My original plans had included 4 or 5 days in Romania, figuring to spend 2 or 3 in Bucharest and a couple on the coast. Knew I would not have time this trip to go to Transylvania. Then my Uzbekistan tour was changed and I lost all my time here except one day. Well, one day can show you a lot until the house problems, or rather the problems artificially created by a panicked lending company, weighed me down. Upon arriving in Bucharest at 8 p.m. to my hotel, I had to log onto the internet and spent the next 4 hours chasing down documents and answering questions. I barely got any sleep before I was up again at 8 and started all over again for another 4 hours. At that point, I had everything done that I could possibly do from a long distance and a bad internet connection and no one was awake in Florida so I figured I had a few hours to hit the town.
I hired the hotel driver as a guide. He was to take me around Bucharest and point out the main sights and stop for photos when I wanted and stop to let me go in places when I wanted. Unfortunately, I had not done my reading ahead of time so I didn’t even know where to ask him to go. Luckily for me, he was a great font of knowledge on his country, knew the tourist sites and had experienced first hand the fall of Ceausescu and communism. As he is driving, he’s giving me the lowdown on everything I can see and ask questions.
Bucharest had a brief love affair with the French in that they have a smaller Arc d’Triumph. There is a lot of Turkish influence because this part of Romania was under Ottoman rule for many years. The first paved road in Europe was in Bucharest but at that time, it was paved with wood. I would have enjoyed seeing that!
When Ceausescu was in power, he was welcomed by the west because he sort of stood between them and the Soviet Union but then he went over to communism himself in a big way. He wanted a parliament building that was full of grandeur and glory and started building the Parliament palace in 1982. It was to be finished in 1990 or 1991 but he fell in 1989 so it was never completely finished. My guide said the locals call it the Monster Building. I figured because it was so big but he says it was because so many people disappeared into it never to come out again, or at least not alive.
He asked if I’d like to tour the Parliament Palace. Apparently you must have reservations during the tourist season, sort of like the White House. Very hard to get into it without advance notice. But as we are out of the tourist season, he thought he could get me into a tour. A German bus tour was there when we arrived so I had to wait for ½ hour. Also, everyone had their passports with them except me but they let me into the palace on my Texas driver’s license. My husband has always said Texas driver’s licenses were good anywhere!
The palace is the second largest building in the world. The first is the Pentagon. Ceausescu never got to use it very much but it was decided afterwards that since it was already there, might as well use it rather than waste all the money that had gone into building it.
The thing is truly mammoth. To build it, they tore down a stadium on the hill where it stands. Then Ceausescu tore down neighborhoods and old churches because he wanted a “champs d-Elysees” out the balcony of “his palace” and didn’t want old buildings to look at. Looking out of this balcony is very lovely but the buildings are so incredibly large and Russian like in their size but French like in their decorations. Very odd mix.
Our tour took 3 flights of stairs to get from the entrance to the “ground level”. There are either 5 or 7 levels below ground too. And per my driver/guide, it was built to withstand a 10 point earthquake. I’m not sure of the engineering of something that large to withstand that much. Luckily for them, this has not been put to the test.
Many of the long hallways in the building and the huge rooms are made of Romanian marble with crystal chandeliers. It is a lovely, lovely building. Conferences are held here as well as the Parliament meetings. You can apparently rent the rooms for balls as well but in the largest room in the palace, the last person to rent it for anything personal was Nadia Comaneci when she got married. At one point in this same room, the rumor had it that Ceausescu wanted his portrait hung on one large wall at the end and a mirror at the other end so he could always see himself. Some of the other rumors were that he wanted the stairs (of which there are many) to be of a certain height and size because he was a shorter man and didn’t want to get tired when he climbed the stairs. My husband always says “It’s good to be king” meaning you get your way. I think it must be better to be a dictator because then you get your way and don’t have to worry about taking care of your subjects either. But everyone gets their comeuppance in the end.
My driver/guide was a factory worker during the communist years. He explained it in a fashion that I think meant he was a tool and die maker. He said on that fateful day when Ceausescu was ousted, he had to go to the square (no choice in the matter) and then he was told he had to help storm the news stations and take over the TV and radio. He said there was no opposing the people organizing the revolution any more than there had been any choice in opposing the communists. But he was luckier than some as his father was able to retain their property and he now has a house that is his and will pay off his debt in 10 months. At this point, he went into a tirade about today’s banking system.
I’m not sure it’s possible to talk to Romanians without getting into some kind of political discussion. Our guide in the palace said that she remembered the communist years also and remembered standing in long queues to get milk and bread. It is hard for me to imagine such a thing.
After we left the palace, my driver/guide took me to the Village Museum. I had read in the guide book that I should visit the Peasant Museum but while he said it was worthwhile, he liked the Village Museum much better. It is an open air museum with houses brought in from all over the country to show the different styles of homes and of living. My driver was running out of time as he had to go to the airport to pick up a fare so he found me a guide at the Village Museum for all of 20 minutes. This guide talked at the speed of light practically and I caught about every 3rd word. But we managed to see 3 houses in the museum in that time, or rather 2 houses and one church.
