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Romania is a land of a thousand faces.

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The crossing point
between the Occident and the Orient.

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And a melting pot of different cultures.

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And is also a country unlike any other
in Europe.

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With over half of the Carpathian
mountain range weaving through it,

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Romania is the custodian of Europe's
greatest surviving mixed forest

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and two-thirds of its apex predators.

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As well as native Romanians,
it is home to Hungarian,

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Saxon,

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Roma,

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Serbian,

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Greek and many more divers peoples

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united by the borders of a nation

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that stretches to the mouth of the Danube.

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However, Romania's natural
and built heritage

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is under threat from reckless development

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and a race to modernize
which often destroys

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the very things that could ensure
prosperity for generations to come.

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Welcome back to our ongoing odyssey

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around Romania's
nine great historic regions.

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In this our third episode,
we'll be exploring Dobrogea

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which includes the Black Sea Coast

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and the Danube Delta,
Europe's largest wetland.

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This vast network of lakes,
reed beds and channels

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fans out across rich alluvial planes,

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providing a nesting ground for almost
300 species of migratory bird

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and containing within its borders
a priceless UNESCO biosphere reserve.

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To immerse ourselves fully
in this magical water world

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we're leaving the bygone dry land

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and embarking on a three-day cruise

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through the Delta's labyrinths
and channels

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aboard friend and ornithologist
Dan Petrescu's luxury floating hotel.

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This is arguably the most comprehensive
way to see the Delta.

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With 12 comfortable air condition cabins
powered by solar panels,

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a spacious dining room

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and plenty of deck space from which
to admire your surroundings.

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Our place of departure is a small marina
in the city of Tulcea

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self-styled gateway to the Delta

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and a casting off point
for many of the ferries and boat tours

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that navigate
this 3.000 square kilometre wilderness.

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{\an8}- Danny!
- Hey, Charlie!

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- Hello!
- Hello! Ciao!

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- How are you?
- Very well.

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- Very well.
- Welcome to Tulcea!

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We were three-and-a-half days
on the boat to see it.

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Yes, three-and-a-half days
of wilderness and birds.

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Danny's the Doctor Doolittle of birds,
I hasten to say.

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I don't know anyone who knows not only
the Latin name for every single bird

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that frequents the Delta,
but also what they sound like.

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Let me just ask you, for example,

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what about...

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what noise does a kingfisher make?

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- What about...
- That's a kingfisher coming to the nest.

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What about a coot?

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Well, that's a little bit more complicated
because it's doing a scream, it's...

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- Okay.
- It's very sharp.

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And the Latin name?

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- The Latin name it's Fulica Atra.
- I told you I was not joking.

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- This is gonna be fun.
- Yeah.

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Well, it's the easiest bird in the world.

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Yeah, I thought I'd start you off
with something simple.

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Ibis Tours! Thank you very much.

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- Next one over, right?
- Yeah.

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Leaving Tulcea behind,

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you feel the weight of the world
shrug itself from your shoulders

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replaced by a deep sense of calm,

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enhanced by the sight
of the treeline shore

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scrolling gently past on either side.

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The Delta spreads outward
like the branches of an enormous tree

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from the three main channels or trunks
named after its principal towns.

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For our first section of the journey

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we're heading down the southernmost arm

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towards Sfântu Gheorghe
on the Black Sea Coast.

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Sadly, too many people come
to the Delta for day trips

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and burn around in speed boats,

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creating waves,

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polluting the water,

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eroding the river banks

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and generally seeing very little.

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On the other hand, lounging on the deck

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watching the landscapes
slip majestically past

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as you sip a cold beer

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gives you ample time to take in
the scenery

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and marvel at what is one
of the world's most fragile

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and irreplaceable ecosystems.

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Meanwhile, things were happening
down in the galley.

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I risked a brief intrusion to discover
what was on the menu for later.

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- What are we preparing here?
- Stuffed pike.

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So this is the tenderising process
for the pike

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'cause I'm presuming she's gonna debone it

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and take out the meat,
and then do something interesting with it.

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And then being stuffed
it's gonna go back in.

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You have to know what you're doing
'cause pike is quite a bony fish as well.

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It's just like peeling off your socks.

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You could add lots of things to this
as well

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and do a kind of fusion cuisine twist.

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Today, we're doing it the traditional way.

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But I like the fact we're using
the meat mincer for everything.

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This fantastic aroma
comes out of the other end.

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I can't help thinking

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just a tiny squeeze of lemon
might also be quite nice.

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But hey, this is tried and tested
for generations.

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Pepper. Black pepper, lots of it.

104
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So it's garlic with sour cream. May I?

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It's very nice actually
just having it like this.

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Like a Danube Delta sushi.

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That's such an inventive way
to stuff a fish!

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And then you just put the head back on,
and nobody knows.

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You don't have to be a taxidermist
to do this recipe,

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but it probably helps.

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By tea time, we'd found a mooring
just upstream of Sfântu Gheorghe.

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And the opportunity presented itself
to disembark for a ramble

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along the beach at dusk.

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It's an arresting thought,

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that while the sun casts its final rays
over the mouth of the Danube,

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the other end of this mighty river
is being cloaked in darkness

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for well over an hour.

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There are few beaches in Romania that are
as unspoiled and empty as this one.

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Thankfully, it's a protected area,

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so hopefully, it won't be desecrated
by high-rise hotels

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in another 20 years.

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However, there are a couple
of temporary wooden pop-up bars

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that operate during the summer months

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and offer refreshments
to the thirsty traveler.

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As the light was fading,
it was back to our buoyant base camp

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for dinner and a fitting end
to our first day in the Delta.

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The best moment to catch wildlife
is just after dawn.

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But it's also chilly,
even in the summer months,

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so warm clothing is a must.

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We're up early for a pre-breakfast safari

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to nearby Melia lagoon,

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marooned from the sea
by the fast-growing Sacalin Peninsula

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formed from alluvial silt
deposited by the river

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and swept south from the estuary mouth
by prevailing currents.

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This protected stretch of shallow water

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provides a secluded breeding
and feeding ground

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for many Delta bird species

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and the great vantage point
from which to do a spot of twitching.

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However, the main attraction,

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the one species
we were counting on to see,

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was conspicuous by its absence.

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Where are the pelicans, man?

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They are in the opposite direction
from where we are.

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- Yeah.
- We came a bit too late probably.

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Yeah?

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'Cause they start to feed very early
in the morning when it's a hot day.

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There's a greenshank.

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- Is that what they sound like?
- Yes. Just took off.

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And when they take off they whistle.

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What's greenshank in Latin?

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Greenshank in Latin it's Tringa Nebularia.

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What's that? Below on the reeds.

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The purple heron. Another purple heron.

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And the cormorants are coming in.

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- Cormorants are very efficient in...
- Diving.

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...diving in deep water.

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- But they're efficient in any situation.
- That's why there are so many of them.

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And that's why they are so hated
by fishermen all over the world.

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They get a bit of a tough deal,
doesn't it?

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- Yeah. Being smart is never...
- How would you know?

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Well, ask me how I know.

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For this second stretch of our journey

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I decided to leave home comforts behind

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and rely on more manual forms
of transport.

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There are lots of ways
to get to Sfântu Gheorghe

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at the mouth of the Danube Delta.

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You can go by boat.

168
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You can go by helicopter.

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Or you can go by motorized canoe.

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Alternatively...

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See you on the other side.

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Little choppy.

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What a beautiful day!

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For a swim.

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It's amazing to think this river
flows right across Europe

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divides countries, borders

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and provides a living for a huge number
of people in the Delta.

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Well, I'm not cheating.

179
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Luckily, as you can probably tell,
we have a support boat

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which is quite important
when you're swimming

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in one of the largest riparian motorways
in Europe.

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Stick to the middle now

183
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'cause there's a rubbish boat
coming in from Tulcea.

184
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That would be a glorious way to go,
wouldn't it?

185
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Mowed down by a rubbish boat.

186
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It's good to see that people
are actually collecting rubbish

187
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from the Danube Delta.

188
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- Doesn't always happen, does it?
- Well, not in these remote places.

189
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Since plastic was born

190
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not much was collected for many years,
and it ended up in the Black Sea.

191
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Yeah.

192
00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:32,160
Do you wanna be fished with a boat
or just walk on the shore?

193
00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:34,080
I walk on the shore for a little bit.

194
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- It's sharp there.
- Yeah, I can see.

195
00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:37,280
You might get some...

196
00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:41,120
- You mean I might graze my little toes?
- Yes, you might.

197
00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,920
- Thank you for watching out for me, Dan.
- Your pinkie is in danger.

198
00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:47,400
You're such a fairy godmother.
You really are.

199
00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:48,480
I am.

200
00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:53,240
We made it, Charlie.

201
00:13:54,680 --> 00:13:57,160
We most certainly did.

202
00:13:58,120 --> 00:13:58,960
Thank you, Dan.

203
00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:01,960
It's a bit of a special treat for me
to do this.

204
00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:06,520
But it just shows that Danube Delta
is a playground of activities, isn't it?

205
00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:09,440
So, onwards.

206
00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,560
Welcome to Sfântu Gheorghe,
a historic fishing village

207
00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:19,280
with sandy streets
and classic wattle and daub houses.

208
00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:23,920
They're brightly painted adobe walls
capped with weed-thatched roofs

209
00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:27,400
set back from the road
by carved wooden fences

210
00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:31,880
and colourful gardens,
teeming with flowers and organic veg.

211
00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:35,560
And then there's this.

212
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Sadly, the most prominent feature in town

213
00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,080
is a communist-era block of flats

214
00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:46,200
that towers like a giant carbuncle
over the landscape

215
00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:48,720
and screams poverty and neglect.

216
00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:53,760
Unfortunately, it's also
the first thing tourists see

217
00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:56,440
when they disembark from their boats
and cruise ships

218
00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:00,800
and does nothing to enhance
Romania's reputation

219
00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:02,240
as an emerging country.

220
00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:08,200
I've come here to visit one
of my favourite places to eat in Dobrogea

221
00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:12,240
an unassuming local bar and restaurant
called La Sfătoi

222
00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:14,360
which serves traditional fare

223
00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:17,840
including a delicious recipe
for sea snails.

224
00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:24,400
- Rapane.
- Superb.

225
00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:26,520
- Thank you so much.
- My pleasure. Enjoy!

226
00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:27,720
Cheers!

227
00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:33,800
That's really good.

228
00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:37,320
Lots of garlic. Lots of chilli.

229
00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,280
It wakes you up after a long swim.

230
00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:45,400
<i>Rapane</i> is not actually
an indigenous species to the Black Sea.

