As we are in an apartment, there is no breakfast on tap today, so we need to make do with foccacia and croissants from the patisserie one the corner - and coffee - GREAT coffee!
Bucuresti (Bucharest) is a city living in two times or maybe more. We are staying near the Jewish Quarter and the highrises around here are tired looking on the outside, and speak strongly of communist influence. Inside, however, they are spacious and comfortable if or apartment is anything to go by - small bathroom, large kitchen with stove, fridge, washing machine and all the normal accoutrements and a large bedroom complete with lounge and TV - this may have once been two rooms - oh, and a small semicircular balcony.
A few minutes walk from here and we come upon Kotor - a large shopping mall with all the known international names - we don't bother going in - seen one, seen them all. We start to see some of the splendour of Bucuresti on our walk to find the hop on - hop off bus. Canals and fountains - fountains everywhere which is a sight for hot eyes on another 34+ degree day. They spew forth - some continuously in a fine mist, others in rythymic patterns.
We try the tourist office around the corner where we are staying - supposedly open from 10 - 6 daily, except today for some reason. So we head towards the Old Town as my web research shows that the bus goes near here. Michael stops at a news-stand where the seller speaks Romanian and French and just a little English. Between them, Michael manages to buy a map and she very helpfully shows him where we are and we think where the bus leaves from. There is a flower seller nearby and he buys her a posy and makes her day! 30 Lei for the map, 30 Lei for the posy! (About $10 each). Might sell the map on ebay when I get home ;)
So off we wander again - the sun is burning hot and I scurry from shade spot to shade spot, managing to keep out of the sun for the better part. The streets are very wide - accommodating 3 + 2 lanes of traffic in each direction - 2 local and 3 through lanes. Crossing them is something that you do quickly - no jaywalking here! We continue on and I see one of the buses, mid route. Further still and we still haven't found the stop. We cross the Dâmbovița River that begins its journey high in the Fagaras Mountains - really now just a canal and spy a local fisherman and diving ducks chancing their luck!
An angry policeman has pulled up to move on a couple of Roma women who are selling home grown flowers on the sidewalk. There are lots of florist stalls, and I guess these undercut them and don't contribute to the local economy. The two women are arguing with him and he is getting very agitated. Slowly, they pack up and make to leave. We ask him if he speaks English and he is delighted to help. We are still about half a block and across the boulevard from the nearest stop for the Tourist Bus, and he willingly shows us where to go, wishing us a great visit. Like most of the Romanians we have met, he is super friendly.
Ah, a shady spot and a soon arrived bus - who could ask for more. At 25 Lei ($8) each, it's a bargain! We set off to do one lap and to get our bearings. The route is a little more than 9 kms, and it takes just over an hour to do a lap. The bus is full, and the upstairs open air deck is full before we get on - I'm just pleased that we manage to get a seat for this first trip.
We see that Bucuresti is filled not only with fountains, but also with some really impressive parks. There are gardens down the centre of the main boulevards, all in full bloom, and there are lots of buildings undergoing significant renovations. As we move out of the old city centre area, we enter a more genteel area where the buildings are grander with lots of trees. A number of up-market doctors, dentists and allied health services abound and as we near the Free Press House we also see the makings of the commercial world in a modern Bucharest - complete with a World Trade Centre and Microsoft House!
And the Arch of Triumph is modelled on the famous French one - closed for renovations at the moment. Not sure how I managed to snap a shot with no cars in the frame - this is almost as busy a stretch of road as the one in Paris! This one celebrates the victory of the Romanian soldiers in WWI.
Down past the Palace of the Parliament - the second largest civic government building in the world after the Pentagon. Built by Communist president Nicolae Ceausescu during 1984-1989, it is 84 m high, it has 12 floors and 6,000 rooms (hundreds of offices, dozens of reception and conference halls). The building was intended to house the presidency, the ministries as well as the headquarters of the communist party. The building is endowed with an antinuclear bunker with 1.5 m thick walls covered with radiation-proof panels and is connected to the main official institutions through a 20 km-labyrinth of tunnels. Much of the old city was destroyed to provide space for its construction with some 40,000 people displaced, leading to countless suicides we are told. It is jarring in its arrogance and holds no interest for us to explore.
Back to where we began, we opt to alight at the next stop along (I make a mental note that this will be the closest stop for us to get back to the apartment later today also). We are close to University Square and it is here we find the first of some very unique Orthodox churches.
The Coltea Church - the Three Holy Hierarchs was consecrated in 1702 and replaced an earlier timber church. It has weathered the hundreds of years with little impact to its external and internal frescoes - but those flagstones have been worn with the feet of the faithful - as in most of the churches we are seeing in Romania.
