Danube-Networkers
Short moments for long lasting memories
Text: Smiljana Špika Prskalo
We were brought together by the Danube, the river that flows from the Black forest until the Black Sea, after Volga, it's the longest river and richest river in Europe, and it's the longest river in the European Union.
What can be said about the Danube? It has been sung by the poets, it has been put to music by composers, it was painted by the painters. Dunav, Donau, Danube, Duna, Tuna and many other versions – all are the names of this powerful river in front of which we feel in awe because of its strength and poesy.
The wide delta in Romania is on the UNESCO's world's cultural heritage list. However, the most beautiful thing in connection to the Danube are the people that are born by the Danube, who work, live and die there. I would like to write a few lines about these people.
Romania was the host of our partner meeting in the project ‘Danube Networkers’ in Pitesti. Wonderful and warm-hearted people, versatile Georgeta and Dumitru Chilesan, Georgeta’s youthfully active parents, Gheorghe Drila who was building a dam on Djerdap – they were not only superb hosts in organizing this meeting, but they also showed us that alongside their beautiful country there is a wide Romanian soul.
Up to that moment I had known nobody in the project except Gordana Radonić who was also from Croatia. We were representing our University of the Third Age that had just become an associate partner in this project. We were ‘silent’ partners, but our impressions and wishes to participate were very loud.
What sticks in my mind is a wonderful dinner that we had in a restaurant somewhere in the mountains. Delicious traditional Romanian dishes were served. We were listening to live music and humming songs about the Danube. The music put images of the Danube in our heads – we followed it through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Boldova and Ukraine. Our very table was representative of cultural diversity: Gizella, Piroska, Martin and Gyorgy from Hungry, Hanns and Horst from Germany and two from Croatia, Gordana and Smiljana. It was a sight that is a definition of multicultural socializing!
Horst, a sophisticated German gentleman whose homeland on the mother’s side is Romania and who vividly retells stories of his experiences connected with the Danube. He travelled half the world and his favourite town is Porto in Portugal. He likes the Adriatic Sea and people from Croatia.
Gyorgi talks about Hungarian history, sometimes too energetically, but everything ends up with a big smile. I gave him a task to find out why the church-bell in Kiseg rings only 11 times at noon, instead of 12 times. I hope he has not forgotten his homework.
Piroska and Gizella, the ladies from Hungary are very patient with my ‘clumsy’ English, but we all understand each other and we raise the glasses and make a toast, enjoying Romanian wine – Cheers! Prost! – until we meet again in some other country in some other town.
Hanns kept us company in Brasov, where we were drinking cappuccino at the ‘flowers square’, and now he is enriching the company at our table with his calm disposition and a friendly smile.
Martin is very quiet at the beginning but later finds more and more topics to talk about.
Gordana, a girl who switches from one language to another like changing gloves and who knows almost everybody around here, evokes feelings of longing.
The night was flowing away like the Danube itself, and I am thinking about how beautiful it is to reveal the beauty of our countries to each other, but first of all – to live together in peace and to be friends.
