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Amphibious Rowboats

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Happy Canada Day, July 1, 2008 (Enns, Austria)

The Danube isn’t really blue at all, as Johann Strauss’ famous “Blue Danube Waltz” would have us believe, instead it is a milky brown like most great rivers. It is wide and fast-flowing, and gushes across Europe all the way to the Black Sea. In fact, it is the only major river that cuts eastwards across this continent, and is historically an important transportation corridor. Now barges continue to ply its waters but conveniently for us, they are much less numerous than on the Rhine River.

We launched our boats in Regensburg, beside an impressive stone bridge that was once the only fortified bridge to cross the Danube. Church spires and onion domes faded into the distance as we rowed away from medieval architecture and into forests and farmland. The weather was delightfully hot and according to the barometer on our Suunto watches we knew it wasn’t about to change anytime soon. As dusk approached we pulled our boats over the boulder-lined river’s edge and onto a secluded grassy bank. A white distance marker was situated near the edge indicating it was 2369 kilometres to the Black Sea. It was a beautiful spot, but sadly others had discovered this place and left it less than pristine. The ground was scarred with a fire pit and trash overflowed its perimeter. But the view across the river was still awe-inspiring. A small town sat on the other side and the evening sun set its church spires ablaze, fish jumped nearby sending ripples across the water, and storks flapped awkwardly overhead.

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- Julie