There is something exotic in travelling by boat, a sense of power that is difficult to explain if it’s not experienced. Enough times we’ve heard a romanticized story about traveling across seven seas, about conquering new continents and small boat on the Danube where a couple fell in love.
Endless stories about ships, boats and other water vehicles have their roots in the fact that this type of traffic has been present for about 6000 years. The first depictions on clay tablets date back to 4000 BC in the area of today’s Egypt, which is not surprising considering that the Nile is located in that territory. This river is described in so many novels and movies, and many dreamed about taking steamboat ride along this route.
While this was happening on the banks of the Nile, in the Indian Ocean, people from today’s Taiwan came up with the idea and built the first catamaran. This means of transport served to restrain the vastness and power of the ocean.
For both, it is assumed that the idea originated from a fallen tree that floated on the surface, and that in fact the first vessels date back to Neolithic times. It’s believed that they first rowed with their hands, and later tied tree trunks together and made a raft. In time, they began created something similar to today’s canoes in order to make the transport of cargo and people as safe as possible.
Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire took over the skills from the Egyptians. Each epoch added something new, physics was there to support and explain how ships are kept afloat.
Ships have been the most efficient means of transportation among the continents for many centuries. Since Pizarro’s conquest of Peru and Columbus’ discovery of America, they have become the basic means of transporting goods and people. Conquering new territories, as well as mere curiosity, started many expeditions. Everyone believed that they would arrive at a new, yet unexplored location. And it’s good that they did, because the world would be a pretty boring place if there weren’t such adventures.
The mystique of ships has persisted to this day. Number of sunken ships in the icy, unexplored waters of the ocean is still driving people to set off and search for “lost treasure”. Because it is believed that under the decks of sunken ships there are real small fortunes – precious stones, gold, statues made of precious metals and marble that someone took with them and took to sea in the old days.
One of the medieval traditions was that most ships bore female names. Namely, it was believed that the ships were actually female and that by calling them by their female names they would please the gods and thus ensure safe journey.
Today, boat trips are becoming more common on rivers and in certain seas. These are tours that allow people to experience a part of the splendor and luxury that this type of travel once had. Cruisers have become a popular vacation spot for many, you just need to choose whether to “set sail” the cold waters of Alaska, the Caribbean or across the Danube.
Until you embark on such an adventure, we are waiting for you with us to sail together on the rivers of Belgrade.
