This kayak day happened on the 15th of July, 2024. We kayaked from Cernavodă to Hârșova with a very leaky left air chamber and quite a strong headwind. Leaving Cernavodă for Hârșova… THIRD LEAK! My alarm went off at 5:00 and Jonas’ at 5:30. I’d had an unsettling dream about kayaking, but I quickly forgot what it was about when awake and getting into the paddle day grind. We left the hotel a little before 6:00. There was a lady near reception who asked us if we’d used anything from the minibar in Romanian. I said no, and we leftContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 79: Rasova to Cernavodă – Danube–Black Sea Canal
This happened on Friday the 12th of July, 2024. We had a short kayaking day from Rasova to Cernavodă. Cernavodă is where the third-to-last bridge crosses the Danube and where the Danube–Black Sea Canal splits off to Constanța at the Black Sea. Leaving Rasova for Cernavodă Jonas woke up before my alarm at 6:30. For a paddling day on the Danube, 6:30 is late to start out. But we only have roughly 15 kilometers to cover. I got dressed and went to the bathroom to do my hair while Jonas prepared some coffee. Mimi was already out and about inContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 78: Ostrov to Rasova – the Danube at Dawn + Headwind in Romania
This Danube kayaking day happened on Wednesday the 10th of July, 2024. We paddled from Ostrov to Rasova in Romania. Leaving Ostrov for Rasova With Zucchini down by the river and the dogs barking at every noise, I didn’t catch much sleep. When my alarm went off at 4:30, I was quite ready to roll out of bed and begin the prep for today’s ~50 kilometers to kayak. I noticed my fresh mosquito bites running over a dozen. Jonas woke up a little later. He made sure we didn’t forget our sandwiches. We finished packing and left the room atContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 77: Silistra to Chiciu and Ostrov – Goodbye Bulgaria, Hello (Again) Romania
We paddled from Bulgaria to Romania on the Danube on Tuesday, the 9th of July 2024. We started our morning in Silistra on the Bulgarian side where we had checked out of the country the day before. Then we had to cross the Danube to Chiciu in Romania to legally check in per kayak there. This happened a few months before both Bulgaria and Romania fully joined Schengen. But our destination of the day was a small village called Ostrov a little further downstream. Silistra Immigration by Kayak Two days before kayaking back into Romania, we tried to find outContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 76: Tutrakan to Silistra – Broken Kayak Sail + Heatstroke
This kayak day happened on the 5th of July, 2024. After only one night, we left Tutrakan to kayask to Silistra on the final stretch of the Bulgarian Danube shared with Romania. After this, the Danube will flow only through Romania, followed by a quick touch on Moldova and Ukraine before emptying in the Black Sea. Leaving Tutrakan for Silistra Our alarm went off at 5:00. I had the greatest trouble getting up as my body craved more sleep to process the previous day’s paddle from Ruse to Tutrakan. We’ve done two paddle days in a row before from ApatinContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 75: Ruse to Tutrakan – New Kayak Sail + 1000 Kilometers Paddled
This kayak day happened on the 4th of July, 2024. We paddled away from the city Ruse where we had stayed for 10 days. It was more than 60 kilometers to Tutrakan, also in Bulgaria. Though we’d initially planned a two-night stop in Tutrakan, we ended up shortening it to one night because of the weather forecast. Departing Ruse After 10 Days of Rest My alarm went off at 4:40. I was nervous and excited at the same time to get back to kayaking after 10 days of rest. Was it too much? Maybe. But we were waiting for aContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 74: Svishtov to Ruse – the Southernmost Point of the Danube
This paddle day happened on Monday the 24th of June, 2024. We kayaked from Svishtov to Ruse in northern Bulgaria. Nearby Svishtov is the southernmost point of the Danube River. In Bulgaria’s fifth-largest city Ruse, we’ll take more than a week to recover from all the paddling. Departing Svishtov for Ruse I felt like I’d slept pretty well when my alarm went off at 4:38. Getting dressed was a bit more of a hassle than anticipated, but I was almost ready when Jonas’ alarm went off at 5:00 and it was his turn to occupy the bathroom. I just hadContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 73: Nikopol to Svishtov – Headwind to Belene Island + Attempted Side Quest
The kayaking trip from Nikopol to Svishtov on the Bulgarian Danube happened on the 22nd of June, 2024. At roughly 40 kilometers, it’s one of our shorter paddle days in recent times. Departing Nikopol to Svishtov + Vending Machine Coffee My alarm went off at 5:00, even though I thought I’d set it for 5:15. Jonas was going to stay in bed till 5:30 as we’d discussed the evening before. A little angry because of the alarm, I started getting dressed for today’s kayaking. There’s about 40 kilometers on the schedule from Nikopol to Svishtov. When Jonas got up, theContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 72: Oryahovo to Nikopol – Summer Solstice + 80 Kilometers
The longest day (so far) of our kayaking trip down the Danube happened on the 20th of June, 2024. We paddled over 80 kilometers in one day on the Bulgarian side of the Danube between the towns of Oryahovo and Nikopol. Dawn in Oryahovo My alarm went off at 4:45. I hadn’t slept much, though the vibrations from trucks driving by off the ferry didn’t bother me as much as they had the night before. I started getting dressed and doing my hair while Jonas only got up at 5:00. He liked it that I got up earlier since someContinue reading