After a busy first day in Amsterdam, today we enjoyed the tranquil passage of the Kiel Canal through northern Germany. Originally opened in 1895, it took 9,000 workers eight years to build. Being the world’s busiest artificial waterway, we were due for some interesting ship watching. Of course, we would also enjoy some bird watching, and begin our set of presentations by our staff.
Around breakfast time we left the North Sea and entered the River Elbe. From here, we entered the canal itself, and began the transit of 61 miles. We were able to go into the smaller lock, saving quite a bit of time as there were many larger container ships and bulk carriers that were lined up to use the bigger lock. Throughout the day, we continued on, sailing under numerous large bridges and passing everything from a kayak, to a sailboat, to massive container ships.
Being springtime, courting birds were in evidence all day long. Birdsong filled the air as we enjoyed pleasant weather on deck. Ducks and geese lined the shore, along with gray herons and sandpipers. People-watching was also exciting, as numerous people were enjoying this lovely Sunday. Biking, strolling, and fishing were especially popular today.
And of course, we began to get a better understanding of what this journey will entail. We started off with the history of the Hanseatic League, which will be a recurring theme of this voyage. We then had a photo introduction which led to hands-on breakout sessions, in order to prepare us for the thousands of images we are expecting to take.
We finished with a presentation by our Global Perspectives guest speaker, Trivimi Velliste, on the Baltic States, especially Estonia and the singing revolution.
During dinner, we exited the canal and entered the Baltic Sea, our “home” for the next two weeks. A “ballet” of swans was awaiting us as we continued on towards Lübeck.
