Bucharest

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And so it begins .

I arrived in Bucharest in relatively good shape given that it took 2 days with 5 flights .Regina , Toronto (with a pleasant overnight at Molly and David's, ) New York, Amsterdam and finally Bucharest where I met my sister who he arrived one hour before me . All went well .

We checked into our hotel , had a bit of a rest and then headed down to Old Town and found a restaurant that had been recommended as serving food that was authentically Romanian. It was very good and the servings were big enough to feed a family . Needless to say I enjoyed every bit of my ribs roasted in a marinade of red wine and herbs . Dorina had trout that was tasty but having it's skin on was a bit offputtiing.

The city keeps surprising me . It has been called the Paris of the Balkans which is descriptive. The buildings are impressive . Coming in from the airport I noticed them getting bigger and more ornate as we travelled . They have MANY mansions lining the streets . Most are from the 1800's but some are older . The downtown core , whiçh is where we are staying ,has huge bank buildings and offices some new but others that are 100 years old. There is of course many Orthodox Churchs some of which have been restored, others in a semiderelict state with scaffolding holding them up and some which have been neglected and are blocked off entirely.Theere is a surprising amount of green spaces . Little pocket parks near buildings and walkways parallel to streets but set back in treed areas . Quite lovely .

Old town itself is most pleasant . COBBLED Streets , restricted traffic and again some incredible buildings . HUGE banking related and also government ministries. There are many small shops , restaurants ,galleries and museums . It is a fairly large areas very easy to get around . I liked it.It certainly is touristy but many locals and nationals seem to gather there . We went to a gallery whose theme was Love Safari . There were 4 galleries based on that theme. I liked it .

Given the heat we stopped at an outdoor shaded bar and enjoyed people watching as we drank a beer . Later we headed to one of the larger parks and enjoyed the peace and quiet after the business off the streets . Well discovered a little bar by the lake and enjoyed watching people in all manner of boats puddle about . Again most pleasant.

When I spoke of the busy strèets , Victoria, which is where our hotel is situated, is a major thoroughfare and it is closed to vehicles on Saturday and Sunday for at least a mile . It fills with families , teenagers , entertainers , musicians all walking or strolling along sometimes stopping to eat or have a drink . It is most civil .

Today we spent at a museum referred to as the Villages . They have moved traditional homes , barns , work buildings and whatnot to this site form the many different districts of the country . One can stroll along paths and read plaques with details about particular places rooms , decorations ....A lovely way to have spent a hot day

The weather has ranged from 28-34 so stopping for a beer has been a good idea. It has not been unbearable but the green spaces and parks have been great .

Tonight we met with our group and our leader . They are a an older crowd than I am used to which is as major change from G Adventures . Tomorrow we really begin with an orientation at 9 am

I am tired as we walked 18,000 steps yesterday and over 10,000 today These are Dorina' s steps . Whatever , that is all for now .Time to sleep .

I will keep you posted . As always I hope you and yours are well . Do stay in touch .

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Comments

[Shirley Hauta]

Bon voyage!
Wonderful to read your blog again. I’ve been thinking of you and Dorina; was getting ready to call to be reminded when your trip is, and then this email arrived! I’m “a day late and a dollar short”! How wonderful to have this time together; enjoy those hydrating beers. All the best for the rest of your journey. (Also pleased to hear your flights went well!)

[Dorina]

Bucharest day 1 & 2
Pam I enjoyed your review of our fist couple of days. I think what I have enjoyed the most is walking miles down the lovely street called Victory and seeing hundreds of families with young ones and beautiful young people. Living in a senior community we rarely see this. The parks are lovely and the food great but huge portions, we did stop in to two churches and watched a little girl make a first communion. The family had cakes and lots of baking to celebrate the occasion after.

[Roger]

Sounds wonderful
Have a good time , stay safe , love you both. Roger

[Mo Adams]

The Start
So glad that the stop over and flights were fine. Bucharest sounds lovely despite the heat. I hope it is cooler for you on the river.

[Krista]

A Great Start
I’m glad to hear your adventure is off to a good start and that you arrived safely after a long journey. Bucharest sounds lovely and some of the food sounds good. I vote no skin on my fish. Enjoy!

[Ling]

Great trip stared!
So glad to hear about your trip again! Keep coming, hope you enjoy it everyday!