Transiting the Kiel Canal, Germany

Transiting the Kiel Canal, Germany: We had a nice night as the sea calmed and we slept-in late because we didn't have a tour bus to catch at 8 a.m. Yeah! We will spend the day onboard enjoying the green German countryside as we pass through the canal from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea. The weather has not improved. The sky is dark and there is a misty haze welcoming the Regatta to Deutschland.

 From the back of the Regatta - entering the canal,
 with the North Sea in the background

The Kiel Canal starts at the mouth of the Elbe River and crossed 61 miles to Kiel, Germany on the Baltic Sea. The canal is 335 feet wide and is 37 feet deep. Constructed in 1887, the canal shortened the distance between the North and Baltic seas by over 200 miles and eliminated the difficult passage around Jutland. It was internationalized by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. It will take around 10 hours to transit the canal today.

 Entering the lock


 A view of the lock mechanism

There is such a slight difference between the levels of the two seas, due only to tides, that there are only locks at either ends of the canal!  38,000 vessels cross the canal each year. When we entered the canal, about a dozen small sail boats came in and tied up to pass through the lock with the Regatta.

 The lock closes in front of the Regatta


 Sailboats line up next to the Regatta to transfer the locks with her.
 A cargo ship was crossing in the opposite direction.

By the time we had passed through the lock and DT had finished his run, it was 11:30 am. This meant we had not eaten for more than twelve hours and on a cruise ship, that is virtually unheard of and I thought they would be sending someone to our room to see if we were still alive. Last night, Dagmar had invited us to the dining room for the brunch as her fiancé is the head pastry chef and he was busy preparing an extra-special selection for the brunch - and she would be hostessing. (Well, anyway, we think this what Dagmar said through her thick accent.)

Dagmar was there to greet us and was so happy to see us, she gave us a cozy table für zwei in front of a huge window. The pastries were too pretty to eat, but I did not want to offend Dagmar's unseen fiancé, and devoured an almond roll. My respect for the girl increased - I would marry him too.

 Ice sculpture - for some odd reason a
 Indian Chief's head - greets brunch diners

The brunch is not a buffet, is was served. I had a bowl of berries - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and black berries - and a smoked salmon omelet. DT had a plate of fish - lox, pickled herring, etc., and eggs. As we dined, the busy activity around the lock slowly turned to pretty countryside.

There are bike paths and a little dirt road along both sides of the canal. In spite of the weather, the Germans are camping, hiking and riding their bikes. The farmland is rich and green and the cows are big and fat! Many sail boats, and other pleasure craft, are transiting the canal and we are having a good time recognizing the flags they are flying.

Everyone waves to us - except the French. Every few moments a barge passes, sailing in the opposite direction. (People are saying how pretty this canal is compared to the Panama Canal.) We have passed under a few bridges and have seen many ferry-crossing points. We have also noticed a few very cool German motor homes!

 Typical Kiel Canal view


 RV Park

Added later: We are really relaxing and exploring the ship a bit. Most of the time, we are glued to the passing countryside and the friendly Germans waving to us on our balcony. At the first town we came to - around noon - the entire clientele of a restaurant flooded out the front door to stand outside and greet the Regatta. As we came to the center of town, there was a sign reading "Ship Greeting Point" and over 100 people were there, waving, and the national anthem of Germany was blasting from speakers. Our Captain blew the horn three times in response.

 Welcome to Germany


 A car ferry suspended under the (train) bridge

At four o'clock we went to the Horizon Lounge for Tea. It is a proper tea, Shirley, with proper scones and clotted cream, tea sandwiches and a selection of sweets. We were served by waiters in white jackets and gloves. The perfect little snack to tide us over until dinner! I swear, this ship is going to start listing to the port side soon... and this is only the fourth day of the cruise!

 Tea sandwiches


 More tea sandwiches

Around 7 pm, we entered the lock at the eastern side of the canal at Kiel, Germany. Business was slow and we passed through with only two little sailboats.

 
 Leaving the canal in Kiel, Germany

Tonight, we dined at a romantic table for two in the Grand Dining Room. I had a lovely carrot and morel mushroom aspic and then a salad with endive and blue cheese. My entree was lamb chops with a breading crust. Divine. DT tried the salmon tartar and the same endive salad. He enjoyed the quail as his entree. The food, presentation, and service on board the Regatta is suburb and unlike any we have ever experienced on any cruise line we have traveled.

After dinner, we went to the lounge for a nightcap. Everyone else went to the show in the Horizon lounge. Since we were the only customers, our Filipino waiter caught us up on the latest news from Manila and we re-lived our past. We also learned about the workings of a huge ship with workers from eighty different countries. A very interesting conversation, of course!

Tomorrow we must rise very early to catch our tour bus into Berlin. Expect a very long report tomorrow! I have found the expensive internet connection provided by the ship to be most unreliable and have sent most of my photos and reports over with my cell phone - at 99 cents per minute. Enjoy every word, Dear Reader, and linger over the photographs. Tonight, as we returned to our room and opened our balcony door we were greeted by a long row of ships at sea and the setting sun - at 10:30 pm. There are ships everywhere in the Baltic! The sea is quite calm, the sky is quite black and we will sleep like babies for the short while until we must rise again and head into Berlin.