Romania from the eyes of a tourist

My journey began as any other. I was welcomed by my good friend, Andreea, at the Henri Coandă international airport. We were studying together in a boarding school called UWC in China so when she offered me to visit her country during Christmas holidays I was extremely curious about it. Not many things are heard from Romania back at home in Argentina, and therefore the destination sounded mysteriously awesome. Her family and her took me around many cool spots nearby the capital Bucharest and the following is a list of the places I enjoyed the most:

Palace of the Parliament

Let me tell you about this colossal building. From the outside, a beautiful boulevard takes you to the biggest administration building in Europe and the second one in the world (after the Pentagon). This marvelous palace was built by a famous character in the history of Romania: the dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. Although he cared little about democracy, he apparently did care about image and that is why the palace is so aesthetically beautiful. My friend and I took the English tour in the palace to walk around the halls and get a closer look to the chambers that nowadays are used for diplomatic meetings and receptions. Rumor has it the building has several underground stores, including tunnels that connect the building with several points of the city, in case they were needed to escape. However, I far more prefer the amazing view from the balcony were you can see all the Boulevard Unirii and have a view of the city.

Sinaia in Brasov

Sinaia is far my favorite place in Brasov, a city nearby Bucharest in the region of Transylvania. It has a cable car service that takes you to the top of a beautiful, imposing and very snowy mountain (at least in Christmas time). There is a snow sport center, a restaurant and a couple of places to buy food and entire families go there to spend the day playing in the snow. The center also counts with a a system of chair lifts and I swear, the trip up the mountain is extremely worth it because I can recall to have seen such view of the Carpathians anywhere else. The very top of the mountain is used as a sky or snowboard track and that is way is the perfect place to take amazing pictures with the best view and no crowds.

Bran’s Castle

Another highlight of my trip was visiting the legendary Bran’s Castle, better known as “Dracula’s Castle”. Although it is associated with the story of Count Dracula, it is hardly possible that neither Bram Stoker not Vlad the Impeller had set a foot on it. Nevertheless, the fortress does match the description on the book and it is a legendary place in the region, dating from the 13th century. It seems many advances form the Ottoman empire were resisted in the region of Wallachia (place of origin of the infamous Vlad III) thanks to the strategic position of this fortress. At the same time, it is indeed, quite a spooky place for all those looking for some mysteries around the region. I really liked the atmosphere and the visit to this unique place.

Christmas market in Piata Constitutiei

Every year in Christmas time there is something called the “Christmas market” in the Piata Constitutiei in Bucharest, however, it is more than that. It is a colorful and delightful gathering of people that reunite to celebrate Christmas in a very Romanian style. There is a music festival with local artists, an ice skating rink, many little shops selling traditional desserts and even some boiled red wine that warms the body and the soul. It is wonderful to see how so many people enjoy the festival under the stunning 6-meters-tall Christmas tree.

Old Town (Lipscani) and Carturesti

The Old town starts right in front of the Unirii Park and it is basically the liveliest area to walk at night. There are many pubs, restaurants, bars and also clubs to dance and meet new people. It is wonderful how a mixture between modern establishments and antique buildings combines and forms a distinctive environment around the area. In the same mood, there is a very particular book store called “Carturesci” with shelves full of the widest variety of books and with a lovely café on the top of the elegant building. It is lovely to just spend time lost in the halls or enjoying a cup of coffee while reading next to the window in quiet and chill atmosphere.

There are many more places not only in Bucharest but also in Romania to visit and to explore so from my personal experience you should really give it a try and get to know this beautiful city.

Guest post by Cande