231
00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:48,800
They got brought over
on a Japanese boat allegedly

232
00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:51,400
and populated these areas,

233
00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:54,080
and being an invasive species,

234
00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:56,240
from the conservationists' point of view,

235
00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:59,520
they are not really the kind of thing
you want in your ecosystem,

236
00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,120
so I'm doing my little bit
to reduce their number.

237
00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:11,440
Gentlemen.

238
00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:14,360
After lunch, I was due to meet
Bebe and Florin.

239
00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:16,760
They run cycling tours across the Delta,

240
00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:19,320
and they brought a spare bike for me

241
00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:22,120
in order to complete the next stretch
over land

242
00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:27,240
alongside a man-made canal
that links Sfântu Gheorghe to Sulina.

243
00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:32,800
{\an8}This is actually a very nice spot here.

244
00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:37,800
{\an8}We got a sort of salt flat
with all sorts of waders, birds...

245
00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:40,440
Not a lot of water at this time of year.

246
00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:43,880
Well, it's a bit dry
all around Europe right now.

247
00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:46,200
Where the reddish area
usually is a bit more salt

248
00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:49,160
and you can see all the ships queuing up.

249
00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:55,360
I know. If you want evidence of the long
far-reaching ramifications of a war,

250
00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:57,160
you only have to look at those boats,
don't you?

251
00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:01,200
Yeah, exactly. They're queuing up,
they can't go up the Danube too long.

252
00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:03,760
There's only six boats
that are going up and down.

253
00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:08,520
You guys take trips all over the Delta,
don't you, not just this route.

254
00:17:08,599 --> 00:17:13,520
Well, most of the people we have
are cycling or nature enthusiasts

255
00:17:13,599 --> 00:17:17,319
that usually bike along the Danube
and once they get to Tulcea,

256
00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,760
there's no real way of seeing
the Kilometre Zero point,

257
00:17:20,839 --> 00:17:23,640
and, you know, when you have
a destination in your mind,

258
00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:27,599
and you can't see the final point,
it's a bit frustrating.

259
00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:31,360
And Florin had a brilliant idea
and has a cooperation

260
00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:36,600
that ensures that we get to actually
both points of the Kilometre Zero

261
00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:39,320
- down in Sfântu Gheorghe and Sulina.
- So you get double whammy.

262
00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:43,600
Yeah, but basically is the satisfaction
of reaching the end point

263
00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:47,720
knowing where it all ends, and this is
a fantastic place to end up.

264
00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:51,440
It is, but it's not really
Zero Point anymore, is it,

265
00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,040
'cause the Delta is moving
out into the sea

266
00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:57,040
something like, I don't know,
three meters a year.

267
00:17:57,120 --> 00:17:58,640
More or less, yes.

268
00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:03,960
That's the general amount
as the Danube silts up into the sea

269
00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:05,600
and grows along,

270
00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:09,520
the dry land slowly moves toward the Delta

271
00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:12,680
and the Delta spreads into the sea

272
00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,920
as the sediments start building up
more and more, and more.

273
00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,520
The sun was well past the yardarm

274
00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:23,720
as we reached the historic port of Sulina.

275
00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:28,600
Once, among the richest towns in Romania,

276
00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:35,080
and since bombed, usurped, neglected
and still partly unrestituted,

277
00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:37,040
its once regal buildings

278
00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:41,440
crumbling beneath the weight of time
and legal contestations

279
00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:45,920
that unfold as lazily
as the vast bodies of grey waters

280
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,360
that drift past its concrete quays.

281
00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:53,520
There're small signs of a revival
in its fortunes

282
00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:56,680
due mostly to cultural tourism

283
00:18:58,120 --> 00:19:02,000
and exemplified by the new wave
of hotels and restaurants

284
00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:04,400
that welcome visitors
during the summer months.

285
00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:11,080
But for us, the finish line was
a few clicks the other side of town.

286
00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:15,160
Past the historic cemetery,

287
00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,800
where sailors, pirates and princes
were laid to rest

288
00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,560
and down to the shores of the Black Sea.

289
00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:31,760
It's a bit tough on sand, isn't it?

290
00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:34,520
- Yeah, but we've done it!
- We made it!

291
00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:36,680
- We made it!
- To the beach!

292
00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:39,760
I'm looking forward to a swim. Or maybe...

293
00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:44,200
- Should we have a cold beer first?
- Yeah. It's hot.

294
00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:46,040
- We've earned it.
- I think we have.

295
00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:48,080
Let's park them.

296
00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:51,880
Pirate's Fishery.

297
00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:56,800
There's a lot of pirate paraphernalia
around here, isn't it?

298
00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:58,640
- Yeah...
- It's very...

299
00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:02,600
It's a piratical town,
if you believe the legends.

300
00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:07,240
{\an8}The legends from
the Golden Ages of Sulina, you know?

301
00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:10,080
{\an8}Yeah, the Golden Ages, when people
were robbed and murdered,

302
00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:11,760
and their boats looted.

303
00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:17,760
Everything started here
in the middle of 19th century

304
00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:19,840
together with the Danube Commission.

305
00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:24,840
It was a new way opening up
toward Central Europe.

306
00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:29,000
- So it's a man-made channel?
- Yeah. It's a man-made channel.

307
00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:31,320
I read it was built by an Englishman.
Is that right?

308
00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:36,680
Yeah. The one engineer which was
working actually on the Suez Channel,

309
00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:41,920
Sir Charles Hartley, was brought here
as a chief engineer for the Channel.

310
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,760
But it was on the sea itself, wasn't it?

311
00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:49,000
The proof of that is the light tower
in the centre of Sulina.

312
00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:54,200
This is the ending point
of the Danube Delta,

313
00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:58,360
but it's called Kilometre Zero
because of the Danube Commission.

314
00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:01,720
This river starts here,
not at the springs.

315
00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:03,480
It's vice versa.

316
00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:07,680
So many bike people
they go along the Danube.

317
00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:10,680
It's very fine to combine the boat
and the cycling.

318
00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:13,280
It's very pleasant to go down the river
with the bike.

319
00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:15,520
The people cycle the whole way
down the Danube.

320
00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:19,760
Yeah. Not at once, but frame by frame.

321
00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:24,080
They all want to reach Kilometre Zero.
It's something like...

322
00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:26,640
- And it's a nice feeling.
- Of course.

323
00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:29,560
And you can jump in the sea afterwards,
which is always good.

324
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:31,920
What I like about this beach
is that it's not overdeveloped.

325
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,480
- It's reasonably pristine, isn't it?
- Yeah.

326
00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,680
It's got a nice bohemian vibe.
I just hope it stays this way.

327
00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:39,760
But this is always a double-edged sword.

328
00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:42,800
The more it gets known,
the more people come.

329
00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:46,600
- It's a fine balance here.
- Yeah, I know.

330
00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:49,000
Do you just want me to feel really guilty?

331
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:51,760
Turn off your television immediately.
You haven't seen this.

332
00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:53,120
Don't tell your friends.

333
00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:55,360
{\an8}This place doesn't exist.

334
00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:56,400
We just made it up.

335
00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:02,120
We have here in Romania 240 km of coast,

336
00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:07,600
of which 120, the southern part,
is well developed.

337
00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:11,920
The other part, the northern part,
should be like this. Wild.

338
00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,360
Later that evening,
I'm reunited with the boat,

339
00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:34,760
now moored in a small channel
northeast of Crișana.

340
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,960
One of the nicest things
about mooring up for the evening

341
00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:46,240
are the peace and quiet you experience
after the day's traffic is subsided.

342
00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:48,720
With no need for a generator,

343
00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,640
thanks to Dan's small forest
of solar panels

344
00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:54,240
you can sit on the deck with a sundowner

345
00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:56,960
and soke up the natural sounds
of the Delta

346
00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:00,920
provided you remember to put on
the mosquito repellent.

347
00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:10,960
Before sunrise, the next day,
we ventured out again

348
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,920
in the hope of a more substantial
pelican encounter.

349
00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:23,200
This time, however, luck was on our side.

350
00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:30,640
Why do they cluster like that
in such a tight group?

351
00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:33,680
Well, you see how they splash the water.

352
00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:37,480
A very spectacular moment now
when they come together

353
00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:40,840
because they herd the fish
with the cormorants together

354
00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:45,280
and they take advantage of the panic
and they catch the fish much easier.

355
00:23:45,360 --> 00:23:49,400
The pelicans from the back
are flying to the front all the time,

356
00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:53,880
so it's like an exchange,
everybody has to get some,

357
00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,480
so they are taking advantage of...
flap the wings,

358
00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:00,720
make the fish go further and they advance...

359
00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:04,640
It's quite a complex social group,
isn't it, really, the pelicans?

360
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:09,200
Yes, they are gregarious birds
and they stay together

361
00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:15,320
and it's safety in numbers,
but also success in numbers.

362
00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:19,120
How long would they stay here
before they migrate south again?

363
00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:22,400
The pelicans arrive early in spring.

364
00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:26,480
They are leaving this area

365
00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:32,080
because they travel quite a long time
towards Africa in October.

366
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:36,000
Even in November you can find
some pelicans left behind.

367
00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:41,560
The chicks are flying away
from the colony in late August,

368
00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:43,160
beginning of September...

369
00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:45,760
So these birds right now have their nests

370
00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:49,240
and they're gonna be taking the fish
back to feed their young.

371
00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:53,480
Yes. Now we are in the vicinity

372
00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:56,440
of the greatest colony
of pelicans in Europe.

373
00:24:56,520 --> 00:25:00,920
It's right behind us, about 15 km.

374
00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:08,040
And there are over 20,000
breeding pelicans there.

375
00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:11,400
White pelicans,
because we have two species.

376
00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,520
- Dalmatian pelicans.
- And white pelicans.

377
00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,480
- Which are solitary, which I know.
- Yes, very good.

378
00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:19,000
And they don't have spots.

379
00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:21,920
They don't have spots,
they're just called Dalmatian.

380
00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:27,000
Is the population relatively stable
year to year?

381
00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:30,160
Yes. Actually, in the last few years,

382
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:35,040
we discovered that the population
it's much bigger than anticipated.

383
00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:38,400
The statistics were saying
that the pelicans in the Delta

384
00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:41,600
are within 12 to 15,000,

385
00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:46,040
but after a proper count,
scientific count,

386
00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:50,360
we discovered that
there are actually 32,000.

387
00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:52,840
The fishermen must've been thrilled
to know that.

388
00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:56,040
Yes. There was a big buzz at the time

389
00:25:56,120 --> 00:25:59,440
that that's why there's no fish
in the Danube Delta

390
00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:02,640
because the pelicans are too many,

391
00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:07,120
but I think this population exists
since a very long time.

392
00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:10,120
And there are probably
more tangible reasons

393
00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:12,440
why the fish numbers are going down.

