by I’m just about to leave Bucharest. I’d give it a 4 out of 10. It’s as if there’s something I’m supposed to have “got” about Bucharest and for whatever reason I just haven’t. The old town was lovely, especially that beautiful old church, but that part only covers a few acres, which are surrounded by many square miles of congested streets and insipid apartment blocks. The Ceausescus have an awful lot to answer for. This place could have been beautiful. I visited the ridiculously huge Parliamentary Palace, once I found out where the entrance was. Its history – entirely within my lifetime – was very interesting, but my overwhelming feeling was one of anger. What absolute bastards. Yesterday I went to the Romanian Village museum, where traditional houses had been transported in from different parts of the country, and a geological museum which I enjoyed even though most of the exhibits hadn’t been updated since the Cretaceous period. I realised how much geology I’d forgotten. The high-ceilinged main hall with dodecahedral (!) cabinets containing crystals of all shapes impressed me a lot. After that I walked several miles and took a few trips on the metro, trying in vain to find a laundromat. They just aren’t a thing here. I did however find a replacement for my suitcase which has finally had it.
I must say I’ve felt very safe in Bucharest, and I’ve seen quite a bit of it now. Bucharest is divided into six sectors. My hotel is just off an arterial road that passes between Sectors 1 and 2. (If this was, say, Baltimore instead of Bucharest, the road itself would be in Sector 5 or something.) I’ve visited every sector now except 6 which is where my bus leaves from. As well as being safe, I haven’t had to spend too much (I’ve been careful not to be scammed by taxi drivers), and it’s for those reasons I give the city a 4 out of 10 and not a completely disastrous score.
A rooster woke me up this morning. In the middle of Bucharest. I can see roosters outside my window now. I bloody love Romania.
Next stop is Cluj, a nine-hour bus ride away. I’ll try and while away that time with a Romanian novel and, um, a dictionary.
