BUCHAREST - OCTOBER, 2014

This was my first trip to Bucharest, the capital of Romania [which continued on to Sofia, Bulgaria.] Romania is an interesting mix of the old [the large cities which were largely destroyed during World War II, and rebuilt in the Soviet style of block buildings, and the new recovering part of the city, which is renovating itself since the overthrow of the communist government in 1989. On my first day in Bucharest I took a free, student led tour of the Old Town area of the city where most of the historical buildings are found, and where most of the new restaurants and entertainment venues are found. The communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu razed much of the central city area in the 1980's to build a soviet style  metropolis. Examples of his ego are the Boulevard dul Unirii which he ordered to be built to exceed the Champs-Elysees in Paris [one meter longer, and one meter wider] and the Palace of Parliament, which is the second largest public building in the world [the Pentagon being the largest.] Over thirty thousand people were moved out of their homes on short notice to allow the building of the Palace of Parliament which stands on the highest hill in Bucharest. Built in 1984, and still unfinished, and largely empty, and costing over 3 billion dollars to build, it serves as a monument of the folly of the communist leadership of that period. These pictures are of the area around the Palace of Parliament, and the building itself.

We visited several old churches that have been restored, The New St. George's Church which dates from 1699:

and the Stavropoleos Church which dates from 1724:

The Romanian Athenaeum, is now the home to the city's Philharmonic Orchestra:

Just a short walk away from the Athenaeum is the former Central Committee of the Communist Party building which now houses the Interior Ministry. It was here in 1989 that dictator Ceausescu gave his last speech to a crowd, which he believed to be friendly, but rioted and caused him to flee by helicopter from the roof of the building. Several days later he and his wife were arrested, tried, and immediately executed. This ended communist rule of the country which now is a democratic republic, and member of the European Union.

On my second day in Bucharest I took a day trip to Transylvania. It was interesting to leave the busy city and get out into the rural countryside. It was a beautiful drive, and because it was fall the trees were in their autumn finest. Our first stop was Peles Castle which was the former summer residence of the Romanian royal family. It was the first European castle to have central heating, electricity and vacuum system. During the communist period it served as a private retreat for communist leaders, and visiting statesmen [including Presidents Nixon and Ford.] The castle was in a very beautiful mountain area, with streams and forest surrounding the castle. Inside, the castle was completely furnished with carved wood ceilings and walls, and exquisite furniture. It was my favorite place that I saw in Romania.

From Peles Castle we drove to Bran Castle through beautiful countryside. It took about 2 hours to drive between the two castles but the ride was very relaxing, and I enjoyed seeing this more rural area of Romania.

Bran Castle is also known as "Dracula's Castle" because of its tenuous link to Vlad Tepes ["Vlad the Impaler"] who purportedly stayed here for several days when fleeing from the invading Turks in 1462, and who served as the inspiration for the Dracula novel. The castle was built in 1324 to defend the Bran Pass from the Turks, and formerly served as a summer palace for the royal family. It was in a very beautiful location, with mountains backing the castle which overlooks a beautiful valley. If you can ignore the Dracula merchandising in the town of Bran it was a very nice place to visit.

I really enjoyed my three day stay in Bucharest and my trip to Transylvania. Now its on to Sofia, Bulgaria!