B-dul Unirii
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Looking down the grand boulevard.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Palace of Parliament
Palace of Parliament
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
In 1984 construction began on this massive building under the order of Nicolae Ceaucescu, the former Romanian communist leader. It remains uncompleted today, however it does house the parliament and functions as a government building. It is the second largest building in the world (after the Pentagon).
Piata Unirii
Piata Unirii
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
This huge fountain encircles a roundabout in Bucharest. It also marks the end of the B-dul Unirii, the Champs Elysee-like boulevard that extends from the Palace of Parliament. It is actually a bit longer and wider than the Parisian street.
Piata Universitatii
Piata Universitatii
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
In December of 1989, Romania's communist regime collapsed, but not before tanks rolled over protesters and freedom fighters in this square.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Buna from Romania
I finally left Veliko Tarnovo and headed north to Romania, leaving Bulgaria behind. Bulgaria was wonderfully cheap and quiet and untouristy even in its most touristy areas. I never quite got used to the headshaking meaning "yes" and the nods meaning "no's", but I was only there for a few days. The streets were full of new imports but also old Ladas, a reminder from not so long ago. Men were buffed out on steroids and lanky women strolled down the sidewalks as if they were catwalks.Now I'm in Romania for a few days to see some Transylvanian sights.
Train station at Gorna Orjahovica
Train station at Gorna Orjahovica
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
I took a train from here to get to Bucharest. It was kind of a dump of a station.
Pizza and wine
Pizza and wine
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
It was a rainy night so a bunch of us at the Hiker's Hostel ordered pizzas and bought some cheap white wine (about $1.30 for a 2L bottle!).
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Ricardo, Simon, and Azi
Ricardo, Simon, and Azi
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Ricardo, from Portugal, was couchsurfing through eastern Europe for three weeks, and Simon, from NZ, had left home a year ago, and had been working in the UK; his plan was to be travelling and working for five years.
Azi, Rachel, Aureigne
Azi, Rachel, Aurelie
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
I met five others in my dorm room at the Hiker's Hostel in Veliko Taranov. Two of them, Rachel and Aurelie, were doing NGO work with the Bulgarian-Helsinki Committee in Sofia. Interestingly, Aurelie had been in Mae Sot for six months and left two months before I arrived last year. We even knew some of the same people! Rachel had spent 10 months in Malawi on a Fulbrights scholarship.
Tsarevets Fortress
Tsarevets Fortress
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Built between the 5th and 12th century, this fortress sits over Veliko Tarnovo at an s-bend in the river Yantra.
Old town Veliko Tarnova
Old town Veliko Tarnova
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
From Plovdiv, I headed four hours north to Veliko Tarnovo, once the capital of Bulgaria. It is a quaint city with an old quarter, that sits in a windy gorge carved by a river.
Mulberries
Mulberries
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
These trees were all over in Turkey and now in Bulgaria. Free eats!
Freeloading at an opera at the Roman Theatre
There was an opera performing at the theatre. I joined a bunch of freeloaders from a viewpoint outside the theatre.
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