April 2025
Following the branch’s AGM, Treasurer Ken Lowe stood in to give his presentation on his Rhine-Danube cruise that he took in 2018 on the Charles Dickens. The itinerary commenced in Cologne and cruised through to Budapest via Vienna. It was a revelation how busy these waterways are with full commercial barges, both propelled and pushed, travelling up and down this route. Leaving Rüdesheim they passed the Lorelli, a famous mythical lady to lure River users. It was interesting to see how the many locks were negotiated and how modern the hydraulics and gate operation were. At one lock their vessel was raised some 80 feet! It highlighted how important this major arterial waterway is