Photo Gallery Ships Ahoy!
Aaron, the resident canine, can be found all over the MS Michaela. And both he and the on board guests can enjoy the beauty of the Rhine to its fullest extent.
Christian Pawliczek is the Michaela's owner and captain. Cars on the ship have to be moved toward the back, lest the low bridges tear them to shreds.
In the summer holidays, the entire Pawliczek family rides along the ship, along with three crew members and any guests on board.
The banks of the Lower Rhine are dotted with sand banks, mooing cows and gleeful paddlers enjoying the water.
Vineyards, towns with half-timbered houses and medieval fortresses are just some of the beautiful sites along the Middle Rhine.
The 100-year-old Rhine-Herne canal was once an important thoroughfare for the booming coal industry of the Ruhr area. Now it's lined with greenery, marinas for sporting boats, bike paths and art installations.
The economic crisis hit inland shipping in the same way it hit ocean shipping, with sinking freight rates, overcapacitated cargo loads and rising fuel costs.
Christian is allowed to man his ship 18 hours straight, followed by a mandatory six-hour break. If he exceeds his hourly limit, he's fined.
Once the Rhine is reached, the water ballast is pumped out and the hull is converted into a play area for the kids. Here, in the middle of Germany's longest river, they skateboard and draw pictures with chalk on the steel surface.
Marek is one of the three crew members aboard the Michaela. After a transfer of cargo, they have the wash and scrub down the entire ship.
Once the Michaela reaches Rotterdam, 3,611 metric tons of garbage are loaded from a Norwegian ocean vessel, the Hanseatic Scout.
Christian takes care to distribute the cargo equally across the hull. He orders some taken off when his ship sinks too low in the water. Clouds of rust and dust whirl up with every hoist, leaving the crew and the ship covered in a layer of brown.
Ships traveling downstream zoom by, while those going upstream inch forward at a snail's pace. Passing maneuvers take ages.
After leaving Rotterdam, the Michaela starts its 700-kilometer (435 mile) journey upstream, carrying the garbage to a steel plant in the southwestern city of Kehl, across the border from Strasbourg, France.
The very front of the bow is the perfect place to feel like you're really on vacation. There's no engine noise, no loudspeaker, just the sound of rippling waves.
