River Cruising Water Cooler

[Canal archive]

Goodwoods absolute fun but you need more than one pair of eyes. My next door neighbour took his TVR to a meet by the seaside yesterday and my brother in law caused twitching curtains last week by turning up in his Mustang I’ve not got behind the wheel yet!

[Daisi]

Would love to go to Goodwoods some day as well, we have traveled a lot for classic cars. @Host Jazzbeau, have you ever gone to Hershey for their show? Not a concours, but you can get there early enough to actually see the cars driving in. We had a friend who had a Stanley, and he would drive it around the neighbourhood where he lived and would let the kids enjoy a ride. 

[notamermaid]

I am not that much of a car person but those events we call "Oldtimer Rallye" are such fun. It is particularly good when the really old cars mix with the old-ish ones from the Sixties and Seventies. I always enjoy the designs, especially the Triumphs. Did you know that a German-Jewish immigrant founded Triumph? And then he got another German on board. Never knew that. Eyeyeh, ze Germans you cannot get away from them... 

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

On one of our cruises we visited Hockenheim, fantastic day - open track day for the motorbike boys and it drizzled (what fun) round the museum there and then our coach driver found a corner just off the normal track where the boys were ‘drifting’ so on we got and off we went, late back to the boat but certainly well worth it.

[CPT Trips]

I was able to attend a couple races on the Avus circuit in the early 70s while in Berlin. It was a unique course that usually was part of an “expressway.” There were two parallel straights, roughly 4 km, connected by hairpins. 
Race weekends messed up traffic. 

[CPT Trips]

@notamermaid (and anyone else with DB experience)

My bother-in-law is looking to travel, by train, from Munich to Hamburg in mid-December. Any thoughts on how far in advance to purchase tickets. 
Thanks

[notamermaid]

5 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

Any thoughts on how far in advance to purchase tickets. 

Several weeks in advance will get you a good deal. Called "Spar-Ticket". But you may not be so flexible as regards which trains at what time of day are available. You should be able to book such a ticket six months in advance, that is when the date opens up but you do not have to book then. But there is also the 49-Euro-Ticket now that I recommend checking out. I am not sure how well it would work for him on long distance travel. It has been a while since I last used a train, so I hope travellers with more recent experience will chime in.

 

notamermaid

 

[gnome12]

What I remember from the €49 ticket is that it is only valid on regional trains, not on ICE trains. You might get a lower price than that on a high-speed train, but it won’t be as flexible. 
 

The DB website is very easy to navigate in English. I picked a date in mid-July (it helps to match day of the week you wish to travel) and saw ICE trains from €29.90. From Munich hauptbahnhof (central station) trains are direct; from the airport you change at central station. I looked at a number of departures; almost all are less than €49 so that ticket is unnecessary. 

[CPT Trips]

Thank you both. 

[gnome12]

8 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

Any thoughts on how far in advance to purchase tickets. 

As to how far in advance, I would play around with the website and find the point at which the cheap fares occur, probably between 60 and 90 days. Then work backwards to get some idea of how long those fares last (know that the cheapest discounted fares are limited) to get an idea of when to book. Wait too long and the fares will be higher.

[notamermaid]

Yesterday was Corpus Christi - Fronleichnam. Always thought it is a weird name for a day, who puts "corpse" in such titles, although fitting? Anyway, tourists are out and about a bit more, meaning the type of tourist shifts a little as the German "long-weekenders" are having a great time. Again, the Thursday being a public holiday, people take the Friday off and have four full days of fun. I sometimes wonder how we keep the economy going.😉

 

I am also a bit more busy for that reason - the tourists - and not looking forward to this heatwave that has just started and will get us over 30 Celsius for the first time this year. Fan is now operating in my office space. Hope the computer appreciates it as much as me, he (German grammar dictates it is male and this girl thinks it must be true) has not said so yet...

 

Rivers are loosing water a bit more than was shown three days ago, but does not look worrying yet.

 

Have a good weekend.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Canal archive]

Agree Notamermaid we’ve just been through almost a month of four day weeks due to how the annual holidays fell and the Coronation. We also now really need some rain hopefully we won’t have the same challenges that Canada is experiencing. 

[Daisi]

We are finally into clear air and also got some rain. So nice to actually see the sun, if only for a little while as there are lots of rain clouds around. Blue sky looks sooooooo good!

 

We've also cooled down to a pleasant 18C, so can have all the windows open again to get the smell of smoke out of the house. When you go outside, you still smell a bit, but at least you don't feel the need to cough as soon as you take a breath.

[Canal archive]

So glad things are improving and your feeling better.

[notamermaid]

The forests are burning at Jüterbog in Brandenburg. It had got a bit better, has been raging for 10 days on an area of 600 hectares. It had got under control making the authorities a little optimistic but today wind apparently has reignited some ambers. Problem is that the area had been used by the military and contains remnants of ammunition. But they say there is no danger to housing in the area, it is far enough away from built-up areas.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Apparently, the Canadian Government has asked for international aid and from the EU fire fighters are to fly over to help. The US has already sent 3,000 over according to German reports. Amazing guys (and some girls).

