The Danube Delta in Romania, Plus a Few Bits and Bobs
I might admit I can be a little cynical at times in our travels. I do catch the ‘seen one, seen them all’ virus from time to time. Not so with the boat trip on the Danube Delta.
We expected to see birds. Lots of birds. Neither of us being ornithologists, we expected to be slightly bored- but our trip was one of the most memorable we’ve had.
Allow me to regress: we left Constanta and went to Tulcea. It wasn’t our place, so while Armando explored the monument there, I explored places and found Dan Pescarul’s Camping.
The website ticked all of the boxes: small village, parking, shower & toilet, laundry plus possibility to have a private boat trip. We went.
The village of Murighiol is an impossible mix of curiosity, friendliness, tidiness and the comfort of waking up to roosters and bleating sheep being put to pasture. The family was warm with their welcome and left us to our devices. Grin.
We opted for the boat trip Friday early morning (as in 6:30 wake up) and went to Dan’s small boat, which was a lovely little creature. We had toyed with the idea of a ferry, but the places and things he was able to show us were unique.
We saw cormorants feeding, leaving a wake of fish of all sizes. Watching them slowly get their rhythm to rise. Seeing the mysticality of marsh trees with reflections; smelling the fresh scent of swamp mint plucked from a lily reef; and watching a literal swan lake emerge from the rushes was invigorating.
It was cold. The wind was high. But it reminded us how lucky we are to be able to experience such a different piece of mind. Dan whisked us through little byways in the lakes and rivers, much like a water highway. We- simply- loved the experience.
On return, Dan’s wife Nina gave us a glass to warm ourselves with some local aperitif and then made us fresh fish in two ways with Romanian sides. It was delicious and much more than we paid for. I guess you could say the food was ‘wow.’ Ha.
We left to go to the muddy volcanoes in rain. Arrived in rain. Came to an agreement (or so we thought) with the local minding the place, to stay 2 days. Armando got a few pictures- but it really was miserable weather. The local* then tried to hound us the next day for more money and we simply left. There really wasn’t much to the volcanoes*, especially with the rain visibility. Not worth it, for sure.
We’re now in Brasov, a charming town with a few interesting historic sites. We discovered a nice WiFi place, Colaj Café, and we have a walking tour through the citadel later this afternoon.
We’ll catch you up on faux Dracula places and the real Transylvania soon, promise. If you’ve any suggestions on places to see while we’re here please do tell. We’d love to discover more-! M, A & Mork
