The Northern Delta

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

This is the tour we decide on today: "Chain of lakes between Crisan and Mila 23: Bodaproste, Trei Iezere, La Amiaza, Miazazi, Miazanoapte, Cazanele, The Old Danube."

Breakfast is glum with no fruit or juice, but rather a huge platter of thickly sliced of greyish/white and yellow cheeses, tomatoes, cucumbers and all the white bread you can eat. I didn't think I'd miss fruit so much, but I do - and grains - and lightly cooked vegetables. But the day is beautiful, warmer than yesterday and sunny and at 11am we're off again with Adrian, heading for the northern part of the Delta. The original river curved like an 'M,' explains Adrian, and so when the Sulina canal was built it was made to be a straight short-cut, leaving the older river to smaller transportation to and from villages and to the many fishermen that we see. Not only do we see them in their camouflage-painted boats and their camouflage clothes, but we also see the heaps of plastic bottles some leave behind in that pristine nature spot. Since we're wearing, respectively, red and orange wind-breakers I ask Adrian whether the camouflage helps. "In their imagination," he says, "birds are more startled by movement and noise." Then I ask what they fish for. "Carp, mainly," he says. "How big?" I ask. "Oh, 7-8 kilos, sometimes 14-15 kilos," he says. I think a bit and conclude, "That's twice the weight of a new-born baby." "Is not always," he says and laughs, meaning fishermen tell tall tales. 

We putter along wider and older looking canals, lined with tall reeds on one side and poplar and willow trees on a manmade dyke on the other. "Look, a snake," says Adrian and points. A harmless water snake is swimming hard to get away from us

After a while we arrive at a wide lake where we see swans gliding across the water in the distance. The water is so shallow that waterplants keep getting stuck in the motor. Finally Adrian cuts the motors and uses the oar so we can get closer to the birds. It's very quiet and hot and the big birds are not afraid of us, although the smaller coots take off in clouds of spray and black birds. There must be at least 50 swans - I've never seen so many at once; usually you just see a couple. We even see some pelicans flying overhead. 

At the end of the series of lakes lies a little village, Mila 23. We get off the boat and walk along the waterfront finding a shop, where we buy provisions (we've decided no more pike-perch or carp dinner), and also find a Turkish style bathroom, which we have to navigate with our many layers - t-hirt, fleece jacket, windbreaker, backpack.

The town is quite cute with fragile old wooden houses and many flower. We befriend a couple of strays with our newly bought pretzels.

Meanwhile Adrian has gone off to hear fishermen stories from his pals, and then we all get back in the boat again to take a straighter canal back to our resort.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/siric/sets/72157631579061210/

It continues to be hot and sunny and we decide dinner will be a bottle of prosecco and potato chips, taken on the deck of the hotel boat, where we can watch the sunset, which today is spectacular.

Then we go back to our room and pack, because we have to leave very early to catch the ferry back to Tulcea. http://www.flickr.com/photos/siric/sets/72157631579134514/