From here we cross into the Old Town and explore little streets, back alleys and tiny squares. The architecture through here is Romanesque and Baroque. Not quite classical, but stunning just the same. The attention given to statuary on rooftops is amazing. There are full copper roofs gleaming in the heat of the afternoon sun. I peer into a shady courtyard and smile at the City's attempts to manage people parking on
footpaths. So many of these buildings are under repair and restoration. One houses an 'antiques' and arts bric-a-brac market. Thought of buying some 'stuff' to take home, but the words of Gen still echo in my brain "you guys have so much 'stuff' - time to de-clutter again!" Cheeky daughter!!
We hear music playing as we pass by the first national Romanian Bank building and in the next square there is a musician frantically and with much fervour, belting out tunes on an instrument that looks something like a zither. He grins broadly when Michael deposits 5 Lei in his bucket and hits away with renewed energy.
Another amazing Orthodox Church - this one Stavropoleos Monastery completed in 1724 and dedicated to the Saints Archangels Michael and Gabriel. It is more a convent than a monastery and we see a quite young nun bustling about her chores - dressed from head to toe in black - how hot she must be at this time of the year. We marvel again at the frescoes and at the collection of carved tombstones and pieces - we even find a couple of early coptic written pieces. They offered early travellers solace here and in the cool courtyard, we can appreciate how much other might have also enjoyed the respite. In the outside burners for remembering the dead, we light three candle to the memories of our dads and Michael's mum.
Man, its hot. Its now almost 2 in the afternoon and we need somewhere to sit and have a cold drink. There are a number of cafes on the streets, but one in particular seems to draw us. Caru' cu Bere was truly buzzing and the interior was one of stained glass opulence, but we couldn't get near inside for the tour groups - so we happily joined the 'plebs' sitting under the outside covered awning. We were lucky to spy a couple leaving, so made a dash for their table - I think we were meant to wait to be seated, but there was the quick and the thirsty today!
A waitress soon materialized and asked if we wanted a drink to start, when handing us the huge menus. Yes, "limonade please" - "with mint and honey" she asked, "mmm yes please, and sparkling water." You have no idea how refreshing this is - straight lemon juice, a handful of mint leaves and about a tablespoon of honey to which is added enough sparkling water to make it up to 1 litre. My new favourite summer drink.
We then order cooked cheese balls for me and Peasant's Pie (with cheese and yoghurt) for Michael, served with some lovely nutty brown bread and a fresh salad. 96 Lei ($32).
Lunch done and it is back on our feet.
We have walked from one side of the Old Town to the other and have managed to come out just beside the National Museum of the History of Romania (the former Postal Palace). And we find it shut on Mondays and Tuesdays - the story of our day today :(
So its back on the bus to continue the loop to our starting point. As we look out from the balcony of our apartment, we can see the Biserica Sfântul Gheorghe Nou down below us. A service is in progress, so we don't go in but in the
frescoes painted on the outside, this more modern church highlights hell - much to Michael's amusement. And in the grounds there is a huge astrolabe with the degree representations for many of the cities we have visited!
We are hoping to catch up with Diana and Lorena who we met in France for dinner tonight and I wait by
the phone for a call.
We had arrived at the Complex Europa Transfagarasanwith the intention of driving the Transfagarasan Road down to Bucharest. This is the road that Top Gear has stated as the world's best road to drive!
We arrived late on Sunday with the sun behind us from another warm summer's day and with clouds rolling in over the Carpathian Mountains. There is a little stream trickling along behind our hostel styled accommodation where we actually have a two bedroom 'suite'.
Just as I finished uploading the blog last night, the storm that had been thundering down the mountains hit. Had to find the wet weather jacket just to get to dinner!
The Hotel is full and as we sit having dinner they turned away no less than eight groups of people who seek solace from the rain and turn up on speck. No Joseph, there is no room at this inn - try down the road 4 kms!
Dinner was an interesting affair. Nothing fancy, nothing flash. Just down to earth good traditional food. We began with soup - tripe (shudder) for Michael and Vegetable for me (and Michael!). We both had pork - Michael's a flattened grilled rib steak and mine Schnitzeled - both with mashed potato.
An hour later we return to our room in the top of the cabin to find that babbling brook has risen two feet and become a boiling angry raging monster! You would not believe how much it has changed. And by the morning, it had lost its anger and was again, a happy little tumbling stream. How quickly things change in the mountains.
Despite the rain stopping, the clouds hang low over the Carpathians this morning, with the mist so heavy that it might as well have been raining. Its in this weather that we head up the most spectacular drive in Europe, if not the world. We share the road with crazy cyclists (what is it about riding up ridiculously steep slopes??), lots of motorbikes and plenty of cars.
Warnings abound about falling rocks, rough surfaces and accident zones. The speed limit on the Transfagarasan is 40 kpm and I wonder how many people stick to that?
We leave with 240 kms worth of fuel to travel 97 kms from near Cartisoara in the north to Curtea des Arges in the south. And there is a reason I tell you this now!