394
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:16,320
Yes. It's a cumulative effect.

395
00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:17,960
Silting...

396
00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:22,680
Silting, disturbance,
overfishing from people,

397
00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:28,520
the disappearing of land,
transformed into agricultural land.

398
00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:32,400
And also the nitrates the people
are using on agricultural land

399
00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:36,160
get into the water and that causes
deoxygenation, doesn't it?

400
00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:41,160
Yeah, the whole Europe is spraying
with fertilizers

401
00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:45,120
and of course, it's ending up
in the Danube Delta

402
00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:50,040
and you have, sometimes,
this explosion of vegetation

403
00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:53,840
which consume the oxygen
and then you have a problem.

404
00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:56,000
Low oxygen environment,
they can't breathe.

405
00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:56,920
- Exactly.
- Yeah.

406
00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:03,520
Another must see in this part of the Delta

407
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:08,560
is the ancient Letea Forest,
part of the UNESCO biosphere reserve

408
00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:11,400
and the northernmost subtropical forest
in Europe.

409
00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:17,320
On the way, I'm making a quick pit stop
on the banks of the Madgearu Channel

410
00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,760
to meet eccentric local beekeeper
Dudu Constantin,

411
00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,800
who has hand-built his very own tractor.

412
00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:29,840
It's never gonna win Car of the Year
on Top Gear.

413
00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:34,720
Nor is it likely to make it
on a grand tour of Transfăgărășan,

414
00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:37,840
but I'm interested to see how it runs

415
00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:40,320
and to check out the efficacy of a vehicle

416
00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:42,360
cobbled together from spare parts.

417
00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,440
How often do you move the hives?

418
00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:59,760
{\an8}I go with the beehives
to the harvest area.

419
00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:02,160
- By car?
- By car and with the trailer.

420
00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:04,880
How many times do you harvest the honey
in a year?

421
00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:07,280
Depending on the harvest I have.

422
00:28:07,360 --> 00:28:12,600
For example, the first one in this area
is for acacia.

423
00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:15,240
Now I came for the sunflower.

424
00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:19,920
- After that I go for the wild mint.
- Mint?

425
00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:21,880
Mint honey, that sounds delicious.

426
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:23,680
Probably quite good in the mojito.

427
00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,280
So at the moment he's checking off

428
00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:31,640
how much honey he produced
with which hive.

429
00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:36,480
To put a new frame in,

430
00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:41,080
I need to take one off and put it
in another hive with less frames.

431
00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:48,160
On this foil they build their own cells

432
00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,240
for honey and bee larvae.

433
00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:54,360
- On this frame, there are young bees.
- OK.

434
00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:58,440
Now I have put this frame between
one frame with young bees

435
00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:01,080
and the new frame,
so that they can fill it quickly.

436
00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:06,840
If this frame isn't filled in four days,

437
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:09,760
it means there's a problem with the hive.

438
00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:12,960
Either there's no queen,
or she became lazy,

439
00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:16,160
so there's something wrong
with the hive and I must intervene.

440
00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:17,720
Do you get stung a lot?

441
00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:20,160
Each time I work with the hives,

442
00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:24,800
five or six bees may sting me
or absolutely none.

443
00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:27,640
It depends on the weather.

444
00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,640
Meaning, if it's cloudy, they are meaner.

445
00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:34,400
If the weather is like this
and the bees are busy harvesting,

446
00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:35,960
they ignore me.

447
00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:39,840
Bee keeping is an integral part of life
in the countryside, here in Dobrogea.

448
00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:41,840
And wherever you go,

449
00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:44,400
especially on the sides of the roads
where you see fields of flowers,

450
00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:48,080
they park their trucks
and they harvest the pollen

451
00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:51,040
that is produced
by the growing of sunflowers

452
00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:56,000
and oil seed rape or anything else
that's been planted,

453
00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:57,600
but here in the Delta,

454
00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:01,040
because of the abundance
of the wild flowers as well

455
00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:03,960
you get so many interesting varieties
of honey

456
00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:05,760
and particularly I'm keen to try the mint.

457
00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:10,200
Anyway, onwards and outwards,
we now off to Letea Forest,

458
00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:12,600
as soon as I can get out of this.

459
00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:15,560
Hopefully,
there's a horse and cart waiting

460
00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:18,560
and it's gonna take us

461
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:22,600
deep into the biosphere reserve.

462
00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:31,760
The only way to get here is by boat

463
00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:34,680
disembarking at the adjacent Letea village

464
00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,680
where an entourage of safari trucks
and horses and carts

465
00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:39,920
sit waiting to scoop you up

466
00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:42,320
and transport you the remaining few miles.

467
00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:45,880
This influx of tourists

468
00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:49,600
has improved the quality of life
for many of Letea's inhabitants

469
00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:53,520
{\an8}and lead to a spate of new pensions
and restaurants

470
00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:56,520
offering hot meals
and overnight accommodation.

471
00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:06,960
Ciao!

472
00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:11,480
A good time to come to Letea is tea time

473
00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:14,040
onwards, in the summer,

474
00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:17,560
because most of the tourists have left
to go back to Tulcea

475
00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:20,360
and you feel like you've got the place
to yourself.

476
00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:22,520
Plus, it's not quite as hot.

477
00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:26,360
In the baking heat of the day,
on the dusty tracks,

478
00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,280
this can be quite grueling,
especially for the horses.

479
00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:32,920
I see. I sit up here.

480
00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:36,080
Let's go!

481
00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:36,960
- Shall we?
- Yes.

482
00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:44,680
Having found a suitable carriage,
we clattered down soporific streets

483
00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:48,720
and out into the countryside
following a rickety dirt track

484
00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:50,880
toward the tree-lined horizon.

485
00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:59,080
Letea Forest sits
on a thin layer of fertile soil...

486
00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:05,520
cloaking the dense network of sand dunes

487
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:07,400
that were once a part of the seabed.

488
00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:13,800
As you pass beneath a canopy
of ancient oak trees, white poplar,

489
00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:17,400
ash and silver lime,
you enter a different world.

490
00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:23,800
Home to 500 species of plant
and 1.600 species of insect

491
00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:26,600
this is a treasure trove of biodiversity.

492
00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:34,200
Hanging creepers like the silkvine,
<i>liana</i>, common hop and ivy

493
00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:37,240
imbue the forest with an ethereal quality...

494
00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:42,880
as due the open fields of dunes

495
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:47,160
where the thinner topsoil
can only sustain scrub and coarse grass,

496
00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:50,120
and the equine population
that feeds on it.

497
00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:00,840
The wild horses of Letea

498
00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:05,280
are actually feral horses
because they were released

499
00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:08,440
at the end of the communist regime

500
00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:10,360
they got loose and they bred,

501
00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:12,960
and they filled this area.

502
00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:15,320
In fact, they've now put a fence
around Letea Forest

503
00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:17,680
because they were doing
huge amount of damage

504
00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:21,920
to Romania's oldest nature reserve
established in 1938.

505
00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,240
They were stripping the bark
off the trees.

506
00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:28,800
There're still horses here,
not so many, but...

507
00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:30,320
what a beautiful place.

508
00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:33,240
Really. And peaceful.

509
00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:36,240
It has a mystical quality to it.

510
00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:45,320
Back at the floating hotel,

511
00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:47,640
now anchored at the edge of Roșu Lake,

512
00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:49,920
it was the final night of the tour.

513
00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:54,360
And our resident musician was preparing
to serenade the setting sun.

514
00:33:56,880 --> 00:33:58,320
Traveling on a cruise in the Delta

515
00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:00,760
{\an8}is all about spending time
with your friends.

516
00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:04,680
{\an8}And we have this rare opportunity
to see Mihai Toma,

517
00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:09,400
who composed the soundtrack
for <i>Flavours of Romania</i>, season one.

518
00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:10,679
Of course.

519
00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:14,120
You're gonna be writing
some new material here being inspired.

520
00:34:14,199 --> 00:34:17,320
Yes, some new songs being inspired
by this amazing landscape.

521
00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:21,239
Right now, I wrote some pieces of music,
some lecturing music,

522
00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,920
a fusion with flutes
and ideas that came out of this...

523
00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:26,800
From looking out at this.

524
00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:29,320
Of these mermaids. You see those mermaids?

525
00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:32,400
- Yeah, in my mind's eye.
- Exactly.

526
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:35,600
It is a landscape to be inspired by,
isn't it?

527
00:34:35,679 --> 00:34:38,159
I mean, this is for artists,
for creative people,

528
00:34:38,239 --> 00:34:41,719
this is a place to come to feel uplifted...

529
00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:45,320
I've never imagined that the space
that you are writing in

530
00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:46,679
matters so much.

531
00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:49,360
So instead of living in a box

532
00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:52,840
and playing there with the keyboard,
and seeing walls and everything,

533
00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:55,400
now the ceiling is the infinite sky.

534
00:34:55,480 --> 00:35:00,120
And the infinite horizon gives you
infinite possibilities in a way.

535
00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:01,200
- It does.
- Exactly.

536
00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:04,360
So, Mihai, I wanna hear
what you've come up with so far.

537
00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:05,480
Yes, I'm glad to show you.

538
00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:07,920
Because we might be using this
in the show.

539
00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:09,600
Of course, you can use it.

540
00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:12,160
Your first impressions
of being here on the Delta.

541
00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:20,000
The following morning,

542
00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:22,760
it was time to say goodbye to Dan
and the gang

543
00:36:22,840 --> 00:36:24,680
and head back to Tulcea,

544
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:29,080
via a quick visit to one of the Delta's
most picturesque communities.

545
00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:34,040
Situated on a small island

546
00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:37,080
besides a remote waterway
of the Sulina Channel

547
00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:41,520
Mila 23 has so far avoided
a concrete makeover

548
00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:46,640
leaving it one of the more unspoiled
fishing villages in the Delta.

549
00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:52,120
For the growth of tourism
in the Danube Delta

550
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:54,080
communities such as Mila 23

551
00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:57,200
now have an alternative source
of income to fishing.

552
00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:02,640
So we see new hotels, new bars,
excursions, floating pontoons.

553
00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:05,160
We can sit out, have a beer

554
00:37:05,240 --> 00:37:08,160
and watch the boats and the pelicans
drift past.

555
00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:15,320
Away from the waterfront,
Mila 23 is a network of narrow streets,

556
00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:19,680
floral alleyways and backyards,
and sheltered enclaves.

557
00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:24,000
While some measures of privacy
seems paramount

558
00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:28,600
in such a tight-knit community,
outsiders are welcomed with open arms

559
00:37:29,240 --> 00:37:31,520
as I found out on many previous occasions.

