November 27, 2025

One of the smarter things Melissa and I did on our Danube River trip was to fly into Budapest several days prior to our embarkation date.  Still, we were not prepared for the toll the trip would have.  We were both so exhausted that we struggled to make it through our first dinner and suffered cramps the first two nights from being on the plane (not moving enough).  Our embarkation point was close to our hotel but did not relish the thought of dragging our luggage along the banks of the river.  We were able to secure the hotel car (for a small fee) to drop us in front of the ship on Tuesday.  The next two days were spent exploring the sights of Buda, the hilly south side, and Pest, the flat north side of the river.  I had exchanged 50 Euros into 17,450 Forint thinking there would be shops who would not take foreign currency but everywhere took both Euro and credit cards.  Since Forint is not excepted anywhere but Hungary, the maid and guides were tipped with Forint.  On the last day in town, I took a final walk to the Christmas market to spend my last 2000 Forint (5.26 Euro).  I watched from the sundeck as we pulled out marveling at the breadth and power of the Daube.  It was hard to fathom that tomorrow we would pass through several locks that would raise the ship 60 feet (18.3 m).

When I went online, I found the Danube has a series of locks to allow river passage associated with the 18 river power plants (from Kelheim to Sulina) that generate energy from the dams.  These locks are of either one (4) or two (14) chambers that can allow simultaneous locking of vessels travelling upstream and downstream.  The steep gradient of the Upper Danube (Kelheim and Gönyu) has 16 power plants with locks, while the Middle and Lower Danube has only 2 locks situated at the Iron Gates, a gorge forged by the Danube through the Carpathians, which forms the border between Romania and Serbia.  The Iron Gate locks are also the largest on the Danube.  Iron Gate I (river km 942.90) and Iron Gate II (river km 863.70/ 862.85) each have two lock chambers which are 1017 feet (310 m) long and 111.5 feet (34 m) wide, located on the right bank and the left bank.  The lock chambers on the right bank (Djerdap I and II) are maintained and run by Serbia, while those on the left bank (Portile de Fier I and II) are maintained and run by Romania.

When I woke up this morning, I opened the curtains of our stateroom and was surprised to see the banks of the Danube only 20 yards (18 m) away as this was such a contrast to the massive river channel we had left in Buda pest.  While the banks did widen some as we continued upstream, they never reached the distance of the previous night.  When we arrived at the first lock (Gabclkovo) we squeezed into an area 111.5 feet (34 m) wide and 902 feet (275 m) long.  We were nearly pressed against the side of the lock, with a wide berth on the right hand (starboard).  Once we began to rise, a new friend and I went to the observation deck to watch the process.  That was when I saw another small cruise ship situated beside and slightly behind our larger craft.  At least now our proximity to the side of the lock made sense.  As the lock opened, we sailed into the Dunajsky canal that connected us back to the river.  We were on our way to our second destination city of Bratislava.

THOUGHTS: Locks are designed for boats and not for migratory fish and can act as a barrier to migratory fish.  The lock can also be modified by adapting operation protocols to guide fish through a lock with a series of controlled water-level changes that mimic a fish lift.  The effectiveness of an adapted lock depends on sufficient attraction flow and careful timing to ensure fish enter and move upstream successfully.  Under standard operation, the area near the lock is calm, making it difficult for fish to find the entrance, and less than 1.5% of fish may use the lock.  The impact on ecosystems along the Danube has been partially mitigated through various national and international agreements and national parks.  It takes planning.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

PS: For my American followers, Happy Thanksgiving!