Bucharest Romania

Well, after driving the Transfagarasan mountain road which was 90km of spectacular twisting and turning, on an adrenaline high we set our sights for Bucharest. We had read that driving in Bucharest is to be avoided if possible as it's a like "raffety's rules". Booked a five star hotel (doesn't mean that much) a few kms out from the old town. It was on a tram line for easy access to our 'home' and into the old town. My expectations were a little high as I had read that Bucharest was like "little Paris". NO IT WAS NOT... I'm, trying to be fair to the place...hence taking a few days to reflect before I write this. It was VERY HOT, DIRTY, SMELLY and very run down. The tram was an experience. Old, filthy and very hot. Drops of sweat fell on the steps as I got off.
As you can see by the empty seats...I don't think this was the preferred mode of transport (we did catch a bus the next day...very modern and cool).
We headed to the old town and it was old...but really lacked the beauty and grandeur of other places. Maybe because it was Sunday morning (about 11am) and nobody was awake yet. The place was dead. Which would have been nice for photos, but there was not a lot to photograph. We walked around and saw some really lovely old churches, services were on so we didn't enter. (The  most memorable of these was Stavropoleos Monastery and we did visit the next day and it was beautiful).  The Romanian Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral was also a real find and made the day. It was beautiful inside and out.

We also came across the Parliament Building...which was grand (but not like Budapest) and the Arcul de Triumf. I've got to confess that I had my first real meltdown...literally and metaphorically. After kms of walking my knee was over it...it was sooo hot I was over it...and after walking forever to a monument which ended up being a pissy little statue I just wanted to sit and cry.
A second day into Bucharest and  stopped at Carol Place and looked at the Shrine of Remembrance. The old Roman Baths ruin were another highlight, right near a very modern shopping complex. Irony. Note lots "girlie shows" and "lap dancing.

 

 Anyway, we ventured on and headed home for a rest. It was nice to come back to our hotel...and I indulged in a swim in the very posh spa centre. We must confess here that during the day we took salvation in McDonalds... who would have thought...but the aircon was amazing and the café frappe a godsend. Actually the Maccas was quite posh and had an older clientele. Interesting. Overall, there were some lovely thing to see, but not on the bucket list.