Bucharest, Romania, as they locked down

Travel these days - always different than the plan! Here we are at Monday, 25 Oct 2021. Romania institutes a curfew, and mandatory vaccination checks to enter anywhere. Debbie and I were not able to visit the Danube delta or do the Salt Mine with Wine Tasting tour. We did move into the really cool Athenee Palace Hilton Hotel, which has a gym, spa, sauna, and massage, though! I bought shorts to go with my "Welcome to Transylvania: See You After Dark" T-shirt, and we used the gym. Yay, us!

We walked all over Bucharest for the next 4 days. Monday's goal was the Palace of Parliament. Ceauşescu, the ruler of Romania during Communist times, tore down 40,000 people's homes (?) to build it, a monument to his ego. It is the second-largest building in the world, right behind the Pentagon. It was not complete in 1989 when Communism fell. They kept working on it, though, and in 1997 it was 100% complete. It is actually a great monument to the country. The marble, the woods, the columns, the carving, the crystal, and on and on...

Debbie showing how BIG it is

Crystal chandelier and huge rug

This room is big enough for a college graduation

It's called The People's Palace in Romanian. My taxi driver told me he had a room there. LOL

December 21, 1989, was a violent day of overthrowing Ceauşescu's government. He and his wife were executed on Christmas Day. Even now you can see bullet holes in some of the buildings. There are monuments to those who fell that day. Over 1000 people were killed.

This building, now the headquarters of the Architects' Union, had been used for interrogations in Ceauşescu's time. It was burned down during the revolution. Then a modern building was built inside and over the ruin. Wonderful symbolism!

The Intercontinental Hotel, from which reporters and tourists watched the mayhem

Revolution Square is centered on this amazing monument

This is in front of the former Central Committee building, where Ceauşescu

 gave his last speech and the revolt began

By the day after the speech, many soldiers had switched sides to support the revolution. Ceauşescu's helicopter pilot landed on the balcony because the crowds covered the square. His bodyguards hustled them out onto the balcony, managing to beat the insurgents. But the Ceauşescus were captured and tried and shot all within the next few days. The story is amazing.

Debbie and I wandered around Lipscani old town. There is a pedestrian way, Pasajul Macca-Villacrosse, lined with cafés and bars, that was deserted. We ate lunch in the Chinese restaurant there, and were the only customers. But I loved eating in Bucharest! There was a restaurant that specialized in chocolates OMG.

And another one that brought us lovely little things to nibble while we waited.

And the weather was so wonderful that sitting outside on the sidewalk admiring the architecture and people-watching was just fine.

We walked around Herăstrău Park. The rental bikes were unavailable, and the snack shops weren't open. It was pretty, though. 

Love the "Love locks"

They like to say the French copied their Triumphal Arch

We were turned away from the Village Museum there, because Debbie's vaccination certificate was not from the EU so didn't have a bar code on it. Narrow-minded guard followed the letter of the law, not the meaning of the law.

One of our favorite spots was the Romanian Athenaeum, where the symphony plays. You can see it behind my glass of wine above. It took us three tries to get there when we could come in, but it was worth it.

The Natural History Museum was okay. They have a mastodon skeleton and tons of preserved animals and fish. Next, we went next door to the Peasant Museum, which was closed. But the gift shop was open. We were looking for something to bring our friends. I bought some spoon-holders to use when cooking. Bucharest has very little tourist shopping right now.

Debbie and I walked more than 20,000 steps every day. The Metro is fine and cheap, but it's more fun to wander, right? I learned a lot about Romania, and its history and culture. Dracula and Ceauşescu stand out. I wish I'd been able to experience the decadence of the 30's, or the intrigue of the post-war era, without actually being in danger, of course! The fall colors in the mountains and even in the city parks were brilliant. The people are friendly (except for that one guard) and the food and wine is cheap. English is spoken everywhere. I recommend Romania for a visit - but not until next year.