To kilometre Zero
There has been to much food – too much consumption of drinks that have involved the fermentation of vegetables products – too many stories - too many jokes – too many lies – too much verbalization of the memories of passed days – nevertheless the travellers rise ready for another day of riding in the reed lands of the Danube Delta.
The Flottila is divided – the bike barge and the tow vessel detached – the riders are loaded – off along channel that makes its way through the reed lands as it between the southern and Central branches of the Danube.
The channel – long – man made – narrow – sometimes lined with Russian olive trees – sometimes lined with poplar – sometimes not lined at all – through land dedicated to the wild life – occasionally through lands that have become the domain of farming pursuits – Cattle – horses – reed cutting!
10 kilometres – slowly - slowly – heron – cormorant – stork - egret - roller – hooded Crow – raptor - terrapin – snake – waterlily – native orchid – the travellers attentive! – alert! – attuned to local aerially capable inhabitants! – the water clean! – the environment alive!
The crew break down the Flotilla even more- the bike barge is pushed into the shore and riders and bikes dispatched to land.
The bike ride – “a little bumpy” says the guides – the reality was closer to “a lot bumpy” – a narrow levy with a surface of sharp broken stone – the rider looks left at the serene dark watered channel – then right across the huge reed fields – then “bugger” another stone strategically placed by some invisible bike hater to inflict yet another bruise to the riders mediterranean anatomy – bump after bump after bump – the bruises continue – the palms tingle – the mediterranean element of my anatomy expresses a desire to continue it’s travels through the Delta on water rather on bicycle saddle – the lunch stop is achieved and the rider accedes to it's desires.
More food and more liquid laced with the product of fermentation.
The more serious of the riders once more depart the mother ship – another 5 kilometres of torture for the human tissue in contact with bicycle seat – with bicycle handle bar – smiles return – asphalt to the free port – the lighthouse and kilometres zero designating the official start of the Danube – a town accessible by water alone – a cemetery hosting the remains of British - Romanian - Russian - Italian - French - Spanish – all domiciled here to service trade and to monitor and enforce the free trade policies of the Danube commission of the 1800s
A testing if challenging ride through wonderful environmentally significant wetlands – a night moored in a pleasant location near Kilometre zero.
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