It was a different kind of tour we had today. Instead of a land tour, we got to stay in the Viking longship to enjoy a scenic journey through one of the most picturesque areas of the lower Danube via the iron gate. This is a gorge on the river Danube and a boundary separating Serbia and Romania. The Iron Gate dam also serves as a hydroelectric power station.
We anticipated a deluge of guests at the sundeck and in choice view areas of the ship. We made sure we got the best spot so we had our breakfast in the starboard area at the front of the ship. Unfortunately, as the longship was entering into the lock gate of the dam, parang MRT rin pala sa Pinas, the gate would not open due to a technical issue. It took a couple of hours to resolve the problem. We had to endure the heat of the sun as we did not want to give up the best viewing spot. Good for us , we had company of pinoy crew in the ship and they practically pampered us. One brought us an umbrella and another one, vanilla ice cream with chocolate toppings. We met "Ali" as shown in his name tag and we initially thought he was a Muslim kababayan from Mindanao. We asked where is his family in the Philippines and were surprised to hear Cavite. Ang tunay pala niyang pangalan is "Alejandro" and management asked him to shorten it dahil mahaba raw. They seem to be very cheerful but when you start to have some serious conversation, you can feel their pain and loneliness being away from the family and this encounter with kababayans makes them somewhat happy. One of the crew is Ruel and works as a cook and he promised us a Tapsilog breakfast tomorrow.
The narrow gorge at both sides of the river banks is amazingly beautiful. A Roman tablet was left as marker and the sculpted head of ancient Dacian King Decebalus including a medieval castle were a few landmarks along the scenic route. Built along the mountainside is a myriad of winding road network amidst bridges and tunnels. The river banks are lined with beautiful idyllic houses and cottages that provided respite from long stretch of sand and rock shoreline.
The Danube River is the 2nd longest river in Europe with a depth that ranges from 3 to 26 feet. The Danube River begins in Germany and ends at Bratislava in Slovakia and flows through the following countries: Germany; Austria; Slovakia; Hungary; Croatia; Serbia; Bulgaria; Romania and Ukraine where it meets the Black Sea. Once an important economic route, the Danube is fast becoming a major tourist attraction, a passage to Eastern Europe.
We love ocean cruising and enjoy the city-like layout of the gigantic cruise ships. We love and enjoy the wonderfully-planned cruise itineraries and the onboard activities and entertainment for the whole family. But now, we are equally enjoying the more laid-back and casual ambience of river cruising. The onboard luxury, facilities and amenities may not be comparable but overall, comfortable. River cruising is nature within reach, a stone's throw away... a safe distance from both banks of the river and most of all the inner feeling of safety knowing that below the boat is a manageable level of water.
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