We really needed a drop of rain. It was forecast. It happened. Fifty millimetres, two inches in imperial measure over twenty four hours. The garden is loving it.
Romantic Rhine–Part 3–The Working River
In an earlier post, I made reference to the fact that our progress was assisted by the flow of the river. This photograph is an attempt to indicate the flow past one of the navigation markers in the river.
While the flow is in one direction, toward the sea at Rotterdam, the same cannot be said for the traffic on this busy thoroughfare. “One of the great river trade routes of the world” is the claim. A constant stream of bulk cargo is shipped from the Port of Rotterdam to the industrial centres such as Duisburg & Mannheim situated on the river. It is not uncommon to see two barges in a single stretch of the river.
This ‘double’ barge (below) passed so close to us that I could not fit the whole into one picture. The front section had just three pieces of farm machinery, while the powered portion was fully laden with cars and vans headed for sale.
This bulk carrier was obviously fully laden with cargo, so much so that there was little freeboard showing above the water line.
Many of the barges carry one or two cars. The barge captains (& family or crew) live on their ships, but when they are in port, they need to get around. So they take their cars with them. Obvious really! Imagine filling in the motor vehicle insurance form and answering the question “Where is the vehicle normally garaged?”!
In addition to freight, there are plenty of cruise operators, doing Basel to Amsterdam (as we were) or similar. This one was in a hurry and overtook us. Perhaps the skipper had a lunch date in Koblenz!
In contrast to our seven day cruise, the Köln-Dusseldorfer line operates day cruises and offers function centre facilities.
In addition to the river traffic, railway lines and roads follow the river on both banks, serving both freight and passenger needs. This ubiquitous Contiki tour coach represents the enormous coach tour presence in this part of the world.
How is it all managed? Our tour director explained that there is a well defined code for all traffic on the river. For example, some vessels are so long that they cannot be passed or overtaken on tighter bends in this relatively narrow stretch of the Rhine. These vessels are given priority, or made to wait, until other traffic s clear.
So, there are signals, not red, amber and green, but like the one below. With twenty seven possible signals from these signs, I’m glad I don’t need to learn what they mean.
I hope you have enjoyed these three posts about the Romantic Rhine as much as I have enjoyed revisiting it with the photos.
Romantic Rhine – Part 2
In Romantic Rhine – Part 1, we looked at some castles on the Rhine. In this post, we follow up with further scenes from this magnificent stretch of the river, starting from Rüdesheim, and finishing at Koblenz. Just to put some context on this journey, we left Rüdesheim after breakfast, and arrived in Koblenz in time for lunch.
Leaving Rüdesheim. This whole area is the source of some of the renowned Rhine Riesling. Many vineyards are seen on the slopes near the river.
We were informed that this hotel (above) is quite famous. It has been used by German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, to host international dignitaries.
Speaking of information, our Tour Director, Akos, remained on deck for this journey, providing us with the names of all the castles and forts. He also had gems of information about the towns and statistics about the river and its trade. All without a single note!
No bridges cross the Rhine on this stretch. In the photo above is one of the car ferries used to cross the river – a mighty feat considering the current.
Above, more vineyards overlook ancient and modern in the village as well as trade on the river. In part 3, I will share some insights into traffic on the river.
I loved the autumn colour on this old tower (which was not listed as a fort or castle!)
The famous Lorelei (German: Loreley) rock soaring 120 metres above the river at its narrowest point announces its presence. Naturally, the appropriate music was broadcast over the ship’s PA system for us. You may wish to sing along as we pass by the water spirit’s statue. Click here for the Loreley Song, sung by Jasmin Hillgruber from Lübe
Not all the towns announce their names as Braubach does (see below). I have included the photo above and the one below for good reason. Above you see “560” on the bank, and below “580”. These represent the distance from the source of the Rhine back in Switzerland (and there are such signs every 10 kilometres). With the aid of the digital camera data, I can tell you that we covered that 20 kilometres to Braubach in exactly one hour. How much of that was our engines, and how much due to the current, I cannot determine, of course.
This was almost an all time record for us. Two hundred photos in the day!
As mentioned above, in Romantic Rhine – Part 3, (and final) I will share a little about the busy traffic on the river, and how it is managed.