At Sea… Cruising the Kiel Canal

Between Brunsüuttel and Kiel, Germany, the remarkable 61-mile Kiel Canal links the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. This canal slices through a scenic canvas of farmland and small villages. This is a side of Germany seldom seen by travelers, as only smaller cruise ships can navigate the canal.

Unfortunately, an accident occurred at the entrance of canal. Only two weeks after a reserve gate had been inserted into the southern lock of the Kiel Canal in Kiel-Holtenau, subsequent to a collision in February, the multi-purpose carrier BF Timaru could not stop in time when entering the lock after an eastbound canal transit. She hit the gate with its bow. The gate was dented above the water line, which forced all canal traffic to use one lock at this location.

This prevented us from traversing the entire distance during the daylight hours. But, I have been told that you can admire many shades of green reaching south into the rural province of Holstein. Also, there is a patchwork of farmland that stretches north into Southern Schleswig and farther into Denmark and the Jutland Peninsula. We were able to pass under the century-old Rendsburg High Bridge at the town of Rendsburg. It rises 134 feet over the water from land and is heralded as the longest railway bridge in Europe.

That said, we had an enjoyable day at sea. I was able to take advantage of the gym and fantastic spa amenities here on the Viking Sea.

In the evening, I sat out on my stateroom balcony and enjoyed the smooth cruising of the canal. Charming villages were lit and small docks were visible. The traffic we passed was entertaining as well.

The best part of the evening viewing was seeing a fantastic thunderstorm slowly roll toward the canal and eventually envelope us in the soothing sounds of rain.

We have been delayed a bit, but because of this we will have some time in the small German seaside town of Warnemünde. Stay tuned for my new adventure in this fishing town / holiday village.

Until next time,

Your Polite Adventuress,

Kari