Bucharest Revisited

Elva and I volunteered in an orphanage in Romania a few years ago.  We toured Brashov and the Bran Castle at the time, home of Dracula.  We also toured the main sights of Bucharest so today's tour was a revisit in part.  Today we opted for the included Old Town tour. Most people chose the tour that included the Parliament Building tour.  This was once the dictator's home because he wanted everyone in the party close to him and all the 'legislators' under one roof - that is to say his thumb!

Ceausescu Palace of 1000 rooms!  It was from this balcony that Michael Jackson had a mis-step when he thanked the thousands for coming to hear him sing and said he was so happy to be in Budapest!  Oops!

We had a bus tour with a picture stop near the massive Parliament Building which is the second largest building in the world with the most interior space and the second largest footprint next to our Pentagon.  We heard the history of the city and most importantly for them the story of Ceausescu. The dictator has certainly left his imprint on the city.  The people are still, in my opinion, suffering from the actual evils of Socialism and the Socialist mentally. I will digress enough to say if your inclination is to lean toward our own country to move in that direction, please read and study what you are asking for.  Better yet, come and visit these no longer socialist countries and meet the people, see the abandoned buildings, and empty villages.  It will open your eyes and you will be grateful to have what you have enjoyed all your life.


The Old Town was cobbled with a lot of buildings that are draped waiting to be demolished or have recently collapsed.  It is a holiday, May 1 is Labor Day.  Since Orthodox Easter was Sunday, then Monday is also a national holiday.  Wednesday being a holiday meant that most businesses were also closed on Tuesday. The Old Town is now really only a few historical buildings that are not well maintained but efforts may be in process.   There was so much broken concrete and dust from construction.  We actually saw a fire truck on duty because they thought a building was collapsing while we were standing nearby.

Interesting detail remained after the previous church collapsed in an earthquake.  Yesterday they experienced their first tornado!

I thought this detail was very pretty and unique.

 

This was where the first gas street lamp in Europe was installed.  It is a 'caravan hotel' like we had seen in Sarajevo but here there were no free nights.  Now, like so many things it is a restaurant.

There was a Jewish quarter here and many were sent off to Germany.  It was done with the justification that it saved Romania from German domination.  Like everything to do with the Holocaust the numbers are staggering. From a History of the Jews in Romania is this quote.

"Half of the estimated 270,000 to 320,000 Jews living in Bessarabia, Bukovina, and the former Dorohoi County in Romania were murdered or died between June 1941 and November 1943. Between 45,000 and 60,000 Jews were killed in Bessarabia and Bukovina by Romanian and German troops in 1941."

I asked if there had been a ghetto and she said no.  Everyone knew they worked here in the Old Town where the banks and Stock exchange were.  They owned the shops.  People also knew where they lived so it was easy to go into the shop and just tell them to leave or knock on their door and send them to the trains.

There was no synagogue in the old town that still stood.  It had been razed to the ground.  There was a church that looked a little like one from the outside but it was Orthodox Monastery.  Like everywhere in Turkish times, the churches had to be discreet but inside was beautiful and richly decorated.

 

We went into a coffee shop that would accept Euros.  Romania is in the EU but has not yet elevated their economic situation to be in the Schengen Zone.  This allows the citizens to not need a VISA and does allow the country to convert from local currency to the EURO.  We spent most of the free time huddled inside waiting for service to have a hot tea and a latte.  We did finally have it and warm up after the long time we had spent in the 40 degree temperature with clouds and a very stiff breeze that at cross streets degenerated into a wind!  It did have a most unusual bathroom!

 

Toilet against an outside wall and barrel sinks.  The shop is 'one of the best' in the district but favored by tourists because it had a large comfortable series of rooms inside and take whatever money you want to give them!

Communist apartment building.  No elevators.

Just a pretty doorway.

There were a lot of bridal shops.  Our guide said that it is, other than bars, the biggest business in the area.

Even though it was a holiday there was no business in the district.  These workers were inviting tourists to have a coffee.

The narrowest street and someone found somewhere to shop.  The street was deliberately narrow to cause wagons to not  travel down it.  This street has a lot of clubs.  A year or so ago they outlawed smoking in the clubs so the crowds on a weekend night go in, buy drinks, and can listen to the music.  When it is time for a smoke, they come out, with their drinks, and crowd the street.

