Day 69 End of Dabube, Beginning of the Canal of Death

They say it's always most difficult at the end.  This is starting to become so.  The heat never got to me, but the idiots that work the lock and dam did. 

After a long day of paddling and stopping for food and water, I said farewell to The Danube and hello to the canal.  Or so I thought. 

I followed a barge into the lock.  Got ready to start going down, and, they actually turned the button.  But an annoying ladies voice came over an intercom, yelling in a rude tone in Romanian.  I was sure when I heard it was about something I did.  A bunch of morons with no college degree, like myself, decide to let out the days hardships on me.  I decided to yell back in English as many things as I felt necessary to sleep well tonight.  You can imagine some of the words, now that I'm a sailor.  I felt like I won the arguement, which was about how "it was too late to come through the lock"  and I went back to Cernavoda.

I was greeted by a very angry dog, so I went to a different place.  There ibwaljed through the mud in Crocs, then barefoot to a cheap motel.

The maintenance guy sprayed off my shoes in front of everyone, then continued to spray my feel.  It was humbling, not embarrassing.

I got food at an overrated restaurant and I'm going to try to reach the Black Sea tomorrow before dark.  I'll have to paddle fast and wake up early.

km 0
km 63 of the Black Danube Canal