Back to the hotel and the driver was now so pressed for time that he dropped me at the parking lot and took off. I do have his card and his website now though and he can arrange for tours, accommodations, flights, and more when I want to return. And I do think I need to return. Bucharest had more to offer than a 3 ½ hour tour and Romania has much to offer too I think. I am sorry that my original plans were shortened. I think I would have enjoyed it here a lot more without the time pressure and work pressure.
I hired the hotel driver as a guide. He was to take me around Bucharest and point out the main sights and stop for photos when I wanted and stop to let me go in places when I wanted. Unfortunately, I had not done my reading ahead of time so I didn’t even know where to ask him to go. Luckily for me, he was a great font of knowledge on his country, knew the tourist sites and had experienced first hand the fall of Ceausescu and communism. As he is driving, he’s giving me the lowdown on everything I can see and ask questions.
Bucharest had a brief love affair with the French in that they have a smaller Arc d’Triumph. There is a lot of Turkish influence because this part of Romania was under Ottoman rule for many years. The first paved road in Europe was in Bucharest but at that time, it was paved with wood. I would have enjoyed seeing that!
When Ceausescu was in power, he was welcomed by the west because he sort of stood between them and the Soviet Union but then he went over to communism himself in a big way. He wanted a parliament building that was full of grandeur and glory and started building the Parliament palace in 1982. It was to be finished in 1990 or 1991 but he fell in 1989 so it was never completely finished. My guide said the locals call it the Monster Building. I figured because it was so big but he says it was because so many people disappeared into it never to come out again, or at least not alive.
He asked if I’d like to tour the Parliament Palace. Apparently you must have reservations during the tourist season, sort of like the White House. Very hard to get into it without advance notice. But as we are out of the tourist season, he thought he could get me into a tour. A German bus tour was there when we arrived so I had to wait for ½ hour. Also, everyone had their passports with them except me but they let me into the palace on my Texas driver’s license. My husband has always said Texas driver’s licenses were good anywhere!
The palace is the second largest building in the world. The first is the Pentagon. Ceausescu never got to use it very much but it was decided afterwards that since it was already there, might as well use it rather than waste all the money that had gone into building it.
The thing is truly mammoth. To build it, they tore down a stadium on the hill where it stands. Then Ceausescu tore down neighborhoods and old churches because he wanted a “champs d-Elysees” out the balcony of “his palace” and didn’t want old buildings to look at. Looking out of this balcony is very lovely but the buildings are so incredibly large and Russian like in their size but French like in their decorations. Very odd mix.
Our tour took 3 flights of stairs to get from the entrance to the “ground level”. There are either 5 or 7 levels below ground too. And per my driver/guide, it was built to withstand a 10 point earthquake. I’m not sure of the engineering of something that large to withstand that much. Luckily for them, this has not been put to the test.
Many of the long hallways in the building and the huge rooms are made of Romanian marble with crystal chandeliers. It is a lovely, lovely building. Conferences are held here as well as the Parliament meetings. You can apparently rent the rooms for balls as well but in the largest room in the palace, the last person to rent it for anything personal was Nadia Comaneci when she got married. At one point in this same room, the rumor had it that Ceausescu wanted his portrait hung on one large wall at the end and a mirror at the other end so he could always see himself. Some of the other rumors were that he wanted the stairs (of which there are many) to be of a certain height and size because he was a shorter man and didn’t want to get tired when he climbed the stairs. My husband always says “It’s good to be king” meaning you get your way. I think it must be better to be a dictator because then you get your way and don’t have to worry about taking care of your subjects either. But everyone gets their comeuppance in the end.
My driver/guide was a factory worker during the communist years. He explained it in a fashion that I think meant he was a tool and die maker. He said on that fateful day when Ceausescu was ousted, he had to go to the square (no choice in the matter) and then he was told he had to help storm the news stations and take over the TV and radio. He said there was no opposing the people organizing the revolution any more than there had been any choice in opposing the communists. But he was luckier than some as his father was able to retain their property and he now has a house that is his and will pay off his debt in 10 months. At this point, he went into a tirade about today’s banking system.
I’m not sure it’s possible to talk to Romanians without getting into some kind of political discussion. Our guide in the palace said that she remembered the communist years also and remembered standing in long queues to get milk and bread. It is hard for me to imagine such a thing.
After we left the palace, my driver/guide took me to the Village Museum. I had read in the guide book that I should visit the Peasant Museum but while he said it was worthwhile, he liked the Village Museum much better. It is an open air museum with houses brought in from all over the country to show the different styles of homes and of living. My driver was running out of time as he had to go to the airport to pick up a fare so he found me a guide at the Village Museum for all of 20 minutes. This guide talked at the speed of light practically and I caught about every 3rd word. But we managed to see 3 houses in the museum in that time, or rather 2 houses and one church.
Back to the hotel and the driver was now so pressed for time that he dropped me at the parking lot and took off. I do have his card and his website now though and he can arrange for tours, accommodations, flights, and more when I want to return. And I do think I need to return. Bucharest had more to offer than a 3 ½ hour tour and Romania has much to offer too I think. I am sorry that my original plans were shortened. I think I would have enjoyed it here a lot more without the time pressure and work pressure.
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