Bucharest, Romania, is so far out of the way on our trip that I wonder if it was worth the extra travel to get there. We took our chance anyway; just curious to see what another Eastern European country looks like. The fact that we did not run into many tourists tells us that this is not a popular tourist destination. The country is better known for being the home of Dracula and gypsies. It also had a recent ugly history under the rule of Nicolae Ceausescu, who was overthrown and executed in 1989.
I was expecting to see some buildings or monument that would wow me. (I guess I've been spoiled by Prague and Budapest). Unfortunately, it is not an impressive city. The main area that attracts a lot of locals and tourists is the Old Town area, where there are many restaurants and shops. Things are relatively cheap. We paid about $20 per person per night for our 1 bedroom apartment. We stayed only 1 night because after only a few hours, we ran out of things to see or do. You can tell by the condition of some of the public buildings and the way people dressed that this is a poor country.
I have been reading a book by Elizabeth Kostova called "The Historian." I borrowed this book from Ralph without knowing what it's all about. It's about Dracula and some historians who have been cursed by Dracula and trying to find the source of the curse. The funny thing is the setting for the story is in the countries that I have been traveling to: Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria, plus London, Istanbul, etc. What a coincidence!
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| Statue of Dracula |
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| Orthodox Christian Church. Most Romanians are Orthodox Christians |
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| Inside of an Orthodox Christian Church |
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| An impressive government building |
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| We had lunch at this popular restaurant in Old Town on our first day |
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