Day 1 - Bucharest Day

After I pick you up from the airport, we'll have a good lunch and then it's time we see what Bucharest is all about.

When visited for the first time by a westerner, Bucharest seems, most of the times, to be a city with very strong contrasts: lots of expensive cars going over bumpy roads, very well dressed people strolling on the same sidewalks where the numerous beggars do their daily job, and the list might continue. This omnipresence of contrasts can be seen also in the architecture of the city. The communist blocks, all looking about the same and having the same color (gray rules!) are in strong contrast with the new buildings which were erected after the Revolution. Well, it’s quite hard for me to try and describe Bucharest in few words. like every big city (it has over 2.3 million inhabitants) it has its beautiful areas but also nasty places. Try not to get intimidated by the stories seen on TV or read in newspapers. It may be true: I don’t think you’ll see more stray dogs in other European Capital and, indeed, we might encounter homeless children begging for money but, for sure, that’s not the reason you’ll be here. My recommendations regarding Bucharest do not stretch on a very long list, but I have some favorite places, even if some of them are less “touristic”.
I love strolling in the old areas of the city. “Discovering” old houses, some of them suffering from the ruthless flowing of time, but some of them “re-born” through serious efforts made by the owners..Some streets (such as “Lipscani” or “Selari”) are still named after the craftsmen of traders of the past centuries who dwelled here.
On a relatively small surface we can meet a lot of buildings which might deserve some consideration from the traveler.

I’d like to mention the Athenaeum, a representative building being for many years the symbol of Bucharest. The circular neo-classical building was completed in 1889. Its majestic Baroque dome lies over the monumental portico with eight Ionic-style columns. The triangular fronton inspired from the antique temples adorns the entrance. The circular dome with rounded windows behind the fronton is decorated with metallic lyres, reminding that the main function of the Athenaeum is to be the first musical stage in Romania in terms of acoustic, decoration and style. Every year, this is where the international festival of classical music “George Enescu” takes place.

In this area of Bucharest we can also admire the National Art Museum, the massive Palace of the Republic (the formerly Royal Palace), and also the Central University Library.
Further down on Calea Victoriei street we can get to Military Circle and from there, just a few meters away, we get to University Square.

The National Theatre in Bucharest, the Bucharest University and Intercontinental Hotel are just few of the important buildings we can see from here. This is also the place where frequent anti-communist demonstrations took place at the beginning of 90’s, when the power was taken over by the former communists, led by Ion Iliescu and this this also the place where the infamous “Mineriade” took place, when miners from Jiului Valley were instigated and brought over against the demonstrating students.

Going further down we get closer to “House of the People”, the kind of building you either hate it, or love it. We’ll discuss more about this huge building (it is the second in the world, after the Pentagon in USA). What I can tell you now is that immense sacrifices were done in order to have this building finished. Depending on the time available, we might as well visit a part of the interior. It now hosts the Parliament.
From here I suggest we move to a green area. A closer one might be Cismigiu Park, in the center of Bucharest, but a more interesting one would be Mogosoaia Palace, 14 km from the center Bucharest. Here we can admire one of the most representative buildings for Brancoveanu architectural style. It was build between 1698 and 1702 by Constantin Brancoveanu, a Wallachian Ruler who had a great influence over the artistic movement of the 18th century. Built as a summer residence, it is surrounded by a large court, a beautiful English-style garden and a lake. The interior, even if unfurnished although different decorations, potteries and paintings are displayed, still reminds of the luxury in which Brancoveanu (known at that time as “The Prince of Gold”) lived. This is also the place where Bibescu family tomb rests under the oak trees. Here is also the tomb of Elisabeth Asquith (1898-1945), the daughter of the former British prime minister, sir Herbert Asquith.
After strolling on the main streets and after visiting one of the most impressive architecture monuments in Bucharest, it’s time we have dinner in a restaurant. A short minibus tour of Bucharest in the night will take us afterwards to our comfortable beds.

Updated info regarding accomodation in rural Romanian pensions: www.turistinfo.ro