OUR LAST CRUISING DAY
OUR LAST CRUISING DAY
This morning we were up at 7 to enjoy the views as we entered the Djerdap Gorge or "Iron Gate", the most scenic and dramatic stretch of the Lower Danube. We first passed Golubacs Castle, an impressive fortification and one of the best preserved along the Danube. The massive towers and town of Laslovar acts as "Guards of the Danube". We passed through the Great Kazan Gorge which is only 150 metres wide and reaches a depth of 53 meters. I should mention that this entire area was flooded with the building of a huge dam and hydroelectric power plant. All the towns, roads, and bridges disappeared under the water and people were moved to higher ground much like what happened with the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
On the way we passed the site of Lepenski Vir where archeological ruins and relics were found dating back 9,000 years ago, the early Neolithic age. They, too, were reconstructed on higher ground and covered by a building with a glass ceiling. We passed a relatively recent carving of the face of Decebalus, the Roman emperor Trajan's Dacian opponent. Shortly after that, a Roman plaque dating from the first century commemorates Trajan's conquest of Dacia and where he built a bridge over the Danube. The bridge is long gone but the plaque remains just above the water.
The next thing on the route is our passage through the enormous Djerdap I Lock which will lower our vessel by 32 metres or 100 feet. Following that we enter the last lock on our voyage to the Black Sea.
This afternoon we plan to relax, watch the scenery go by, and nap. Tonight we dine on a Balkan-style menu in the Bistro.
This morning we were up at 7 to enjoy the views as we entered the Djerdap Gorge or "Iron Gate", the most scenic and dramatic stretch of the Lower Danube. We first passed Golubacs Castle, an impressive fortification and one of the best preserved along the Danube. The massive towers and town of Laslovar acts as "Guards of the Danube". We passed through the Great Kazan Gorge which is only 150 metres wide and reaches a depth of 53 meters. I should mention that this entire area was flooded with the building of a huge dam and hydroelectric power plant. All the towns, roads, and bridges disappeared under the water and people were moved to higher ground much like what happened with the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
On the way we passed the site of Lepenski Vir where archeological ruins and relics were found dating back 9,000 years ago, the early Neolithic age. They, too, were reconstructed on higher ground and covered by a building with a glass ceiling. We passed a relatively recent carving of the face of Decebalus, the Roman emperor Trajan's Dacian opponent. Shortly after that, a Roman plaque dating from the first century commemorates Trajan's conquest of Dacia and where he built a bridge over the Danube. The bridge is long gone but the plaque remains just above the water.
The next thing on the route is our passage through the enormous Djerdap I Lock which will lower our vessel by 32 metres or 100 feet. Following that we enter the last lock on our voyage to the Black Sea.
This afternoon we plan to relax, watch the scenery go by, and nap. Tonight we dine on a Balkan-style menu in the Bistro.
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