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A lot can be said about the Danube. In fact, a lot has been said. Songs and poems have been written about life on and around its banks. It has served as a dividing line for countries and empires. Rome gave the Danube its significance by establishing it as a primary medieval trade route. Previously it served as a primary divider between the Roman Empire and the "barbarian" invaders.After Rome fell, the Danube gave rise to the Austrian and Hungarian Empires. They would later merge into the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Yet, travel further south on the Danube and you will find it divides Austria from the rest of the Ottoman Empire. True, that border is not as terse as it is today, but the language and culture of the people who dwell along that line are as distinct as a pair of contrasting colors.This is what makes the Danube so historically whimsical. It houses cities like Salzburg, on the German border, which was the home of Mozart. It holds places like the "crooked meadow" city of Cesky Crum