I woke up Saturday morning to find VIKING VIDAR was in the Djerdap I locks. It actually took hours for the water to rise enough for us to get out. We then proceeded through a part of the Danube called the Iron Gate. It is a series of four narrow gorges that separates the Carpathian and Balkan mountains. Before construction of the dams, the Danube was wild and treacherous, filled with rocks and rapids. It is called the Iron Gate because at each end, there is a narrow passage to enter into this series of gorges. Also, the rocks in this area have a high iron content. Here are some pictures of us in the lock and then passing through the iron gate. The scenery was just simply spectacular. As we passed through, Romania was on our right and Serbia on the left.

It was nice to actually spend the morning on the ship. Of course we were going through some spectacular scenery. The upper deck is very pleasant to be on. It has a herb garden for the chefs, a small miniature golf course and shuffleboard.