Bucharest

Bucharest is not as bad a place as many have made out. it is big, but quiet easy to get around with their Metro system. Some nice park areas and plenty of international cuisine and bars mean you can have a nice day or two here, though most seem to leave quite quickly I noticed !

Wasted most of my days here waiting at the Moldovan consulate as it was constantly closed when it should have been open and only allowed one in at a time, teh grumpy security guards didn't add to the enjoyment either. Though have to say both people I met inside the embassy were very friendly. Probably as they were planning what to do tonight with the 60 USD they have just got out of me.

Most interesting site is probably the enormous "Palace of Parliament" built during the reign of Ceauşescu. An enormous communist style building with a large park area in front. To the Eastern side is the Bulevardul dul Unirii, a Champs-Élysées style road, lined with trees and fountains all the way along and deliberately made 6m longer than the real one in Paris.



Left: Ceauşescu's Palace of Parliament.
Right: The tree and fountain lined 'Bulevardul dul Unirii'.