560
00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:37,920
A short ferry ride across
the Sfântu Gheorghe Channel from Tulcea

561
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:39,520
was a dirt and gravel road

562
00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:43,360
which runs parallel to the northernmost
branch of the Danube

563
00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:48,520
and serves as a natural border
between Romania and the Ukraine.

564
00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:52,680
At the far end is the town of Chilia Veche

565
00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:55,640
from which the Channel takes its name.

566
00:37:57,360 --> 00:37:59,760
I've exchanged the bike for the crew car

567
00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:03,000
to see what steps are being made
to attract tourists

568
00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:07,040
to this the third and arguably
the most isolated town in the Delta.

569
00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:12,600
A good place to stay
is the Limanul ecolodge

570
00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:14,680
with its reed-thatched roof

571
00:38:15,760 --> 00:38:17,800
and traditional wooden design

572
00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:20,720
stamped with the signature
blues and whites of the region.

573
00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:29,560
My arrival heralded an impromptu barbeque

574
00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:33,400
and the chance to taste
another seasonal delicacy.

575
00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:37,200
Sensational!

576
00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:40,120
Mackerel cooked on open fire,

577
00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:43,000
one of the signature Danube Delta dishes.

578
00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:49,000
Chilia Veche affords access

579
00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:52,560
to some of the least travelled parts
of this gigantic wetland.

580
00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:54,440
Mister mayor.

581
00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:58,040
I'm meeting its mayor,
the youngest in Romania,

582
00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:01,040
for a guided tour
of nearby lakes and channels...

583
00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:02,160
Bon voyage!

584
00:39:05,720 --> 00:39:10,040
...to find out how he plans to promote
this undervalued part of the Delta.

585
00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:26,280
I speak French.

586
00:39:26,360 --> 00:39:28,880
I speak English
and a little bit of Romanian.

587
00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:39,480
Hi! Charlie. Nice to meet you.

588
00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:40,600
My pleasure, sir!

589
00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:43,840
Excellent! You do speak
a little bit of English.

590
00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:46,800
- So and so, yes?
- Yes, yes.

591
00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:48,600
- So they live here?
- Yeah.

592
00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:49,480
All summer?

593
00:39:49,560 --> 00:39:54,000
Yes, and during spring and autumn
they fish. They live here.

594
00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:56,400
You do realize
they earn their living here.

595
00:39:56,480 --> 00:40:00,560
{\an8}I want to get them together
in an association

596
00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:03,400
and allow them to grow.

597
00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:05,920
And how can they do that?
By accessing European funds.

598
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:08,360
OK. What am I interested in doing
on this platform?

599
00:40:08,440 --> 00:40:11,400
We register it in the Land Registry,
we give it to the fishermen,

600
00:40:11,480 --> 00:40:16,560
and then they can access projects
for the fishing nets, boats,

601
00:40:16,640 --> 00:40:21,160
and put on the map
the local gastronomic places.

602
00:40:21,240 --> 00:40:26,240
Then, every tourist, every people,
may come and eat, do some fishing

603
00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:27,840
and come here in the middle of nature.

604
00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:31,400
I think it's a great idea
to bring tourist somewhere like this

605
00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:34,320
where they can have <i>ciorbă de pește</i>...

606
00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:35,920
A fresh one.

607
00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:37,360
...they can see the life.

608
00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:41,960
It's such an insight into
the Danube Delta life, you know?

609
00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:43,400
Exactly.

610
00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:48,400
Especially here, where the accommodation
is almost like one's home.

611
00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:50,720
There's electricity, a bathroom, a shower.

612
00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:53,360
- The accommodation is normal.
- Palinka?

613
00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:58,120
In terms of Chilia, there seems to be
a beautiful place to stay,

614
00:40:58,200 --> 00:40:59,880
there are tourists coming,

615
00:40:59,960 --> 00:41:02,640
but it doesn't seem to be an awful lot
for people to do in Chilia.

616
00:41:02,720 --> 00:41:04,120
I hope that in the near future

617
00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:08,760
we will be able to offer kayak tours
in the Delta.

618
00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:13,880
I'm 90% convinced that we'll be able
to do tours on horseback.

619
00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:16,480
Horse riding.
We visit the Delta on horseback.

620
00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:17,600
It's something different.

621
00:41:17,680 --> 00:41:21,440
And my close to heart project
and the most important one

622
00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:25,880
is to put in place the traffic
between Romania and Ukraine,

623
00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:27,640
Chilia Nouă and Chilia Veche.

624
00:41:27,720 --> 00:41:30,200
Chilia Veche here
and Chilia Nouă in Ukraine.

625
00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:34,080
If it wasn't for this war,
today we could go to Ukraine.

626
00:41:34,160 --> 00:41:37,600
Discussions with the mayor
of Chilia Nouă are well advanced,

627
00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:40,640
with their Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
and they all agreed,

628
00:41:40,720 --> 00:41:42,200
but the war has begun, so we're on hold.

629
00:41:42,280 --> 00:41:45,720
Until Romania entered the EU,
it was possible to go back and forth.

630
00:41:45,800 --> 00:41:49,200
As far as I know,
there are many people in Chilia Veche

631
00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:53,400
with relatives in Chilia Nouă:
Cousins, sisters, sisters-in-law.

632
00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:56,840
Since we entered the EU,
a border has been set.

633
00:41:56,920 --> 00:42:01,480
The closest crossing point in Ukraine
is at Isaccea-Orlovca.

634
00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:07,200
Instead of walking 370 meters,
we have to make a 117 km detour.

635
00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:09,000
My friend, English friend.

636
00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:10,520
Come here.

637
00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:14,840
I want your palinka, plum brandy.
It's OK, it's for personal consumption.

638
00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:15,960
Thank you very much.

639
00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:18,720
- Just a moment. Let me take a glass.
- Yeah.

640
00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:21,960
- Good health!
- Good health!

641
00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:23,840
Yes.

642
00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:26,880
It's an amazing life being here.
I know it's tough,

643
00:42:26,960 --> 00:42:30,040
but you're out here in the nature,
the tranquility, you know?

644
00:42:30,120 --> 00:42:32,160
- It's beautiful, right?
- Yeah.

645
00:42:32,240 --> 00:42:33,480
Are you happier here?

646
00:42:34,160 --> 00:42:35,120
- Yeah.
- Yeah?

647
00:42:36,280 --> 00:42:37,160
It's my country.

648
00:42:37,240 --> 00:42:39,440
I think there's a message.

649
00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:41,360
Romania is fabulous,

650
00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:43,560
and for all of you Romanians
living abroad,

651
00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:45,120
come home!

652
00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:48,560
We're gonna go and get the nets.

653
00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:50,440
{\an8}Now Paulică is gonna fish the nets out.

654
00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:53,640
Wait a second to take my utensil
and we're going... to show you.

655
00:42:54,920 --> 00:42:57,680
The utensil for tools adjustment.

656
00:43:05,600 --> 00:43:09,200
If the angle is not right,
the fish won't go in.

657
00:43:10,160 --> 00:43:11,960
- Fish won't go in.
- No.

658
00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:14,320
Let's see if we can find anything alive.

659
00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:18,000
Now we shake this funnel-shaped basket
to see what's inside.

660
00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:20,160
Let's see.

661
00:43:22,200 --> 00:43:24,640
- One fish.
- One fish?

662
00:43:24,720 --> 00:43:25,960
One fish.

663
00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:28,120
- A common rudd.
- A common rudd.

664
00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:29,600
- Common rudd.
- It's not big.

665
00:43:29,680 --> 00:43:30,520
Two, three.

666
00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:32,160
Look.

667
00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:33,600
Full!

668
00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:36,520
- We're harvesting, right?
- Yeah, it's good.

669
00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:39,400
- Good?
- Good. Alive.

670
00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:41,480
- Delicious?
- Delicious.

671
00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:43,080
- Tench.
- Tench.

672
00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:46,000
That's about 50 bani.

673
00:43:46,080 --> 00:43:47,480
- Fifty bani.
- Fifty bani.

674
00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:51,440
- Not 50, ten bani.
- Ten bani.

675
00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:55,520
We have found a fortune in fish!

676
00:43:57,160 --> 00:43:58,240
Eureka!

677
00:43:58,960 --> 00:44:00,560
Let's go open the champagne!

678
00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:04,480
- Oh, my God!
- Champagne.

679
00:44:04,560 --> 00:44:05,360
It's tough.

680
00:44:05,440 --> 00:44:07,480
We can't even buy
the label from the bottle.

681
00:44:07,560 --> 00:44:09,400
We cannot buy a quarter of the label.

682
00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:12,680
- Shall we go?
- We're going. Ready.

683
00:44:13,480 --> 00:44:15,000
- Ready?
- Thanks!

684
00:44:16,720 --> 00:44:17,920
It's not easy, you know?

685
00:44:19,080 --> 00:44:20,200
It's not an easy life...

686
00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:26,560
to catch, you know, 20 bani in your net.

687
00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:35,320
Before we resume our journey south
along the Black Sea Coast,

688
00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:39,360
I wanted to stop for the night
at an aspirational ecolodge

689
00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:41,400
a 20-minute ride from Tulcea.

690
00:44:45,360 --> 00:44:48,560
This is Casa Varvara,
brainchild of two families

691
00:44:48,640 --> 00:44:51,760
who moved to Romania from Italy and the UK

692
00:44:51,840 --> 00:44:55,760
to create their own little Eden
on the hills overlooking the Delta.

693
00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:03,760
The original building dates from 1904

694
00:45:03,840 --> 00:45:06,800
and takes its name
from its previous owner Varvara,

695
00:45:06,880 --> 00:45:08,560
who was a village midwife.

696
00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:13,680
There are now six houses available to rent

697
00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:19,960
combining an elegant fusion of Italian,
English, and Dobrogean design

698
00:45:20,960 --> 00:45:24,240
and affording stunning views
across the lakes and channels.

699
00:45:30,320 --> 00:45:34,320
I caught up with co-owners Cristina
and her husband Cătălin

700
00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:38,880
to find out why they decided,
after many years living in the UK,

701
00:45:38,960 --> 00:45:40,760
to relocate to their homeland.

702
00:45:43,520 --> 00:45:46,400
{\an8}Cătălin, it's been quite a journey,
hasn't it,

703
00:45:46,480 --> 00:45:49,560
{\an8}to get here from your life in the UK?

704
00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:52,360
- It has been, yeah.
- Tell me about that.

705
00:45:52,440 --> 00:45:55,160
Well, like many other Romanians,

706
00:45:55,240 --> 00:45:59,120
we ventured abroad when we were younger

707
00:45:59,720 --> 00:46:01,400
looking for a better life

708
00:46:01,480 --> 00:46:06,680
and we had a good life
for quite a few years.

