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<blockquote data-quote="BillB" data-source="post: 1199404" data-attributes="member: 9985"><p>Enjoyed your reply, Keesha. Jackie and I feel exactly the same way about rail travel. We always travel first class if we can as I'm getting just too old and miserable to cope with the crowding in second class. Have a wonderful time on your journey. And our tickets for the concert arrived this morning - by email.</p><p>Anyway, on with the Danube cruise.</p><p></p><p>In the afternoon of 13 April the ship had moved on to Rousse, which is where we rejoined her. We then crossed the Danube and tied up in Giurgiu to go through the Romanian immigration process. After that we just loafed, took tea in the bar, went up on deck to shoot off some shots of the passing countryside.</p><p></p><p>Later that evening, after another excellent dinner, I was in a mellow mood, treating my viruses to a little more whisky in the bar. I looked up and to my horror saw Screechy Sally and the ghastly Terry bearing down on us. For a moment I froze, and then I had a stroke of genius (not a frequent experience, I confess). Jumping up, I gave her a big smile and said, “There you are. Not many spare seats. Have mine.” And I pulled my chair out, a gesture she couldn’t possibly refuse. She thanked me and sat down. I looked around, as if seeking another seat, nudged Jackie in the ankle and pointed to two empty seats at a table on the other side of the bar. “I thought I was going to be stuck with her for the rest of the evening,” I sighed to Jackie. “Yes,” she replied dryly, “you did that very discreetly.”</p><p></p><p>After breakfast the following day we made way to the sun deck to view the ultimate part of the cruise - passing the 0 kilometre mark on the Danube and sailing onto the Black Sea. We cruised up and down the coast for a while, just so we could all say we had cruised the Black Sea, then steered back into the Danube’s delta.</p><p></p><p>We moored in Sf. Gheorghe, a small fishing village which has no roads leading to or from it. Everything comes in by boat - this is a fishing village, after all! Jackie and I grabbed our cameras and made our way down the gangplank and walked towards the village. It wasn’t exactly picturesque, as the pavements were concrete slabs and the roads within the village completely unpaved. They had clearly been chewed up by farm vehicles and then the ruts had dried and hardened when the spring came. Jackie took a look around and decided to return to the ship. I felt a degree of sympathy with her as the village looked particularly decrepit and run down. However, I continued on and was amused to see a hand-painted sign in a garden that began “FOR SAIL”.</p><p></p><p>There wasn’t much more of interest in the village except a bar and a general store so I, too, returned to the ship.</p><p></p><p>At lunch two seats at our table remained empty. Puzzled, we asked where our missing voyagers had got to. Nobody seemed to know. But the missing couple were people who enjoyed a joke and were perpetually surrounded by laughter. As we were tucking into our main course they joined us. In answer to our questions the husband, let’s call him A, told us how they had gone on a delta wildlife trip. Their guide and helmsman switched off the outboard engine at one point so they wouldn’t scare off the birds. They drifted along happily, viewing the birds and smaller animals but when it came time to return disaster struck - the engine refused to start. The boatman pulled and pulled on the starting cord but the engine refused to kick in.</p><p></p><p>At this point A had us in fits as he described all the passengers moving up to the bows and singing Abide With Me before they were lost forever. He then went on to tell us how they were on the verge of drawing lots to see who would be eaten first. I suggested that instead of eating one person they should have started by amputating one leg in turn from each passenger. That way nobody would have to die. He acknowledged that that would have been a better choice, but then went on to regale us with the story of how Screechy Sally and the ghastly Terry had begun to panic. I felt a touch of schadenfreude (well, to be honest I felt a lot of schadenfreude).</p><p></p><p>Their helmsman got on his mobile phone and called his office to have a replacement come out to tow them back. They sat and waited and then, the helmsman giving the cord one last despairing tug, the engine burst into life. The boat was turned around and steered for the main channel. On the way they passed the boat that was coming out to rescue them and they gave it a cheer.</p><p></p><p>We also got through a lot of wine that lunchtime.