Bye Bye Bucharest

Bucharest-  GA arrived in Bucharest not knowing what to expect, but the initial impression was …. We got off the train and the first thing I noticed was all the coffee machines. They are pretty prevalent all over the region but in the train station they were everywhere. Several dozen. As an American who loves his coffee this was almost taken as a personal affront.  But, this is a diplomatic mission after all.

            The city was a mixed bag of some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet to people trying to pull a fast one on you every chance they got. One set of buildings would be baroque, art deco, and the set across the streets looked like they came out of the Jolani district of Fallujah. As we walked by the pretty lights and pretty clothes inside the Armani and Hugo Boss stores we had to be careful to avoid the the puddles of piss.

            The city (and culture) is only 20 years removed from communism and it's evident all over. There are many testaments to the change, good and bad, everywhere. There are several striking piata's around the city, as well as several statues and abstract sculptures testifying to the populace's sense of triumph in the political revolution. Bucharest is also home to the second largest office building in the world, the Palace of Parliament. The Pentagon is the largest. We win again. They also have their own version of the Arc de Triumphe. It's basically a replica. But in romanian, not french.

       As far as the nightlife goes, there are several cool bars and clubs in the area, which we tried unsuccessfully to go to that were recommended to GA by the son of our hostel owner. (they were undoubtedly the best people in the city by the way). The son was a really cool guy that had some good insights as well as a fierce, if subtle, pride in his city. We had a good conversation about Cocorosie. 

       Since we couldn't get to/find the better local spots we were relegated to the heavily touristy/douchey bar area in the old town. It was like a bad episode of Jersey Shore. Or a regular one, GA wouldn't know the difference. 

      All in all, it was wasn't a wholly bad experience. But, it wasn't the best. The next time GA rolls through Romania we'll make it a point to see the more rural attractions.

Now- ATHENS!

Stay Awesome.

P.S. DO NOT take a taxi in this city. 100% of the stories told to us by other travelers involved the cabbies ripping them off, as well as some slight physical violence as well as some credit cards being stolen.