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A little Paris of Bucharest Romania

written by Cosmin

Bucharest Romania – Little Paris of the East

As mentioned in our previous piece on Romania, Bucharest is its capital and biggest city.  Definitely the most developed urban settlement in Romania, Bucharest is one of the biggest metropolitan areas in Europe and a powerful administrative, financial and cultural center in Eastern Europe.  It is also the most probable landing spot when you arrive in Romania (if you’re flying, of course) as the busiest airport in the country is located on the capital’s outskirts.

History-wise, Bucharest is not an old city, by European standards. The first mention of its existence was in the 15th century, in a letter between two local traders. Since then, it has seen astonishing changes.

courtesy of http://www.bucharestdailyphoto.com

Until the 19th century, it remained rather undeveloped, with an unfitting infrastructure, often struck by either diseases or floods.  Bucharest was the seat of the ruler of Wallachia, in what is now called the Old Court in what is now called Old Town.  Everything revolved around the administrative buildings and the town that was basically a big Turkish bazaar.

Towards the end of the 19th century, French and German influence replaced the Turkish one, and the city started to change.  Classical buildings and imposing public monuments emerged. The Cantacuzino Palace, the Telephone’s Palace, the CEC Palaces, the National Bank; they all date from that era.  The highlife center shifted further north, to what is today called Calea Victoriei, from the Old Court, on the banks of the Dambovita River.

After WWII, a new era began for Bucharest, a rather red one… Communists took over in Romania and Nicolae Ceausescu (Romania’s world renown dictator – you might have heard of him under the name “Genius of the Carpathians”).  Nicholae transformed the city according to his personal will.  He razed entire neighborhoods to make way for his dreamed “Civic Centre”, including the current ministries buildings and the humongous Palace of Parliament.

Today, of course, Bucharest is a mixture of all these styles, with very few areas that have a unitary style of architecture. Top sights include:

The Palace of Parliament, the heaviest building in the world, the biggest administrative building in the world, the most voluminous building in the world (and this can go on… a lot of records for this place); it’s not to be missed; you’ll definitely be impressed by its size and, if you’re not familiar with communism and its “art-work”, by its kitschy architectural style.

courtesy of worldalldetails.com

Calea Victoriei – the once-fanciest area of town, where you can find magnificent buildings like: the CEC Palace, the Army’s Club, the Telephone’s Palace, the Athenaeum, the seat of the government and many more.

courtesy of bucharest-shoppingguide.com

The Old Town – the place to go if you like partying in old style buildings, or just want to have a good cup of coffee and enjoy the sun on the patio.

courtesy of unknownbucharest.com

Herastrau Park – one of the biggest parks in Bucharest and definitely one of the most spectacular I have ever seen.

Restaurant recommendations include Carul cu Bere (a restaurant that has been functioning continuously since the 18th century), La Placinte (traditional Romanian-Moldovan food), 18 Lounge by Embassy (if you like a view, you’ll really enjoy this panorama from the 17th floor of an office building in the North part of town), and many others.

As for hotels, look up those nice boutique hotels that made probably made your stay better in places like Paris, Rome or Prague; Bucharest has them too: Carol Park Hotel, Hotel Cismigiu, Hotel Berthelot – all located in the center, close to all the big monuments, with high-class services.

  In the end, some tips: be careful with taxi drivers, always ask them to turn on the taximeter or else they’ll scam you, bring both sun-glasses and an umbrella – weather is unpredictable in Bucharest, even in the summer, no need for a lot of money – Bucharest is one of the cheapest tourist destinations in Europe. Distractie placuta!

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New Post has been published on http://dimetravel.org/castles-in-romania/

Castles in romania

Romania, land of… Castles 

If you’re a history lover, then I bet you would love Romania. The place is filled with it and every little rock has its own personal story. You’ll like it even more if you’re a fan of castles. There are plenty of them… over 150, some say.

Romanian castles and citadels can generally be split into three categories, depending on how old they are: there are ancient Greek and Dacian fortresses, medieval castles and modern palaces spread all over the place.

courtesy of romaniatourism.com

  So… if you’re into gods, myths and funky religions, best go and visit the old Dacian fortresses spread around the Western part of the country, high up in the mountains of Southern Transylvania. Sarmisegetuza is the old Dacian capital city (Dacia is an ancient kingdom roamed by the ancestors of Romanians, that existed on the now territory of Romania, before being conquered by the mighty Romans) and the most known of these places. You can find there examples of both Dacian and Roman architecture and houses, roads and temples. If you like a good old- fashioned treasure hunt, you should know that it’s the place where archeologists found several solid gold Dacian bracelets, worth a couple of million dollars each… Good luck with the metal detector!

courtesy of encyclopediaofukraine.com

If you don’t like obscure ancient people, take a dive into the old Greek civilization by visiting the ruins of the former Hellenic colonies near the Black Sea, Histria, Tomis and Callatis. The former is the best preserved and is worth a visit. It’s situated on the beaches of the Black Sea, a bit North of Constanta (Romania’s major sea port). Though ancient, the place still resembles the old Greek architecture and atmosphere – it’s worth a visit; guarantee it!

Moving on, medieval castles make up the large majority of this type of constructions. The most well known and spectacular examples are obviously in Transylvania. Bran Castle, near Brasov, is the place that people traditionally call the Castle of Dracula, because it was the home of Vlad the Impaler. Trap doors, magnificent scenery, interesting stories… definitely worth a visit.

courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Other interesting examples of medieval castles are the Hunyad Citadel, in Hunedoara, with its interesting XVI-th century architecture, the Rasnov Citadel, placed on a snowy hilltop in the Carpathians, a great place to enjoy spectacular views and Sighisoara, the only still inhabited medieval citadel in Europe.

courtesy of visit-transylvania.us

Coming to the last category (in my opinion, the best), a visit to the Peles Castle, in the Prahova Valley, is strongly recommended if you come to Romania. Not far from Bucharest, it was built in the XIX-th century as the summer residence for Romania’s kings and queens and it saw important events in Romanian history (the decision to enter WWI, for e.g., was taken there). It is regarded as one of the foremost examples of the luxury that royal families in Europe enjoyed before WWII. Other examples of modern palaces worth a look are the Banffy Castle in Cluj (still in a bad state and in dire need for renovation), the Mogosoaia Palace, near Bucharest, and the Palace of Culture, in Iasi (the capital of the historical region of Moldova).

Finally, a few practical tips: though most of them are well signaled on the road and on tourist maps, best do a bit of research online before you head on your way; some of them are free for visiting, some of them sell tickets (prices usually vary between 3-5$ per person); check the visiting schedule in advance, because some of them are closed for the public for various events (or you might be lucky and take part in the event yourself), and, to end, they are very touristic places, so food, lodging and shops around these objectives might be a bit more expensive than elsewhere in the country. Nothing more to say except: Castle away!!