Blogs from Bucharest, Muntenia, Romania, Europe - page 10

Travelling up from Sofia to Bucharest in Romania was quite an enjoyable journey. There was some beautiful scenery along the way to admire and it also gave me some ‘me time’ to catch up with reading after a busy time in Sofia pottering about. We travelled first class and before you conjure up images of fabulous décor with champagne and wine on demand; take a nostalgic moment to wander through the corridors of your mind and picture what CIE trains looked like in the 1970’s & 1980’s in Ireland and you’ve got the idea of what first class was like. If you have any preconceived notions about Romania and Romanian gypsies think again! After arriving in Bucharest train station and being dumped out on the platform at 6:30am, we made our way to town via taxi. ... read more

May 17th to May 19th. Back to Bucharest! We hadn't planned on going back to Bucharest but it made the most sense being that our next stop was Brasov almost straight North through Bucharest. We emailed the Funky Chicken and our friends that we were Surprise!, coming back. Laura and James were waiting for us at the hostel. It was so good to be together again! And Anna was working at the Funky Chicken, too! We had a great time in Bucharest, as always, our second time around. And we taught Laura and James how to play pitch which is the card game that my grandparents would play. They learned quickly and proceeded to beat the pants off of Tages and I all night until Laura had to catch her bus home. ... read more

Over the years, my Easter city breaks have become consistent, enjoyable, and, most significant of all, highly memorable experiences, and although this was booked in place of a cancellation I was forced to make due to a schedule change for a flight to Kiev, pre-departure reading boded very well for this trip. Upon arrival at Bucharest's Otopeni airport, I met up with my travelling companion from the Scotland trip of the previous month, and we were heading towards the city centre filled with anticipation as to what the city might hold in store for us. The hotel (Lev Or) scored highly on just about all counts - location, cleanliness, breakfast, price, and general facilities (dig those jacuzzi bathtubs!), and an itinerary which had been put together in the lead-up to the trip seemed like it would ... read more

Good news for Romania fans, lovers of Bucharest, the curious, the bored, the bold and the beautiful...I will soon be back in Bucharest. I didn't think it would happen so quickly, but I have a ticket. Be assured by the end of March you will get some new pictures of Bucuresti, hopefully in its spring glory. So, stay tuned... ... read more

I recently visited the hottest street in Bucharest of street art. It was, appropriately, named after Arthur Verona, a painter. Though he would not recognize the style of the artwork on his street, I think he would appreciate the gesture. I am not as up on all the obscure Romanian personages as I should be, so I looked him up. He was a turn of the century artist who gave up a military career to paint. He studied in Vienna, Paris and Munich before settling in Bucharest. He was part of the "Baia Mare" school of painters and worked on landscapes, portraits, nudes, and fresco work, particulary at the Catacuzino Palace in Bucharest. His workshop in Piata Victoriei burned down, unfortunately, so a great deal of his original work has been lost to time. His work ... read more