Romania - Vamma Veche to the Danube Delta

Finally in the land of 8,000 bears! We've booked another e-vignette for the next four weeks. We'll probably stay in Romania for another week. There's so much to see and experience.

Vamma Veche (30.6.25)

We wake up for the last time at sunrise in Krapets and drive towards the Romanian border. The border crossing has been closed since January 1, 2025 because Romania and Bulgaria have joined the Schengen Agreement. The car wash can still be seen at the border crossing from the old days. All cars traveling from Romania to Bulgaria were washed at the border... . We want to buy a vignette for Romania from the lady at the petrol station. She doesn't have one, but informs me urgently that there are also day passes for simply driving through... All the Bulgarians we had contact with were surprised that we wanted to travel to Romania. The groundsman at the campsite asked us when we were filling up with water whether we were originally from Romania and that we were going there? Tamara and I are definitely looking forward to discovering Romania.

We drive past the artificial lakes with the artificial cities of Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, Neptune and Olimp. Our first destination is Vamma Veche. A town with wipes like a mix of Tarifa and Christiania. Very exciting and mainly bikers and young people. A town that has once again expanded the boundaries of our thinking ;-).

In Vamma Veche, we stop off at the biker burger restaurant and are amazed at the color of the bread. But why should we be surprised in this particularly unconventional village?

We drive past the seaside resort of May 2, near the Bulgarian border. We also pass the village of August 23, which commemorates the coup d'état of August 23, 1944. On this date, the Romanians joined the Allies.

Costinesti (is not Constanza)

We will visit the district capital Constanza with its impressive casino another time. We are more interested in the stranded ship in Costinesti, which was built in 1942. It ran aground on this coast in 1968. The cargo ship broke in two and now serves as a tourist attraction and bird landing site.

The area is becoming more and more fertile. The size of the fields is impressive! More and more sunflower fields are being added to the corn and maize fields.

On the shore of Bunker Beach, we find a place to sleep on the edge of a field of sunflowers. We don't think twice and park the camper with a view of the sea from the living room. We admire the view of the sunset over the sunflowers from the kitchen window and the open veranda door.

Our stomachs are still far too full from the "green burger" and so we "aperol" in the sunset.

Bunker Beach (1.7.26)

The sunflower field looks even more beautiful in the morning. In the picture below left you can see our sleeping place in this beautiful spot.

The first few kilometers of the beach are lonely and the white beach invites you to stay. Only when I enter the water do I realize that the sandy beach changes to a rocky beach after just a few metres. It takes a bit of effort because the swell keeps pushing me close to the rocks as I swim. But the water is very refreshing and feels good. Further along, the beach is more populated and beach clubs invite you to linger under a parasol.

Tamara and I enjoy the beach and the sun. The Black Sea really is a dream. Deeply relaxed, we gratefully enjoy the day.

The varied journey takes us through the beautiful landscapes of the foothills of the Danube Delta.

The friendly young couple from Romania that we met in Bulgaria recommended that we drive to Jurilovca and take a day trip from there to Gura Portitei by boat. When we arrive in Jurilovca, we find out about the boat trip to the beautiful beach. There is a scheduled boat, a ferry and private tourist boats for the crossing. We decide to take a private boat the next morning.

Before we drive to our sleeping place, we visit Ancient Argamum. This beautiful place on the cliff between Lake Razim and Lake Golovita was settled several hundred years before Christ. The Greeks, Romans and Byzantines lived here. Behind the two lakes fed by the Danube, the dune forms a natural border with the Black Sea. We are at the entrance to the Danube Delta. The drive is bumpy and dusty like many roads on the Black Sea. We park between the water and the thistle fields covering the hills, right next to the excavation site. Many of the excavated walls have been reclaimed by nature.

We walk through the ruins and pelicans fly past us at eye level over the lake. The ground plan of one of the three basilicas is still very well preserved. If you look closely in the picture below, you can see a pelican under Tamara's left arm :-)

The wind is strong and flying drones is usually difficult. A few meters inland from the mainland, the gusts are weak enough for a take-off. From above I can see the outline of the old town. I love flying the drone :-).

Tamara and I like old stones and imagining how people lived back then. That's why we drive a little further to Enisala to spend the night at an old castle. The route takes us past a Romanian army training camp. Around 100 soldiers sleep in individual tents and practise house-to-house combat. They shoot at the targets on the hill opposite. This training camp reminds us how close the Danube Delta is to the Ukrainian border.

