Hi Going Expat People,

Back here to talk about travelling and today is time to tell you about my week-end in Bucharest!

I loved it. It was long since a city caughts my so much and make me come back home with so many lessons.

Bucharest, such a surprise!

I didn’t have much expectation since I wasn’t much aware of the history of Bucharest and this was my first time in a city where it was so evident what communism has done.

If you, like me, don’t know much of its history, I think it is crucial to book a guided tour of the city to be able to understand and appreciate it.

We, it was a week end among friends, booked a guided tour via Get your guide.  Going through the city and focusing on its highlights, we got why every corner is so different.

Let me show you some pics to make clear what I mean:

Once known as the “little Paris” or the “Paris of the east”, Bucharest shows signs of its past splendor, but also of mismanagement and lack of regulation of architecture

We find what remains of the Ottoman domination, ended in about 1877, with a war of independence. But also the very clear signs of the flat and sad architecture of the long years of communism.

Communism that has left its mark in the various buildings and degraded structures even in the center of the city. Only if you tell these aspects, instead of making your nose bow, make everything more interesting

Walking through the city we also find buldings of the brutalist architecture, some modern ones and others clearly romans. Looking at the pics, do you really have the feeling to be in the same city?

Also all of them are quite close to each othere, therefore is really weird to look around and have the feeling that things do not belong to each other.

   

Day 1.

Let’s go in order so that I don’t miss anything. The first day we arrived with the flight in the early afternoon (Romania is 1hour ahead of CET) and after leaving our suitcases and taking possession of our rooms, we went for a walk through the city without a destination, just to understand where we were and what we could have discovered better the next day.

From the airport you can reach the city centre by bus. Payment of the ticket is required by credit cards exclusively Visa or Mastercard or in cash. Otherwise you can buy the ticket a/r for LEI6 which corresponds to about €1,21. The route is not long, in about 20/30 minutes you should reach the city centre, but the traffic is intense so it is better to consider 1h commuting.

One of the stops in the afternoon was the famous bookstore Cărturești Carusel that I really liked with its white colums and the 3 floors dedicated to books and gadgets, plus a forth fllor with a nice bar.

Wandering around the city, we passed by the Macca Villacrosse gallery.  Its Art Nouveau style makes it undoubtedly elegant and reminds us of the splendor of the city and why it was called the Paris of the east. The structure of the gallery is reminiscent of those of Milan, Naples and Messina.

What do you think? Doesn’t it seem to be back in the 20’s looking at these pictures?

Going from one street to another we also discovered one of the most typical attractions in many cities now, but that still fashinates tourists and travelers and tears a picture and a smile to everyone: the one with colorful umbrellas – Pasajul Victorei

Day 2.

Here we at the juicy part the weekend. We spent a whole day of visits, maybe too many!

The morning began with a guided tour of the city, where we listened to the history of Romania and Bucharest for about 2h. Among other interesting stories we discovered that the place where we would go to dinner in the evening, Restaurant Hanú lui Manuc, was the scene of important historical moments. First of all it is named after Manuc Bei, a rich Armenian who was forced to flee to Bucharest during the war between the Russians and the Turks. This inn, founded in 1808, was the place where the peace of 1812 was signed. In 1842 it became the temporary seat of the town hall.

After the guided tour that then led us through the streets of the city that mix the architectures, after visiting the orthodox church Stravopoleos (do not miss it) and a delicious lunch, we dedicated to the visit of the Parliament.

Il Parlamento di Bucarest

The Parliament of Bucharest has such an important role in its history that it cannot be ignored. Wanted by the communist leader Ceausescu, who never saw the end of it. It is a symbol of the power and control of communism. The project was so megalomaniacal that it is the heaviest building in the world. In fact it’s all concrete and marble, has 7 floors above ground and 5 below.

The visit, which costs about €24, lasts 1h and you can clearly visit only a small part with a guide.

As magnificent as it is, the visit was a bit boring. It was a lot about the details of the materials, the fabrics and the alleged economic value, but little else.

Perhaps you are wondering why it was completed posthumously to Ceasescu? Yes, here you know that the political leader was killed in the Romanian revolution and with his death communism in the country ended. The reason is very simple, to destroy what had already been created would have cost perhaps more than to continue the construction. It is also true that it is a great effect to think that taxpayers’ money went into the construction of such a luxurious palace while the general economy of the country was not and is not the best (the works were finished in 1992). And she is curious to know what the Romanians think.

Day 3.

Having the fly back in the late afternoon we could visit othre places.

Having it near our accommodation we went to the Ateneul Român (Roman Athenaeum). I recommend you to get some coins, the cost is LEI15 or €3 and it will open the doors to a wonder to leave you with an open mouth.

No photos show the real beauty of it!

You will be given a sheet with some info and you can spend there all the time you want. On the first floor you can visit the auditorium where the wall is illustrated the history of the city, I imagine it is exciting to go see a musical event there.

Before lunch we went to visit the Ceausescu museum house also called Spring Palace. You can only do guided tours for LEI65 or €13 and with a duration of 45 minutes. The house is clearly a slap in the face for poverty, but it makes the kind of person to family that we talk about. Ceausescu had 3 children, 2 of whom died from serious diseases and 1 is still alive but away from politics and the spotlight. It is not possible to take photos or videos inside the building.

The last stop of this trip was the Satului Museum also called Village Museum.

It is a reconstruction of various typical houses of Romania reproduced along this park and also related to different historical periods. Between the rain and the short time we did not enjoy it well, but it is definitely a nice idea.

 

If I go back to Bucharest I would definitely have more to do and see, such as the famous spas, I think among the largest in Europe and a complete tour of the various parks.

What did we eat in Bucharest

As I said before, we had one of our dinners at the Restaurant Hanú he Manuc. Despite being a clearly tourist place, we found the food authentic and definitely good as well as in large quantities. What you see in the picture is a mixed appetizer of cheeses and vegetables and (sorry veg friends), 1kg of lamb. Really delicious!

We drank local wine and enjoyed a warm evening of October sitting outdoors. The service is slow, but we noticed that it is a feature of many posti.

More meat and this time for lunch. I think the Micii, the sausages you see in the picture, are easy to find in many restaurants.

They can be of lamb, pork or beef and are accompanied by sauces and fries. Of course a local beer never hurts!

You can find many soups in the menus but our weekend was characterized by hot temperatures and they did not go there.

 

 

Bucharest is definitely a city to visit and put on the list, now I am curious to discover Transylvania.

And you? have you ever been to Romania?

See you soon

Rossella