Vara asta, in luna iulie, am revenit in Delta Dunarii, dupa mai multi ani si in plin context al stirilor false, difuzate de televiziuni nationale de top, despre bombardarea spatiului respectiv in desfasurarea razboiului ruso-ucrainian. Ca si cum exact de asta mai avea nevoie turismul românesc, a carui promovare si comunicare merge din rau in si mai rau in ultimii 25 de ani. Asa ca, in lipsa unei strategii coerente de tara si de regiune,  bietii antreprenori care au investit totul in pensiuni la care muncesc cu intreaga familie, sunt nevoiti sa se descurce cum pot, in virtutea inertiei lucrurilor, atunci cand mai au timp sa se gandeasca si la promovare.

Delta Dunarii este unul din acele locuri binecuvantate unde natura ne permite sa-i admiram salbaticia in toata frumusetea si plenitudinea sa, intr-un peisaj ireal: salcii cu trunchiurile cufundate in apa si coroane imense ce se imbina in tunele de un verde crud, nuferi albi si galbeni ce plutesc in voie, cu florile deschise catre soare, pasari gratioase, majoritatea specii rare, ori broaste care canta-n legea lor prin aerul jilav. De fiecare data cand ajung aici am senzatia intalnirii cu un ambient primordial, a carui autenticitate sterge obiceiurile urbane, generand noi repere, firesti, normale, simple.

Formata la varsarea Dunarii in Marea Neagra, Delta are o suprafata totala in jur de 5.000 km², este cea mai bine conservată dintre deltele europene si a intrat in patrimoniul mondial UNESCO in 1991, fiind clasificată ca rezervație a biosferei la nivel național în România și ca parc national în taxonomia internațională. Labirintul de lacuri si canale pline de stuf adaposteste o biodiversitate uimitoare de mii de specii de plante, animale si pasari, dintre care majoritatea sunt spectaculoase prin penaj si aparitie.

De aceea, excursiile pe canale sunt niste experiente extraordinare, iar timpul sta în loc atunci când barca se oprește în mijlocul lacului, iar la câțiva metri distanță vezi pelicani și cormorani care stau liniștiți si aproape maiestuosi, așteptând momentul oportun pentru a merge la vânătoare. Pe malurile canalelor sunt, din loc in loc, case pescaresti, micute si modeste, care se ivesc printre lanurile de stuf si salcii.

Un loc aparte în flora Deltei îl ocupă Pădurea Letea, una dintre cele mai vechi rezervații naturale din România și cea mai nordică pădure subtropicală din lume. Peisajul de aici este unul deosebit, unde pâlcurile de pădure alternează cu dunele de nisip, formate cândva pe fundul mării. Predomină stejarii, unii dintre ei cu vârste de peste 300 de ani, dar și o specie de liană ce poate ajunge până la 25 de metri. In padure traiesc caii salbatici de la Letea, care sunt atat de frumosi si autentici incat par ireali, personaje magice de poveste, dar exista cu adevarat si e emotionant sa te apropii la cativa metri de ei si sa-i privesti in liniste. Sunt unici si totodata ultimii cai salbatici din Europa si se estimeaza ca numarul lor de aici este in jur de 2.500, fiind emblematici pentru ecosistemul de la Letea.

Am stat la Pensiunea Iara, unde se ajunge repede, deoarece se afla la doar 12 km de Tulcea, in comuna Nufaru, un loc ideal daca aveti la dispozitie doar cateva zile, asa cum a fost cazul nostru. Pensiunea este superba, plasata chiar pe malul Dunarii, cu un decor ce imbina armonios dotarile moderne cu elemente de arhitectura traditionala, specifice zonei. Meniul se face ad-hoc, de la o zi la alta, in functie de ce aleg oaspetii din propunerile gazdelor, asa ca totul este proaspat gatit.

English text:

This summer, in July, I returned to the Danube Delta, after several years and in full context of fake news, broadcast by top televisions, about the bombing of that area during the Russo-Ukrainian war. As if this is not exactly what Romanian tourism still needed, whose promotion and communication has been going from bad to worse in the last 25 years. So, in the absence of a coherent strategy for the country and the country’s regions, the poor entrepreneurs who have invested everything in boarding houses where they work with the whole family, are forced to manage as best they can, by virtue of the inertia of things, when they still have time to think and promotion.

The Danube Delta is one of those blessed places where nature allows us to admire its wildness in all its beauty and fullness, in an unreal landscape: willows with their trunks submerged in water and huge crowns that merge into raw green tunnels, water lilies white and yellow floating freely, with flowers open to the sun, graceful birds, most of them rare species, or frogs that sing their song through the livid air. Every time I arrive here, I have the feeling of meeting a primordial environment, whose authenticity erases urban habits and gives me new landmarks, natural, normal, simple.

Formed when the Danube flows into the Black Sea, the Delta has a total area of ​​around 5,000 km², it is the best preserved of the European deltas and entered the world heritage UNESCO in 1991, being classified as a national biosphere reserve in Romania and as a national park in the international taxonomy. The labyrinth of lakes and canals full of reeds shelters hosts an amazing biodiversity of thousands of species of plants, animals and birds, most of which are spectacular in their plumage and appearance.

That’s why canal trips are extraordinary experiences, and time stands still when the boat stops in the middle of the lake, and a few meters away you see pelicans and cormorants sitting quietly and almost majestically, waiting for the right moment to go hunting. On the banks of the canals, there are, from place to place, small and modest fishermen’s houses, which rise among the rows of reeds and willows.

A special place in the flora of the Delta is occupied by the Letea Forest, one of the oldest natural reserves in Romania and the northernmost subtropical forest in the world. The landscape here is a special one, where clumps of forest alternate with sand dunes, once formed on the bottom of the sea. Oak trees predominate, some of them over 300 years old, but also a liana species that can reach up to 25 meters.

In the forest live the wild horses from Letea, which are so beautiful and authentic that they seem unreal, like a fairy tale, but they really exist and it’s exciting to get a few meters closer to them and watch them in peace. They are unique and at the same time the last wild horses in Europe and it is estimated that their number here is around 2,500, being emblematic of the Letea ecosystem.

I stayed at Pensiunea Iara, where you can get there quickly, being located only 12 km from Tulcea, in Nufaru commune, an ideal place if you only have a few days at your disposal, as was our case. The guesthouse is superb, placed right on the banks of the Danube, with a decor that harmoniously combines modern facilities with elements of traditional architecture, specific to the area. The menu is made ad hoc, from one day to the next, depending on what the guests choose from the hosts’ proposals, so everything is freshly cooked.

 

Photo credits: personal archive Ruxandra Chiurtu, Cristian Nistor (colonia de pelicani)