Scenes from Bucharest, Romania - Part 2 of 2

My one full day in Bucharest was a bit choppy and my picture taking intermittent. So this post is a bit of a grab bag. It started with a walking tour, first stop the Romanium Athenaeum.

Then we started weaving our way around downtown. We were passing Artmark and I commented on the classic car in the lot. My guide explained it's an art auction house / exhibition space, so we ducked in. A lot of very interesting stuff. If you're looking for something unique to bring home from your trip to Romania, this is a good stop to check out.

From there we progressed down Calea Victorei, learning about the historical events that have taken place in the city, up through the 1989 Revolution. A lot of this was standing and talking near some of the monuments and for some reason I wasn't in picture taking mode. One thing that did prompt me to snap a pic was the story about how the national theater was collateral damage during WWII bombing when the intended target was the national communications HQ. Now there is a Novotel on the same spot, but with a facade that honors the site's heritage.

I asked for a detour through Cismigiu Gardens and my guide indulged me. I'm glad we checked it out. Beautiful place, especially in the fall colors. Also includes a couple of places to stop for a snack and beverage of your choice. One gets decidely mixed reviews. But the one pictured below does much better.

We did head down to Strada Lipscani (aka, the main artery of Old Town). First thing that got my attention were these dining & drinking pods. Genius idea for colder-weather cities to maintain a lively and interesting street vibe.

Next unexpected sighting was KJ Center. Little did I know at the time that I'd see Korean grocery stores in Brasov and Sibiu as well. Who knew?

One thing that was pleasantly encouraging was seeing how vibrant and relevant book stores seemed to be. The famous Cǎrturești Carusel's old town location was buzzing. I optimistically picked up The Appointment out of respect for my guide's recommendation.

Slow start, put it down. Next big plane ride maybe.

Next stop was the obligatory visit to Palace of Parliament. Yes, it's large.

If you decide that you must see / visit it, know that you can enjoy a walk afterwards through Izvor Park, then either (1) crack a right onto lower Lipscani (described as lesser visited and more authentic by my guide) and continue on into Old Town, or (B) continue straight ahead into Cismigiu Gardens.

After returning to my hotel for a few hours of work I ventured back out in the evening. My objective was Gangnam Pocha, which I had spotted during the afternoon tour. I got there maybe 15 minutes before closing and luckily was able to persuade them to allow me to eat in. Some fried chicken and kimchi fried rice hit the spot.

Also saw the drinking pods in action at night. Not sure about the ventilation situation. Didn't try it out to verify feasibility. But they are fun to look at as you walk around.

And that was pretty much a wrap on 36 hours in Bucharest.

Scenes from Bucharest, Romania - Part 1

Continuing the recap of my tour through Bulgaria and Romania last November with scenes from Bucharest. After some intense traffic in from the airport I was happy to arrive at Hotel Lido. It was a sharp property with art deco design / features throughout.

Big Turkish Airlines billboard staring at me like it knew I flew and would be flying MEX > IST > SOF > CLJ > IST > MEX on Turkish Airlines. Then a decent view up and down Bulevardul General Gheorghe Magheru, one of the main drags running north/south through the city.

Took a quick walkabout of the immediate environs, which seemed pretty chic. Then grabbed some supplies from the local Mega Image (cool grocery) to power through a few hours of work.

Then dinner with the team at Caru cu bere and a few night shots before getting some sleep.

Flight from Sofia to Bucharest

Flight from Sofia to Bucharest takes just over an hour. Definitely spent more time driving from hotel to SOF and from OTP to next hotel than I spent in the air. After a mini scramble in the SOF duty free to use up my last BGN Lev notes I stopped for a coffee and breakfast (not pictured) and took pictures of the food trucks (not tested).

My first flight on Tarom airlines, so I got tarmac pics before departure and after arrival.

And then immediately upon arrival I learned that Black Friday is also a thing in Romania.

Scenes from Sofia, Bulgaria - Part 5 (of 5)

After a refresh / rest / quick email check back at the hotel it was time for one last spin through the city to get a sense of the evening vibe - such as it might be on a Monday night in November. Once again I went out and down Vitosha Boulevard. Once again I took zero pictures. Not sure why. Perhaps the thinking was it's easy enough to find a million fotos and videos online. Regardless, the restaurants were open, with their mostly-encolsed little dining annexes lining the pedestrian thoroughfare. Vibe was subdued, but people were out. Lights were lit. Nice walk. But most of my time was spent checking out the east / west streets that extend from the spine of Vitosha. Someone once commented to me that in Manhattan the the places on the east / west streets are always a bit more interesting than the places on the avenues. From my experience that tracks generally, if not absolutely. Maybe Happy Bar & Grill would be the exception.

But as I got into the sidestreets off Vitosha I did see that they had their share of cozy-looking places that seemed worth exploring if I were staying longer.