This week any holidaying atmosphere that remained was obliterated.
The length and difficulty of our trip was brought to the fore by rain that came in a steady, week-long burst.
Each day we awoke hoping it may be better. We unzipped the damp tent to peer into grey gloom, saw the rain, got into our waterproofs and went back out for another day on the water. We were not on the canals of southern France and there was no way of pretending we were. We were in rainy Bavaria.
We knew this wasn’t a holiday when we set out and so the rain was definitely expected. An expedition is an expedition. Rain happens. Yet the rain coincided with something else important that happens on every grand trip, we hit milestone after milestone.
This week saw a number of important points on our route and as we map and plan our trip these important points become golden gates in our mind.
The first gateway we passed through was on the top of the Main-Donau Kanal at around 400m altitude. On the third day of this week we paddled along this high section of water knowing that from there it was all downhill. After two months of paddling and over a thousand kilometers of upstream work, this was, without doubt, the place to be, the top of our world. Even as the rain soaked us, we were perfectly content. Celebratory bananas in hand, we cheered, took a photo, then got back in our canoe knowing we’d never take her up a hill again.
Two days later we paddled onto the Danube, a massive milestone. Even now it still gives us a lift to say we’ve made it here. When you’re paddling down a little canal in France the wide waters of the Danube seems an eternity away. And now they’re here. Being on the Danube means a lot. It means that we’ve only got one river left, it means that its impossible to get lost, it means that we can start regularly ticking off the famous cities of Eastern Europe and most of all it means a downstream current all the way to the Black Sea.
However, as much as reaching the Danube is a fantastic achievement, the first kilometer we saw reminded us how far we still have to go. Almost 2000km on the famous river await our tiny canoe. Still raining we settled in on our new river and new home, knowing we’ll be there a little while.
The third and final milestone of this week comes only on our final day as we rest in the border-city of Passau. The exciting feeling of knowing that tomorrow we leave this country, Germany, and enter a new country, Austria, is a milestone that anyone can relate to.
Having taken 51 days to reach Germany, and a further 25 to get across Germany to the Austrian border; crossing the German border provides a poignant moment for the expedition. Going into a new country means new culture, new foods, new beers and new accents to get used to.
However, while the milestones we’ve conquered this week provided unique moments for the expedition, border-crossing is something we’re going to have to get used to. We hope to be through Austria in ten days or so before jumping between the nations of Eastern Europe: the Danube should see us through Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania within six weeks.
Right now, every milestone passed is something to celebrate. As we continue down the Danube into Eastern Europe, the milestone of reaching a new country will hopefully become a regular event. Austria here we come!
To track our progress and get more regular updates go to www.canoeingthecontinent.com or follow us on Twitter @CanoeingEurope.
