The waters of the Danube, which flow into the Black Sea in Romania, form the largest and best preserved of Europe s deltas.The Danube Delta is in fact a labyrinth, has numerous freshwater lakes interconnected by narrow channels featuring huge expanses of aquatic vegetation, large brackish lagoons separated from the sea by a sandbar. You loose yourself in groves of white willows or in mixed woods, formed of black poplars, trembling poplars, oaks, bushy ash, elms, and wild apple and pear trees. The immense surfaces of rushes, bulrushes and reeds make up and unforgettable décor. Forest elements are best observed in Letea Forestwhere a series of bands occur along dunes up to 250 m long and 10 m wide. More than 1200 species of plants and trees, over 300 species of bird have been recorded, of which over 176 species breed, the most important being white pelican and Dalmatian pelican, swans, cormorants, egrets, spoonbills, widgeons. The delta is very important for fish, with 45 fresh water species present (sturgeon, trout, perch, pike, carp)and a remarkable alluvial feature constituting critical habitat for migratory birds and other animals. It is the major remaining wetland on the flyway between central and Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean and Middle East and Africa. Also, the traditional fishing villages of the Danube Delta seem remnants of an ancestral world. The people from hereabouts make their living by fishing. If you find yourself here, you will be able to dine on spitted fish, fish broth, and pickled fish with garlic juice, fried fishcakes. Further more, the Danube Delta is also considered a civilisation nest offering visits to historic monasteries, vineyards dating back to the Roman Empire, or impressive Greek fortresses such as Histria or the Romanian Pompei, the first Greek colony on the west shore of the Black Sea and the oldest city on Romanian territory.