The last 66km to the Danube

I had planned 3 stages from Gârnic to Dubova. However, since there are almost no villages on this route and I wasn't sure whether there were Ravensca and Bigăr shops to fill up my provisions, I stocked up properly again in Gârnic. To do this, however, I first had to walk half the village down to the shop and then walk almost the entire way back up. Since I didn't really get out of the bend that morning, the backpack with groceries for a good 3 days was significantly heavier than before and on top of that a whole 24km were planned for the day (without the trip to the village shop), I made a quick decision , to use my bonus day, which I had recently earned by skipping the Lacul Dracului, to divide the remaining route into 4 daily stages. Since I always have a few instant noodles in reserve, I can last an extra day with the provisions.

Day 6: A late start in Gârnic

We set off fully packed, the first few kilometers with an animal companion again, until she got homesick. From here, the E3 had the habit of no longer running along the lovely creek valleys, but across them, which not only gave me a lot of altitude difference, but also quite steep ascents and descents - but also beautiful views.

About halfway through today's route I passed Filip, a Czech who grew up in Prague, who lived in Berlin-Kreuzberg for a number of years and now enjoys his old age here in all simplicity in the middle of nature and always has a beer in the fridge for thirsty hikers and has time for a chat. He knew the dog that accompanied me in the morning. Occasionally she comes running up to him. He said goodbye to me with a friendly “Drum bun!”

Day 7: A whole day without other people

This day was supposed to be the only day on which I really didn't meet anyone on the route and didn't pass through any villages. The additional day that I put in made the stages significantly shorter and I was able to stretch out the hammock for a siesta on the way with a clear conscience.

Day 8: The last night in the tent

I slowly realized that my hike was coming to an end. Tonight would be the last time I would sleep in the tent. Of course, I chose a really nice spot for that. As beautiful as the sunset over the pastures was in all seclusion, I can't hide the fact that I was slowly looking forward to a shower and a real bed.

Day 9: The last day

The 15km descent to Dubova began very thoughtfully and wistfully for me. Of course it was great to see Kathleen again in Istanbul in a few days. But I also kept thinking about the many great encounters of the last few days.

I've also been traveling in Norway and Ireland with a tent and a motorbike. I was able to gain experience everywhere and came into contact with people in a way that is simply unthinkable when you are traveling by car, for example. It is these encounters that you remember years later and that not only make these paths something very special, but also give you so much strength that the hardships next to them suddenly seem inconspicuous.