The Danube Delta

A Journey to the Edge of the World

The sun rises from the sea. In this universe of water, the only means of transportation is by boat. The main occupation is fishing and it is said that you can eat almost any kind of fish cooked in almost any way, the most famous beinga special kind of soup called "borsch". While travelling on the canals, beyond floating rush and reed islets you can find water lillies and pelicans


By ALEXANDRA POPA
from Bucharest, ROMANIA


Believe for a second that the world is flat and borne by a great elephant on its back, like our ancestors once thought. Believe that you could walk to the edge of the world and gaze into the eyes of infinity - that is how you feel in this place.

In Romanian it is called "Delta Dunarii"- this territory embraced by the Danube's three branches (Chilia, Sulina and Sfantu Gheorghe) as they flow into the Black Sea. Situated between Romania's Tulcea County and Ukraine's Odessa Oblast, this is one of the largest and best preserved of European deltas and was included in the UNESCO Project as a Reservation of the Biosphere. It is the third most important ecological area in the world, having more than 25 types of natural ecosystems.

Portrayed in numbers, Europe's youngest lands could be summarized in: 5800 square kilometers, a surface over 80% covered in water, home of 98% of the European aquatic fauna, with over 1100 varieties of plants, 300 species of birds, countless species of fish, about 15000 people and two towns: Tulcea (the gateway to the delta) and Sulina (the most eastern point of Romania).

The sun rises from the sea. In this universe of water, the only means of transportation is by boat. The main occupation is fishing and it is said that you can eat almost any kind of fish cooked in almost any way, the most famous being a special kind of soup called "borsch". While travelling on the canals, beyond floating rush and reed islets you can find water lillies and pelicans. Scattered on the banks you can see horses or cows, raised by their owners in the wild. After the sun sinks in the rivers, you can find a place to sleep in a rustic pension with a reed rooftop and watch how the Milky Way reflects itself in the mysterious waters.

Throughout history, many people have left their footsteps here. Nowadays, the population is made up of a Romanian majority living in harmony with more than 15 minority groups including Lipovans (descendants of the Old Rite Followers who came from Russia), Ukrainians, Turks, Tatars, Greeks, Italians, and others.

Tourists from all over the world come here to explore this maze of islands, marshes, reed, forests, swamps, beaches, canals, lakes, pastures and sand dunes. Cruises, strollings on the channels, fishing, birdwatching, sunbathing at the beach or just taking a deep breath of the unsofisticated ways in which life occurs at the edge of the world - these are a few of the things that you can find here.

But all is not poetry on this edge of the world. Sadly, what makes this place so special, its beauty, also draws trouble: the ecosystem is very frail and risks being smutherred by the garbage that its visitors throw in the middle of nature.

The last stop of the southern and oldest branch of the Danube, Sfantu Gheorghe, before it is swallowed into the sea. Here is an old fishermen village bearing the same name. It is a realm seemingly untouched by time - the people have preserved their traditions and Ukrainian language. As the beach caresses the sea with its fine sands, the place seems to belong to a fairy tale. Since 2004, Sfantu Gheorghe is hosting the Anonimul International Film Festival, an ambitious high level project that has gathered enlightened minds from around the world.

The last town before you reach the edge of the world - Sulina, a sand fortress forsaken by time on the shores of the Black Sea. Half of the delta's population lives in this lonely harbour town with six long streets paralleling the Danube as it blends into the sea. Slowly, history reveals itself to those who are patient. Between 1856 and 1938, the European Commission of the Danube helped Sulina become increasingly prosperous, being considered the little Venice of the East. The Palace of the European Commission of the Danube, the old lighthouse and the churches prove that legends of this porto franco housing 22 religious communities and 7 foreign Consulates are true. Even the cemetery's tombstones testify how people from different cultures and religious beliefs (Orthodox, Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Protestant) lived in harmony in this cosmopolitan town.

A deserted road escorts you to the isolated beach. Here, everything is sky and sea. No edge of the world in sight. Maybe the world is round after all...