709
00:46:06,760 --> 00:46:08,640
And then we had kids

710
00:46:09,720 --> 00:46:11,200
and we were quite happy,

711
00:46:11,280 --> 00:46:13,520
but there's an old English saying
that says,

712
00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:15,120
"Home is where your heart is."

713
00:46:15,200 --> 00:46:17,880
We're not from this area originally.

714
00:46:17,960 --> 00:46:20,520
We were born in other parts of Romania.

715
00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:24,280
And we became locals.

716
00:46:24,360 --> 00:46:26,800
- Dobrogeni.
- Dobrogeni.

717
00:46:27,600 --> 00:46:31,840
We discover every year new things
about Dobrogea.

718
00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:33,480
We think it's a fantastic place

719
00:46:34,080 --> 00:46:36,040
and you can never get tired of it.

720
00:46:36,120 --> 00:46:41,200
I think it's a wonderful gift
to give your kids, isn't it,

721
00:46:41,280 --> 00:46:44,840
the benefit of a multicultural upbringing?

722
00:46:44,920 --> 00:46:49,560
When we first moved here,
actually my oldest son said,

723
00:46:49,640 --> 00:46:53,120
"You know, mom, I feel free here,
freedom",

724
00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:55,240
so it's like, he was so happy.

725
00:46:55,320 --> 00:46:59,040
Yeah. It wasn't an easy decision for us
to come back to Romania,

726
00:46:59,120 --> 00:47:03,360
to move back to Romania,
but we also feel free here.

727
00:47:03,440 --> 00:47:05,880
And far more relaxing, I imagine,
than in England.

728
00:47:05,960 --> 00:47:09,760
And, for us, it was a good decision.

729
00:47:09,840 --> 00:47:11,760
Would you recommend other Romanians
to do the same?

730
00:47:11,840 --> 00:47:15,000
Definitely. I think Romania's got
huge potential,

731
00:47:15,080 --> 00:47:18,000
it's growing faster than many
European countries at the moment

732
00:47:18,080 --> 00:47:23,280
and the quality of life in Romania
is going up a lot.

733
00:47:23,360 --> 00:47:25,560
There are more opportunities in Romania.

734
00:47:25,640 --> 00:47:28,640
Especially if we get more people
coming from abroad with their ideas

735
00:47:28,720 --> 00:47:32,280
and applied those ideas
into different businesses here,

736
00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:34,880
I'm sure Romania's got a bright future.

737
00:47:35,800 --> 00:47:38,640
At the foot of the cliffs is Lake Samova

738
00:47:38,720 --> 00:47:43,160
named after the historic capture
of a giant catfish or <i>somn</i>

739
00:47:43,240 --> 00:47:45,560
derived from the Latin word for sleep.

740
00:47:49,280 --> 00:47:53,400
The hotel has kayaks available
for those wishing to spend a few hours

741
00:47:53,480 --> 00:47:55,760
paddling its weed-fringed waterways.

742
00:47:57,480 --> 00:47:59,680
While the lake is slowly drying out,

743
00:47:59,760 --> 00:48:02,400
it's still host to numerous bird colonies,

744
00:48:03,120 --> 00:48:05,760
and without the accompanying hum
of an engine

745
00:48:05,840 --> 00:48:08,440
it's possible to get even closer
to the wildlife.

746
00:48:13,360 --> 00:48:16,640
As I was returning to shore,
I met the local fishing boats

747
00:48:16,720 --> 00:48:19,600
heading in from another working day
on the water,

748
00:48:19,680 --> 00:48:22,760
and one that it yielded
an impressive haul.

749
00:48:35,360 --> 00:48:36,400
For me?

750
00:48:36,480 --> 00:48:37,600
Thanks!

751
00:48:38,840 --> 00:48:40,440
He's looking at you, kid.

752
00:48:41,960 --> 00:48:43,320
I feel a bit guilty.

753
00:48:43,400 --> 00:48:46,600
It's definitely giving me a hard stare,
this carp.

754
00:48:46,680 --> 00:48:50,440
That is one hell of a <i>crap</i>,
as we call them in Romanian.

755
00:48:50,520 --> 00:48:52,440
Thank you, guys!

756
00:48:53,280 --> 00:48:54,280
Have a good evening!

757
00:48:56,920 --> 00:48:59,440
I'm afraid you're coming with me,
my little friend.

758
00:48:59,520 --> 00:49:01,120
Not so little friend actually.

759
00:49:01,200 --> 00:49:02,880
Quite a big friend.

760
00:49:02,960 --> 00:49:04,600
For a borsch,
we're giving you another one.

761
00:49:04,680 --> 00:49:05,840
Yeah, fish borsch.

762
00:49:10,640 --> 00:49:13,760
Riding south, we travel parallel
to Lake Razim,

763
00:49:14,360 --> 00:49:16,040
once part of the sea.

764
00:49:17,280 --> 00:49:22,480
Today, annexed by a narrow peninsula
overlooked by low-lying hills,

765
00:49:23,600 --> 00:49:26,680
dotted with the ruins of medieval castles

766
00:49:27,480 --> 00:49:31,760
and ancient cities that pay testament
to lost civilizations

767
00:49:32,480 --> 00:49:36,080
and forgotten chapters
in this country's checkered past.

768
00:49:38,160 --> 00:49:40,480
However, some vestiges still remain.

769
00:49:41,600 --> 00:49:43,880
For example, the town of Babadag,

770
00:49:43,960 --> 00:49:46,040
once conquered by the Ottomans

771
00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:49,360
is still a bastion of Turkish culture
to this day

772
00:49:51,640 --> 00:49:53,200
with a large Muslim population

773
00:49:53,280 --> 00:49:55,960
and home to the oldest mosque in Romania.

774
00:50:13,040 --> 00:50:16,320
One of the most recent visitors
to the Black Sea Coast

775
00:50:16,400 --> 00:50:17,800
is the greater flamingo

776
00:50:21,160 --> 00:50:23,880
which is been gathering here
in growing numbers

777
00:50:23,960 --> 00:50:26,520
possibly as a result of global warming.

778
00:50:29,120 --> 00:50:32,280
Colonies
of up to three of four hundred birds

779
00:50:32,360 --> 00:50:35,400
have been spotted on the shallow lakes
north of Constanța.

780
00:50:38,520 --> 00:50:40,160
But being strictly protected

781
00:50:40,240 --> 00:50:43,240
their locations
are a closely guarded secret,

782
00:50:43,320 --> 00:50:46,240
and it's still unknown
whether they come to nest

783
00:50:46,320 --> 00:50:49,640
or simply trawl the shallow waters
for crustaceans.

784
00:50:52,200 --> 00:50:55,000
We went in search of this elusive species

785
00:50:55,080 --> 00:50:58,840
with the help of naturalist
and photographer Cornel Cotorogea

786
00:50:58,920 --> 00:51:02,160
who's been following them
since they first starting arriving here.

787
00:51:08,600 --> 00:51:10,960
How long have you been following
the flamingos?

788
00:51:12,440 --> 00:51:15,160
{\an8}Flamingos... let's say four-five years,

789
00:51:15,920 --> 00:51:17,480
when they started to come to Romania.

790
00:51:17,560 --> 00:51:21,640
I think the biggest number was seven
some years ago until last year.

791
00:51:21,720 --> 00:51:23,600
Last year, something happened

792
00:51:23,680 --> 00:51:28,560
because there is a huge number
of flamingos coming in two locations.

793
00:51:28,640 --> 00:51:31,480
Why do you think their behaviour
has changed so dramatically?

794
00:51:31,560 --> 00:51:34,400
Why do you think
they're choosing to come here now?

795
00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:35,600
Global warming?

796
00:51:35,680 --> 00:51:37,680
That can be an explanation,

797
00:51:37,760 --> 00:51:41,000
but another explanation can be
the expansion of the territory.

798
00:51:41,080 --> 00:51:44,400
They come to find more territories
for feeding

799
00:51:44,480 --> 00:51:48,640
because this is what's driving them:
The availability of food.

800
00:51:48,720 --> 00:51:51,400
Their numbers are growing,
they're not a species in decline.

801
00:51:51,480 --> 00:51:57,040
From what I heard, it's clearly
a trend of increasing the population.

802
00:51:57,120 --> 00:51:58,880
There's a lot we don't know about them,
isn't it?

803
00:51:58,960 --> 00:52:00,920
Yeah. It's too early.

804
00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:03,520
We have only a few years of observation,

805
00:52:03,600 --> 00:52:06,520
so it's quite difficult
to draw conclusions

806
00:52:06,600 --> 00:52:08,120
from only two years,

807
00:52:08,200 --> 00:52:15,120
but maybe after five or ten years we can
get more answers to our questions.

808
00:52:15,200 --> 00:52:17,840
More to the right. More...

809
00:52:17,920 --> 00:52:19,400
And there they are.

810
00:52:20,400 --> 00:52:22,440
Absolutely beautiful!

811
00:52:22,520 --> 00:52:28,240
So now if we observe a chick here,
it means that they are breeding here.

812
00:52:28,320 --> 00:52:31,880
The chicks are too small now
to fly long distances.

813
00:52:31,960 --> 00:52:33,960
- My opinion, they will breed here.
- Yeah.

814
00:52:34,560 --> 00:52:38,880
If they find a good place
for building the nests...

815
00:52:38,960 --> 00:52:40,880
They have food because one year ago,

816
00:52:40,960 --> 00:52:45,200
they stayed some months here
on the lakes and they had food.

817
00:52:45,800 --> 00:52:49,120
Cornel, it's been great meeting you.
Thank you so much.

818
00:52:49,200 --> 00:52:50,040
You're welcome.

819
00:53:05,240 --> 00:53:08,480
The capital of the Dobrogea region
is Constanța,

820
00:53:08,560 --> 00:53:12,120
one of the oldest continuously inhabited
cities in Europe

821
00:53:12,200 --> 00:53:14,560
dating back to 600 BC.

822
00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:20,160
Legend has it that Jason
and his argonauts landed here

823
00:53:20,240 --> 00:53:22,720
after finding the Golden Fleece.

824
00:53:23,640 --> 00:53:25,960
I've come to the old town waterfront

825
00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:28,520
to visit its most prestigious building

826
00:53:30,400 --> 00:53:34,960
designated a historic monument
by the Romanian Ministry of Culture.

827
00:53:35,040 --> 00:53:39,240
Constanța's famous casino
has been through many iterations

828
00:53:39,320 --> 00:53:42,200
since the original version
was built here in 1880.

829
00:53:44,520 --> 00:53:47,840
Its most recent incarnation opened in 1910

830
00:53:47,920 --> 00:53:50,720
hosted a firmament of famous guests

831
00:53:50,800 --> 00:53:52,960
including the Russian Imperial family.

832
00:53:53,720 --> 00:53:57,960
Sadly, it closed in the 90s
and fell into rapid decay.

