Goldy Locks and the Four Wayfarers

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Our river boat will pass through 68 locks during our cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. We will travel from the Rhine River to the Main River, through the Main-Danube Canal and finally along the Danube River to Budapest.

Ever been through a lock? Let me show you how it works.

A lock is used when there is a change in the altitude of a river. In nature, a change in river height is solved by a waterfall or rapids, but that doesn't work for the big boats. Locks allow boats to smoothly step up to a higher water level or step down to a lower one.

The 68 locks in our river passage are both a fascination for us and a recurring theme in our days and nights.

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Photos

L-R: Martha, Phil, Gabrielle and Ron
The travelling foursome enjoying a beer break in Bavaria. Note that each type of beer comes in its own style glass.

Encountering a lock
There's a long, narrow, walled channel which the boat enters.

Lock supervision/control
There's usually a tall structure at the lock, which we assume has to do with a lock-keeper.

No room for error!
The locks are 12 meters wide (39.4ft) and the river boats are barely less than that.

Bumpers
Black streaks on the lock walls come from the small protective rubber bumpers on the sides of the boats.

Tied in place
A boathand ties the boat to the lock wall so the boat won't slip backward or foreward while the lock water level changes.

Lock fills with water
As we're going upriver, we need a higher water level, so the lock fills up, raising our boat to the height of the river ahead.

Equilibrium reached
You can see that the water level inside our lock is now the same height as the water upriver behind the golden lock gates.

Open Sesame
The golden gates begin to swing open in front of us.

Rite (right) of passage
We can now continue our journey upriver.

Not the whole story
Despite our focus on the lock, it is across only part of the river.

Special passageway
Between the main river and our lock, there is a fish ladder allowing fish to travel despite the lock and the dam.

Approaching another lock
Any guess whether it's on the left or the right?

Comments

[Chris Macgeorge]

Guess
We guess it’s on the right? Very interesting Martha!

[Martha Van Mollison]

Good guess
You're correct. BTW, how are things with you and with the Navitas classes?

[Eliza]

Love
I love you two!!!!!

[The other Martha]

These lock photos make me think of moving through the stages and phases of life - you need lots of support along the way with logistics and bumpers help! Thanks for bringing us along for the ride.