Sailing upstream the Danube, looking at the Serbian and Romanian banks ...

Mraconia Monastery is the only Romanian monastery built between the rocky banck of the Danube and its waters. Mraconia means “hidden place“ or “dark water”. It is located 15 Km west of the Romanian town Orsova and endured the history's adversities, starting with the nomadic hoards' pillaging, paying tributes to foreign empires and even being covered by the Danube's waters. Its existence has been documented in 1453, it was distroyed during the Russian - Austrian - Turkish war between 1787 and 1792, rebuilt and demolished again in 1968 and eventually rebuilt again in 1993. From the original building, that now lays in ruins at the bottom of the river, have been recovered only the royal doors and a candle holder presently held in the parochial museum from Eselnita.

"Cazanele" sunt un sector din defileul fluviului Dunarea, la trecerea prin muntii Carpati, intre localitatile Dubova si Ogradena. In aceasta zona, apa este fortata sa treaca printre munti. In total cazanele au o lungime de circa 9 km. In unele locuri, Dunarea se ingusteaza pana la 180 – 250 m, ingreunand navigatia. Fluviul este marginit de pereti verticali, stancosi. Barajul de la Portile de Fier a mai incetinit din viteza curentului, care depasea 5 m/s. De fapt, exista doua “cazane” : Cazanele Mari (4 km lungime) si Cazanele Mici ( 5 km lungime ). Zona este declarata monument unic al naturii in Europa. In Cazane, numai marinarii versati au curajul sa intre, stiind prea bine cate vieti au inghitit vartejurile nebune.

...slow ahead...

Upstream Danube River to The Iron Gates

Horezu...