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Ukrainian Danube, last Day of Summer




No, the title does not refer to today's date, a day after mid-September. And no, I haven't been to Ukraine in 2020. I have to rewind my memories, but not by much. Just for one year. We are in August 2019.

And we are in Odessa, Ukraine. Which is not my favorite city in the country. Quite elegant and neat in the center, full of nightlife spots. And the beaches not much further. In short, not exactly the best place for my way of traveling. Yet I too took a bath in the Black Sea. As far as I can remember, it's still my last dive in the sea. Yet I went to sip a beer in the evening, near the opera house. But then I needed more.

This is why I get curious about an excursion to Vylkove and, in general, to the Danube Delta, shared by Ukraine and Romania. In my case, I stayed on the Ukrainian side only. If you want to read about the Romanian side, you can read this post by RJOnTourUK (external link here). I decide to book: I do it via email, but for the payment I still have to go to the opera house area. I locate the tour operator without difficulty and tell the staff that I should pay for the tour that leaves the next day. The guy I met didn't speak great English already, but at least he manages to inform me that during the tour there would be no English at all. Because the only departing group would be one composed of only Russians. Take it or leave it. We were not discouraged: we only asked to not be abandoned on the Danube and that the tour leader at least would remember about us.

Odessa: back of the opera house
Odessa: back of the opera house

“Can he use any words in English? At 11:00 here. Or: get on the bus. We get off now. Bathroom there. Now lunch. Ok? " They assured me that he would at least handle these things. Appointment the next day, very early, in front of the main train station.

And then how do I find the tour leader? I don't remember if he had any distinctive signs of the tour operator with him, but I certainly remember that I went in search of gatherings to locate him. Oh, yes. In 2019 you still could do that. Somehow, we find this slightly chubby blonde, I will never understand if she is Ukrainian or Russian. And she knows a few words of English, at least. So that she can give us the necessary information. Except that the group is not that small and we need other points of reference to recognize it.

And this is where Neko Neko comes in!

Who is Neko Neko? She is a girl who has just entered adult life, traveling with her mother. With a peculiarity: she has beautiful hair, long and multicolored. Naturally polychrome, I mean. And she is easily recognizable in the midst of a large group of Russians. But is she really called Neko Neko? I don't think so, I've never talked to her and I don't know her name. I renamed her Neko Neko because she reminded me of my parents' cat, which also has various shades of color in the fur. "Neko" in Japanese means "cat".

Ukrainian souvenir
Ukrainian souvenir

So I say to my wife: “Please, we should follow the tour leader or Neko Neko. And let's hope we're lucky. " Yes, because when we travel with many people you can usually find us in the end of the group. It is not that we do it on purpose, but in the end we slowly navigate to the last places because we linger to take pictures. And then it's all a chase. I anticipate it immediately: more than Neko Neko, it will be our blonde tour leader who will keep an eye on us, having the task of closing the group. She will be preceded by another guide, which will provide all the necessary explanations. In Russian.

The road to Vylkove is not short. That's why I spend some time with my smartphone, instead of constantly looking out the window. But at some point I am forced to: the Ukrainian signal disappears and my smartphone connects to a different network, so data roaming is impossible for me. I turn to the window of the bus and glimpse a couple of soldiers, then we continue along a fairly straight and anonymous road. It lasts a few minutes, the Ukrainian signal returns and we continue towards our destination. How strange!

We make a short stop, I don't remember where. Maybe it's right in the vicinity of Vylkove. Here we stop to buy a small souvenir from an old woman who makes (or sells) dolls dressed in traditional clothes. Is it important? No, it's only to point out that the old woman had learned four words in English to sell. In order not to be mistaken, however, she showed me the price on the calculator. I get back on the bus satisfied with the purchase.

Church in Vylkove
Church in Vylkove

And finally we arrive in Vylkove. But what is Vylkove? It is a town near the Danube Delta, developed in a series of smaller or larger canals. Don't expect Venice, though. Here the dimensions are much smaller, the natural component still manages to compete with the anthropic one. Besides, I don't know how to say it... Maybe I missed something about the Russian speaking of the guide, let's say 100%. But in August I saw very few navigable canals. Yes, apart from the big ones, I found the water level quite low. But I don't know the channeling system behind it, so I'm unable to give an explanation. Unless you are satisfied with the Russian that I didn't understand...

