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/ Romania - Chisinau - Odessa 2015

Romania - Chisinau - Odessa 2015

Julia & me just before heading out to Bucharest
Upon arrival in Bucharest, a friend and colleague of Julia took us on a little tour - via the National Museum...
..just opposite the Savings Bank building
...through small streets...
...tempting real estate offers...
...to almost hopeless cases... The building is actually quite a nice Bauhaus remnant, if you look closely.
And around the corner, you find this.
Bucharest University, near Freedom Square
Freedom Square - the ugly building on the left is the Hotel Interconti, where western journalists camped out during the 1989 revolution, which took place mainly on the square.
Romania's Kilometer 0 is located on Freedom Square, in front of the National Theatre.
Set back from the rather large Freedom Square, you will find this calm and small space commemorating the Romanian 1989 revolution.
Julia and me already dressed for the evening.
You will find these clocks everywhere in Bucharest. I find them quite charming.
The School of Architecture just off Freedom Square. I think its Brancoveneasca style actually is similar to the Portuguese Manuelin style.
Not always easy to combine old and new...
We finally got to this gem, the Anteneul Romano in Bucharest.
Stunning inside as well - the ceiling of the foyer...
...and the ceiling of the actual concert hall.
Downstairs, the foyer covers a large area
View towards the entrance
Who says backpacking can't be done in style?
We heard a fabulous concert by the Romanian Sinfonietta Orchestra, including Enescu and Tchaikowsky - the perfect start for our journey!
Small streets like this one are characteristic for the Lipscani district.
Waiting to be saved....
Saved!
Building at the waterfront of the Dambrovita river.
We headed to Bucharest's most (in-)famous building...
Yes, that is a normal size bus!
Just to be sure, Ceaucescu erased a whole neighbourhood - the city seems to be far away...
We booked the basic tour - "more than enough" according to one employee.
The biggest chandelier in the house weighs 5 tons...
And of course they had a painter immortalize their vision of the perfect people they would create...
And this is how they viewed themselves - evidently completely detached from reality...
The hall is three times as long in total, a whopping 150 metres....
Central entrance hall. Elena Ceaucescu was supposed to take this staircase, her husband the one opposite, they would meet in the middle...
It can't be described - you see one overdecorated room...
...after the other....
...and another...rooms that were built with the utmost luxury, while the population starved outside the palace walls...
Once you are guided onto the first balcony....
...the city is there at your feet and you realize the enormous proportions.
One of Bucharest's central arteries, Bulevardul Unirii.
Looking back in awe - and we had seen but 5% of the incredible building! Ghostly....
The surroundings of the palace where included in the remodeling...
Bulevardul Unririi is quite nice to walk along, better than Berlin's Karl-Marx-Allee we decided.
For a relaxing afternoon, we headed to Cismigiu Gardens next.
Really idyllic...
...with nice views....
...and alleys where Bucharest's youth spends their time.
This memorial to French soldiers who died on Romanian soil in WWI is also to be found in the Gardens.
Heading back to our hotel...
Some views seem to give life to the expression "Paris of the East".
The location in an old caravanserail was extraordinary, the service...not so much.
To save the evening and to savour our last hours in Bucharest, we went back to Bruno's wine bar, where we had few glasses, just because.
As you can see, we already felt at home....
Next day, Sibiu in the rain, an old-timey hotel room...
...with a view! Straight onto the main square.
Said main square, Piata Mare or Großer Ring.
Einstein also present in Sibiu.
View of the Piata Mica, or Kleiner Ring
Lügenbrücke, "lie bridge" between Piata Mica and Piata Huet.
The legend is completely false, btw. Didn't even creak.
Sights of Sibiu, whose city core is well preserved, although work remains to be done.
Unfortunately, it was rather cloudy and cold when we were there.
The Casa Calfelor is a European project and welcomes jounreyman ( and -women) from near and far.
They pay their way with their craftsmanship.
Piata Huet
...as seen from Café Wien, where we warmed up....
...to excellent coffe and, above all, Hermannstädter Karamelltorte (Sibiu caramel cake)
We then took a stroll...
through streets still named after Schiler and other Germans
German language is present, althogh only 2% of the population are ethnically German
We found nice clocks in Sibiu, too!
Old city walls
Piata Mare by night.
We discovered some more of the city the next day