Week 9 Weekend in Wageningen

March 05, 2023

Week 9 Weekend in Wageningen

The Water Levels

Last Week:

https://www.waterpeilen.nl/berichten/het-blijft-droog-de-stroomgebieden-dalende-waterstanden

The high-pressure area does not budge; for the next 10 days it will continue to determine the weather in the river basins and after a dry February, March will also start very dry. The water levels in the Rhine and Meuse are therefore continuing to fall and because there is no prospect of a wetter period in the longer term, the end of the decline is not yet in sight. In the water report you can read the forecast for the water levels in the next 2 weeks.

In the section water insight an analysis of whether the current drought already says something about the Rhine discharges in the coming months. Is there a greater chance that the discharges will also be lower in the spring and summer?

This Week:

The river basins are in for special weather this week, with a lot of extra water for the rivers. The high-pressure area that dominated the weather for weeks is retreating and making way for low-pressure areas that will first bring snow and later also a lot of rain. It will be very wet, especially in southern Germany, France and the Ardennes, so that the sharply increased precipitation deficits will be made up again. It could even come to high water in the Rhine and the Meuse, where there is a good chance that the floodplains will flood.

I took this photo at the Wageningen boat club (see below) and was surprised to see the floating moorings - but, of course, it has ever changing water levels.

This is one of the flood plains referred to - the river at the horizon and dykes to the left, protecting the city.

Getting the boat ready...

Putting the doors back on

We're planning to have some sun screens on the salon windows - so Tjeerd and I made some cardboard templates

Collecting the anti-freeze when starting the motor - so that it doesn't go into the haven water - not sure if many (any?) people do this - at least it feels like the right thing to do.

Waiting to go into the crane - they do it when they have a chance.

We also began the job of washing off some of the grime. I hope to do a run to Dokkum sometime in March, so that I can get everything sorted out...my list of things to do seems only to be getting longer!

Tidying the workshop...

A Weekend Away...

Janny and I were invited to a 60th Birthday party in Wageningen - one of Janny's cousins/friends since childhood days.

Wageningen University ranks as #1 in the world in the field of Agriculture and Forestry, according to QS World University Rankings.

Less than 2 hours drive away, located on the Nederrijn (a part of the Rhine).

From Wikipedia

The oldest known settlements in the Wageningen area were located north of today's town centre.They were mentioned as early as 828. During the early Middle Ages a small church was built on the hill east of the town. Several wood farms have been found near the top of the hill. In the twelfth century people settled at what is currently the Bergstraat. Close to Hotel de Wereld a stone floor has been found dating back to this period. After the construction of a dike to protect the city from the acidic water from the moors that then occupied the Gelderse Vallei (the current Hoogstraat), the oldest part of the present city was built to the south. The parts of the city north of the Hoogstraat were built later. Wageningen received city rights in 1263. The city was protected by a city wall and a moat, and in 1526 a castle was built. The castle was dismantled during the 18th century, but the foundations of three of the towers and part of the wall remain visible today.

The people, city, and institutions of Wageningen suffered greatly during World War II. The central part of Wageningen was destroyed by artillery fire soon after the German invasion of the country in May 1940. The town is also famous for its role at the end of the war: Wageningen was the site of the surrender of Oberbefehlshaber Niederlande supreme commander Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz, to I Canadian Corps commander Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes, on 5 May 1945, officially ending the war in the Netherlands. The generals negotiated the terms of surrender in the Hotel de Wereld, near the center of the city. Now, each year on 5 May, celebrated as Liberation Day in the Netherlands, Wageningen hosts a large festival. On this occasion, veteran soldiers parade through the city and are honoured for their service, and around 120,000 people visit the pop-podia around the city.

We stayed at Hotel de Wereld (The World Hotel). It had been badly damaged in the war but the Canadian General chose it (because of the name) - to hold surrender/capitulation talks with the Germans.

The hotel plays on the historical side of things as a tourist attraction - but it was only the negotiations that were done here - the actual signing was done in a village in Germany, just over the border.

Every time we used the lift, a recorded home-coming message by the Queen played. We knew it by heart by the time we left!

In 1972, a demolition order on the hotel was agreed because of the state of disrepair, but a public outcry led to the Government giving more than 1 million guilders for it's restoration.

I finished the evening having a discussion with one of Caroline's brothers.

Ger is retired but has a very interesting hobby - German Radar installations during WWII.

This image is from a Facebook Group - there are a few other enthusiasts, apparently.

Like me, he totally distrusts Facebook, but has all his settings set to blocking everything, including friends... but, sometimes he gets queries from people, including Museums, asking him for advice or identification of parts and/or photos.

This year, he and his wife are going to the South of Spain and visiting museums for the whole trip - with the sole purpose of researching further in his field.