Its such a pity that the fog and mist are so heavy - for much of the trip, we look out into white as we crawl our way up the mountain in traffic. 40 kph is barely doable - if not for the traffic, then for the condition of the road - can't say we weren't warned! We pass through a series of snow tunnels - not sure why they would bother with them as the road is closed in the winter - in fact it is usually open for only a few months a year - which might explain the intense interest at this time of the year!
After about an hour, we reach the access point to the first of two glacial lakes - the Cascade Lake, an the inevitable souvenir and refuelling stop. Amazing here is the cured meats hanging in the open, the cheeses, potatoes and corn roasting in coals and the bric-a-brac that people seem to want to collect. Michael takes off to walk to the lake, but returns when he sees the condition of the cascade crossings - can't say I blame him!
Parking is haphazard and anywhere you can squeeze in. Some people - especially those in expensive cars - porsche, audi, bmw, mercedes - seem to give little regard for their cars or for the safety of passing motorists - they just nose in, leaving their rears exposed to being hit, so long as they can park close to where they want to be!
So up again we head. We get the very occasional glimpse of the road above us as we twist and turn through hairpin after hairpin after hairpin. The switchbacks are so close that often, the cars on the next stretch are literally right above us.
Despite the weather still being very close, there are a number of people heading off to walk in the mountains. They are certainly very awe-inspiring and evocative.
The road continues to challenge - it is quite tiring driving it. Safety rails are not in all places, not a problem given that we are averaging well less than the stipulated 40 kph - in some places we are down to 20! And after about another hour or travel, we reach the peak and the site of the Blue Lake - not a hope of stopping here - the parking is even worse, and the local Police are on hand milking the cash cow that are parking infringers! They must make a financial killing for the few months that the road is open. Once we pass the peak, we get our first glimpse of the famous road switches as we look over towards the southern road. O.M.G. how stunning is this - too bad the day is not clear and sunny - the view must be absolutely jaw-dropping!
Now, I have been watching the fuel gauge with interest and a wee bit of concern. We have reached the top with now just over 100 kms worth of fuel left. Much of the ascent has been in 2nd gear, albeit not very fast.
The views are stunning - there is something about being in high mountains and looking down on the work of mother nature - something that you just can't fathom. Locals and tourists seem to appreciate it as there are plenty (and I mean plenty) of people out read to take serious walks in this mountainous terrain. We pass the Mountain Rescue base, complete with Fire Brigade, Ambulance and rescue vehicles and I just wonder how often they are called to the rescue of some foolhardy person/s who have misjudged the conditions, their preparedness or the gravity of their jaunt!
Life goes on pretty much as normal here on the southern side. A flock of sheep grazes on the side of the road with a foolhardy few dashing to greener pasture on the other side of the road, leaving motorists to brake even more suddenly. A group of bikers conglomerate at the base of one of the climbs - of course, the road speed limit doesn't apply to them as they defy gravity on some of the corners - today they can have it - does not appeal to me one little bit in this weather!
And we are heading down down down - with me coasting where I can - my trip meter is no longer telling me how much fuel I have left, and the fuel light has come on. Tell Michael who says "Oh well, not much we can do about it". F***, me, I'm starting to quietly panic.
Still we press on - there are not so many uphills now (which is good, given our circumstances) and I watch the road markers that we pass every km with hope and dread - we are still a lot further from Curtea des Arges than I am comfortable with.
The road continues to twist and turn, travelling alongside the Arges River as it works its way to Lake Vidrarul - a man made dam that feeds a hydro electric scheme. The road crosses at the dam wall and again, the police have their hands full trying to keep the traffic moving, and those blastered parkers off the roadside.
Still travelling close to empty, but as the last reading was at 80km of fuel, and we had less than that to reach the southern destination, I am hopeful that we will get there. We pass a number of small hamlets and tourist resorts, though none with fuel. Finally we come in to Căpățânenii Pământeni and lo and behold - there is a serv
ice station - doing a very brisk trade. Whew. We have never been so pleased to see a dirty, grungy little establishment!!!! The lack of care when it comes to disposing of rubbish is disheartening - people just throw their litter from cars and abandon water bottles and trash wherever they are. Roadside stops are always filled with overflowing bins and heaps of rubbish piled beside them. It is such a pity in such pristine conditions.
So we reach Curtea des Arges and make the turn for Bucharest. Pears, garlic and tomato sellers line the road, the farmers are busy on their drays and they hay is in the barns drying out.
The main national freeway cuts in from here and today, I am happy to take it, getting up to speeds of 130 kph to make up for the almost 5 hours it took to travel the first 90 kms today. We are a little over an hour for the capital and I can't wait to get there.
