Trips

Thurs., 6/7/12 - Giurgiu to Bucharest, Romania

Early in the morning we moved from our dock at Ruse down the river about 2 miles to dock at the port of Giurgiu, Romania, the port for Bucharest. We then had a two-hour bus ride into Bucharest.

On our quick city tour we stopped to take pictures of the Palace of the Parliament that houses the Romanian Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The communist leader, Caeusescu, built it for communist administration and made it the second largest (next to the Pentagon) administrative building in the world. It has nine stories above ground and three more below ground including a bomb shelter. It has 3,000 rooms.

Flag of Romania

Romanian Coat of Arms

Romanian EU license plate

Pre-EU license plate

Port at Giurgiu, Romania

Romanian Parliament Building - Palace of the Parliament

Bucharest has an Arch of Triumph

Anti-gridlock sign

Sewer cover

Our tour included a visit to the Village Museum. It is an eight-acre park (one of many in Bucharest) around one of the seven city lakes. Seventy buildings from the 1700 to 1900's were moved here from all parts of Romania. The houses were all similar in design. The entry hall divided the parent’s bedroom from the kitchen where people sat and the children slept. The windmills, wooden churches, hay racks, wine presses, sleds, barns, etc. were all very functional and stoutly designed with hand carved decorations. The homesteads had elaborately carved fences and entry gates. Period textiles were displayed in many of the houses. It was a nice day and a relief to walk in the open air away from city cobblestones.