All tourists, and wind.  Some construction workers cleaning up rubble.  Dust from demolition and construction made the air thick so in a way the wind was a blessing. The old buildings were beautiful from the Austro - Hungarian era.

The Bucharest Stock Exchange was one of the premier investment facilities before Communism.

When we gathered up again we boarded the bus to travel to the Village Museum.  Here there are houses that have been saved from various parts of the country.  The styles are different and demonstrate not only homes and farms across the ages but how mountain homes, and plains homes need to vary to suit the terrain or the use.  For example, a house was built where only the roof area was above ground.  This helped protect the inhabitants from being found by the Ottomans!  The house also had the advantage of being cheap to build and it stayed cool in the summer and warm in the winter!

One side of the building was for the cattle and sheep.

The Christian and Orthodox churches had to also hide.  The buildings had to have no part higher than the mosque so they are plain and simple on the outside.  The entrances are low and small so that that even people have to duck to enter.  The purpose was to keep the attacking horsemen from entering and sweeping everything and everyone away.  Inside the plain buildings are beautiful decorated and the various Iconstasis are amazing!  The steep slopes of the roof are to allow snow to slide off.  This church was in the forest of the mountains.

But Elva and I had been there on a guided tour before so we were glad to again get out of the cold weather, remember we are from Atlanta, and again board the bus for a ride through the city to a pretty lake and lunch at their yacht club.  It was, of course, a fixed menu as almost all 190 people on their way to the boat were all traveling on this seven and a half hour included tour/transfer from the hotel to the ship.  And there are not a lot of restaurants that can accommodate that large of a group.

Yacht Club Restaurant

We were seated at long tables.  Elva and I ended up quite near the entertainment which meant that while we were eating I was also trying to cover my ears.  The low ceilings really enhanced the already loud music.  We did have a good view of the talented band and dancers  The show continued all through lunch.  It ended abruptly as did the dessert service.  About 8 of us were served an alternate dessert to the apple strudel.  It was a whole baked apple on top of a cake of some sort.  I ate the apple which was good but cold.  I was hungry and the lunch did not particularly suit me.  Goulash, of which I ate some of the beef chunks, overcooked potatoes, and slaw.  But, what the heck, included is a good deal so no complaints.

A sort of wave pattern of glass balls.

The buses were staggered all day so that as each bus arrived, after the hour and a half continuing city tour and scenic countryside drive, to the Danube River bank, within about 10 minutes we were able to board, be given our key cards, and be in our room where our luggage awaited.  The Viking Embla is one of the first Viking Longships.  The river boats are named after Norse goddesses.  It is a little more worn but still so very nice. The layout is familiar, because just like their ocean liners are all the same plan, the long ships are identical.  We had forgotten, though, how small the cabins are.  We are on the lowest deck because we always opt for the cheapest ticket!  Spending less  money allows us to travel  more often!

This wss the docking area since the Danube does not actually run through Bucharest. We had to walk through another boat to get to ours.  Not an unusual procedure on the European rivers. It had been about an hour and a half drive through many small towns.

Elva shows that our cabin is small and our neighbors are right there!

River boat bathrooms make cruise ship  ones seem like master suites!

We quickly unpacked the few things we had brought for these last couple of weeks and I, for one, will be happy not to wear my jeans or khakis and tee shirts again!  My new light blue pants and brighter shirts waited in the dark suitcase for three weeks and will be happy to come out of hiding!  It is true, when we board a Viking ship it is almost like coming home!  And river cruising is especially comfortable and relaxing.












We met back up with Carol, Allan, and Mary and their new friend Lee Ann who was on our morning tour with us. Lee Ann had been on the pre-trip with the Sanders.  After a welcome drink and a briefing that ran on way too long by Violetta, the Program Director we had a port talk for tomorrow's visit to Russe.  Again it ran way overtime and really later everyone commented that after about 7 minutes no one knows anything she said!

Violetta in her natural habitat - with a microphone!

Our captain demonstrated how to put on the life vest.

We made our way to the dining room.  The food is always good and the service is very good but a little slow as everything is extremely personalized.  But then again, we have no where to go and nothing particular to do.  Dinner is from 7 to 9 and they do not mean anytime between but mostly the evening meal is two hours of good food, good conversation and, I am told, good wine!

Russe, Bulgaria is on the opposite shore.  We tour there tomorrow.