Little Blue Birdie's Diary

Dear Diary,

Today we thought of visiting Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It is a city of contrasts and our guess is that it has always been that way (even in the days it was known as "The little Paris").

According to Aaron, our guide bird, it is home to about 2.5 million people. Bucharest offers a multitude of things to see and do, even if, at first sight, it may not seem so.

Bucharest was gravely ruined during communism with most of the old town being torn down to make way for the Soviet-style buildings that you can see today in many parts of the city. However, most foreigners that return to Bucharest say that the city is the kind that slowly grows on you and that if you give it more time, it will reward you.

Bucharest also has beautiful architecture.

The best time to visit Bucharest is in May or September. The winter is usually very cold and Bucharest sees a lot of snow. "I like this, and it guarantees a white Christmas every year, but if you don't like the cold, avoid coming here from December to February", said Aaron. Summer (July, August) is really hot (the city is located in the middle of a plain) and it doesn't cool off much in the afternoon.

You can visit the Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Roman), Village Museum (Muzeul Satului), National Art Museum (former Royal Palace), The Parliament Palace (Palatul Parlamentului), Cismigiu Gardens (Gradina Cismigiu), Antim Monastery and many more places in the city. We really loved the city and spent days visiting the lovely places.

Today we visited a few of the above mentioned places. Let me write about those separately.

The first place we visited was the Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Roman). According to Aaron, this is Bucharest's most prestigious concert hall and one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.

It was built in 1888 in neo-classical style after a design by the French architect Albert Galleron. The project had been conceived by the diplomat Constantin Exarcu and the money for the completion of the building had been gathered in a public collection in which people were asked to "give a leu for the Athenaeum" (the "leu" being the currency of Romania).

With its 40 m high dome and Doric columns, it resembles an ancient temple. The beautiful facade is adorned with mosaics of five Romanian rulers. On the inside, there are scenes from Romanian history. This is the place to hear classical music in Bucharest.

Our team enjoyed this place very much. Especially Cuckoo Bird, who is madly in love with music, enjoyed it a lot. Next destination was the Village Museum (Muzeul Satului). This museum had been established in 1936 and contains over 300 wooden houses, windmills and churches, from all over the country.

"If you don't plan to visit Romania's rural areas and even if you do you shouldn't miss this museum, which is one of the largest of its kind in Europe", said the guard bird in the museum.

Many of the buildings are originals which had been brought here in pieces and reassembled. The oldest houses date as far back as the 17th century. Behind the project from the start was ethnographer Dimitrie Gusti (1880 - 1955), who wanted the museum to mirror, as closely as possible, aspects of rural life.

Because of this, the museum is organised as a real village, with clusters of houses being linked by winding paths. "This makes for a pleasant stroll, especially if you find yourself in Bucharest during the summer, when the city is hot and dusty. Sometimes, the museum hosts crafts fairs and folk music and dance festivals," added the guard.

Our last destination for the day was the Antim Monastery. This is a beautiful complex built in Brancovenesque style. It was completed in 1715 after plans by Antim Ivireanu who was the metropolitan bishop of Wallachia.

The complex is located very close to the Palace of Parliament and similar to the Mihai Voda Church, a part of it was moved to make way for former dictator Ceausescu's urbanisation plans. It is located behind apartment buildings, hidden from sight.

Our journey was quite a success. We enjoyed ourselves very much and learnt a lot about Romania. We are hoping to visit more places in Bucharest. Until then, have a nice time!

Bye

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