Bucharest Day 2: Redemption & Imperialism


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September 7th 2007
Published: September 8th 2007
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Bucharest Day 2 Walk

Exploring Parliament, the Opera, the National History Museum, and the Stevropoleos Church

Crosses for the Slain of December 1989Crosses for the Slain of December 1989Crosses for the Slain of December 1989

Located on University Square, essentially at the entrance of our hotel.

Redeeming Bucharest


Just as our first day in Budapest was not a fair means of judging the city, neither was our first in Bucharest arriving exhausted from a noisy, cold, smoky train only to be greeted by intransigent taxis plying their rip-off tactics. Romania, like China, seems to be a place where the only way to thoroughly enjoy it is to have at least a fundamental understanding of the culture and the way things work. Being a polite tourist doesn’t work, you’ll get treated like garbage and get overcharged, walking away wondering what you did wrong. Better equipped from the first day (but clearly needing a few more day’s practice), we walked the streets of Bucharest starting with Ceausescu’s Palace of Parliament. Well, don’t forget that Romania is like China, so when we arrived at the northern gate we were told by the guard that today it’s closed, and he kindly volunteered that yesterday and tomorrow is the same - this being contrary to our Lonely Planet guide (which is not infallible we have learned - but by no fault of its own, only the nature of the beast). Jen began to question which Manny thought was a waste of time
ConstructionConstructionConstruction

Just like the Chinese! There are torn up streets all over the place in this town, some holes dug in the ground and left that way for what clearly is a long time. Everything is done wearing flip-flops while wielding pick axes and jackhammers with no protective equipment. Vive le progres!
and the guard said there was a medical conference . . . that explains the guys walking around with the same nylon attaches! So we didn’t get to see the interior but a commie building is a commie building and at least we got to see the outside which was worth the walk alone. Google Earth satellite photos made the area look worse than it actually is. So we then cut through a large overgrown park . . . or field . . . or a place where something was supposed to be built but wasn’t, and had our more worrisome encounter with the now infamous (at least for us) Community Dogs where there was a marauding pack of three of them. To be sure they were collared and walking near a couple and responding to their commands, but regardless we took no risks and assumed they were vicious Community Dogs rather than the opposite, “Non-Community” or perhaps “Capitalist” Dogs, and that maybe they were even the ones who took out the poor Japanese businessman referred to in our Lonely Planet Guide. This Community Dog topic, along with recitations of phrases from Borat pertaining to gypsies was a hot topic
Dambovita RiverDambovita RiverDambovita River

Appropriately named since Ceausescu and his cronies had it pretty much dammed up and manhandled by the will of the people so that it disappears into sewage-like piping under half the city.
of idle discussion between us when passing ugly Communist buildings (so it was sometimes a long period of such discussion when we made some wrong terms). In any event, after much proximate contact with said Community Dogs we determined that the alleged attacker of said Japanese businessman must have either been provoked by businessman’s use of excessive photographic apparati . . . or it was just “freak” like the Lonely Planet Guide said. Yes, we were just running our mouths.

So once we made it through this park from one of Vlad Tepes’ good dreams, we proceeded up the sad little Dambovita River which has been confined to its measely (but litter free!) canalization, to the Opera House. This last we had hoped would be like the Athenaeum but was a severe disappointment as it was just another communist-era stucco façade. From there we proceeded east on Calea Plevnei admiring some beautiful old houses to Cismigiu Gardens. We had coffee drinks on Cismigiu Lake where we further learned the etiquette (or lack thereof) of frequenting a café in Bucharest. Reserved signs on tables mean nothing except to cautious tourists - walk in like you own the place, don’t take
Parliamentary Palace . . .Parliamentary Palace . . .Parliamentary Palace . . .

. . . or as the National History Museum called it: one of Ceausescu's two follies (the other being the Black Sea canal).
any crap and tell the server the way it is and you’ll have a good experience. We had a good one anyway, but we sat at a corner table while people walked in and sat themselves at the nicer tables right on the lake. The gardens and lake are very nice and resemble most of the 19th century parks you will find in France, just minus any lawn mowing or weeding activity.

