It was around six a.m. I could hear strange noises outside as my eyes fluttered opened and then closed again. I remembered that we were supposed to go through some locks around six. Bob lay beside me sound asleep and didn't stir. Did I want to get up and experience it? I inventoried the body parts and they all said no, stay in bed. I went back to sleep. We'd been through locks on rivers before, I told myself. While this was quite a lift, 39 meters I believe, I pictured it in my head as I fell back asleep.
The morning would be a pleasant cruise up the river through picturesque rolling hillside with the sun highlighting the foliage which was just on the fringe of autumn color. Bob immediately went back to bed after a light breakfast. He would have a day like mine before, sleeping. The virus was exhausting.
I was beginning to feel a little better by the afternoon tour time and decided I would chance it. It was a nice bus ride to an archaeological site called Lepenski Vir. When we arrived, we had a very pleasant walk down a paved path through a wooded area. This was one location I had not previewed so I had no clue what to expect.
After about ten minutes a large metal and glass structure appeared before us, obviously housing the ancient site. Once inside, I knew I was not going to last long there. I was already tiring out and the temperature was way too warm. Thankfully we were directed to a video room that was air conditioned and had benches to sit on.
The video they showed had English subtitles and was about the original dig around the mid 1960s. The film was old, speckled with black specks and yellowed with age but it told an interesting story of the find on an old farmer's land. Supposedly the farmer was in agreement with their digging there as long as they didn't touch his fields, although in the brief pictures they showed of him, he didn't appear happy. It was the stern Eastern European look of the past. I can't imagine where his field was since this seemed to be on a steep hillside.
You can tell the era from all the cigarettes they all smoked as they dug out the artifacts and began to uncover a strange cluster of homes, each with what appeared to be their own fire pit. When the film ended, I went out and took a look and a picture of the site and then headed for the cooler air outside.
The walk back to the bus was again very pleasant and I was one of the first to arrive. When I sat down I felt exhausted and wondered if it had been such a good idea to come. At least I would have rest on the bus before the next stop at the Golubac Castle (Fortress).
The ship had cruised upstream to meet us at the fortress so I knew I could take a look around and cut out of the tour when I needed to and with a few steps be back at the ship.
The first record of the fortress indicates it existed in 1335 and was occupied by Hungarian military. It was a strategic spot on the Danube where it flows into the Iron Gate Gorge and is the widest part of the Danube River.
The fortress is made up of nine towers none of which are connected by ramparts except for the two in front where there was an entrance. That was so the soldiers could pour hot tar on any attempting uninvited entry. To access the other towers there were either steep stone steps or just a rocky trail.
The small museum was interesting with some medieval battle armor and weapons. I cut out of the continuing talk and made my way back around to the entrance. I found one lower tower that I took some metal steps to climb, caught a glimpse of the boat and decided "home" looked good.
Back on the ship I found Bob up and dressed, feeling a little better. We were both among the living again.
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