Our original interest in Romania was sparked by our reading of the epic novel "The Balkan Trilogy" which paints a vivid picture of Bucharest just before World War II. However, current information indicated that Bucharest has lost much of its appeal and has become as expensive as most western european capitals. We didn't stay long enough to find out, but we think that we should have allowed at least a couple of days here.

From the train station, Cristina and her friend, Mihnea, drove us through the streets of central Bucharest, which looked a lot more elegant and interesting that we had expected.

They put us into the Bulevard Hotel, a stately old place, centrally located and comfortable. (Address: B-dul Mihail Kogalniceanu nr. 1, Tel: 01-615-3300) I think the rate was about $50 USD per night for a nice, quiet room with a window on an inside court. There was a wedding party in the ballroom, and the dancing was spilling out into the lobby.

Cristina recommended this web site for more information on Bucharest hotels. They may not list one particularly exotic place, the Hanul Lui Manuc Inn, but the Berkeley Guide makes it sound interesting.

At twilight Cristina walked us through Herastrau Park. Soon it was so dark we could hardly see the walkways, but there were still a large number of people about. From the park Cristina took us to her parents' house for a delicious dinner.

On Sunday morning Christina and Mihnea took us on a quick tour of Bucharest which included a visit to the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral. The Metropolitan (Patriarch?) of Romania was just making his way from his residence to the Cathedral. Mary shot this from more than 100 feet away. She was afraid of committing some sort of taboo by approaching more closely.

At the door of the Cathedral a couple of tiny Gypsy kids were asking for money. I fished around in my pocket for some Romanian coins and accidentally brought out a $100 USD bill. Those kids were electrified! They chased me all the way back to where our car was parked. Cristina got a big kick out of seeing a big American fleeing from three kids who barely came up to his knees.

Bucharest is still a beautiful city. It must have been gorgeous before Ceaucescu unleased his bulldozers. Natives are very critical of the design of Ceaucescu's Palace of the People, probably because they remember the old buildings which were destroyed to make room for the new. But to outsiders like ourselved the new Palace had a handsome facade.