For over 20 years, during the month of August,the Danube has been my summer home – a place where life feels simple and free. It all began decades ago, during my last year of secondary school, when a small group of friends and I found our place along the river, just across from Sremski Karlovci. Our little boat, worn and dependable, was our connection to civilization, ferrying us back and forth as we embraced the simplicity of life by the water. Our camp was located 1,243 kilometers from the place where the Danube meets the Black Sea—a distance that always made us feel like we were far from everything, yet deeply connected to something timeless.