We are alone at our sleeping place at Enisala Fortress. Only a few combine harvesters are working in the fields. However, we only see them on the approach. The direct view of the castle is priceless. The color of our car can hardly be distinguished from the dry grass in the photo.

At dusk, we can already hear the bleating of the sheep. A short time later, they walk past our camper. Could it get any more idyllic?

We have a sumptuous dinner with a good glass of red wine. And only now do we realize that the sunset is right on our doorstep.

Our senses are slowly becoming exhausted from so many wonderful impressions. We are just amazed and our hearts are grateful and deeply impressed. We will never forget this moment in this beautiful place.

Gura Portitei (2.7.25)

Today the alarm clock wakes us up at 8 a.m. because we are having a beach day today. To this end, we drive back to Jurilovca and hope to catch a boat there.

As soon as we park at the harbor, we are approached by a boat owner who is leaving in two minutes because his boat is full except for two seats. He helps me to buy the parking ticket and shortly afterwards we are on the boat to Gura Portitei. The trip takes around 20 minutes and we see pelicans and are entertained by the captain. We just don't understand it because all the other tourists are from Romania. The 20 km long white sandy beach separates the lakes from the Danube Delta to the Black Sea.

A Romanian beheads the small fish he has caught himself. He sleeps with his family in a tent right on the beach. He is a little surprised at all the mussels. Last year there were no shells, just white sand. The shells don't bother me. Tamara goes for a walk and I spend time with “my” shells.

The day flies by. By 6 p.m. we've already agreed with the captain that we're going back. It's a shame the day has gone by so quickly. Today we got to know another white beach in Romania, which we are reluctant to leave.

Should we return to the beautiful sleeping spot by the castle? Or would we rather discover a new one? You can imagine what we decide on. Of course, we continue on to Sarichio. This village is home to around 3000 Russian Lipovans (Old Believers) who fled in 1700 and around 100 Romanians. They fled because of minor changes to their Orthodox faith. Many of them were burned at the stake because they did not accept the new “rules”. We find the perfect spot right by the lake.

There are still typical houses from this period in this village and many traditions have been preserved. After our short walk, we eat at the fish restaurant right on Lake Razim. The catfish is fantastic.

We are tired and go to sleep quickly. Which is difficult with the croaking of the frogs. We enjoy the sunset in front of our camper.

Trip to Murighol 3.7.25

In the morning, we want to admire the city again in daylight and set off to marvel at the houses of the Lipovese Russians.

The city has a lot of charm and is well worth a visit on the way through the Danube Delta.

When we arrive in Murighiol, we move into our campsite for the next 3 days at http://www.campinglacmurighiol.ro and receive a very friendly welcome. The campsite is excellent and the owner speaks over 4 languages and has been doing tours in the Delta for over 40 years.

Danube delta by boat (4.7.25)

We get up at 4.15 a.m. and I make coffee. At 5 a.m. we set off for Lacul Murghiol (lake). The EU has financed a harbor there for 5 million euros so that a section of the lake can be filled in and a recreation area with benches and an observation tower can be created. Our boat is moored there at the harbor and we are at the start of the 5-hour Danube tour with our guide. Don't panic! I'm not going to show all 554 photos and films below ;-). It will be difficult to choose the most beautiful ones and it might be worth describing the situation in more than one picture.

The route is roughly as follows: we start at Lake Murighiol and travel up the Saint George "arm" to Uzlina. A former village that had been almost extinct since the 1970s and has now been rebuilt, primarily for tourists. The delta is about 2 meters short of water. The water level wasn't supposed to be that low until the end of August. Arriving at Lake Isaac, we drive across the reeds, via Lake Pojarmia, and into Lake Isaac. From there, we drive through the thicket again and now know what the saying "full of reeds" feels like. Arriving at Lake Gorgova, we're completely covered in reeds and we still shake off a few creatures. Our clothes are sticky and urgently need to be washed. This adventure has certainly sparked several synapses. After a few minutes, the sticky mess has dried, and we enjoy the pelicans, night herons, and the mystical estuaries. Reptiles such as water snakes and turtles are also frequently seen. The water lilies are blooming. The white ones are falling, and even better than the yellow ones. The pelican population has increased fivefold. There are so many fish, and also some fishermen who earn their living in the delta. They come to their fishermen's house for three days and "fish as hard as they can," and then return home with their catch. One of the fishermen proudly shows us his fish. He has about 10 of this caliber in his boat, and it's only 9 a.m. When we return to the parking lot at 10 a.m., the cars are already parked at the side of the road. We are very grateful to have one of the most experienced guides of the day, the owner of the first campsite in Murighiol. He is always there where the sun is at its best and where there are still a pelicanus or two in the picture. Exploring the Danube Delta by boat was an impressive experience and definitely something for our bucket list.

