-inside-a-nuclear-power-pl-1845349306?utm_campaign=mb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew

 

And a special event for the scooter crowd . . . https://scooternova.com/2023/01/30/scooternova-in-wunderland-2023/

[Canal archive]

From a museum in Scotland blinged more than mine was but those were the days, mini skirts and kinky boots. Sadly the doyen of the look, Mary Quant has just passed away.

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

@CPT Trips Have never heard of this leisure park, but I know the infamous Kalkar nuclear power station from my youth (the news and the protests). This is the website: https://www.wunderlandkalkar.eu/en/themepark

Nearest river cruise port looks to be Emmerich, which is the last one in Germany before the border.

 

I was sad to hear of Mary Quant's passing. Her heyday was before my forming years, but she was so influential, I certainly still felt her presence in the 80ies when I was first in England, although fashion had moved on. I mean a certain vibe remained. Some people just sort of are still somehow there a bit in the background as what comes after has evolved from what for example she brought to London.

 

Busy weekend, tourists out and about. Feel the tiredness coming.

 

Have a good night and a good week everyone.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

My, it has been silent around the water cooler this week. Been busy with work and all sorts of things myself. Farewell do (retirement) for a fellow employee, kind of weird feeling that. Weather has been up and down, Rhine levels fine, lots happening on this "motorway" of rivers. Blocked ferry, fire, mild collision, the lot. Not involving river cruise ships. But from the Moselle comes the unusual news of an altercation between crew members on board a river cruise ship sailing from Saarburg to Bernkastel-Kues. In the lock at Trier the police had to intervene and the captain was found to be slightly drunk. After all was settled (including a fine of course) the ship could continue on its journey with a different crew member steering the ship. Name of ship not disclosed in the police report (as is standard).

 

River cruising and traffic on the Rhine actually came up as a topic at the farewell party which reminds me that I wanted to post about my trip to Linz and the ferry crossing. The boat in Brohl harbour that I said farewell to on Good Friday was the "Carmen Sylva", an excursion boat that had had her home in Neuwied. A interesting and sad story with new developments since that day.

 

Have a nice Sunday and a good week everyone.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[notamermaid]

Call me weird, but it is due to the fact that I grew up at a time when the internet was little more than an experimental thing of some nerds and setting foot into Australia was an exotic thought among most Germans, that I post the following. I have learnt of the sad passing of Barry Humphries. He was the first Australian voice, together with the actors in "Neighbours", that I heard. It was in the 80's in England when I went there as a tourist and later to live. Dame Edna Average is part of my memories that I have retained from good times. Odd, I know. And although I have met people from all walks of live (including nobility) and many countries around the world I have yet to meet a "proper" Australian. Anyway, when I heard that he has left us it came back to me from a Christmas special (I think): "betta getta poinsietta!" So outrageous, so brilliant this man... And his death was even announced in the German mainstream news, he enjoyed a good following in Germany with apparently some great shows in my country over the years. The broadcaster ZDF says (in my translation):  "For Australia his death is as much a loss as for Germany when Loriot died." Germans know what that comparison means. And although both  were very different men (and created very different characters) I very much agree.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by notamermaid

[Canal archive]

Notamermaid if you ever get the chance cruise with Scenic, every cruise we’ve been on Australians have been well in the majority. Super company wonderful sense of humour BH usually came up in conversation funny, funny man in all of his guises. A sad loss to comedy.

[Wings55]

14 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Notamermaid if you ever get the chance cruise with Scenic, every cruise we’ve been on Australians have been well in the majority. Super company wonderful sense of humour BH usually came up in conversation funny, funny man in all of his guises. A sad loss to comedy.

Jane and I have been on only one Scenic cruise, but I agree with @Canal archive that the Aussies were marvelous travel companions. Warm, engaging, entertaining.. just downright fun! Our fellow passengers were one of the big reasons we were so taken with Scenic. 

Paul

[Lois R]

Aussie's are some of the nicest people I have met on any of my cruises, ocean or river.

 

 

[notamermaid]

Thanks people, gives me feelings of happy anticipation of the small chance that I will meet someone Australian some time. River cruise - would be nice to be on an international one. I have had my eyes on a couple of Riviera Travel itineraries, you know, I like to be among the English. While my river cruise was German we nevertheless had quite a few Scandinavians on board and also one Russian couple. The Danish couple was very nice.

