It was suggested that that there was nothing special to see in Bucharest but a group of us decided to go into the city and have a look round anyway. We were told to go to the zoo (!), which was just round the corner to buy bus tickets as they were not available on the buses. When we went to the zoo they did not speak English but we kind of worked out that the only tickets available there were for the zoo itself (Bus tickets are never available on the buses but in mainly in corner shops). Off we went and asked at a restaurant down the road to be told that as it was the third day of the Easter Festival all buses were free. (We found out later that day that they were not free as Bob was fined £10 for not having a ticket). They told us where to catch the bus and where to get off as then we had to go on the metro into the city. We did not pay when we went on the bus! The metro is a different thing as they always have people checking tickets and ticket machines are available at the stations even if they do take a while to work out.
Out of the metro and onto the high street which could be anywhere in the world.
Wandering round we asked the way to Ceausescu's Palace which is supposed to be the second largest building in Europe. It certainly looked a fantastic building but we did not have the time to do a two hour tour of the internal rooms. By accident we noticed a large building on a hill so up we went to find it was a cathedral with a service going on inside. We could hear the singing and it was absolutely fantastic and the building itself was really something worth looking at. The doors were open and people were going in and out during the service so we were able to look inside and the brass and gold could be seen quite easily.
The contrast in the city was quite obvious with salerooms for Jaguar, Land Rover and other expensive cars and even one saleroom with a line of what looked like very expensive power boats. Then there is the sight of houses falling apart and people still living in them, the houses having been really something in their day judging from the outside.
We bought lunch in Carrefour, (Mcdonalds and KFC for some) and ate it in the park as it was quite warm again. Dan and Emily were wearing shorts then and it was white knees to the fore.
The general attitude of the group of us that went out was that Bucharest was certainly worth a visit as it is more than likely that we will not come back again. It was good to see what had been fantastic buildings even in the condition they were in. It was a special treat to have been at the cathedral and hear the singing. There was rubbish dumped in the street (though there were numerous street cleaners about) but that did not stop our enjoyment of a few hours in Bucharest.
Out of the metro and onto the high street which could be anywhere in the world.
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| Bucharest Central District |
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| Emily showing the width of the Metro platform |
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| An old house |
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| Bucharest Cathedral |
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| Bucharest Cathedral |
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| Bucharest Cathedral |
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| Bucharest Cathedral external paintings |
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| Ceausescu's Palace |
We bought lunch in Carrefour, (Mcdonalds and KFC for some) and ate it in the park as it was quite warm again. Dan and Emily were wearing shorts then and it was white knees to the fore.
The general attitude of the group of us that went out was that Bucharest was certainly worth a visit as it is more than likely that we will not come back again. It was good to see what had been fantastic buildings even in the condition they were in. It was a special treat to have been at the cathedral and hear the singing. There was rubbish dumped in the street (though there were numerous street cleaners about) but that did not stop our enjoyment of a few hours in Bucharest.
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Seen outside the Bucharest Cathedral |
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