Travels with BRANCY

Bucharest: Paris of the East and Transylvania, Land of Dracula’s Legend

—

by

Brian
in

Aug 17-21

Bucharest

In the period between the two World Wars, the city’s elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nickname “Paris of the East”. Today it is a growing city with an optimistic future.

We took on the city using the very convenient and economical Metro ($0.67 per 1 way trip) as well as took a guided bike tour to cover a greater area and learn some of the history.

Monastery “Stavropoleos”
Saint Anthony Church
15th-century Romanian Orthodox church
Manuc’s Inn
Romanian Athenaeum
Central University Library
Bucharest Fountain’s light and music show

Communist Bucharest

Bulevardul Unirii looking towards Constitution Square
Bucharest Fountains on Bulevardul Unirii
Bulevardul Unirii looking towards Bucharest Fountains
Constitution Square
Palace of the Parliament – one of the heaviest buildings in the world, weighing about 4.1 M tons
Communist era candy bar
Palace Hall with bullet holes in blue tile (zoom in to see)

Piața Revoluției (Revolution Square) is the historic site where the Romanian revolution culminated, leading to the overthrow of communism. The balcony shown in the picture is where Nicolae Ceaușescu delivered his final speech before the revolution, which ultimately led to his arrest and execution.

Memorial of Rebirth
Central Committee building
Building balcony above flags

Transylvania

Due to our limited time in Bucharest, we hired a private guide for a 1-day tour of Transylvania.

Pele’s Castle – residence of King Carol I
Nancy with our guide
Bran Castle Commonly known outside Transylvania as Dracula’s Castle
90-minute queue for entry

Brasov

Prefecture Palace
Palace of Post
Biserica Neagra (Black Church)
Named from a 17th century fire
Rope Street
One of the narrowest streets in the world