 

You know that famous film "Crocodile Dundee"? Yes, I have watched it - twice. But the first time was in German, we dub almost all films that are in English. So no Aussie voices for me on that first occasion either.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

The first time we went California the film Crocodile Dundee had just been released and quite a few people thought my DH was Australian, now he didn’t have a particular accent then but now has a slight Wiltshire one which could at a push seem to have a slight Aussie twang. Still it was a conversation starter. We’ve met everyone from travel company executives to cherry growers and water buffalo farmers all Australian all super fun especially on a bus remembering past English comedy programmes and comedians, crying with laughter is true.

[notamermaid]

Water buffalo farmer - I would like to talk to such a man, quite unusual. What was special about Loriot (his pseudonym, real name Vicco von Bülow) was that he was a cartoonist, so his fun characters were often cartoons and short clips. Legendary is his "discovery" of the stone louse (zoological name Pethrophaga lorioti). I used to love watching his cartoon dog "Wum" and elephant "Wendelin" on telly. His humor is mostly quiet, witty and often with the nuances of German language that very often do not translate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loriot

 

notamermaid

 

[ural guy]

Back from Portugal last Tuesday, off to Germany in two weeks.

 

Going to try out a new airline out of Newburgh, NY (Stewart, where Norweigan flew out of), this is about an hour? out of the big scary city (my name for NYC).  We live 4 hours north of Newburgh, 300 miles from NYC...yet still in NY state.  Super easy drive for us.

 

Trip grew from me finding cheap airfare, to a big last minute plan.  I'm going with 3 adult daughters, 33/30/24...haven't been overseas with just my girls since Ireland in 2015, so huge for my old self.  Oldest didn't get Germany for her next duty station, but San Antonio TX.  She now gets 11 nights there.  And spouse gets to play grandma with all her quilting buds.  

 

3N Berlin, pick up rental car and head to Saxon Switzwerland on the Czech border for 3N, 1N in Halle, 3N on north edge of Harz Mountains, 1N Potsdam prior to return flight.  Wanted to stay in the former East Germany, and the mountain areas are good for the girls to go wander and climb and tucker themselves out.  In Bad Schandau, rented a house on Elbe river, with bike trail in front.  

 

Girls have been to Germany previously.  The middle has been in Berlin before, me too, but I got to visit East Berlin, and take the duty train in from Frankfurt, at night, during another lifetime.  I'm thinking it's changed a bit in the past 37 years?  I hear they are on the Euro now.  Cool, cool, cool.

 

 

Green dots show overnight stays.  Thanks for reading, again not a river cruise, but kayaks and canoes will be involved at some point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2023 by ural guy

[Canal archive]

Ural guy brave man Three daughters, my husband has a t-shirt and on it is written - You can’t scare me I have two daughters - this has caused more comments than any other shirt with logos and he’s got lots, especially from the Aussies. No surprise it was a gift from you’ve guessed it his daughters, dads and their daughters what can you say!

 

Were you there when the wall came down my John was as he says amazing times.

Edited April 27, 2023 by Canal archive

[notamermaid]

Quedlinburg! Bad Schandau! I am envious, I admit. Brave dad, going with three daughters. I am sure you will have lots of fun.

2 hours ago, ural guy said:

kayaks and canoes will be involved at some point.

Add an excursion boat on the Spree if you have time. A different perspective on Berlin from the river. I hear Spandau is great for a stroll around the harbour (you may even see a CroisiEurope river cruise ship if it happens to dock at that time).

 

Have a great trip.

 

notamermaid

 

[CPT Trips]

Ah Berlin, great memories of my three years there back in the 1970s with the Army. If you have any interest in the-post war/pre-unification history of Berlin, consider a stop at https://www.alliiertenmuseum.de/en/. It’s in the former Army movie theater and the housing area for US military. 
 

 

[ural guy]

Thanks all, the boat ride on the Spree, that does look nice.

 

Negative on being there for the wall coming down, we left in October of 1989 and just missed it.

 

Daughters, no worries, we made it a year alone when Mom was in Korea.  Ice cream and bad hearing get you through quite a bit.

 

Last overseas trip together:

 

 

[Canal archive]

Ahhhhhh the old - did you say something? - What was that? - trick now where have I heard that before hmmmmmmmm.