Today we will continue our journey down the Danube River from Belgrade. As we enjoy scenic cruising along the Danube our stop for the day will be to visit the Golubac Fortress, a medieval fortified town on the south side of the Danube River, about 2.5 miles downstream from the modern-day town of Golubac, Serbia. The fortress was built in the 14th century by the Medieval Serbian states, is split into three compounds which were built in stages. The Fortress has a tumultuous history. It was a Roman settlement prior to construction and the object of many battles including the battle between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. It has changed hands from the Turks to the Bulgarians to the Hungarians to the Serbs, and the Austrians until 1867 when it was turned over to the Serbian Kenz (prince), Mihailo Obrenović III. He ruled from 1839 to 1942 and again from 1860 to 1868 when he was assassinated.
After visiting the Fortress, for the remainder of the day, we will continue down the Danube River through the Iron Gates, one of Europe’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders. The Danube narrows as it winds through a series of magnificent gorges between the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains, forming a natural border between Serbia (to the south) and Romania (to the north). The route is 83 miles with two hydroelectric dams. The Romanian side of the gorge constitutes the Iron Gates Natural Park with the Serbian side, the Đerdap National Park. You will find one of the most important archaeological sites in Serbia and Europe is Lepenski Vir, the oldest planned settlement in Europe which is located on the banks of the Danube in the Iron Gates Gorge.
Like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are carved in the rocks of Mount Rushmore so is the Dacian King Decebalus, the last Dacian King of Romania, looks out over the Danube River on the Romanian side of the Iron Gates, looking like it has been embedded into the rock formation for centuries. He heroically rises, over 130 feet tall and 82 feet wide, it took 10 years to carve with 12 sculptors and over 1 million US dollars. It was completed in 2004. Across the river is the Tabula Traiana plaque on the Serbian side. It commemorates both the Roman Emperor Trajan’s march towards Dacia and the long-since destroyed bridge that was specifically erected to deploy Trajan’s troops.
The next day our first stop will be Vidin, one of the oldest cities in Bulgaria. You will have several options for your excursion today. One is a walking tour of the city. Or you can enjoy an excursion to discover Baba Vida Fortress, the largest preserved medieval cast in Bulgaria, and Belogradchik, a Bulgarian natural wonder, where you hike around its rock formations. Another option is a local home visit for a demonstration of traditional Bulgarian yogurt and to try your hand at Banitsa, a local pastry. Or you can choose to ride a bike through Vidin and to the castle.
Belogradchik is in the forested foothills of the Balkan Mountains in northwest Bulgaria. As a result of geologic compression, the Belogradchik Rocks were formed at the bottom of the sea. Compressed mostly of limestone and sandstone, they are breathtaking. The rocks are reddish in color with ethereal shapes that protrude from the earth as high as 1,000 feet, with fantastical rock formations that are the source of dozens of legends. One such legend is of the madonna where a woman falls in love with a shepherd boy named Anton and is sent to live in a nunnery by her father. She is pregnant by Anton and when she gives birth the monks cast her out. Anton on his white horse comes to her rescue but as day turns to night all that are present are turned to stone. In addition to legends, there are a wealth of hidden hiking trails woven through the rocks with breathtaking views. They are a backdrop for the Belogradchik Fortress.
Next week I will talk about the last two days of the river cruise – visiting Rousse, Bucharest, and Giurgiu.
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