Down the Danube on a Zille

In October of 2014 I took a one-week trip down the Danube River in Germany and Austria on a glorified rowboat with three friends, all of whom I have known for more than 40 years: Gerd Berger, translator and tour guide, Regensburg, Germany; Ed Bartlett, bassoonist, Salzburg, Austria; Tim Chegwidden, wine entrepreneur, Woodbridge, Connecticut; me, writer and videographer, Pelham, New York. (Snapshots are via iPhone)

Regensburg, Germany, at sunset

The boat was Gerd's 22-foot zille, powered by an outboard motor and kept off the rocks and docks by a stechruder (part paddle, part grappling spear). The zille is the traditional work boat of the Danube, in use there for centuries--with a flat bottom and a lot of carrying capacity. For fishing, transporting goods and basic transportation. I nominated myself to be First Mate, which meant I did some piloting, pointed out potentially dangerous situations to the Captain (Gerd), oversaw stowing of gear, and ghost wrote the captain's log. Ed was Grill Meister. Tim was Castoff Man.