Have to admit initial thoughts of Bucharest weren’t good – big, noisy, busy and ugly (except for the fountains) and wasn’t that taken by the hostel either, which wasn’t helped by my very loud,  opinionated, will she ever stop talking American room mate.

Didn’t do much the evening I arrived – it was pouring – and sitting on my bum was probably not a bad thing. Bed was comfy in the hostel and I’d had a good night’s sleep – and I’d found a clean working shower – the one in my dorm wasn’t so clean and didn’t seem to want to produce any warm water – this combined with the sun coming out and everything always feels better and I found myself really liking my 2 days in Bucharest.

The buildings are still big and grey but then they come to life when the sun is on them. And there are splashes of colour throughout the city. As soon as you get away from the 2 main roads that cross over in Bucharest it is mostly quite and a nice relaxing city to wander round.

Apartments brighter in the evening sun
Colour in the city

The fountains in Unirii Square are beautiful both during the day and night and are lit up Fridays, Saturday’s and Sunday’s until winter time – they were built during the Communist era but have been restored and are the “first smart fountains in Europe” and are in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest choreographered fountain display – I loved them.

I walked to the Parliment Buildings.

And then carried on to find out what the gold domed building I could see – transpired it was Bucharest’s new Cathedral – The People’s Salavation Cathedral – and is due to be finished in 2025. Although not completed it is already the tallest Orthodox Cathedral in the world. Young Romanian non-church goers who I met at a campsite a few weeks ago felt that the money being spent on the Cathedral could be better spent elsewhere

There was lots of beautiful parks.

Gradina Cismigiu

On the way to find food on the first evening I got distracted by another fountain.

And in turn this led me to another park – Carol The I Park and this has the Romanian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – I do like just wandering and seeing what I can find.

Nice meal at restaurant overlooking Lacul Herastrau.

On the 2nd day I took the metro to go and visit Ceausescu’s Villa. The metro was easy to navigate and clean and efficient. It felt a bit strange going to see the house of a dictator but interesting.

Plastic shoe covers to protect this magnificent Persian Rug and all the other beautiful rugs and wooden floors
The gold used in the villa was thought to be the most expensive thing in the villa but it is the marble quarried from India that is the most expensive
Beautiful mosaics in the swimming pool

Near to the villa are a number of lakes and I walked round part of the edge of 2 of them.

Lacul Floreasca
Nice meal overlooking restaurant at Lacul Herastrau.

A young experienced backpacker, that I met in Brasov, said she hadn’t felt safe in Bucharest due to the homeless people hanging about – and that she didn’t like leaving the hostel by herself. Without a doubt there are homeless people in Bucharest – some I saw with significant physical disabilities – I never felt unsafe at anytime – and not that is good in either place but felt that I saw more homeless people when I went to San Francisco compared with Bucharest.

Overall I really enjoyed Bucharest and to be honest I’m not really sure why – but I’d definitely like to come back – lots more to see and do – both in Bucharest and the rest of Romania.