To Esztergom

Tuesday morning (July 11, 2017) wakes me up with strong wind and rain. Breakfast takes the whole morning and it's already half past twelve when we start drifting on the Danube again, in windy but dry weather. I stop again in Bratislava and do some shopping, including getting new slippers. To access the Wi-Fi, I treat myself to an espresso, although the waitress can't hide her disappointment with my small order. In the afternoon, we set off again. The current of the Danube behind Bratislava quickly weakens (we're approaching the Gabčíkovo / Čunovo Dam) and the wind is no longer reliable. By 8:00 p.m., I have made it to the dam at Čunovo, where we also settle down for the night.

In the morning, we can start early and after two more hours of rowing, we reach the weir at Člistov, where we have to transfer our boat for the last time. After that, the river starts to flow slowly again and I can take it a bit easier. In fact, the Danube has become more natural since the last dam. We drift down the river along the Slovak-Hungarian border until early evening. Then it starts to cloud over and I decide to land quickly. During the rain, I enjoy a coffee in the dry tent and bake bread (I've now mastered it on the petrol stove as well). In the evening, two Hungarians come to fish at my campsite, and the son speaks German quite well. I decide to get a fishing permit the next morning.

Thursday (July 13, 2017) brings strong wind from not quite the perfect direction, so I have to steer a lot. Nevertheless, we make good progress and in the evening, after about 45 km, we dock at Zlatná na Ostrove. Unfortunately, the small supermarket in the town is already closed. In a nearby pub, I can at least get a cold beer. On the way back, I can also refill the drinking water reserves, so I can pack away my water filter for now (even filtered Danube water doesn't taste particularly good). Back at the boat, I set up the tent and cast my fishing line. Some dry food from Rango serves as bait. However, the fish that bites later escapes just before reaching the shore.

Friday is quite uneventful. We start early, stop in Komarno for shopping, and finally set up our camp around 6:00 p.m. after about 25 kilometers on the river. A rubber fish followed us at some distance along the way, but unfortunately, it didn't arouse serious interest among its living counterparts. The dog food in the evening had more success, but once again, the interested party couldn't be landed.

I spend Saturday morning in the tent in drizzling rain. From noon, the weather allows us to continue, until I ignore an approaching rain cloud for too long and it finally surprises me with sudden heavy rain. Thanks to my rain cape, I stay relatively dry, only the backpack in the boat gets a bit wet. In the evening, I dock about 2 km before Esztergom. Even the spinner that accompanied us all day today didn't add anything to our menu. But the wonderful view of the basilica makes up for the circumstances.

After a morning swim, we head to Esztergom in the morning. On the Danube bank, we set a direct course for the town center. We climb a small hill on the way to the monumental building. The size of the church alone is impressive. After we have taken in the basilica and the castle, we go back down to the Danube bank to spend the last euros on the other side of the river. On the way back to the boat, we walk through Esztergom again. The city has some beautiful corners, although most of the facades could use some plaster and a fresh coat of paint. Back at the boat, we load it and continue eastward. About 7 km later, shortly after passing a weir, the fishing rod bends quite strongly. A moment later, it is clear that something quite big has bitten. I briefly doubt the quality of my €25 ALDI fishing rod. After about 20 minutes of reeling, I am confident that I can capture the approximately 90 cm long catfish. After stunning, killing, gutting, and tying the fish to the boat, we continue for about 5 km. Then we dock at the first beautiful Danube beach and prepare everything for a sumptuous dinner.