Day 1 Leaving Bucharest for the Black Sea

Today we head east to the Danube Delta. The Danube River (the Dunărea in Romanian) empties into the Black Sea having travelled 2860 km from the Black Forest in Germany. The Dunărea is the most international river on the planet - its course runs across or forms a part of the borders of several countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

The remote Danube Delta is a UNESCO-protected area of ecologically significant lagoons, channels and marshes – one of the largest wetland areas in the world, and one that’s a paradise for birds. There are around 30 different ecosystems in this area of 4152 square kilometres, putting it just behind the Galapagos and Great Barrier Reef in terms of biodiversity. The Delta is also home to over 300 species of bird, so keep your eyes peeled for the avifauna that live around the floating reed islands, tree-fringed lakes, pastures, forests, sand dunes, and narrow canals lined with trees.

It was a muddled start what with 3 different start times given ... and it is a grey day, threatening rain. First of all, it is by minibus to a winery for tasting and lunch and then onto Tulcea.

Our driver and our guide both have the same name: Mihai (Slavic version of ‘Michael’) pronounced Mee-hy.

We stop at Slobozia (the capital of Ialomița county) 120 km from Bucharest for petrol. Then Fetești on the Borcea branch of the Danube; we cross over the river here. It is a flat plain (Bărăgan) to the the Dobrogea region which has an incredible eventful past involving Romans, Greeks and Dacians. Today this region is ethnically diverse with gypsies, Jews, Bulgarians - reflected in the language, culture and religion. It has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. It is situated between the lower Danube River and the Black Sea, and includes the Danube Delta

There are fishermen holding up huge fish (sturgeon) as we pass along the road - they are trying to sell them even though it is illegal because these fish are protected.

The plains are surrounded along one side by the Măcin Mountains and we make a stop at the Mâcin Winery where we did a wine-tasting of several red and white wines plus lunch. It was terrific.

A further drive brings us to Tulcea. The Danube port of Tulcea (pronounced tool-cha) is the largest city in the delta. It is a typical Romanian working class town. This has been an important harbour city since ancient times. Its position has seen it under Byzantine, Genoese, and Ottoman rule before being reabsorbed into Romania at the end of the 19th century.

Near the port we pass a Muslim (Azizie) mosque complete with minaret; there is also an Orthodox church and a synagogue.

A welcome drink (sour cherry schnapps, Vișinată) on board our houseboat greets us while the staff quietly lug the suitcases on board. This will be ‘home’ for the next few days. We have a relax catching up on everyone’s news followed by dinner as a storm breaks over us followed by a beautiful sunset.

There are candles on the dessert for my birthday, an after-dinner talk by the two Mihais - then off to bed, lulled quickly off to sleep by the gentle motion of our houseboat and the sounds of the lapping water. Perfect!