Vylkove #1
Vylkove #1

Vylkove #2 - A cat is always nice to see
Vylkove #2 - A cat is always nice to see

But there is a beautiful summer that surrounds us, which envelops the green of the vegetation, which creates reflections on the river waters, lively even when a little muddy. And the sun wedges itself into the openings left by the foliage canvas, bumping into Neko Neko's hair, creating almost kaleidoscopic effects.

Vylkove #3
Vylkove #3

Then they let us get onto a boat, to finally introduce us to the river. Again, the guide spoke for several minutes and, again, I didn't understand a word. But one question stayed with me and I would have liked to have answered that one. Did Romania begin on the other side of the river? Or were we on a secondary channel, completely contained within Ukraine?

Towards the Danube Delta
Towards the Danube Delta

I let the doubts fade away at lunchtime. They took us to a place that was certainly touristy, but at least it was designed to look traditional. Proximity foods, from fish to wine. I didn't learn this from the guide, of course, it was what was written on their English website. In any case, I enjoyed everything with gusto. Even if I usually tend to avoid fish for personal taste.

Lunch on the Danube: kitchen
Lunch on the Danube: kitchen

Lunch on the Danube: tables
Lunch on the Danube: tables

But the best thing was being at a table with five or six other Russians. Even if they didn't speak English, we could understand each other with gestures. And as the alcohol went down, we understood each other even better. Then there was someone who managed to outline a few words in English and tried to chat. I understood little, but enough to notice that he had invited me to reinforce the already good wine with the colorless drink he had brought from home. Probably with very high alcohol content. I didn't have to drive, but I declined the invitation, shielding myself with the early afternoon heat as an excuse. Today I regret not so much having refused, but the fact that today I cannot be put to share bread and drinks with strangers.

Lunch on the Danube
Lunch on the Danube

Besides, I had a better reason not to be a drinking buddy. Russian children reminded me about it. Yes, because we got there by navigating the river. Yes, because there was a small wooden dock. And it was also the ideal place to dive into the river, with due attention to the passage of other boats. The children, I said, those didn't think twice. They ate in a rush and jumped into the water even faster. Even Neko Neko could not resist and went to soak her colorful hair. And I, who am perhaps a child like them, how could I have restrained myself? I was aware of this possibility, I had traveled all day with my bathing suit under my other clothes.

A dive in the Danube - Yes, that's me
A dive in the Danube - Yes, that's me

Here it is the summer, which crumbles all adult demeanor, which pampers you in its warmth, which tempts you with a promise of refreshment made of splashes and diving. I'll spare you the photo of me jumping in the water: I already have just a few readers and I wouldn't want to lose those too. But I still feel myself in the air, as I await the delicate impact with the surface of the river.

“Nice to meet you, Danube. We finally get to really know each other.”

Danube: Delta 0km - #1
Danube: Delta 0km - #1

It presents itself to me in all its majesty, up to its "Delta 0km". How many places have those waters seen? From the Black Forest in Germany, traveling around half of Europe, through its capitals. In how many languages have they heard love phrases whispered? How many tears have increased them? And how many pirouettes of children, like those who dived just before (myself included), pushed them to the mouth?

"Goodbye, Danube. I'll try to come back."

Danube: Delta 0km - #2
Danube: Delta 0km - #2

We get back on the bus. This time I find out why the Ukrainian signal disappears at some point. We are on the M15 road, near Palanca, in Moldova. That is, I'm actually in Moldova, on the right as on the left, but the jurisdiction of the road remains attributed to Ukraine. And here is also explained why there are soldiers. I love Eastern Europe!

Sunset on the road

So the day goes out, so the summer goes out. Maybe in Ukraine, maybe in Moldova, who knows. Summer, the real one, the one that sends you back many years, near the almost forgotten territories of carefree. In 2020 she did not return, it was not possible. I will wait for you. With a bunch of sunbeams, eager to get crushed on my face. Maybe in Italy, maybe elsewhere, who knows.



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