Iron Gates Dam and Locks

The big event today is passing through the "Iron Gates I" locks and 2000 MW hydro electric dam separating Romania and Serbia, named after the iron ore mined in the surrounding mountains. It and the downriver iron gates II, which we passed through in darkness (except for the lock lights that woke me) at 3:00 AM this morning, are what allows boat traffic to go both ways on the river with minimal energy expenditure. Previously locomotives were required to go upriver, and water was more shallow. Interestingly, only 5-10% of the river's shipping capacity is currently used.

We are using the left (looking up stream on the Danube) locks, the first of which which seems to be opening as we approach it. The locks are significantly wider (100 feet) than our 40 foot wide river boat, meant to accommodate larger freight-carrying boats it appears. The total lift is about 100 feet in two lock stages. Each lock is about 1000 feet in length.

The iron gates cost of construction was shared between Romania and Serbia, whose boundary bisects it.

Note on weather: it has been cold and grey since we left Istanbul, with deep snow in the Balkan mountain passes. Some rain, fog. The Danube is cold, brown. You would not come for the fall climate, if our trip is any example.

At 11 AM we are just rising in the second of the two 50 foot lift locks. Through at 11:15 AM.

After being lifted a total of 100 feet by locks, we entered a very long section of river between steep cliffs for some distance upriver, passing a Romanian version of Mt. Rushmore, with a single giant face carved into the cliff. It was carved from 1994 to 2004.

This is described on the wonderful-romania web site as follows, in slightly damaged English:

"The narrowest sector of the Danube River on Romanian territory, the place where it cuts through the rocky mountain, has determined many tourists to rank it in the first place among other natural wonders of Romania. Here lays the largest sculpture in Europe, the doughty sculpture of Decebal, the mighty Dacian king. Both a monument created by nature and a man-made monument."

Wikipedia is better ( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_sculpture_of_Decebalus):

"The rock sculpture of Decebalus is a 40-m high carving in rock of the face of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia, who fought against the Roman emperors Domitian and Trajan to preserve the independence of his country, which corresponded to modern Romania. The sculpture is on a rocky outcrop on the river Danube, at the Iron Gates, which form the border between Romania and Serbia. It is located near the city of Orşova in Romania.

It is the tallest rock sculpture in Europe."