After the Gardens Jennifer took over and took us to the National History Museum which had a great exposition on the rise and fall of Communism in Romania, all in Romanian of course so Manny painfully attempted to translate key passages. In any event it was interesting and this exhibit but must have been produced by the same people who did propaganda work for the Central Committee, not because it was complimentary to Mr. Ceausescu, but because it vilified him the way only communist propaganda artists know how to. The second exhibit in the museum was a dismantled full-size Trajan’s column. Manny incredulously admired the panels and kept repeating how he couldn’t believe this was in Bucharest, and how the sculpting did not look authentic, etc. Upon
Calea Plevnei HouseCalea Plevnei HouseCalea Plevnei House

Also near the Opera.
more detailed study of the Lonely Planet Guide, we found the one key word that cleared everything up . . . replica. We didn’t stay in that room much longer.

The last exhibit was absolutely AMAZING and warrants a visit to the museum. You proceed down a small set of staircases into a vault under the museum a la communiste with a small old desk and chair with a single telephone on it at the entrance. Then you walk down a short corridor past three stacked round translucent discs on either side in the wall, we assumed some type of motion-detecting alarm system. Then past a vault door that is about one inch thick (???) and into a darkened room of about 80 by 30 feet with some relatively well-presented “treasures” in glass cases on purple velour (nice contrast, really!). Forget the Hungarian crown jewels front in center under the dome of the Hungarian Parliament, these trinkets in the basement of the National History Museum in Bucharest were 100 times better. There was jewelry from Roman times through to Crown Jewels of the Romanian royalty. And unlike the Hungarian’s this was not limited to three or four items, but to a plethora of bejeweled crowns, scepters, swords, bracelets, etc. Even Romanian bishops had nicer paraphernalia than what the Hungarians showed, there’s a few things in that place that we would have gladly walked out with by accident - but didn’t (just in case the Securitatae isn’t really shut down).

After the museum we went to the nearby Stavropoleos Church built in 1724 (yes, there stuff is older in Bucharest too). Like the other church we peered into earlier in the day, it is very small, active, and as the LP Guide said, LOADED with atmosphere, meaning the walls are dense with icons and images, the floors are a mish-mash of oriental carpets and the windows are so small and/or dirty the place is very dim. On that note, we don’t recall the name of the church we visited earlier, but we walked in, after summoning enough courage to see the believers filing in to receive benediction from the priest. Then there was us, the two tourists, frozen in the front wondering how long it would take for someone to ask us what we were doing in there.

After checking out from the hotel we visited the northeast
A House near the OperaA House near the OperaA House near the Opera

There's a lot of houses like this one dotting the city.
area of town in the hopes of finding a good souvenir shop and perhaps something to eat. The first was a lost cause and one where we know it is not worth trying too hard, the second was a bit of a disappointment. We had “linner” at Mediterraneo which is essentially Turkish food, but in break with the cardinal Turkish rule is NOT operated by a Turk. Adding to the strength of these Turk’s arguments, the food was not very good and the Iskender Kebap was pretty pathetic going down and will likely offer punishment on its exit.


Imperialist Aggression


After that we took a back way return to the hotel to pick up our baggage which led us by the American Embassy and Consulate with its calling card - the total shut down of a city block.

It’s a beautiful building, even nicer than in Budapest and so Jennifer prods me to take a picture against my better judgment. As I ready the camera, a little Romanian boy, that evidently lived in a house nearby, starts yelling something about photos which catches the attention of the half-asleep Romanian gate guard who yells in Romanian something about
Cismigiu GardensCismigiu GardensCismigiu Gardens

We spent a good amount of time sitting on a bench here.
not taking photos. Emboldened (and stupidly) I ask if this rule also applies to Americans which spurs the guard to come out of his little hut. “No Photo! No Photo” he and the little boy chime in as he comes over to inspect the camera. I profess innocence and show the guard the last few photos I had taken and I too begin to chime in with “No Photo! No Photo!” concerned that my whole camera may be confiscated by the Imperialist Americans’ Romanian Goon. This tactic worked and I was off the hook, the little boy getting a pat on the head from me for being such a good American patsy.

Interestingly enough, a platoon of smartly dressed Romanian Gendarmes that were likely supposed to be guarding the Embassy were busy helping a man figure out how his key would open his car door . . . what a great diversion strategy! Threw off a whole contingent of Romania’s finest!