 

notamermaid

 

[ural guy]

5 hours ago, notamermaid said:

The forests are burning at Jüterbog in Brandenburg. It had got a bit better, has been raging for 10 days on an area of 600 hectares. It had got under control making the authorities a little optimistic but today wind apparently has reignited some ambers. Problem is that the area had been used by the military and contains remnants of ammunition. But they say there is no danger to housing in the area, it is far enough away from built-up areas.

 

notamermaid

 

Hopefully fires don't start in Hartz region.  A borer beetle has been devastating some of the pines, we saw dead forests throughout the region last month.  A lot of the trees have been felled but remain on the hillsides.  A very sad scene.  The villages we stayed in and visited were nice, the coutryside looked rough.

 

We stayed 3 nights in Blankenburg, which is 10kms from Quedlinburg.  We had a 3 bedroom apartment, my room had a small balcony looking at the 16th century Rathaus.  A quieter town, half timbered homes that hadn't been given the fancy coats of paint and had all the plaster repaired yet. We were above a Bulgarian restaurant (they owned the bldg, and had migrated in 2007), where we had an amazing meal.  Very nice people, my girls gave me high praise for this lucky find. 

[notamermaid]

The beetles are a really bad problem.

 

I visited Montserrat Monastery in Spain I think the year after the terrible forest fire. Barren and austere. An amazing holiday without any lounging around on the beach. Imagine going to the Costa Brava and not doing that. Well, it was a cultural trip.

 

11 hours ago, ural guy said:

We stayed 3 nights in Blankenburg, which is 10kms from Quedlinburg. 

What a lovely experience. Did you see Quedlinburg itself? I do not recall what you said in the Elbe thread.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

@Canal archive Thought of you when I saw today's Google UK thing (what do they call that?). Celebrates scones. The German Google is barren. Pity. Should have thought of something. Scones do not exist in Germany so they cannot really do that.

 

With a bit of time on my hands later this year I will head to the hills of the Westerwald and have a "cream tea experience".

 

England holiday? Not sure yet. Looking very tentative.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

One of our family dogs the English Pointer is fixated on catching butterflies of all things it’s her beautiful stance that gets me. 
Our neighbours have just returned from their cruise on Scenic Eclipse 11 will let you know their overall opinion. Here it is - evidently he loved it especially as he was super douper upgraded but didn’t like be talked at. I can understand he is a retired British Army Colonel and he wouldn’t do it again.

 

We have ‘Ash die back’ so are loosing many of our most beautiful trees.

Edited June 10, 2023 by Canal archive

[gnome12]

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Thought of you when I saw today's Google UK thing (what do they call that?).

FYI. It is called a Google Doodle. That one is also in Canada and the US, but I’m not sure where else. (I used to be able to see a map associated with a doodle but couldn’t find it.) It is also Portugal’s national day and their doodle is a traditional Portuguese tiles. 

[Daisi]

@notamermaid, I hope your fires die out soon, the one closest to us is now under control, but it was a small one.  Yes, we are getting firefighters from all over - Australia, NZ,  Portugal, Spain, South Africa(and probably other areas in the EU) and the US. We have sent our guys and water bombers to other countries as well. The ones from South Africa are getting pretty well known here, because they like to dance. 

 

 

[Canal archive]

Google Doodles well I had to get up on the table to catch that one, never heard of it - completely passed me by. Having made a quick search maybe it’s to do with cream teas and do you spread cream or jam on the scone first. An endless argument between our western counties Devon and Cornwall.

[ural guy]

Notamermaid-  Yes, we did get to Quedlinburg, with it's many half timbered homes to ogle.  And we did find all the people enjoying their 4 day Ascension Holiday.  It was a nice atmosphere. 

 

 

 

Wernigerode was about 12kms west of us, and was another nice town to explore.

 

No idea we'd get lucky with the line dancing competition.  Nice to watch from the side with a bowl of Gulasch soup.

 

 

And this is the view from 'my' balcony.  $450 for 3 nights,  3 bedroom apartment, two of the bedrooms were 18' x 20'.  It would have been double in one of the better known towns.  We just didn't have as many bakeries, and the houses still had the duller paint colors.  Just as neat architecturally.

 

 

 

Daughters brought back loads of Haribo gummies and Ritter chocolate, all (kinda weirdo) flavors not available in states.  They were in heaven, and luggage had to be reshuffled for weight.  I was happy with the gulasch, so all good.

 

Great trip.  Hopefully Weimar and Erfurt next.

[Canal archive]

Weather fine, feet up large cool glass of Australian wine watching the Cricket Test Match Australia v India - Lyon bowling to Kohli.

Edited June 10, 2023 by Canal archive