and yelled: "Zigarra?" I answered: "Sure, I'll take it!" J Unbelievably, there are two guys, as Romanian as they could be. Pavel wears horn-rimmed glasses and his brother Jacob has no teeth. I really get a cigarette! I give them some of my schnaps I took from Serbia. They both shake while drinking it and clear their mouth with water from the Danube. Really girlish! We understand each other just by using our eyes and our hands. We laugh a lot. They give me some wine out of a cut beer can with really sharp rims. They give me more and more cigarettes. Of course, I see their needs and decide to give them the tool to allure catfish. They were really happy and hugged and kissed me a very long time. When they disappeared after an hour, I felt so lucky in this lonesome landscape and couldn't help but cry. This tour is very emotional. It's not easy to find words for this in my short updates. I think a book after the tour becomes more and more necessary and real. "There are always so much poor guys asking us for schnaps and cigarettes. It's really annoying" that is what other sport boat sailers told me. Me, I tried to turn the tables and was really quick in asking so far. Most often, it worked ;-)
"The borderpolice controls in Romania three to four times a day are annoying" another saier told me. Why? Why am I taking the time to drive down the Danube hour after hour with the border police? To talk? They take me to the poor nature police station at the coast to give me half of their delicious breakfast. I tell some common boy about this event, he apologizes for their behavior J No, don't apologize, I said. "They gave me something!" He looks at me very unbelievably. And still the police goes shopping for me and enjoys fish and hard liqueur with me at half past nine in the evening. I manage to be so very close to the people and I'm thankful for that. Travelling without any money is magic that is hard to find elsewhere. On the right coast there's Romania, left hand there's Moldavia and I will soon hit the Ucraine. Ah, I see a sailing boat on the left. I decide to knock off with my sailing colleagues. What follows, was the most impressing Frisian - Romanian meeting that couldn't be topped until Danube kilometer 0 at the delta. The sailer had already been gone, but the group of men was staying for their vacation. After ten minutes I was full, after two hours I was drunk. The boss, a rich Romanian guy from Galati, paid 140.000 Euro to buy a ferry boat two years ago. He bought it just for one need: to invite his friends every weekend and enjoy life. And I could be one of them. I built my tent on the ferry. I will always remember the breakfast the other day and the people on the boat. Thanks to Valerian, Adrian, Serban and all the others. Men of Romania are very together. Thanks to all of you.
Somewhere in the narrow of the Danube a huge towboat comes my way. I know that this type of boat can make huge waves. So I put my clothes at the mast, stand at the aisle and cannot look beyond the wave that is coming on to me. When the wave is right in front of me, I think this is the end. There were three waves more than two meters high. I stay at the aisle, screaming to the towboat "You can't get me!" This was a fantastic moment and I'm really glad I survived this boat. Yesterday in the evening the big moment was there. Kilometer 0 of Danube. Arrival at the Black Sea in St. Georghe. I still can't believe there are more than 4.000 kilometers of water behind me. It's Wednesday, 10th of August 2011. I'm in St. Georghe at the Black Sea.

I check my boat and my equipment and change it over to be able to fight higher waves. I'll continue travelling tomorrow in the morning, if the wind is my friend.

Nils and Torge, I'm really really sorry for being away for so long, but still, I can give you something for your life that money can't buy.

I am so looking forward to see you again!