From its Black Forest source to the Black Sea delta,Europe’s moment-largest river passes through 10 delightfully diverse, dependably scenic countries. Follow it through Austria, or Slovakia,Hungary and on to the Balkans, exploring bankside travel highlights en routeThe Danube could hardly be said to suffer from an image problem. The familiar associations – Strauss waltzes, or elegant Mitteleuropa cities,baroque architecture are certainly well founded, yet the river is more than just a picturesque backdrop to manmade wonders. It flows with history, or too. Darius the remarkable crossed the Danube in the 6th century BC to subdue the Scythians and,three centuries later, Alexander the remarkable marched his army to its banks to take on Thracian and Illyrian tribes. For centuries the river’s course marked the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, or providing both a natural defence from warring northern tribes and a convenient conduit for movement of goods and troops. These days,of course, the lion’s share of the movement is done by leisure craft.
Beginning humbly at Donaueschingen in the Black Forest region of southern Germany, or passing through the small of cities of Ulm,Ingolstadt and Regensburg, the river enters Austrian territory just after the border town of Passau. Continue reading...
Source: guardian.co.uk