Here we are in the morning fog approaching the Kiel Canal.  

The Kiel canal is 61 miles long and joins the North Sea with the Baltic avoiding the need to sail around Denmark and potentially rough North Sea weather.

Lots-o-containers

There is enough traffic, they have a Pilot "Mother Ship" that hangs out and dispatches little pilot boats to deliver pilots to the ships.  Plus I'm sure the North Sea waters can get kinda rough.

Here comes our pilot

All aboard

Our little pilot boat is done with it's delivery and headed back to mamma.

Up we go.

There is a lot of small boat traffic in the canal too.

Fishing must be good here.

I believe this is Cuxhaven at the entrance of the canal.

Some cows enjoying a morning bite to eat

One way to keep your front yard mowed

Two locks.  We're going left.

Some locals turning out to see us.

The North Sea side locks.

Cows everywhere.  Even between the two sets of locks.

Full speed ahead

The observation area is pretty well packed.  There are not many cruise ships that come through due to height restrictions under the bridges along the canal so we were pretty popular.  Our ship was pretty small.  Only 790 passengers.

I've never seen gates like these.  It's a single gate that slides across the canal rather than 2 gates opening like doors.

A local hangout just inside the locks.

One of the many ferries that go back and forth across the canal along the length of it.

One of those "low" bridges that prevent larger cruise ships from transiting the canal.

Mooooo!

Guten Morgan our German cycling friends.

There is a nice bike/walking path the whole 61 miles of the canal.

More friendly folk that seem to need to hire a pool boy.

A train about to go over our heads.

Another local food  establishment.

A bunch of RV'ers saying high

One of the little towns where the street ends at the ramp to the car ferry.

A small campground

moo again

Very nice looking camp ground.

Some of our opposing traffic.  It was not very wide for two large ships to pass.

This group of cyclists followed us for a few miles to Duckerswisch

Some very enthusiastic folks who even had an air tank on a hand cart with an air horn ,

Hello back at ya

All size craft in the canal.

A new tug boat being hauled through for final fit-out.

The Royal Yacht Dannebrog of Denmark happened to be out and about.

A little too chilly on this cruise to use the pool.

Give you an idea how much traffic there is in this canal.

Twin homes

With all the modern wind turbines, here is an old windmill.

"Nothing runs like a Deer"

Folks at the restaurant taking time to wave.

Patty the world traveler enjoying the canal trip.

This is a welcome center at Rendsburg where folks come to welcome the ships.

Take note of the "carriage" hanging from the bridge.

Closer view.  Folks board at the welcome center

And go across the canal hanging under the railroad bridge.

And with movie like timing, I was lucky enough to have a train going over at the same time the carriage was going under.

The locks at the Baltic side of the canal.

The tiniest little ferry boat taking folks across the canal right near the locks.

Here we are entering the lock at the end of the canal, headed into the Baltic.

Clock tower in the canal area.

A nice clean and tidy container ship joins us in the lock next to us.