Here's a short photo report of what felt like a day:

Sunset - definitely worth getting up at 4:15 a.m.

mystical clouds of fog over the Danube Delta

In the morning hours, we see four kingfishers hunting. Some are perched on bare branches, observing the water. Others fly to a branch with a fish in their mouths to rest briefly after their hunt. Still others fly past our boat at lightning speed. The photos I take don't do justice to the colorful birds, glowing blue in the sunlight. If you're interested in what they look like, feel free to search for "kingfisher." I definitely don't have the right equipment for these kingfishers. But we do find our first pelicans.

Is this a shortcut or a dead end?

Water lily fields and their inhabitants

Morning hour has sun in its heart

Sunlight breaks darkness

The life of a pelican and his pack

Escape or bravely observe?

Find the swan

Fishermen in the Danube Delta have a tough job

It's good if you're not on the SUP

I prefer the pretty and numerous birds

The Danube Delta, with its campsite https://www.campinglacmurighiol.ro/heim.html, is an insider tip for excursions into the heart of the Danube Delta. Here are some more impressions:

Washing-Sport and Reading Day (5.7.25)

Since this morning, I've been thinking that today is Sunday. It just feels like it. We went to bed early and slept in. Yesterday was also a long day in the Danube Delta. At breakfast, at the latest, I'm grateful that it's Sunday again. Tamara smiles at me again and says, "Saturday." Today we're having 3-minute eggs and homemade rolls. It must be Sunday – but it isn't. We're taking advantage of the campsite's great infrastructure and doing our laundry. With the wind and sun, it takes less than four hours, and even the sheets are dry. Since we arrived here, I've been interested in a book in the common room. I've heard about it again and again, but I've never read it.

It's a Koran in German. Why is there a German Koran at a Romanian campsite? I'll never know.

Until today, I'd heard that Jesus is mentioned in 108 verses in 15 different suras, and that Muslims believe in and read the entire Old Testament. It's therefore not surprising that Muslims believe in Jesus as a prophet, because over 300 fulfilled prophecies from the Old Testament (Torah) about the coming of Jesus have been precisely fulfilled.

In any case, I spent the entire afternoon reading some of the fascinating passages and am impressed by the similarities. The Quran version translated from Arabic by Max Henning seems quite understandable and readable to me.

Sura 5:46 And in their footsteps (the prophets Abraham, etc.) We sent Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming the Torah (prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament) that came before him. And We gave him (Jesus) the Gospel, a guidance and a light therein, confirming the Torah that came before him, a guidance and a reminder for the pious.

Where the Quran clearly differs is the resurrection of Jesus after the crucifixion. They say that he, like Elijah, was taken up by God. The Trinity (God the Father, Son Jesus, and Holy Spirit) is also clearly rejected in the Quran. Although the Quran repeatedly uses "we" when referring to God. Well, when it comes to Jesus, people are very divided. Jesus said of himself that he is the truth, the only way, and the true life. I believe this promise.

In the evening, we go back to the village to shop for Sunday brunch. I spent the whole day in my swimming trunks and threw on the first clothes I could find. Of course, I put on my white sneakers, which I had cleaned with gall soap. On the street, I notice that I'm wearing white shorts, a white T-shirt, and white socks to go with my bright, naturally white sneakers... I'm about to go back to change. But we're only going shopping for a short time. On the way home, we meet a friendly, smiling young man coming out of the restaurant. With a grin, he greets me with a "Shalom." He probably feels like he just encountered a white dove of peace. I greet him warmly back and think to myself: If only I had changed my clothes. 😂

We will fondly remember the boat tour on the Danube Delta and the lovely hosts at the campsite. Tomorrow we leave the Danube Delta and head into the mountains. It's supposed to be 41 degrees Celsius on Monday...