29 July 2023, Velky Lel, 57.68km
Kemping Zlaty Hucul €20.80 [R432]

Wikipedia: The Danube is the second-longest river in Europe. It flows from the Black Forest into the Black Sea. A large and historically important river, it was once a frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects ten European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for 2,850km, passing through or bordering Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine. Among the many cities on the river are four national capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade. Its drainage basin amounts to 817,000km² and extends into nine more countries.
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Today we cycled over 50km along the cycle path that largely parallels the Danube. Tonight's campsite is literally on the path and does a brisk trade in cyclists and canoeists coming in by one of the many roads that dead-end at the path and river.
Again, the upside of a dedicated cycle path built on a levee is safety. The downsides are: little shade on a humid day; a sameness to the scenery; you have to leave the path to access sustenance at a village shop.
An added complication that we can never seem to get our heads around: many shops are closed at the weekend. Luckily our campsite has a bufet as the nearest open shop is 14km away! Feels a little like South Africa in the 1980s.
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We met cycle tourers travelling against the flow of the river. Irish Joe, a grandfather with a new girlfriend and baby, who borrowed a bike in Leipzig for a several-week trip through Eastern Europe. And French Serge and Martine, 6000km into an 8000km trip from their home in Brittany to the Black Sea in Romania, and back.