A few good points from the trip (trying to stay positive here)...
The friendly people. Seriously, everyone seemed so nice. They would go out of their way to help us by calling the hostel for directions, personally taking us to find the bus, and just plain smiling. It was a nice change.
(The Ruin Bar. Thats what the guidebook says, but it looks a bit too ruined and unsafe to really be a working club anymore. Who knows.)
The good food. Although at times it proved difficult to find decent places to eat, once they were found, the food was amazing. We enjoyed many interesting tapas, delicious salads that did not consist only of tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese, sandwiches, and of course a few beers.
The historic, bohemian quarter. This was a livelier place with some very funky and fun cafes. Instead of giving ourselves heat stroke, we decided to pub hop and make an evening out of it. The area turned into being a bit dodgy as the sun set, but interesting nonetheless.
(Max: more of a tour guide than the tour guide. The palace tour was all too unimpressive.)
The House of the People. Also known as the Palace of the Parliament building. This was the former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu's big idea. It is a very Stalinist structure making it the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon. (I must figure out what the 3rd one is seeing as I have now been to both top two.) The building began construction in 1984, and was unfinished when the dictator was overthrown and executed. It is constructed entirely of materials of Romanian origin, being said that it used up the entire Romanian supply of marble. Due to its immense size of the building, it essentially demolished about a fifth of the historic district razing entire neighborhoods and forcing people to relocate. This just shows how his policies were chaotic and megalomaniac.
(View from the palace. The balcony where Michael Jackson came and made the mistake of saying hello Budapest, instead of Bucharest. As you can see, even the grounds are poorly kept.)
All in all, Bucharest is not a city I would recommend to the avid traveler. I am certain it has it must have its good parts and hidden treasures. You probably just need to know where to look. And we just didn't seem to know.
(The Ruin Bar. Thats what the guidebook says, but it looks a bit too ruined and unsafe to really be a working club anymore. Who knows.)
(Max: more of a tour guide than the tour guide. The palace tour was all too unimpressive.)
(View from the palace. The balcony where Michael Jackson came and made the mistake of saying hello Budapest, instead of Bucharest. As you can see, even the grounds are poorly kept.)
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