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Romania: Romania Road Trip: Day 5

After the morning swim in the Black Sea we moved forward towards the Danube Delta, the second largest river delta in Europe.

Previous days of our road trip: Day 4, Day 3, Day 2 and Day 1.

The Black Sea has an area of 436,400 km2, a maximum depth of 2,212 m, and a volume of 547,000 km3. The Black Sea has a positive water balance; that is, a net outflow of water 300 km3 per year through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles into the Aegean Sea. 

 

Water was cold, so the swimming didn't take long.

Start of our boat trip on Delta Dunării - Danube Delta. 1st row: Gašper, Tina, Špela; 2nd row: Tuši, Nada, Miha; 3rd row: Rok, Špela, Luka, 4th row: Captain

 

Beer shopping and start of our journey

 

The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Romania (Tulcea County), while its northern part, on the left bank of the Chilia arm, is situated in Ukraine (Odessa Oblast). Its approximate surface area is 4,152 km2, of which 3,446 km2 is in Romania.

 

The modern Danube Delta began to form after 4000 BCE in a bay of the Black Sea, when the sea rose to its present level. A sandy barrier blocked the Danube bay where the river initially built its delta.

 

 

The Danube Delta falls within the Pannonian steppe ecosystem of eastern Europe, with Mediterranean influences. As a young region in full process of consolidation, the Danube Delta represents a very favourable place for the development of highly diverse flora and fauna.

Local stuff was good

In 1991, the Romanian part of the Danube Delta became part of UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. Around 2,733 km2 of the delta are strictly protected areas.

 

Time for a quick stop and refreshments

Our boat trip was over so we again continued with our van. Since there aren't many bridges over the Danube river, we crossed it on a ferry, from Smârdan to Brăila.

Our dinner in Cîmpineanca near Focșani with Slovenian and Romanian ingredients