Well it looks as though summer is here; certainly from an Irish point of view anyway, I know that here in Bucharest this kind of weather is really just considered as warm Spring sunshine for you but for guys like me who are more used to rain 6 months of the year this certainly feels like summer!!
I’m beginning to see also the gradual increase in visitors to Bucharest so I expect that it won’t take long before the place is thronged with thousands of camera slingers!! I din’t think it would happen this early to be honest, I expected this more perhaps in June, July so I imagine that by August Bucharest will be a much different place from what I saw in the winter 🙂
Something that has really come to life in the last few weeks is the “old town” area of Bucharest, I new immediately when I got here in the winter that this part of town was special and well worth seeing however with the sun over the last few days I have to say the place has been transformed into a really beautiful relaxing area where you can comfortably relax and have a drink with some food in a place that is easy to get to and just as easy to find your way back home from. I have to be honest of course, the main reason I found my way to the old town was as result of looking for a bar that shows football on satellite tv 🙂 I’m a keen follower of the premiership and the champions league so finding some places down there where you can relax, have a drink and watch some footy is really what I would call the Holy Grail for keen football fans!! 🙂
I decided to finally take the opportunity to take a look in the Parliament buildings, I have to say it took me a while to find out how to get in there 🙂 considering it’s so big but I did get it sorted out last weekend. There are a few different tours for people who are interested in taking a look, I did the standard tour but will definitely return so that I can get down into the basement also for a look, I will certainly recommend this to anyone I know who is coming here as it really is an awesome building, I do get the impression that locals aren’t too fond of the place which I imagine is more to do with the history rather than the building but I’m still learning about this so apologies if I’ve misunderstood people’s thoughts for the Parliament buildings, it is after all only one of many tourist spots but I have to say is probably the most famous. The building is absolutely incredible inside simply as a result of its pure size but then when you see and hear about the building fabrics including marble, silk and gold plating it really is quite breath taking, I know it’s something I want to visit again and learn more about.
I mentioned previously some of the fine foods that I’d come across since I got here and have to say the list is growing, hopefully I’m not growing the same way myself but lets see!!! I was introduced to a delicacy called “Mici” by our resident Hungry Mole, which is really like a normal sausage (except a lot nicer) it’s a combination of minced lamb, pork and beef mixed with some various spices and is definitely as addictive as Sarmale 🙂 which I will probably need therapy to help me get over whenever I leave Bucharest! It’s defiantly one of those real treats and probably something that is really unique to Bucharest and Romania, I’m sure it’s well documented on all the tourist guides and in menus throughout Bucharest however when you get either or both prepared as homemade domestic food then you can be sure you’re in for a treat.
So on that thought, I’ll sign off till next time, one thing is for sure I will definitely be indulging myself further in the mean time with some of the other fine foods here over the coming weeks and months, I can’t of course live on Ţuica alone after all 🙂
Until next time, my regards to all,
Quiet Irish Guy.
In regards to the construction of Ceausescu’s Crib, the opinions are pretty much divided, depending on how well informed are they about what happened there in the 1980’s.
The ones that believe that its construction is not such a tragedy are usually people that first visited the area after 1990, and think that it’s nicer to have large boulevards and “modern” blocks of flats rather than some old houses with narrow streets. What they don’t know is that an old neighbourhood with the surface of a small town was erased for this contruction in very unorthodox ways -the Hungry Mole may have a lot of info for you and stories.
You can imagine, for example, that a neighbourhood from central London, such as Chelsea [may not be the best example] would be erased from the face of Earth just so the Queen builds herself a nice cosy huge palace with large boulevards that do not link the historical routes of the city and its traffic routes.
If not already done this, you can read some info over here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_the_Parliament
PS: “Mici” or “mititei” must be served with mustard and lots of beer. It’s mandatory! 🙂
I strongly hope that one day the City Mayor will give a better chance to the court in front of the Monster and organize there a huge barbecue party with thousands of mici and multiple waves of lager. Until that amazing moment, go ahead and indulge yourself with ţuica!