Sunrise on the Danube. Fisherman going to work in St. Gheroghe, Romania
Thursday, September 18, Day 100, Zero Km Day
Today is either our 99th day or our 100th day depending on how I count it. If I count from the day we left Colfax and spent the first night in San Francisco before departing for China, it is our 100th day of travel. If I count from the day we flew out of California to China, it is our 99th day of travel, Since today, September 18 is a milestone or kilometer stone day (so to speak), I think I will count it as day 100. SO on DAY 100, we reached the ZERO KM of the Danube River where the river meets the Black Sea. Fortunately, the Zero day is simply a glass of champaign, and not zero clothing. HaHa! When we reached the Black Sea, we looked beyond the mouth of the river to where large breakers were crashing against the sand bar, and were glad not to be in a boat that had to buck our way out of the river into the sea....definitely worth a glass of champaign.
When we crossed the equator and 000.00.000 latitude, we drank champaign and were supposed to dance on the deck with zero clothing. But since we knew this tradition might be a little embarrassing for our son who was crewing with us, we refrained from celebrating this part of the ritual, but we did share our champaign with the sea god Neptune.
We started our 100/0 day, with a two hour exploration of the Danube Delta, enjoying the waterways cut through the reeds. White swans, blue heron, pelicans, plovers, gulls, and ducks swam placidly, or flapped their wings overhead.
Each little fishing boat held eight passengers as we zipped down the main waterway, to a smaller waterway, then another yet smaller water way where the reeds were smacking us in the face as we plowed our way through to a large expanse of a fresh water lake. As the Danube has pushed its way in to the Black Sea, over thousands of years, sand bars and silt have built up creating land and a sand sea barrier reef between fresh water and sea water. This delta is second largest in Europe and is a rich habitat for migratory birds, many of which have already flown south.
Later in the day we walked through the sleepy, terribly depressed fishing village of St. Gheorghe. Horse carts and fishing boats are still the primary means of transportation here, and old ladies drag their wheeled shopping carts from the market home through the sandy streets. There are many lovely gardens that women take pride in while the men are fishing. There are no souvenir shops here, and all of the shops including the post office, museum, church, etc. are open only by phone call, as there are only 800 residents and they juggle many different chores.
Best of all the sun was shining today, as we have had many rainy days on the Danube. It's been a great day. We only have two more nights aboard the Illumination, before we disembark for Bucharest, and then fly to Istanbul.
Days 97-99, we sailed through the countries of Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Romania. Yes, there was a stretch of the Ukraine through which the Danube flows, so I guess we can now claim a visit to the Ukraine as well. While in Bulgaria we were docked in the city of Rousse, and traveled inland by bus to Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanassi both nice little towns. Veliko Tărnovo is larger and in the valley by the river. and the Arbanassi is built on the hill where a very interesting Church of the Nativity is. The church looks like a barn on the outside, but has incredibly beautiful frescos on the inside. Unfortunately, there are no photos allowed inside. We also visited a 400 year old home, that gave us an idea how the Bulgarians lived with heavy Turkish influence. After our lunch in Veliko Tărnovo, Russ took a hike to some ruins and church on a hill, and I walked through arts and craft street of the town.
Bulgaria is picturesque in many ways with its cobbled streets and tiled roofed homes, but a bit drab. Unlike some of the other countries that are sprucing up their homes with colors of paint, Bulgaria chooses to remain a bit more earthy. The average salary is about 500-600 USD per month and has about 11% unemployment. People here seem warm and kind.
As we sailed through Bulgaria towards Romania, we entered an area called the Iron Gates. This is a stretch of the Danube that narrows down through rocky gorges. Prior to the 1970's and the dam and locks that control the water and facilitate boat passage, the river was too unpredictable and dangerous. The high rock walls and river provided a formidable barrier to people wanting to cross from one side to the other. For us, it was an interesting and picturesque experience going through the gorge and sinking downward into large locks as we descended over 100 feet to a lower level of the river.
Yesterday, day 99, we visited the city of Tulcea in Romania. We had a bit of a problem porting here There really wasn't much here in this city except for a Delta Museum that introduced us to what we might expect to see in the Danube Delta. We were also able to exchange some of our dollars or Euros for local currency. We got a kick out of the Bank of Transylvania (no Count Dracula), and the Roma Gypsy mom and her kids who were pawing us for cash.
Back to Day 100. As the day winds down, we are in the lounge with Danube widely hugging us as we make our way back up river to a port up river of Tulcea. From here tomorrow, we will bus to Costanta where we will actually be on the Black Sea. So we are looking forward as always to tomorrow.
All is Well with the Worrall Travel Rs in Romania.
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