Bucharest - Revolution Square - This imaginative sculpture shows a giant man with his back to the famous balcony where Ceausescu, the Communist dictator, was booed and hissed in 1989. As an allegory of the spontaneous protest, the figure was created from reassembled pieces. - j.k. photo
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1. Funny enough, a village museum (Dimitrie Gusti) proved to be my favorite attraction in this big city.
2. public safety is said to be improving
3. I liked to notice that biking culture is quickly gaining more and more popularity here.
4. Bucharest metro is modern (thanks to EU money)
5. Hereastrau Park and Cismigiu Park are lovely places to relax a bit.
6. plenty of bars and pubs in the city center
7. the old town in the evening lights
8. The rehabilitation of the city center seems successful.
9. cakes are yummy
10. the stylish, late 19th and early 20th century villas
11. a lot of nicely dressed women (though eminently under the age of 50)
12. some smaller, atmospheric Orthodox churches and the Stavropoleos Monastery Church
13. the incredibly creative Romanian Kitsch Museum
14. Unlike many locals, I did not find the modern Revolution Monument so ugly
15. the touching ways as the 1989 revolution is remembered.
1. In some restaurants and cafes, the particularly sour, unfriendly kind of service.
2. in peak times, chaotic traffic in the city center - drivers violating any rules
3. Casa Poporului, the gigantic parliamentary palace complex, is truly impressive; however, we could not neglect the fact that a Communist dictator ordered its construction.
4. dirt, rubbish in some street sections
5. some worry about pickpockets active in the crowded sidewalks of the city center - We saw quite a few suspicious phoneys (perhaps Gipsies?)
6. The strikingly high price level at some cafes and restaurants in the city center
7. many ladies use too much make-up - seemed rough to our French taste (less is more)
8. In our view, there are many more beautiful and exciting sights in rural Romania than what Bucharest has to offer - two full-day is far enough for the capital city
9. not many historical buildings (note that a terrible earthquake hit Bucharest in 1977)
10. many beggars, down-and-outs in the surroundings of the central railway station
11. At the Triumphal Arch (Arcul de Triumf), unexperienced pedestrians have a hard time to cross the street.
12. the electric cables, running confusedly above, strongly spoil the aesthetics of the street scenes
A greși este uman.
