Day 2 - Bucharest

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Well day 2 of my summer adventures ended up getting off to a late start. I ended up getting to bed around 2am - a combination of the overwhelming head, the snoring Pakistani in the bunk next to me and Louise messaging me kept me up - so after getting dressed and having breakfast I left my accommodation around midday. First stop was the train station to stock up on some more bottled water (I have never drunk so much water before!) and then I was off to figure out how to get a bus ticket. The first lady at the ticket office I approached just ended up yelling at me in Romanian (not she what/why she was yelling?). The next lady was slightly more helpful, and by that I mean was able to get my bus tickets, all the while she managed to conduct a phone conversation loudly in Romanian. Then it was off to the bus stop to begin my adventure. Well, almost. I found the bus stop and waited around 5 minutes until I remembered that traffic was reversed in Europe and I was therefore waiting on the wrong side of the road. With this mistake rectified I was able to board my bus and head off to my first stop - The Museum of Romanian Peasants. On my way there I came across a cute market area and was able to get 2 pairs of earrings for 10lei, as well as a Despicable Me Minion (Minionii) Rattle for Selena's baby. I then made it to the Museum. Considering the entry fee was only 8lei and there was quite a lot to see there it wasn't too bad - but it is not something that I would recommend to someone coming to Bucharest. I then decided to check out the Arcul de Triumf (Bucharest's answer to the Arc de Triumph on Paris - well it is known as the Little Paris of the East). It ended up being slightly anti-climatic as the monument is currently under construction so it was covered up (there was a picture of the Arcul de Triumf on the cloth though. After this I headed up to the Village Museum (Muzeul National Al Satului Dimitrie Gusti). This museum was amazing - it is a large open space where they have placed all of the old Romanian buildings from different centuries that have been saved and restored. It was fascinating to see the way that architecture changed with technological developments. And the extensive use of wood in Romanian culture. Whilst there I also came across some Romanian women selling cheap hand-made items and ended up buying a rope woven owl for 10lei. I finished the night off with a stroll around Parcul Herăstrău, a massive park with a huge lake in the middle of it. At this point it had started raining, which, combined with the setting of the sun made the weather much more tolerable. After this I decided to head back to the hostel. I stopped in at KFC for dinner (I know, what am I doing going to a fast-food franchise whilst travelling to exotic locations!) In my defence it was quite late and I was looking for a quick meal as my hostel isn't in what I would call the best neighbourhood. Anyway I am off to Brasov tomorrow - just spent an awkward 5 minutes searching through my handbag and receipts to find the ticket.

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