On June 9, our 7th day of PASSAGE TO EASTERN EUROPE aboard the Viking Lif, we were seeing some of the most spectacular sights of Serbia and into Romania!
Golubac Fortress is seen here and the mighty Danube River being about 7 km wide there!
This was around 11:19 as we were pulling out already...
This is the spot where we were, away from the shore.
You also see the red line in the River Danube, marking the border of Serbia and Romania to the north.
You also see the red line in the River Danube, marking the border of Serbia and Romania to the north.
This photo I took just 20 minutes earlier...
To give you an idea, we were closer to the shore still on our way out from Golubac Fortress.
And again here you see the spot where we were and you also see that the Danube River there is about 7 km wide!
They left the Viking Lif around 8:30 AM for a shore excursion to Golubac Fortress.
Since I was not feeling well, I did not join him...
Pieter walked twice this 1 km distance to the Fortress as he did not climb the stairs leading up to its towers. Not with his weak heart condition.
Look at the gray area bottom for the surface level, not the surrounding, much taller rocks.
Unless the previous day spent in Serbia, where we could not enter the Saint Sava Church as it still was under construction, we were lucky here!
This is Golubac Fortress seen from above video taken in November 2015
The European Union invested in its reconstruction!
Click this link above...
Opening of the Golubac Fortress video, just click to see this marvelous video with lots of info from March 2019!
Yes, it also shows you the incredible width of the mighty River Danube on its way to the Black Sea!
Now tourists from all over the world can admire this 11 millennia old history...
On the upper deck around 11:30, I captured Pieter during our Wheelhouse Tour with lots of information by Cpt. Aleksandar about the Viking Lif and this majestic water way of Eastern Europe!
You can already see that some very SCENIC SAILING is about to start...
All done while enjoying terrific weather every day!
Photo taken at 16:30 from the upper deck as we sail along the Kazan stretch...
Indeed this would be sailing through one of Europe's most dramatic natural wonders, the picturesque stretch famously known as the Iron Gates.
Photo got taken at 16:38
These spectacular narrow gorges, a series of four, slice through the Carpathian Mountains to the north and the Balkan Mountains to the south, marvel at the towering white limestone cliffs draped with forest.
Photo got taken at 15:45 and is in Romania now with one hour time difference!
Monastery Mraconia in Romania from 1452...
Photo taken at 15:53
Now closer to this marvelous medieval Monastery Mraconia in Romania
Looking back here, where we came from, past Monastery Mraconia now and one minute later...
The Iron Gates show clearly the Danube at its wildest!
Spectacular views of Iron Gates...
The Iron Gates were once treacherous, filled with rocks and rapids. The Serbian name for it, Djerdap, means 'whirlpool'. Passage was eased in the 1st century when the Roman emperor Trajan built canals, then again when the first Iron Gates Dam opened in 1972.
Dam construction impacted the ecology, and both Serbia and Romania have added some protection by creating national parks on either side of the Danube. With a landscape boasting thick coniferous forest, 4 spectacular gorges, 2 canyons, 3 valleys and more than 1,000 caves, the area is one of staggering biodiversity.
Large perch and catfish can be found in abundance, along with sturgeon and salmon. On land, mammal species include lynx, bears, wolves and jackals.
Seeing the carved face of Dacian King Decebalus, who fought the Romans and is hailed as a Romanian hero. His 141-foot or 43 m high likeness is carved into a cliff overlooking the Danube near the city of Orşova.
Some interesting facts about Serbia!
My Relive.cc video Viking Lif from Belgrade to Golubac Serbia.
Once again, the signal got completely lost at times and the straight line connects between the two areas with signal. Sorry for that, but you DO see in the end the VAST WIDTH of the RIVER DANUBE!
Golubac Fortress along Kazan stretch via Relive.cc
Thank you for your visit and comment!
Related links:
Day 6, Panoramic Belgrade, Serbia | previous post
Day 5, from Vukovar to Osijek, Croatia | previous post
Day 4, Kalocsa Baroque Cathedral with Organ Music and Puszta | previous post
Day 3 Departure from Budapest on Viking Lif | previous post
Day 2 Passage to Eastern Europe - Panoramic Budapest | previous post