833
00:53:59,720 --> 00:54:01,880
But funds have now been made available

834
00:54:01,960 --> 00:54:04,120
and restoration work is almost complete.

835
00:54:06,640 --> 00:54:09,920
I met ministry rep. Mihaela Pușnava

836
00:54:10,000 --> 00:54:11,960
for a chance to see behind the veil.

837
00:54:21,920 --> 00:54:24,240
- It's big.
- It is.

838
00:54:24,320 --> 00:54:28,320
{\an8}During the First World War
it was a hospital for the Red Cross,

839
00:54:28,400 --> 00:54:30,120
so it was bombed by the Germans.

840
00:54:30,200 --> 00:54:32,480
It was supposed to be a war crime
at the time.

841
00:54:32,560 --> 00:54:37,120
It was redone in '36 and finished in '38,

842
00:54:37,200 --> 00:54:39,800
under the plans of the original architect,
Daniel Renard.

843
00:54:39,880 --> 00:54:41,800
I think he oversaw the building.

844
00:54:41,880 --> 00:54:45,960
- And then, what happened after that?
- Well...

845
00:54:46,040 --> 00:54:48,480
I know it was a thriving casino
for a while.

846
00:54:48,560 --> 00:54:50,880
Actually during the 20s and the 30s,

847
00:54:50,960 --> 00:54:54,120
sometimes they got a license,
sometimes they didn't

848
00:54:54,200 --> 00:54:56,360
because it was thought to be very immoral,

849
00:54:56,440 --> 00:54:58,680
but it was very hard to upkeep,
so it was like,

850
00:54:58,760 --> 00:55:02,520
let's get some money, make it running,
okay, now we ban it again...

851
00:55:02,600 --> 00:55:06,000
So it went through
a lot of interesting history.

852
00:55:06,080 --> 00:55:08,880
It was done right after
the Nation State had been warned

853
00:55:08,960 --> 00:55:10,840
and we had recovered Dobrogea,

854
00:55:10,920 --> 00:55:14,280
Constanța was becoming
a huge economic port.

855
00:55:14,360 --> 00:55:17,920
It had only been like
a Turkish fishermen village before,

856
00:55:18,000 --> 00:55:19,320
so we only had the peninsula

857
00:55:19,400 --> 00:55:23,480
and everything that thrived
was during that era, the Guilded Age.

858
00:55:23,560 --> 00:55:25,160
And I think that they wanted
this building...

859
00:55:25,240 --> 00:55:26,840
- To personify that.
- Yes.

860
00:55:26,920 --> 00:55:30,880
We want progress, we want prosperity,
we want to show that...

861
00:55:30,960 --> 00:55:32,280
- Opulence, basically.
- Yes.

862
00:55:32,960 --> 00:55:37,280
Supervising a restoration
of this magnitude is a huge undertaking

863
00:55:38,520 --> 00:55:41,480
as we found out
from the project manager Gabi Puchiu.

864
00:55:43,800 --> 00:55:44,720
Hi!

865
00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:46,840
- Charlie. Nice to meet you.
- Gabi.

866
00:55:46,920 --> 00:55:48,520
Gabi, congratulations!

867
00:55:49,200 --> 00:55:50,120
It's wow!

868
00:55:50,880 --> 00:55:53,440
- A lot of work, isn't it?
- A lot.

869
00:55:53,520 --> 00:55:57,600
{\an8}When I took over this project,
two and a half years ago,

870
00:55:57,680 --> 00:56:00,440
{\an8}it was almost in ruins

871
00:56:00,520 --> 00:56:05,240
due to the fact it was raining,
there were no windows,

872
00:56:05,320 --> 00:56:06,400
saline environment,

873
00:56:06,480 --> 00:56:10,960
the building was on the verge
of destruction.

874
00:56:11,040 --> 00:56:12,680
What does restoration entail?

875
00:56:12,760 --> 00:56:15,880
The restoration... First of all,
the consolidation was done.

876
00:56:15,960 --> 00:56:18,240
For the building to keep on existing,

877
00:56:18,320 --> 00:56:23,600
100 piles were driven six meters deep

878
00:56:23,680 --> 00:56:25,840
and then we started with the concrete.

879
00:56:25,920 --> 00:56:30,040
We're using the best concrete
for saline environment.

880
00:56:30,120 --> 00:56:31,840
It is like a laboratory

881
00:56:31,920 --> 00:56:35,920
where the new decorative elements
are restored,

882
00:56:36,000 --> 00:56:38,920
reconditioned, recreated.

883
00:56:39,000 --> 00:56:42,520
Some of them deteriorated.

884
00:56:42,600 --> 00:56:46,720
We had to select the old forms
and redo them.

885
00:56:46,800 --> 00:56:48,880
On the inside, we work with plaster,

886
00:56:48,960 --> 00:56:52,320
on the outside,
we work with micro concrete.

887
00:56:52,400 --> 00:56:54,280
Presumably you're working
from old photographs.

888
00:56:54,360 --> 00:56:55,320
Old photographs

889
00:56:55,400 --> 00:56:59,600
and everything from
the original 1910 building.

890
00:57:00,200 --> 00:57:04,000
What we are doing nobody else does,

891
00:57:04,080 --> 00:57:09,000
because there are no more specialists.

892
00:57:09,080 --> 00:57:11,880
We are trying to make a new school

893
00:57:11,960 --> 00:57:15,640
for the renovation and restoration
of old buildings.

894
00:57:15,720 --> 00:57:18,560
What does it mean for you
to be working on this project?

895
00:57:18,640 --> 00:57:22,160
I have been interested in this casino
since I was little.

896
00:57:22,240 --> 00:57:24,760
When I was one year old,
I came here with my parents,

897
00:57:24,840 --> 00:57:26,960
I disappeared,
and they found me under the table.

898
00:57:27,040 --> 00:57:28,440
When I was ten years old,

899
00:57:29,160 --> 00:57:32,800
I took a photo of the casino

900
00:57:32,880 --> 00:57:37,520
and after 50 years I came back
to restore this wonderful building.

901
00:57:37,600 --> 00:57:39,320
And that's you there?

902
00:57:41,360 --> 00:57:43,400
So touching! Incredible!

903
00:57:44,000 --> 00:57:48,960
And you'd never have guessed
that would be your place of work...

904
00:57:50,440 --> 00:57:52,360
however many years later.

905
00:57:52,440 --> 00:57:56,240
I'll donate this photo
to the casino museum,

906
00:57:56,320 --> 00:58:00,400
let the descendants of our descendants
see that we passed by here

907
00:58:00,480 --> 00:58:05,680
and accomplished this beauty
together with my colleagues.

908
00:58:05,760 --> 00:58:08,480
It's been haunting you all your life
this building.

909
00:58:08,560 --> 00:58:11,040
It's been haunting you all your life
this building.

910
00:58:11,120 --> 00:58:12,400
Yes.

911
00:58:12,480 --> 00:58:13,320
It's true.

912
00:58:16,200 --> 00:58:17,360
Below Constanța,

913
00:58:17,440 --> 00:58:21,080
you encounter the bulk of Romania's
beachside holiday resorts.

914
00:58:22,600 --> 00:58:25,120
Many of them predate the fall of communism

915
00:58:25,680 --> 00:58:30,880
and possess Greco-Roman names
like Neptune, Jupiter or Saturn,

916
00:58:30,960 --> 00:58:35,200
and evoke expectations
of classical Hellenic architecture.

917
00:58:36,080 --> 00:58:38,440
Sadly, the truth is rather different.

918
00:58:39,960 --> 00:58:41,200
I have come to Olimp

919
00:58:41,280 --> 00:58:44,800
which has received something
of a makeover in recent years.

920
00:58:49,440 --> 00:58:51,360
The President now has a house here.

921
00:58:51,440 --> 00:58:55,200
And smart new clubs
attract celebrity clientele

922
00:58:55,280 --> 00:59:00,560
with their lounge vibe, artisan cocktails,
DJs, and live music.

923
00:59:02,600 --> 00:59:04,880
For something completely different,

924
00:59:04,960 --> 00:59:07,120
a rutted dirt track through the forest

925
00:59:07,200 --> 00:59:09,880
takes you to a much less crowded
stretch of shoreline

926
00:59:10,560 --> 00:59:12,920
that sits in stark contrast
to its surroundings.

927
00:59:16,960 --> 00:59:19,400
Welcome to Copahavana Beach,

928
00:59:19,480 --> 00:59:21,960
cut off from the road by a railway line

929
00:59:22,040 --> 00:59:24,960
and thus spared the ravages
of over-development.

930
00:59:28,080 --> 00:59:30,840
This is perhaps the only beach in Romania

931
00:59:30,920 --> 00:59:33,800
which you could possibly mistake
for the French Riviera,

932
00:59:34,520 --> 00:59:36,160
and long may it remains so!

933
00:59:37,800 --> 00:59:40,600
Restaurants and hotels here are not cheap.

934
00:59:40,680 --> 00:59:43,080
But if you want to get away
from madding crowd,

935
00:59:43,160 --> 00:59:44,680
this is the place to stay.

936
00:59:47,960 --> 00:59:50,520
And with most menus
offering fresh seafood,

937
00:59:50,600 --> 00:59:53,080
it makes an ideal stopover for lunch.

938
00:59:58,680 --> 01:00:02,440
<i>Tocănița</i> is a classic Romanian stew,

939
01:00:02,520 --> 01:00:05,880
but made with seafood
becomes fusion cuisine,

940
01:00:05,960 --> 01:00:08,840
and I love the fact that are more and more
restaurants around the country

941
01:00:08,920 --> 01:00:09,800
that are popping up

942
01:00:09,880 --> 01:00:12,880
and offering a modern twist
on a traditional recipe.

943
01:00:14,920 --> 01:00:15,920
That is really good.

944
01:00:17,000 --> 01:00:20,960
Is a tomatoey, basily, garlicky sauce.

945
01:00:22,520 --> 01:00:24,000
Tastes a bit like gazpacho

946
01:00:24,920 --> 01:00:26,520
with mussels and prawns,

947
01:00:28,400 --> 01:00:29,480
and octopus.

948
01:00:30,840 --> 01:00:32,120
Really good combo!

949
01:00:39,160 --> 01:00:42,520
To check out a more immersive way
to experience the Black Sea,

950
01:00:42,600 --> 01:00:45,920
I've come to a smart new marina
in the village of Limanu...

951
01:00:49,440 --> 01:00:52,840
which offers sailing excursions
and yachts for hire.

952
01:00:56,120 --> 01:00:59,560
Courtesy of Ovidiu,
my skipper for the afternoon.

