C & C globetrotting around the world…

We were driven to Saarbruecken by Christoph’s parents and then took the train from there to Stuttgart. Unlike all the airports in Asia, the airport in Stuttgart didn’t have free wifi, which we were a bit disappointed about. While in Asia, many travellers asked us how it is to travel in Germany and Romania. So now we are trying to see how it is: we look for wifi, we speak English when asking for directions or buying train tickets. We flew with Blue Air, the Romanian low-cost carrier, to Bucharest, where Cecilia’s cousin was waiting for us. In the evening we went to “Centru Vechi”, the old part of town. It has been recently renovated and it’s full of bars and restaurants.

“Bucharest Citadel” was first mentioned in documents as early as 1459. Since then, it has changed hands many times. It was the seat of the Wallachian court, then came under control of the Ottoman empire before being ruled by the Habsburg Monarchy. Later, it was the Russians and then the Austrian who took control of the city. In 1862, after Wallachia and Moldavia were united to form the Principality of Romania, Bucharest became the new nation’s capital and in 1881, it became the political centre of the newly-proclaimed Kingdom of Romania under Carol I. A period of prosperity and urban development followed and it steadily consolidated its position as the centre of the Romanian politics, culture and arts. Its eclectic architecture is a mix of historical (neo-classical), interbellum (Bauhaus and Art Deco), Communist-era and modern. In the period between the two World Wars, the city’s elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nickname of “Little Paris” (Micul Paris). Although many buildings and districts in the historic centre were damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes, and Nicolae Ceaușescu’s program of systematization, many survived.

The next day, we walked together with Cecilia’s cousin Dragos around in Sectorul I with its many squares and parks. Many parks have been nicely done, it was warm and the trees were blossoming, so it was really really enjoyable. From there we drove to Carol I Park, a big park with a monument for the “unknown soldier”. For dinner we went to “Caru’ cu Bere”, an institution in Bucharest. They brew their own beer since 1879 and make the best “mici” in town so much that Christoph had been dreaming about it. While we were waiting for our table, we watched a nice dance performance in the restaurant. After dinner we went to a bar Dragos likes: “ The Bankers”. They had an awesome live band with great music and we had a good time there. The bartender was really cool too and made some funky drinks and constructions.