There’s a saying along the Danube: the Danube Telegraph. It means news travels fast—passed along by boat crews, locals, and river people alike.
We had just pulled up anchor when a man in a small fishing boat approached us. Despite not speaking the same language, we somehow understood that he wanted to tell us we had a mutual friend on the river—a Romanian captain. That’s the Danube Telegraph at work.
You don’t always feel it directly, but there’s something quietly reassuring about knowing that word of our journey is spreading among river people as we travel downstream.
Sometimes it really feels like the Danube is just one long village.
We arrived at a fantastic little harbor around noon. The area is made up of several small marinas, mostly home to local fishing and leisure boats. Scattered among them are countless floating huts—essentially caravans mounted on DIY pontoons, often decorated with geraniums. To our eyes: a bit wild, but sexy.
We spent the evening in the center of Novi Sad. Stephan and Gigi played an impro concert at a local music school, together with the local musicians Nenad Marković and Ivan Čkonjević.
Afterwards, we had a talk and beer with professional pianist and cultural worker Marina Dzukljev
Interviews from our time in Novi Sad will follow shortly.
