The magnificent Danube both cuts across and connects central Europe, flowing through and alongside ten countries: Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany. Travelling its full length from east to west, against the river’s flow, Nick Thorpe embarks on an inspiring year-long journey that leads to a new perspective on Europe today. Thorpe’s account is personal, conversational, funny, immediate, and uniquely observant—everything a reader expects in the best travel writing.

Immersing himself in the Danube’s waters during daily morning swims, Thorpe likewise becomes immersed in the histories of the lands linked by the river. He observes the river’s ecological conditions, some discouraging and others hopeful, and encounters archaeological remains that whisper of human communities sustained by the river over eight millennia. Most fascinating of all are the ordinary and extraordinary people along the way—the ferrymen and fishermen, workers in the fields, shopkeepers, beekeepers, waitresses, smugglers and border policemen, legal and illegal immigrants, and many more. For readers who anticipate their own journeys on the Danube, as well as those who only dream of seeing the great river, this book will be a unique and treasured guide.

Table of Contents
Contents
List of Illustrations and Maps.................... viii

Acknowledgements.................... x

Introduction. The Lips of the Danube.................... xiii

1 The Beginning of the World.................... 1

2 The Kneeling Oak.................... 15

3 Mountains of the Fathers.................... 37

4 The Colour of the River.................... 60

5 The Dogs of Giurgiu.................... 76

6 Gypsy River.................... 93

7 River of Dreams.................... 114

8 River of Fire.................... 136

9 The Black Army.................... 157

10 Smoke, Ash and a Tale or Two.................... 173

11 The Wind in the Willows.................... 195

12 Danube Fairytales.................... 221

13 Oh Germany, Pale Mother.................... 245

14 The Tailor of Ulm.................... 263

Afterword. A Kind of Solution.................... 271

Notes.................... 273

Select Bibliography.................... 284

Index.................... 288



Author:

Nick Thorpe is East and Central European Correspondent for the BBC, a journalist, and a filmmaker. He lives in Budapest.