#5: [23-Dec-23]

#4: [10-Aug-14]

#2: [23-Aug-02]

#1: [02-Aug-02] (incomplete)

03-May-2009 -- This is the last confluence visit on a 3-day trip and 4-confluences-hunt to Hungary, Serbia and Romania. The report starts from 47°N 20°E.

In the morning we started from a town called Oraviţa that is located 100 km further south. On our way to the confluence, we came through Romania’s second largest city Timişoara. Here we enjoyed a walk through the old city and got hold of 1 kg of very tasty strawberries that were offered at the market.

According to my map, we first had to pass through the town Vinga 24 km north of Timişoara and then follow a small road to a village called Gelu. However, it turned out, that there is no road between Vinga and Gelu. Locals told us, that there is one track, but as they looked at our car, they suggested that we better take the official road back to Vinga and from there take a big deviating tour to Ortisoara.

After some bad experiences with gravel roads in Romania, we were more than happy to stay on asphalt roads. We did as the locals had suggested and reached the confluence easily. From Ortisoara, we simply followed the signposts towards Sânnicolau Mare.

At a distance of slightly less than one kilometre, the road is perpendicular to the confluence point. Here, we found a small farming track that allowed parking our car and walk directly to the exact location. However, when we approached the point, the GPS pointer started to drift more and more to the West. At the end, we had to walk 150 m into a grain field. This was only possible up to a distance of 90 m without causing any damage to the crops. In this case, even footprints can cause economical damage. So, we documented the confluence at a distance of 90 m under the assumption that at the exact location pictures of the four cardinal directions would also show nothing else but wheat.

After documentation, we went back to the car and crossed the border at the village Cenad back to Hungary. At the border, we noticed a funny sign that requires everybody to take a minimum of 17 cigarettes (and a maximum of 200) across the border. This at least was our impression…

CP visit details:

• Beeline distance from car parking: 900 m
• Walking time (incl. return): 51 min
• Time at the CP: 2:28 pm
• Measured height: 100 m
• Position accuracy at the CP: 4 m
• Minimal distance to the CP: 91 m
• Vegetation: wheat field.
• Distance to a road: 890 m
• Distance to a track: 150 m
• Distance to houses: 1.5 km
• Topography: flat
• Weather: just one cloud directly above us producing rain, otherwise clear and sunny, 20° C (felt temperature)
• Description of the CP: Romania’s westernmost confluence point. Located in the historical region Banat in the municipality Timiş.
• Given Name: The Inapproachable Wheat Confluence

Story finishes here.