As we stepped off the plane into Romania I was expecting no one to be there. The British press often claimed that the Romanians were all making their way to England. Judging by the amount of people around, it seems this may have been slightly exaggerated.
We walked outside the airport and were unable to see any of the famous Gypsys with their horse’s and carts so instead took a taxi to the hotel.
Everything we knew of Romania came through the news and we were ready to be shown and different side. After years of communist repression the future changed after the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1989 when Romania became a democracy.
Romania is now part of the EU and it’s not hard to see why. As we walk around the capital Bucharest it feels much more European than expected. With most memories of the old communist regime now destroyed. There are many European cars being driven, BMW, Audi, Renaults, VW’s and of course the Romanian favourite Dacias.
We go for lunch at the beautiful restaurant Caru cu bere. This is Bucharest’s oldest beer house and has the fine ornate interior to match, the carved wood and stain glass windows create an amazing setting. The traditional Romanian food is very much German inspired.
Sausage, Mashed Potato and Mustard with Sauerkraut side
Pork neck fillet with cabbage salad and rice
And the beer comes in steins.
Even the language is Latin based, many of the words are the same in Spanish, French and Italian. Most people we meet speak some English. I was expecting it to be more Russian but this doesn’t seem to be the case.
Even the architecture is very much European
One thing that remains of the old regime is the Palace of Parliament, created by the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. It is the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon, has over 3000 rooms and is estimated to have cost over 3 billion euros to build, despite its monstrous look.
We spent the afternoon wandering the old town with its newly renovated and lively bar and restaurant scene before having an early night in preparation for our trip to Transylvania. Taking the time to pass the statue of the so called real Dracula, Vlad Tepes.
Our time in Bucharest was short and sweet, but pleasantly surprising.
