This much can be said up front: on this our ninth day (the first day in Romania), we covered almost 150 kilometres. The terrain between Calafat and Corabia via Bechet is flat, only around 500 metres height difference. Over a distance of 150 kilometres, that is not much.
Breakfast in the Calafat Panoramic was plenty. The cold meat portions per person alone were too much. Each plate would have sufficed for an entire family. We used some to make sandwiches for meals during the day, the rest went back to the kitchen.
Then came the aforementioned 150 kilometres. It was like walking, since there were no inclines, tender wind coming from behind, a beautiful, meditative landscape. However, the stretch was long, which, too, can be exhausting.
What did we notice when we started on the Romanian side of the river Danube?
First and foremost: there were more horse-drawn carriages than trucks and cars. For a biker, it is, naturally, more fun overtaking a horse-drawn vehicle than being taken over by smelly trucks.
By the way, the horse-drawn carriages do not make the impression of being antiquated. On the contrary: they are very quiet, well-adapted to the territory, technically very easy to understand, emotional and practical. And the drivers all gave me the impression of being happy.
Which is more than I can say about the drivers of cars I saw. But at least the cars are always full of people, which is quite efficient in this country. Going the way we went through Romania, you see many trampers, and the trampers standing near the streets never have to wait very long. They always get a lift quite easily. Well, this, too, is one kind of public/individualized traffic.
On the fields near the streets, you can see both red poppy and blue corn-flowers! It has been a long time since I last saw this combination in Germany. Going through the villages, we see many roses. It looks beautiful.
Today, all Europeans vote – also the Romanians. Many Romanians tell us full of pride that they are going to the election today. For the Romanians, the EU is truly a promise.
Having started early in the morning when the air was still nice and cool, we experience real heat later in the day. The thermometer shows 41 degrees Celsius. We eat a delicious lunch: the cold-meat sandwiches we had prepared earlier in the hotel plus four cucumbers and three tomatoes. This is paradise.
Beer is not available on this Sunday. This is election day, and on election day the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages is forbidden.
In the evening, we find a wonderful hotel in Corabia, which is in total discordance with what our guidebook says. We read there that all pensions in Corabia are bad and too expensive.
In the hotel, we meet another couple of bikers. Otherwise, the hotel is empty and totally unprepared for the four surprise guests. However, it turned out to be a super-evening. Only the internet connection failed, even though my UTMS stick reported no problems.
That is why this article, too, will be online a day late. Sorry!
RMD
(translated by EG)
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