We pass through the lock and descend from the reservoir into the Don, travelling along countless untamed bends in the river, past wild vegetation in places, towards Rostov-on-Don. It’s Saturday, leisure parties are out and about on the river. And on the many sandbanks, weekend holidaymakers relax along the banks. Leisure centres with pools, garden sheds and beautifully draped sunbathing areas can be spotted again and again. Lena has found out that there is a well-known ceramics factory in the town of Semikarakorsk that she would like to visit. Everything fits and so we decide to stop at Semikarakorsk. – There is only just one landing place, no harbour, no marina, no water and no electricity. And perhaps the older fishermen on the pier are a little annoyed that they have now been disturbed in their afternoon ritual by our unexpected arrival. Lena organises a sauna at a nearby hotel so that we can freshen up and get ready to go out. In the meantime, we are repeatedly contacted by passers-by who have seen our arrival and come to see what kind of people are in this unusual-looking boat. We meet Jana, Olga and Ivan (photo above) and Nelly, Andrej, Dimitri, Lena and Kirill (photo below), among others. We learn a lot about their lives and: that Yevgeny Prigozhin and some of his Wagner fighters marched into nearby Rostov – nobody knows what that means.
The next day, Lena and I go to the centre of Semikarakorsk; we are a well-coordinated team on the boat, but when we go ashore we follow our own interests. I enjoy strolling around this small town’s parks, which are once again very tidy, even spruced up and planted with many rose bushes, and then visit a modern lido on a branch of the Don, equipped with high-quality play and sports facilities. Many young people and families with children gather here. Life seems carefree; we all enjoy the beautiful weather. Afterwards, I meet up with Lena for late lunch in a fancy restaurant – then we drive into Rostov in good spirits.