</p><p></p><p>Amazingly, my cold began to subside and I thought the worst was over.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BillB, post: 1199404, member: 9985"] Enjoyed your reply, Keesha. Jackie and I feel exactly the same way about rail travel. We always travel first class if we can as I'm getting just too old and miserable to cope with the crowding in second class. Have a wonderful time on your journey. And our tickets for the concert arrived this morning - by email. Anyway, on with the Danube cruise. In the afternoon of 13 April the ship had moved on to Rousse, which is where we rejoined her. We then crossed the Danube and tied up in Giurgiu to go through the Romanian immigration process. After that we just loafed, took tea in the bar, went up on deck to shoot off some shots of the passing countryside. Later that evening, after another excellent dinner, I was in a mellow mood, treating my viruses to a little more whisky in the bar. I looked up and to my horror saw Screechy Sally and the ghastly Terry bearing down on us. For a moment I froze, and then I had a stroke of genius (not a frequent experience, I confess). Jumping up, I gave her a big smile and said, “There you are. Not many spare seats. Have mine.” And I pulled my chair out, a gesture she couldn’t possibly refuse. She thanked me and sat down. I looked around, as if seeking another seat, nudged Jackie in the ankle and pointed to two empty seats at a table on the other side of the bar. “I thought I was going to be stuck with her for the rest of the evening,” I sighed to Jackie. “Yes,” she replied dryly, “you did that very discreetly.” After breakfast the following day we made way to the sun deck to view the ultimate part of the cruise - passing the 0 kilometre mark on the Danube and sailing onto the Black Sea. We cruised up and down the coast for a while, just so we could all say we had cruised the Black Sea, then steered back into the Danube’s delta. We moored in Sf. Gheorghe, a small fishing village which has no roads leading to or from it. Everything comes in by boat - this is a fishing village, after all! Jackie and I grabbed our cameras and made our way down the gangplank and walked towards the village. It wasn’t exactly picturesque, as the pavements were concrete slabs and the roads within the village completely unpaved. They had clearly been chewed up by farm vehicles and then the ruts had dried and hardened when the spring came. Jackie took a look around and decided to return to the ship. I felt a degree of sympathy with her as the village looked particularly decrepit and run down. However, I continued on and was amused to see a hand-painted sign in a garden that began “FOR SAIL”. There wasn’t much more of interest in the village except a bar and a general store so I, too, returned to the ship. At lunch two seats at our table remained empty. Puzzled, we asked where our missing voyagers had got to. Nobody seemed to know. But the missing couple were people who enjoyed a joke and were perpetually surrounded by laughter. As we were tucking into our main course they joined us. In answer to our questions the husband, let’s call him A, told us how they had gone on a delta wildlife trip. Their guide and helmsman switched off the outboard engine at one point so they wouldn’t scare off the birds. They drifted along happily, viewing the birds and smaller animals but when it came time to return disaster struck - the engine refused to start. The boatman pulled and pulled on the starting cord but the engine refused to kick in. At this point A had us in fits as he described all the passengers moving up to the bows and singing Abide With Me before they were lost forever. He then went on to tell us how they were on the verge of drawing lots to see who would be eaten first. I suggested that instead of eating one person they should have started by amputating one leg in turn from each passenger. That way nobody would have to die. He acknowledged that that would have been a better choice, but then went on to regale us with the story of how Screechy Sally and the ghastly Terry had begun to panic. I felt a touch of schadenfreude (well, to be honest I felt a lot of schadenfreude). Their helmsman got on his mobile phone and called his office to have a replacement come out to tow them back. They sat and waited and then, the helmsman giving the cord one last despairing tug, the engine burst into life. The boat was turned around and steered for the main channel. On the way they passed the boat that was coming out to rescue them and they gave it a cheer. We also got through a lot of wine that lunchtime. Amazingly, my cold began to subside and I thought the worst was over. [/QUOTE]
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