Brasov to Bucharest

I was warned a number of times by other travelers in Romania that Bucharest is not a good place. It's sketchy was the common theme - there are many poor people, the gap between rich and poor is huge, it's a rough, run down city. I don't really know what they were talking about. The subway is great, the city runs pretty well, in 24 hours I had a pretty good experience. 

Bucharest is a interesting city, but it seems unsure of what it wants to be. It is a European city, but with a legacy of Ottoman influence which continues to hold value - to a large extent it seems as a rejection of more modern failures in socialist and now democratic governance. So much of the city was transformed by the socialist dictator Ceausescu during what is considered a dark time by most in the capital, yet times have also been hard since his overthrow. Romania remains a relatively poor country, and in Bucharest the gap between rich and poor is particularly evident. The old city area downtown is a beautiful place, but so much of this is the legacy of Ceausescu's ego. The city features the largest building in Europe (second in the world only to the Pentagon) and the longest boulevard (specifically designed to be longer than the Champs Elise,) But in the process, he singlehandedly allocated massive resources to his project at the expense of thousands of relocated people and others who provided the labor with little compensation. 

The National Palace of Parliament is a case in point The scale of the building is almost unimaginable. 3.7 million square feet in area, more than 1,000 room, more than 1 million cubic meters of marble, 900,000 cubic meters of wood, 3500 metric tons of crystal for its 2,300 chandeliers. All was built with Romanian labor and resources from around the country. As a result there is a tacit rejection of places created under his rule as outside the legacy of Romananian culture and history. Yet so much of the city is Chinascieus's doing. After the 1989 revolution plans to tear down the Palace of Parliament were scrapped when it was determined it would have cost more to destroy than to complete, so the decision was made to finish the building at minimal additional cost. Construction on the $3 billion building continues to this day. It is a bitter pill for Romanians to swallow. 

There is quite a bit to see in Bucharest, it's a big city with impressive architecture, but which with a few exceptions (such as Hanul Lui Manuc - or Manuc's home, the former Ottoman trading post, now a restaurant and former military entertainment venue which has remained intact) was built by the former socialist regime. The old city area in particualar - which full disclosure, was all I had time to see - tries to be European. It's a fun place for a bit, fancy restaurants and bars, but it lacks authenticity. Antique Hostel, located in a renovated old building right across from the National theater and right in the old city is a great place to stay, with good rooms with AC, a nice terrace, common room with TV, balcony with a great view, and free breakfast (make your own eggs).