By Friday Guesthouse Vasiliu became our second home. Our room started matching the untidiness of my office and we started feeling more comfortable in Petre and his family’s presence. The room was spacious with a generous double bed at one side and a sofa on the other. We also had two tables, one used to dry out towels and the other to write the diary and offload our sweets.

There were no locks on the door which is quite reassuring since I considered it to be a sign of security. I believe that you are less prone to danger if you’ve got good contacts with some locals. The only downside with the accommodation was the lack of a lock on the toilet / shower door. I had to play toilet guard whenever my precious visited the toilet. At least there was a swallow’s nest just outside the toilet so I could look at something interesting. Petre assured us that he will soon fit locks to his doors.

I doubt whether it was possible to find a better host in Crisan. Petre is an extremely knowledgeable and outgoing person. His linguistic capabilities are impressive as he is able to speak excellent English, French and even German. In each of the tours he helped us identify and find birds. I got the confirmation that he’s a real birdwatcher and lover when I saw his joyous expression when we saw a rosate starling while returning from Letea. A good guide is essential in the Danube especially since most places are inaccessible without a boat.

The plan for the day was to visit the village of Letea to see the sand dunes. This morning the weather threatened to rain but it never materialised. By now we got used to the boat and started noticing how slow it is. The boat trip routine was broken as soon as Petre located a male Red Footed Falcon. A few minutes later we spotted the female falcon as these lovely birds are currently nesting here. The tour was worth it for them alone. Along the canals we encountered floating islands, which are small reed beds that actual float in the canal. Petre crashed the boat into one of them to move it.

As soon as we arrived In Letea there was a tractor waiting for us in front of an old multipurpose shop. Actually the shop was a room with some shelves and an old lady behind a table. The shop closed after we brought some Romanian snacks, probably making enough money for the rest of the week.

Ferrari in Letea

Letea is a very remote godforsaken village. Crisan is like New York compared to here. All the roads are dirt roads full of cow dung and sand. The only means of transport available are tractors and donkeys. These are quite important because there is another village, C.A. Rosetti, after Letea which is not within comfortable walking distance. Most of the people here are elderly Ukrainian’s dressed and working as farmers. Since the village is so remote, all inhabitants have their own crops and animals for food, as well as a huge river and sea to fish from.

After an overview of the village we set out by tractor for the sand dunes. The trip was very pleasant and it reminded me of when I used to take buses to school. The tractor was a totally novel means of transport for us. From the tractor we spotted various hoopoes and Rollers. The sand dunes are actually hills of white sand that formed from sea shells around 10,000 years ago when the Black Sea was here. For a sandy environment I was impressed with the amount and diversity of vegetation.

Sand Dunes

From the sand dunes we hiked towards a small forest for a picnic. Walking on sand in a hot environment is not my best idea of fun, but we managed to see deer and wild horses. There are around 3000 wild horses living in the forests of Letea. Just before leaving the forest full of sheep cheese given by the tractor driver, we saw a huge oak tree that is estimated to have around 450 years.

Petre is of the firm belief that the wine from Letea is the best of the region, so before returning to Petre’s boat we went to a local family for wine tasting. At first the husband was still at work in his fields, so the tractor driver had to bring him back home. At his arrival we entered in their front garden and his wife brought a basketful of earth covered plastic bottles full of wine. The reason all bottle were covered with earth was to keep the wine cool for longer storage. Since the wine is not treated in any way so it is not very long lasting and keeping it buried in the ground increases its lifespan.

Everything was extremely interesting here, from the washing of our wine glasses to the drinking of the wine. The glasses were quite matte with whatever it could have been, and the lady washed them with some water from an old metal pail. Given that these old people drink from these glasses everyday and they’re in such a good form I found no reason to question the glasses. The wine was very good although not very strong. I regret the moment I brought wine from the supermarket to take back home as I couldn’t buy any from here because of alcohol import limit.

The whole Letea experience is the most memorable experience of the whole holiday. I really would have liked my grand parents to see this lovely place. It seemed to fit in perfectly with the descriptions and stories they used to recite when I was a child.

Our return trip was quite sad as the holiday arrived at its end. To cheer our moods Petre thought he’d seen a rosate starling but it was my dearest that actually spotted him. This lovely bird of the day is a rare bright pink and black starling. Petre has only seen 3 of them in the Danube Delta.

Departure

As a last day present lunch today was special, we had sturgeon fish and cat fish. The sturgeon was excellent but we only had one piece each. The catfish was also very good but not good as the sturgeon. Although my mate doesn’t eat fish she tasted both of them and liked them. The day ended with a sponsored round of beer from our German friends and the packing of our bags.