D383 “Bulgaria Express” Bucuresti Gara Nord to Sofia


We have gotten to be pros at this now (yes, despite being only on our second go-around) and we got onto our Moscow-originating train no problem at Gara
Cişmigiu Gardens of BucharestCişmigiu Gardens of BucharestCişmigiu Gardens of Bucharest

Closer inspection reveals the truth about the landscaping services - but who needs to inspect closely?
Nord. As with the previous train, our car is the second one behind the big blue locomotive and to our dismay is another CFR Romanian Sleeping Car, so we are essentially in the same get-up as last time. This is not to our dismay because of the Spartan and somewhat dirty arrangements but because if you’re going to spend a night on a train you want something new every time, for better or for . . . er . . . for better only! We left from Platform 6, which can hardly be called a platform since it is about level with the tracks. I was snapping away pictures of the train exterior, when the conductor blew his whistle and the rail car attendant frantically called me over. As soon as I jumped on with the attendant hot on my heels, the train started moving (Axel, you’re rubbing off . . . oh no, wait . . . you would have MISSED the train!). Well, our cabin is in the middle of the car so I took my time walking over just in time to see Jen’s panicked face popping out the compartment trying to figure out where I was. That didn’t go over so well.

Since the train left at 7:35PM, there wasn’t much daylight to enjoy the Romanian countryside, but enough to again first smell and then see the massive garbage dump for Bucharest that lines the tracks, both welcoming and bidding farewell to any visitors to the city by rail (you’d think they would rethink this situation). We said goodbye to our Community Dogs and to the poor Roma living near the garbage dump.




Additional photos below
Photos: 24, Displayed: 24


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Ah . . . Paris! Except for the AC UnitsAh . . . Paris! Except for the AC Units
Ah . . . Paris! Except for the AC Units

Near the CEC Building, another great example, if only they were all well-maintained.
Strada Icoanei ChurchStrada Icoanei Church
Strada Icoanei Church

Each had its own character
An Orthodox ChurchAn Orthodox Church
An Orthodox Church

Had a black flag out front - lost on me. We didn't go in because it was to ominous.
Cafe on Strada StavropoleosCafe on Strada Stavropoleos
Cafe on Strada Stavropoleos

Even with a wide-angle lens I could not capture how impressive this building was.
Little 18th Century Stavropoleos ChurchLittle 18th Century Stavropoleos Church
Little 18th Century Stavropoleos Church

The LP Guide indicated that the commies had built up tall building blocks to hid these opiates from the people.
Economic Consortium PalaceEconomic Consortium Palace
Economic Consortium Palace

Located across from the National History Museum on Calea Victorei, a close second to the Athenaeum.
Romanian Securitatae HeadquartersRomanian Securitatae Headquarters
Romanian Securitatae Headquarters

One of the first buildings to be blown up by protestors as Ceausescu and his wife escaped in a helicopter from the nearby Communist Party Headquarters. It has been reworked with old and new mixed.
National Military ArmoryNational Military Armory
National Military Armory

Not really sure what happens here.
Load 'em up!Load 'em up!
Load 'em up!

The buses looked quite modern, but uncomfortable nonetheless. I was waiting for a guy to come out with gloves to shove people in better.
AtaturkAtaturk
Ataturk

A bust of Ataturk in front of a small public theatre, no explanation given. You can feel the Turkish influence a little bit here, but it is not really felt in the food as much as we had expected.
Near Bucharest Gara de NordNear Bucharest Gara de Nord
Near Bucharest Gara de Nord

Appears unfinished or to have burned down, with no progress in sight?
Jennifer on D383 "Bulgaria Express"Jennifer on D383 "Bulgaria Express"
Jennifer on D383 "Bulgaria Express"

She thought I was going to get left behind.
The Garbage DumpThe Garbage Dump
The Garbage Dump

O weary traveler, a gift from the people of Bucharest . . .


12th November 2007

Ataturk statue
I was shocked to see that you had also noticed and photographed the same statue that I saw- right before my trip to Istanbul from Bucharest, no less. I wondered what it was doing there too. What a coincidence.
29th November 2008

The church you did not enter is the Russian Orthodox church. That architectural style is not specific for the Romanian orthodox churches.

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