We like cities and we’ve found that Bucharest is a good one to visit! Many of the buildings are grand! Bucharest was nicknamed “Little Paris” during La Belle Epoch because its architecture resembles buildings in Paris.
Someone on a travel blog suggested that Bucharest is “rough” but we’ve felt perfectly safe here. It’s true that we see many decayed and derelict buildings amid the modern and well-maintained ones, but it appears that the city is making progress. In fact, we’ve seen more bookstores, flower stands, coffee shops and bakeries than any place we can remember when we compare it to other European cities.
Looking for a barber shop, we sidetracked into one of the more undeveloped neighborhoods but these can easily be avoided. Still, the geraniums on the balcony are a nice touch.
We ate dinner at a very popular touristy restaurant Caru cu’ Bere (means Cart with Beer). It’s lively with music and in a great setting that’s perhaps better than the food. It was a fun and unique dining experience.
Today we visited the suburbs of Bucharest for a tour of the House of Nicolas and Elena Ceausescu. It gave us insight into how the Ceausescu’s took advantage of the system to live in wealth while the rest of the country suffered in poverty and repression. We had an excellent guide who answered our questions and filled in the details of their lives.
We feel that we’ve just scratched the surface of this city – there’s still much more to explore but it’s time to head home. Tonight we’ll go to a classical music concert at the Anteneul Roman. We’ll be heading home soon!