New adventures are around the corner
I’m almost ready to start with my train trip across Europe. I’ve been planning this for about 3 months and it finally seems like I’ve figured out the route I’m going to follow.
In the beginning my plan was to do a train trip like the one I did in August 2016, going through at least one national park like Triglav in Slovenia was last year.
However, after watching some documentaries about the Danube River and its extensive tour across most of Europe (being the most international river in the world), my plans were changing.
I remembered the amount of hours I spent (as a kid and not so little) watching programs on Discovery Channel, Nat Geo and Animal Planet fascinated by the incredible nature and the beautiful landscapes that earth can offer.
So I decided to embark on this journey that is intended to document the landscapes and wildlife that extend along the Danube River, focusing on its origin, The Black Forest in Germany and the Danube Delta in Romania.
My plan is to follow the route of the Danube from its origin in the city of Donaueschingen to its mouth in the Black Sea in the coast of Romania.
Of course, this is just a plan and I know that things can change overnight, however I think it is always good to have a prior idea of how things will develop, so we can react better to any eventuality, right? 🙂
The possible route
As you can see on the map, the route of my trip is divided between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, covering a total of 6 countries and 12 cities.
I will fly from Barcelona to Stuttgart where I will spend one or two nights and then go camping for three nights in the Black Forest, probably in the city of Titisee-Neustadt or Freiburg. Then I will visit the city of Donaueschingen, which is where the Danube River originates.
Then I will return to Stuttgart to take the train to the beautiful city of Budapest where I will stay one or two nights. From there I will take a train to Cluj-Napoca in Romania, located in the mythical region of Transylvania. Here I will try to visit as much of the area as possible, such as the Apuseni Natural Park or the Calimani National Park.
After 3 or 4 days of visiting in Cluj-Napoca, I will take a train to Brasov, in the middle of the Carpathians, where I will also take the opportunity to register the best landscapes and wildlife that Transylvania can offer.
Once finished with Brasov I will take a train to Tulcea, which is where the Danube river flows; here, once again, I will try to capture the beauty of the Danube Delta and its natural biodiversity.
After the Danube Delta my plans are still not 100% sure, as there are many possibilities and I really do not know how long it will take me to go through the first part of the journey. Even so, I plan to visit the Plitvice National Park in Croatia, the city of Graz in Austria and the city of Grenoble in France, to finally return to the city where I currently live, Barcelona.
Accommodation
I’m not a rich guy, for this reason I cannot afford to stay in hotels or hostels throughout the whole trip. Luckily there are online communities such as Couchsurfing where you can find hosts that can give you free accommodation.
On the other hand, I am fortunate to have made friends in different parts of Europe, which has allowed me to host and receive lodging in many of my trips, and that will be very useful during this trip.
This time I’m better equipped
In order to register the landscapes and wildlife during my trip, I have seen it necessary to buy a new camera since the previous one, which helped me to register my first trips in South America and Europe, already has 4 years of use and it did not work as I would like.
I introduce you my new companion for my future trips!
Many people think that Kodak is dead, but nothing could be further from the truth, I am sure that PixPro will help me capture the best landscapes and wildlife in Europe. This camera has 52x zoom and 16MP, plus Wi-Fi and panoramic mode to take better pictures in wide landscapes.
Now I only have to prepare my backpack and start with this adventure, which I hope will be as breath-taking as the previus ones 😀
Curious about my trip? Leave your comment and I’ll make sure to answer it as soon as I can 🙂
