We kayaked from Golubac to Donji Milanovac in Serbia on the Danube on the 11th of May, 2024. This is in the border area between Romania and Serbia through the Iron Gate canyon. It’s the first time we paddled over 50 kilometers in one day. Contents1 Seeking a Sailor’s Advice on Đerdap Lake2 Paddling Out to Golubac Fortress + Golubac Gorge3 Canyon Kayaking in the Iron Gate to Dobra4 Theory Will Only Take You So Far5 Tailwind Squalls, Jet Stream Speeds6 1000 Kilometers to Go to the Black Sea7 Arriving in Donji Milanovac8 Miracles: Making the Bus from Donji MilanovacContinue reading
Zucchini
Kayak Trip Day 61: Ram to Golubac Vinci – Giving Up!
We tried to paddle from Ram to Golubac on the 9th of May, 2024. Because of a powerful mountain jet wind called Košava, we didn’t make it all the way to Golubac and eventually settled for a village called Vinci. Contents1 Kayaking into the Romanian Border Area2 Meeting the Košava Wind3 Lunch in Veliko Gradište + Comparing to the TID4 Nutria + Nesting Swans + Romanian Time5 Veni, Vidi, (and Settling Down for) Vinci6 8 Kilometers from Golubac7 Five Nights One Week Nine Days in Golubac8 Informative post? Please consider buying me a cappuccino!9 Thanks for reading! Feel free toContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 60: Smederevo to Ram – Fortresses + Sunken Barges
We paddled from Smederevo to Ram in Serbia on the 7th of May, 2024. This was our 60th day of kayaking the Danube. We are now entering the border area between Serbia and Romania. Contents1 Leaving Smederevo for Ram2 Sunken Barge + Great Morava Confluence3 Paddling Past Kostolac + Weirdly-Shaped Islands4 Arriving in Ram5 Stara Palanka + Ram Fortress6 Informative post? Consider buying me a sparkling water!7 Wish to share? That’s really great of you! Leaving Smederevo for Ram We left the apartment in Smederevo and walked to the rowing club. Once there, we started unpacking Zucchini and inflating her.Continue reading
Kayak Trip Day 59: Grocka to Smederevo – Headwind + Switching Places
We paddled from Grocka na Dunavu to Smederevo in Serbia on the 2nd of May, 2024. This was our 59th day of kayaking the Danube. For a change, we swapped places in Zucchini the kayak. Contents1 Grocka to Smederevo: Just 17 kilometers2 1127 Kilometers to the Black Sea + MarineTraffic3 Iris the Captain4 Arriving in Smederevo5 The Easter Weekend in Smederevo6 Want to support my trip? Consider making a donation!7 Feel free to share this article! Grocka to Smederevo: Just 17 kilometers A bit of a filler day, as we intended it all along. We’re going to paddle just 17Continue reading
Kayak Trip Day 58: Belgrade to Grocka na Dunavu – The Worst Paddle Day… Yet!
Our 58th kayak day on the Danube was on Monday, the 29th of April, 2024. Somehow, we managed to paddle from Belgrade to Grocka na Dunavu in Serbia. Contents1 Arriving in Grocka2 Optimism3 Doubt4 Pessimism5 Total Defeat6 A Sparkle of Hope7 Motorboat Man + Arriving in Grocka na Dunavu8 Our Stay in Grocka na Dunavu9 Informative? Consider buying me a sparkling water!10 Good read? Feel free to share! Arriving in Grocka It was 17:31 and we had one last break at the latest Y-shaped stick we moored at. We had a six-minute break to let the pump leave our arms.Continue reading
Kayak Trip Day 57: Novi Banovci to Belgrade – The Last Capital on the Danube
Our 57th kayak day on the Danube was on Monday, the 22nd of April, 2024. We paddled from Novi Banovci to Belgrade in Serbia. Belgrade is the last capital city on the Danube River. I used to live in Belgrade back in 2015, which was part of my original inspiration for kayaking the Danube. Going to Veliko Ratno Ostrvo (Great War Island) was a major goal. Contents1 Leaving Novi Banovci2 Cliffs + Goodbye Vojvodina3 Pupin Bridge4 Landing at Great War Island5 Kayaking to Belgrade Up the Sava River6 One Week in Belgrade7 Cool story? Consider buying me a craft beer!8 If you could share thisContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 56: Stari Slankamen to Novi Banovci – Sailing Past the Loess Cliffs
Our 56th kayak day on the Danube was on Sunday, the 21st of April, 2024. We paddled from Stari Slankamen to Novi Banovci in Serbia. It was a shorter distance. Contents1 Departing Stari Slankamen + Tisza Confluence2 The Loess Cliffs of Surduk + Switching Paddles3 A Break on the Islands4 Arriving in Novi Banovci5 One Night in Novi Banovci6 Good read? Consider buying me a pizza!7 Thanks for being here. Wish to share? Departing Stari Slankamen + Tisza Confluence We woke up at 7:00, had a coffee and a banana, and a look out the window. The sky was aContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 54: Ilok to Bačka Palanka to Novi Sad – Goodbye Croatia, Hello Serbia
Our 54th paddle day was on Wednesday, the 10th of April, 2024. Our hosts in Ilok helped us cross the land border bridge between Ilok and Bačka Palanka to get the paperwork right. They dropped us off at a suitable launch spot on the Serbian side and we immediately began paddling to Novi Sad. This was our fifth day on the Danube in 2024 and our 54th day in total. Contents1 Croatia to Serbia via the Ilok–Bačka Palanka Bridge2 Kayaking Out of the Croatian–Serbian Border Zone3 Making Distance4 Two Ferries + Paddling Past Fruška Gora5 Dredging Fuckery6 Entering Novi SadContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 53: Vukovar to Ilok, Croatia – Zucchini Leaks
Our 53rd paddle day was on Saturday, the 6th of April, 2024. We kayaked from Vukovar to Ilok in Croatia along the Danube. Our inflatable kayak Zucchini was unfortunately malfunctioning, which resulted in a lot of stops. This was our fourth day on the river in 2024 and our 53rd day in total. Contents1 Excitement for Today + Taxi to Vukovar Kanu Klub2 Are We Paddling in the Danube, or in Denial?3 Egrets and Regrets4 Kayak Sailing + Opatovac Channel5 Mohovo + Šarengrad + Lovka6 Arriving in Ilok + Finding the Leak7 Punctured Inflatable Kayak: Fixing Zucchini’s Hole8 Four NightsContinue reading