Day 2 in Bucharest

I will attempt to recap the last 24 hrs. Also, if you would like to leave a comment on the blog, you can use your google account to log in if you have one (gmail, etc).

Last night after I made the last blog, I went to a restaurant down the street called The Harbour - here is the website. It was small but that was what I was looking for. It had a lot of old wood in it, supposedly it was opened in the 1800s or something. I got some sort of thing that was like beef, wrapped in pork, wrapped in bacon. It was pretty good.

I decided to go check out the concert at the Hard Rock since they said I should check it out, and I didn't have much else to do. Besides, how often can you say you have been to a concert in Romania? So I took a taxi over there. I only stayed for about 15 minutes. It was very crowded, I dont speak any Romanian, so nothing made much sense, and I got the feeling I had already seen the best of them during sound check anyway, so I left. I had to walk a bit to a large intersection to find some taxis, and I ended up finding the same guy who had taken me over earlier.

Friday

I had much the same breakfast today as I had yesterday, but added a very good omelet to the mix. I like to take full advantage of free breakfasts.

I then headed back to the HRC to finish things up. We were able to get everything done that I wanted to, and it went quickly.

After I had finished with things this afternoon, I decided to try to see more of the city by using the Bucharest Metro. For 8 lei, I could purchase 10 stops. not bad for about 2 bucks. It was by no means easy to figure out my way around the city using the metro. Their concept of "map" leaves a lot to be desired. I got off at a few different stops, walked around, and then would get back on. I found a gigantic park and walked through that for a while. Eventually I figured out how to get to the one thing that seemed interesting, a gigantic building called the Palace of the Parliament. Supposedly it is one of the largest buildings in the world. It was built by Nicolae Ceauşescu, former ruler of Communist Romania.

an intersection near my hotel

heading down into the metro
more of the metro
same kind of cars as Atlanta and DC...made by Bombadier :-)

that large building i talked about
colorful fence

vagabondul...hey i found it funny.
who buys a Ford when you live in Europe???
I guess this guy couldn't live without his PT Cruiser....(check out that parking job! crawl out the passenger side much??)
average street in residential area
graffiti in the park
walking in the park
corner of the park looking towards a large intersection
another large intersection near my hotel.
crossing the street
another metro stop
interesting way to get onto the metro...

I then headed back to the hotel, and got a taxi back to the HRC to finish up some evening shots of the exterior. On the way over, I realized a few errors I had made: I had only enough money to pay for the ride there; I did not bring my debit card, only my credit card; I left my room key in my room. Yes, 3 stupid things all at once. So, after I was done taking photos, I found another taxi, and had him drive me to the hotel. Right before we got there, I told him I would need to get some cash from the ATM before I could pay him. He didn't look thrilled. So I had to get a new room key. It didn't work. Finally I got into my room to get my ATM card, ran outside to an atm, and paid the guy. From now on I carry the ATM card with me.

After talking to Katherine on Skype (best invention ever quite possibly), I headed out for hopefully a quick meal. I walked a few blocks and found some kind of restaurant with a large courtyard. I went up some stairs and found a very small restaurant called Case Veche that was not busy at all. Just the way I like them. I decided to have a traditional Romanian meal before I left. I chose Sarmale, which is essentially minced meats wrapped in boiled cabbage leaves. It came with some kind of corn meal, which I ate with it. It was good. Not something i'd eat every day, but not awful either.

Then followed a fiasco where the waiter informed me I could not pay with credit card. When I asked why, he said it wasn't working. Well then, how can I pay you? I don't have enough cash (again!). He shrugged his shoulders. Ok, well, I can either give you 10 lei, I can leave, or I can go to the ATM, get money and pay you back. He didn't seem to want me to leave. Eventually we went to another restaurant that they owned I guess and paid using their machine. So much drama.

I have pictures that accompany this post, however it is getting late, and my flight to Cologne leaves at 7am. I will need to be up by 4:30 am at the latest, so I need to wrap this up.

Some final thoughts on Bucharest, Romania, and the Romanian people.

- Bucharest is not the prettiest city ever. A stereotypical example of a post communistic regime in eastern europe. Interesting certainly, but not tourist material.
- This city is home to one of the largest populations of stray dogs. They are in packs. They are everywhere, and it is extremely strange to say the least. The barking gets old.
- It is easy to see why Coca Cola is the worlds most recognizable brand name. It is everywhere here. On the buildings, on the streets, on tv, on the radio, in the airports. I have seen tons of people drinking it. I have seen exactly one Pepsi ad. Of course, this pleases me.
- The Romanian people seem like genuinely good people. Everyone I have met has been helpful and courteous. They go out of their way to provide good service and are very polite. Perhaps this is just Europe and I am used to America, but either way, its great.

I probably had a few more things to say, but I can't remember them now. I will add things to this if I think of them. I will also add pictures, so check back tomorrow, hopefully I will have internet at my next hotel.

If you are reading this, please feel free to leave a comment about anything, I would love to hear some feedback as to who is actually reading this (if anyone at all).

And now, I will begin re-packing everything.

- John