953
01:01:01,560 --> 01:01:04,600
{\an8}In Romania, the sailing sport
is quite young,

954
01:01:04,680 --> 01:01:07,400
{\an8}Ten, 12 years of age.

955
01:01:07,480 --> 01:01:10,520
I never thought of Romania
was a sailing destination really,

956
01:01:10,600 --> 01:01:12,400
but I guess there's potential here

957
01:01:12,480 --> 01:01:15,040
and you can go to lots of places
from this coastline, can't you?

958
01:01:15,120 --> 01:01:17,720
The Black Sea is connected
with all the world.

959
01:01:17,800 --> 01:01:21,400
We have sailing trips to Turkey,
to Bulgaria,

960
01:01:21,480 --> 01:01:23,600
but also to Greece, to Italy.

961
01:01:23,680 --> 01:01:26,720
Khaleesi. Someone is a fan
of <i>Games of Thrones</i> around here.

962
01:01:26,800 --> 01:01:30,160
Actually, when they are racing
they put <i>Games of Thrones</i> soundtrack.

963
01:01:31,240 --> 01:01:32,200
Super nerds!

964
01:01:32,280 --> 01:01:33,720
Everybody loves it.

965
01:01:42,600 --> 01:01:43,520
Land ahoy!

966
01:01:45,000 --> 01:01:46,160
But not for long.

967
01:01:46,240 --> 01:01:48,600
I'm noticing a distinct absence
of crew members,

968
01:01:49,720 --> 01:01:51,440
so you do know what that means.

969
01:01:51,520 --> 01:01:56,720
We're gonna have to sail the ship alone.
I mean, I've sailed myself a few times,

970
01:01:57,320 --> 01:02:01,320
but I wouldn't feel confident
taking out this 40 footer...

971
01:02:02,440 --> 01:02:03,400
Solo.

972
01:02:03,480 --> 01:02:05,920
So... fingers crossed.

973
01:02:06,000 --> 01:02:09,920
The Water Taxi has got
Captain Jack Sparrow on the back of it.

974
01:02:11,280 --> 01:02:13,800
Everywhere we go I'm pursued by pirates.

975
01:02:17,800 --> 01:02:22,160
So now we are on the Lake of Limanu,
the fresh water lake,

976
01:02:22,240 --> 01:02:26,400
but Ceaușescu united it with the sea

977
01:02:26,480 --> 01:02:28,680
just to build the shipping yards.

978
01:02:29,320 --> 01:02:31,120
But the white one is interesting.

979
01:02:31,200 --> 01:02:36,440
It was built especially for Ceaușescu
to open the Cernavodă Channel.

980
01:02:36,520 --> 01:02:41,440
<i>Negreta</i> was the sea ship for Ceaușescu,
for protocol,

981
01:02:41,520 --> 01:02:43,520
and inside there's silverware,

982
01:02:43,600 --> 01:02:48,120
it's luxury furniture with rosewood,
mahogany, and everything.

983
01:02:48,720 --> 01:02:49,880
That should be a museum now.

984
01:02:49,960 --> 01:02:54,280
I think it should,
but it's a property of the State,

985
01:02:54,360 --> 01:02:56,400
and they are freezing everything.

986
01:02:56,480 --> 01:02:59,000
- They don't even use it.
- Exactly.

987
01:02:59,080 --> 01:03:03,520
I think a lot of people would like
to visit and to see the ship,

988
01:03:03,600 --> 01:03:06,280
and to have a better usage of it.

989
01:03:06,360 --> 01:03:07,960
I'd be fascinated to see inside.

990
01:03:08,040 --> 01:03:11,240
Me too. I've never seen it,
and I've seen it there for ten years.

991
01:03:23,720 --> 01:03:25,760
I love sailing so much! I've missed this.

992
01:03:26,600 --> 01:03:29,560
Is just you, the sea, and the wind.

993
01:03:30,360 --> 01:03:31,880
There's no petrol, no fuel...

994
01:03:31,960 --> 01:03:34,480
just man versus the elements.

995
01:03:43,800 --> 01:03:46,400
Now we have 4.5 knots.

996
01:03:46,480 --> 01:03:50,000
So the wind's dropping slowly,
the heat of the day subsides,

997
01:03:51,000 --> 01:03:53,840
but still quite a choppy sea, isn't it?

998
01:03:53,920 --> 01:03:57,120
Yes, this is the Black Sea,
this is what it's renowned for.

999
01:03:57,200 --> 01:04:02,800
It rises very quickly, becomes unfriendly
with the choppy waves,

1000
01:04:02,880 --> 01:04:07,480
and also it calms down really quickly.

1001
01:04:07,560 --> 01:04:09,840
If we sail one hour, it will be flat,

1002
01:04:09,920 --> 01:04:13,120
- but until then, it's like this.
- It's temperamental.

1003
01:04:13,200 --> 01:04:15,960
So can tourists come and charter a boat
for a day or two

1004
01:04:16,040 --> 01:04:17,600
or take it out for a week?

1005
01:04:17,680 --> 01:04:19,680
Yes, we call this a charter business

1006
01:04:19,760 --> 01:04:24,560
where we rent boats for a day, two days,
a weekend, or even for a week,

1007
01:04:25,160 --> 01:04:27,440
and they can enjoy sailing.

1008
01:04:27,520 --> 01:04:30,720
I imagine, you know, a trip to Istanbul
must be pretty exciting.

1009
01:04:31,720 --> 01:04:33,040
A trip to Istanbul

1010
01:04:33,120 --> 01:04:37,480
it's one thing I recommend
to all sailing enthusiasts to do.

1011
01:04:37,560 --> 01:04:40,560
They call the Bosphorus a wonder of nature

1012
01:04:40,640 --> 01:04:42,920
because it splits two continents.

1013
01:04:43,000 --> 01:04:45,760
And if you want to carry on?
You've got the Med.

1014
01:04:45,840 --> 01:04:47,760
And after Med? Atlantic.

1015
01:04:48,640 --> 01:04:51,120
- And then, the world.
- Yeah, the world! Exactly!

1016
01:05:05,720 --> 01:05:09,000
Romania's widespread lack of interest
in its past

1017
01:05:09,720 --> 01:05:14,160
combined with limited resources
for archaeology and historic preservation

1018
01:05:15,280 --> 01:05:18,760
means that many of its Neolithic
and pre-Christian sites

1019
01:05:18,840 --> 01:05:21,400
still remain cloaked in speculation.

1020
01:05:22,800 --> 01:05:27,200
On the other side of Limanu village,
lies one of its most intriguing.

1021
01:05:29,760 --> 01:05:32,200
While sadly it isn't yet opened
to the public,

1022
01:05:32,280 --> 01:05:34,640
we were able to obtain permission
to visit,

1023
01:05:34,720 --> 01:05:38,040
and with the help of renowned
speleologist Cristian Lascu

1024
01:05:38,120 --> 01:05:40,440
to make an expedition deep underground

1025
01:05:41,160 --> 01:05:44,520
in the hope of separating fact
from the fiction that is

1026
01:05:44,600 --> 01:05:46,920
the mysterious Limanu Caves.

1027
01:05:48,320 --> 01:05:50,240
- That should... Bum!
- You all right?

1028
01:05:51,160 --> 01:05:52,560
Seen that?

1029
01:05:52,640 --> 01:05:54,720
I was lucky to have a helmet.

1030
01:05:54,800 --> 01:06:00,800
The galleries are large, wide,
and low, sort of.

1031
01:06:00,880 --> 01:06:03,800
In Britain, you call that laminars cave.

1032
01:06:03,880 --> 01:06:07,240
But when people came down here
back in the old days?

1033
01:06:07,320 --> 01:06:12,640
That they came first, what we know
for sure, in the Neolithic,

1034
01:06:12,720 --> 01:06:16,800
a few thousand years ago,
five, six thousand years ago.

1035
01:06:16,880 --> 01:06:20,480
You see, in order to avoid to get lost

1036
01:06:20,560 --> 01:06:23,240
locals, they used different...

1037
01:06:23,320 --> 01:06:25,960
- Different systems of navigation.
- Yeah, yeah.

1038
01:06:26,040 --> 01:06:27,720
- This way?
- Yeah. Take care.

1039
01:06:28,400 --> 01:06:29,560
- I go ahead.
- After you.

1040
01:06:30,800 --> 01:06:32,040
It looks almost man-made...

1041
01:06:33,000 --> 01:06:34,160
these walls.

1042
01:06:34,240 --> 01:06:36,040
I want to point out one aspect.

1043
01:06:36,120 --> 01:06:40,400
{\an8}This cave, Limanu Cave,
is unique in Romania

1044
01:06:41,000 --> 01:06:42,560
at least for two reasons.

1045
01:06:42,640 --> 01:06:45,760
First, because of
very particular topography.

1046
01:06:45,840 --> 01:06:48,400
It's the most labyrinthic cave in Romania.

1047
01:06:48,480 --> 01:06:52,960
The second reason is this morphology
of the galleries

1048
01:06:53,040 --> 01:06:56,440
because you see perfectly horizontally,

1049
01:06:56,520 --> 01:06:59,240
and that is a consistency of geology.

1050
01:06:59,320 --> 01:07:03,040
In this area,
the limestones are horizontal,

1051
01:07:03,800 --> 01:07:04,880
embedded limestone,

1052
01:07:04,960 --> 01:07:07,920
and there are some vertical cracks.

1053
01:07:08,000 --> 01:07:10,320
- And it's exploited the cracks.
- Exactly.

1054
01:07:10,400 --> 01:07:12,240
You could get lost down here
for a long time.

1055
01:07:12,320 --> 01:07:13,120
Very easy.

1056
01:07:13,200 --> 01:07:16,920
Everywhere, different galleries
in different directions

1057
01:07:17,000 --> 01:07:18,640
looking very similar.

1058
01:07:18,720 --> 01:07:23,880
Here you might see how they managed
a sort of altar, shrine.

1059
01:07:23,960 --> 01:07:28,880
Because if here
the wall has a natural form,

1060
01:07:28,960 --> 01:07:31,480
there is clear that they cut it.

1061
01:07:31,560 --> 01:07:34,520
Would have been pagan sacrifices?

1062
01:07:34,600 --> 01:07:39,960
They used to organize
such sacrifices with animals,

1063
01:07:40,040 --> 01:07:42,800
but also later the Gets.

1064
01:07:42,880 --> 01:07:47,920
The Gets, according to Ovidius,

1065
01:07:48,000 --> 01:07:50,720
he described the Gets,

1066
01:07:50,800 --> 01:07:53,160
Dacians living in this area,

1067
01:07:53,240 --> 01:07:59,800
Dobrogea and the southern part of Romania,
were very cruel and bloody warriors.

1068
01:07:59,880 --> 01:08:03,120
- So yes, they probably might of used that.
- It is possible, yes.

