Down by the Riverside

"Gonna lay down my burden/Down by the riverside/Down by the riverside/Down by the riverside......
I ain't goin' study war no more".

I was humming the melody of the above famous black gospel as I approached the Dambovita River which crosses the heart of Bucharest city (it goes from north-west to south-east along a distance of 22 Km). I stopped the humming when I reached the spot. How on earth does one get down by the river? it's all cement around here.

Dambovita river at Unirii Square

The legend has it that the city of Bucuresti (Bucharest) was named after the shepherd Bucur that lived on the banks of the river . Dambovita was the name of his fiancee, the daughter of a poor forest man, who had rejected the marriage proposal of a prince because of her love and loyalty for the shepherd . How very romantic!

The river, however, didn't seem romantic to me. Perhaps the cloudy day was to blame for that: the sky and water looked grey and gloomy. I contemplated it from the bridge (The river has sixteen[16!]) bridges). It flows through a cement canal built to prevent flooding. All the river's natural turns have been canalized throughout the years.

There's no navigation on the river, no boat tours. Despite pollution, the locals jump into its cool water during the hot days of summer; many of them even practice fishing. Last month, by the way, a catfish of 40 Kg and 1.5 m long, was captured in the Dambovita by some amateur fishermen. It was quite a sensation.

Trash in the water

There are guided walking tours covering the part of the river that crosses the center of Bucharest. The tour starts in the city center at Unirii Square and ends at the Opera Square. It lasts about 2 hours and 30 minutes. The tourists are shown buildings which either face the river or are close to the river, buildings that have played and still play an important role in the locals' life such as: Manuc's Inn, The Palace of Justice, House of the People (the Parliament), The Opera House, and many other landmarks.

The Palace of Justice

The above palace has six statues near the entrance, allegoricaly symbolizing:
Law, Truth, Strength, Justice, Righteousness, Prudence.

red Suitcase in murky River

September 2008. Police divers found a red suitcase in the Yarkon river with the remains of a four year old girl who has been missing since May.
It is neither the first nor the only tragic event associated with this river (see my post "The fatal bridge and the Fungus" from july 2010), but it is certainly the most ghastly one. The grandfather (who was also her stepfather) and the mother of the dead girl Rose Pisam, are in prison.

Little Rose was the child of her grandfather's son and her grandfather's wife (formerly her father's wife). Murky? Yes, like the waters of the Yarkon river.
Apparently, the grandfather - stepfather, a man in his forties, couldn't stand the sight of the little girl (the child of his young son and the woman he loved), beat her to death and placed her into a suitcase which was then abandoned in the river.

Hayarkon river, the longest shore river in Israel, flows from its sources (Rosh Hayin Springs) through several municipial areas into the Mediterranean Sea , near Tel Aviv port. It has always been in the news, mainly because of heavy pollution issues. Despite the many efforts invested in cleaning the waters, the river is still polluted, and as far as I know swimming here is forbidden by the Health Authorities. Along its banks however, there are many historical sights and especially recreational attractions such as: parks, sports fields, bicycle tracks, a rowing center, work-out facilities.

rowing on the Yarkon river

man cleaning the water

jogging and bicycle track

Tragic events and blessed activities co-exist in this river's area which is very central geographically and very popular among the inhabitants of the adjacent cities. As usual, Life goes on under any circumstances.