We enter into Bucuresti proper, and with it, into the traffic chaos that is a capital city. Horns, sirens and screeching, along with trams and trolley buses and those infernal tram lines to cross and travel along. We arrive at the location of the office of the Bucharest Apartments, but can't see it straight away, so I slip into a side street, park illegally as Michael makes a phone call (on international roam) to the office. We are literally just around the corner and Marcus eventually comes down to find us - Michael gets out to meet him as he is having trouble seeing us.
Finally he returns to the car - the apartment is just behind us, parking at the rear. Old he says, but clean enough and literally a 10 minute walk in to the Old Town. Marcus told him we have the perfect location - turn left at the intersection for the new town, turn right for the old town!
Yes, the exterior of the block is something from the communist era, but inside we are comfortable. There is a washing machine too - so we pt everything through a wash. A pizza store provided dinner and a patisserie downstairs gives coffee and pastries for later.
We manage to make contact with Diana - Lorena has been holidaying in Greece and we plan to meet for dinner tomorrow night. Hopefully Lorena will be back in time to join us.
I'm off to bed after a very full, eventful and exhausting drive today. See you on the morrow!
Ah, a shady spot and a soon arrived bus - who could ask for more. At 25 Lei ($8) each, it's a bargain! We set off to do one lap and to get our bearings. The route is a little more than 9 kms, and it takes just over an hour to do a lap. The bus is full, and the upstairs open air deck is full before we get on - I'm just pleased that we manage to get a seat for this first trip. 
We see that Bucuresti is filled not only with fountains, but also with some really impressive parks. There are gardens down the centre of the main boulevards, all in full bloom, and there are lots of buildings undergoing significant renovations. As we move out of the old city centre area, we enter a more genteel area where the buildings are grander with lots of trees. A number of up-market doctors, dentists and allied health services abound and as we near the Free Press House we also see the makings of the commercial world in a modern Bucharest - complete with a World Trade Centre and Microsoft House!
Down past the Palace of the Parliament - the second largest civic government building in the world after the Pentagon. Built by Communist president Nicolae Ceausescu during 1984-1989, it is 84 m high, it has 12 floors and 6,000 rooms (hundreds of offices, dozens of reception and conference halls). The building was intended to house the presidency, the ministries as well as the headquarters of the communist party. The building is endowed with an antinuclear bunker with 1.5 m thick walls covered with radiation-proof panels and is connected to the main official institutions through a 20 km-labyrinth of tunnels. Much of the old city was destroyed to provide space for its construction with some 40,000 people displaced, leading to countless suicides we are told. It is jarring in its arrogance and holds no interest for us to explore.
The Coltea Church - the Three Holy Hierarchs was consecrated in 1702 and replaced an earlier timber church. It has weathered the hundreds of years with little impact to its external and internal frescoes - but those flagstones have been worn with the feet of the faithful - as in most of the churches we are seeing in Romania.
Another amazing Orthodox Church - this one Stavropoleos Monastery completed in 1724 and dedicated to the Saints Archangels Michael and Gabriel. It is more a convent than a monastery and we see a quite young nun bustling about her chores - dressed from head to toe in black - how hot she must be at this time of the year. We marvel again at the frescoes and at the collection of carved tombstones and pieces - we even find a couple of early coptic written pieces. They offered early travellers solace here and in the cool courtyard, we can appreciate how much other might have also enjoyed the respite. In the outside burners for remembering the dead, we light three candle to the memories of our dads and Michael's mum. 
Man, its hot. Its now almost 2 in the afternoon and we need somewhere to sit and have a cold drink. There are a number of cafes on the streets, but one in particular seems to draw us. Caru' cu Bere was truly buzzing and the interior was one of stained glass opulence, but we couldn't get near inside for the tour groups - so we happily joined the 'plebs' sitting under the outside covered awning. We were lucky to spy a couple leaving, so made a dash for their table - I think we were meant to wait to be seated, but there was the quick and the thirsty today!
A waitress soon materialized and asked if we wanted a drink to start, when handing us the huge menus. Yes, "limonade please" - "with mint and honey" she asked, "mmm yes please, and sparkling water." You have no idea how refreshing this is - straight lemon juice, a handful of mint leaves and about a tablespoon of honey to which is added enough sparkling water to make it up to 1 litre. My new favourite summer drink.
We have walked from one side of the Old Town to the other and have managed to come out just beside the National Museum of the History of Romania (the former Postal Palace). And we find it shut on Mondays and Tuesdays - the story of our day today :(
So its back on the bus to continue the loop to our starting point. As we look out from the balcony of our apartment, we can see the Biserica Sfântul Gheorghe Nou down below us. A service is in progress, so we don't go in but in the 
frescoes painted on the outside, this more modern church highlights hell - much to Michael's amusement. And in the grounds there is a huge astrolabe with the degree representations for many of the cities we have visited!
We are hoping to catch up with Diana and Lorena who we met in France for dinner tonight and I wait by