1069
01:08:03,760 --> 01:08:06,720
That looks like a human figure in the wall

1070
01:08:06,800 --> 01:08:10,440
because you can see there's a head
and shoulders.

1071
01:08:10,520 --> 01:08:12,520
- Indeed! The shoulders.
- There's another one here.

1072
01:08:12,600 --> 01:08:15,040
You've got the shoulders here as well
and the face,

1073
01:08:15,120 --> 01:08:17,160
so these could have been
the guardians of the temple

1074
01:08:17,240 --> 01:08:20,439
'cause you have to walk past them
to get to the altar, don't you?

1075
01:08:21,279 --> 01:08:23,720
- I'd love to know!
- Yeah...

1076
01:08:23,800 --> 01:08:26,760
It seems there's not a huge amount
of information, is there?

1077
01:08:26,840 --> 01:08:27,680
Yeah.

1078
01:08:30,240 --> 01:08:32,479
Here is a sort of window.

1079
01:08:32,560 --> 01:08:35,479
This window is naturally created,

1080
01:08:35,560 --> 01:08:38,439
but if you go further a few meters,

1081
01:08:38,520 --> 01:08:43,399
you will see clear signs of chisels.

1082
01:08:44,680 --> 01:08:46,720
There's a lot a bat guano around here.

1083
01:08:46,800 --> 01:08:48,680
Yes, that's bat guano, black.

1084
01:08:48,760 --> 01:08:51,120
But, come here, please. Here.

1085
01:08:51,200 --> 01:08:55,840
Here is a very spectacular morphology.

1086
01:08:55,920 --> 01:08:57,520
These platforms.

1087
01:08:58,880 --> 01:09:00,160
Horizontal platforms.

1088
01:09:00,720 --> 01:09:01,760
They suppose...

1089
01:09:02,680 --> 01:09:09,040
Long time ago, they had here potteries
and maybe torches here.

1090
01:09:10,319 --> 01:09:13,279
- But this would have been another altar?
- Yeah.

1091
01:09:13,359 --> 01:09:16,840
Well, I think that it'll be
a long time, if ever,

1092
01:09:16,920 --> 01:09:22,960
before anyone can have more accurate
information about these caves.

1093
01:09:23,040 --> 01:09:26,520
- A lot more research.
- A lot of research.

1094
01:09:26,600 --> 01:09:31,160
Unfortunately, no one has done
some intensive research here.

1095
01:09:31,240 --> 01:09:32,920
So I guess for the time being,

1096
01:09:33,000 --> 01:09:36,000
this remains one of Romania's
greatest mysteries.

1097
01:09:36,720 --> 01:09:38,720
Thank you so much for taking me down here.

1098
01:09:38,800 --> 01:09:41,880
- You're welcome.
- Now, are you sure we know the way out?

1099
01:09:41,960 --> 01:09:44,279
- Do you remember how to get back out?
- Yeah.

1100
01:09:44,359 --> 01:09:45,439
- You do?
- I hope.

1101
01:09:45,520 --> 01:09:51,040
If not, that would be the most dramatic
end of your documentary.

1102
01:09:51,120 --> 01:09:54,200
Yeah, this becomes found footage
instead of a documentary.

1103
01:09:55,040 --> 01:09:56,280
Years later maybe.

1104
01:09:56,360 --> 01:09:58,320
- After you.
- Good.

1105
01:09:58,400 --> 01:10:00,160
Follow the man with the head torch.

1106
01:10:10,760 --> 01:10:13,600
For the final stretch of my journey
across Dobrogea,

1107
01:10:13,680 --> 01:10:15,960
we're abandoning the tourist trails

1108
01:10:16,040 --> 01:10:17,920
and stepping off the beaten track

1109
01:10:18,000 --> 01:10:21,840
to go in search of an ancient
and mysterious cave church

1110
01:10:21,920 --> 01:10:25,720
located near the village of Dumbrăveni
on the Bulgarian border.

1111
01:10:27,560 --> 01:10:32,280
To get there, you travel through
a stark and unfamiliar landscape

1112
01:10:33,200 --> 01:10:38,640
of corrugated downs,
crisscrossed by ravines and rocky outcrops

1113
01:10:38,720 --> 01:10:41,840
sculpted into weird and wonderful shapes.

1114
01:10:47,120 --> 01:10:51,280
The Canaraua Fetii cave church
is not easy to find.

1115
01:10:53,320 --> 01:10:57,240
There's very little about it online,
no signs from the road,

1116
01:10:57,320 --> 01:11:01,920
and the Satnav sends you to a field
of vegetables on a top of a hill.

1117
01:11:05,400 --> 01:11:07,400
By a process of elimination,

1118
01:11:07,480 --> 01:11:10,600
I finally find myself on a grassy trail

1119
01:11:10,680 --> 01:11:13,760
riding further and further
into the unknown,

1120
01:11:16,320 --> 01:11:20,760
preoccupied with the thought that
if the bike were to break down now,

1121
01:11:20,840 --> 01:11:22,760
we would be in serious trouble.

1122
01:11:29,520 --> 01:11:32,480
Either I've come around the back way,

1123
01:11:32,560 --> 01:11:34,160
and I'm gonna find a car park

1124
01:11:35,080 --> 01:11:37,360
and a gift shop on the other side,

1125
01:11:37,440 --> 01:11:42,000
or this is one of the least promoted
places I visited in Romania.

1126
01:11:42,080 --> 01:11:44,880
All I can see is an arrow
on the cliff up there,

1127
01:11:44,960 --> 01:11:47,680
so I think we're in the right place.
Let's go find out!

1128
01:12:10,680 --> 01:12:11,520
No way!

1129
01:12:12,640 --> 01:12:15,040
These are clearly man-made tunnels.

1130
01:12:16,080 --> 01:12:18,120
I've no idea why they're here.

1131
01:12:18,200 --> 01:12:19,800
Probably for religious purposes.

1132
01:12:20,800 --> 01:12:22,320
But it's extraordinary!

1133
01:12:22,920 --> 01:12:26,720
Who cuts a little labyrinth
halfway up a cliff?

1134
01:12:29,520 --> 01:12:31,080
There's a tunnel down there.

1135
01:12:34,000 --> 01:12:35,960
And it just goes off into the darkness.

1136
01:12:37,160 --> 01:12:38,560
There's a lot of dust.

1137
01:12:41,440 --> 01:12:43,480
And clearly, no one has been down here.

1138
01:12:43,560 --> 01:12:45,840
There are no footprints,
there are no boot prints.

1139
01:12:45,920 --> 01:12:48,080
There's something very spooky about this.

1140
01:12:48,160 --> 01:12:50,520
- Can you hear that?
- Yeah, I heard it.

1141
01:12:50,600 --> 01:12:51,760
There's something...

1142
01:12:53,760 --> 01:12:54,880
something down there.

1143
01:12:57,640 --> 01:12:58,800
Is going quite deep.

1144
01:12:58,880 --> 01:13:01,280
Look at it.
It's cut straight down into the rock.

1145
01:13:04,040 --> 01:13:04,880
Listen.

1146
01:13:20,240 --> 01:13:22,240
- I've heard it.
- Yeah, me too.

1147
01:13:22,320 --> 01:13:24,400
I think there's something there.
You need to be careful.

1148
01:13:24,480 --> 01:13:28,360
So that's gonna have to remain
yet another mystery.

1149
01:13:28,440 --> 01:13:29,720
But who built these?

1150
01:13:29,800 --> 01:13:31,920
I don't think anybody really knows.

1151
01:13:32,000 --> 01:13:35,920
It may be Nosferatu.

1152
01:13:38,480 --> 01:13:41,520
This is how horror movies begin.
You realize that, don't you?

1153
01:13:41,600 --> 01:13:44,240
It's like one of the lights
isn't working properly,

1154
01:13:44,320 --> 01:13:47,400
I'm on my hands and knees,
there are no footprints,

1155
01:13:47,480 --> 01:13:49,320
dusty, lots of flies.

1156
01:13:49,400 --> 01:13:50,600
Why are they there?

1157
01:13:52,960 --> 01:13:56,280
And a pitch-black tunnel
that descends into nothing,

1158
01:13:56,360 --> 01:13:58,560
disappears into the void.

1159
01:14:00,600 --> 01:14:03,320
Yeah. Let's not do what they do
in Scooby-Doo.

1160
01:14:03,400 --> 01:14:05,280
Let's go check it out!

1161
01:14:05,360 --> 01:14:06,560
These holes here

1162
01:14:07,560 --> 01:14:14,280
were coffins, stone burial chambers
for monks,

1163
01:14:15,000 --> 01:14:16,840
or maybe they're even older.

1164
01:14:16,920 --> 01:14:20,160
Maybe repurposed by the Christian faith

1165
01:14:20,240 --> 01:14:24,480
because there are a couple of postcards
and candle wax in that one.

1166
01:14:25,080 --> 01:14:28,200
So this was really a necropolis

1167
01:14:29,280 --> 01:14:31,960
which still doesn't explain
the tunnel going off into the darkness

1168
01:14:32,040 --> 01:14:32,880
at the other end.

1169
01:14:34,200 --> 01:14:35,360
Or the growling noise.

1170
01:14:37,560 --> 01:14:40,400
Well, that's just about all
we've got time for this week.

1171
01:14:40,480 --> 01:14:42,480
It's been an epic trip around Dobrogea.

1172
01:14:42,560 --> 01:14:46,600
I've ticked off a few things on the
bucket list, including seeing flamingos

1173
01:14:46,680 --> 01:14:50,320
and narrowly avoiding coming
face to face with an unknown animal

1174
01:14:50,400 --> 01:14:51,360
in a dark tunnel.

1175
01:14:52,600 --> 01:14:55,760
Join us next time
when we'll be reaching Muntenia.

1176
01:14:59,160 --> 01:15:03,520
We're taking an exclusive tour
of Europe's heaviest building.

1177
01:15:04,800 --> 01:15:08,680
We'll be visiting the final
resting place of Vlad the Impaler.

1178
01:15:08,760 --> 01:15:10,320
Or maybe not.

1179
01:15:11,520 --> 01:15:13,320
And I'll be off-road again,

1180
01:15:13,400 --> 01:15:15,640
to explore a UNESCO geopark reserve,

1181
01:15:17,120 --> 01:15:19,840
where the ground is literally on fire.

1182
01:15:21,240 --> 01:15:22,800
There'll be more cave churches,

1183
01:15:25,440 --> 01:15:26,880
more traditional recipes,

1184
01:15:31,200 --> 01:15:33,880
and more glimpses
into Romania's checkered past.

1185
01:15:35,520 --> 01:15:38,400
Only in <i>Flavours of Romania</i>.