I was unable to clear out of Romania to be able to make my first landfall again on the Bulgarian side of the Danube, till this evening at 8 p.m., at the local border police station. My plan had been to leave after I came back on the 3 p.m. ferry form Swishtov. Probably just as well since I still had a lot to straighten out and put in place on the boat after the maintenance job. It has been stifling hot, above 100 degrees. There is a little breeze on the water and I am glad that I bought a 12 volt fan in Florida before I left in 2009.

My fuel tank is full and my 20 liter jerry cans are also full but water is a problem here, so, I expect to fill the water tank in Russe. Russe is less than a day’s journey from here and I plan to leave at the crack of dawn. I bought a few more fresh vegetables and fruit at the Sunday morning market in Swishtov and bought a cordless drill, which is an indispensable tool aboard. My battery pack, for the one I had, almost burnt a hole through the boat and I have not been able to find a replacement.

I am glad I was able to take part in the mass in the R.C. church in Swishtov, even though I do not understand a word of the Bulgarian sermon and liturgy. But there were again some Latin parts and I can follow the sequences. It was an older priest, different from the one two weeks ago. He spoke with less of an accent but was not Bulgarian.

It will be a sad good bye to Zimnicea. This morning I moved the last items out of my room at the Tabara camop and said good bye to Aura, Marian and the shepherd, Nero