‘Buna’ from Bucharest, Romania!
Guess how long we slept in for. Please guess!
I’ll give you a hint:
We were up for 30 straight hours traveling from the USA to Bucharest, Romania yesterday.
Here’s another hint (because I’m nice like that 😉 :
We went to sleep at 6pm.
So are you ready for the answer?
We slept for 16 STRAIGHT HOURS.
I can confidently say I’ve never slept for that long consecutively in my entire life.
So it was 10am when we finally woke up.
The mission to find breakfast
Due to some mixed messages and several notes from the hotel, we didn’t know if breakfast was being served or not at the hotel. However, I figure we were too late to really make it anyways.
And so we took to the streets of Bucharest for some breakfast. We’re in the University District, so I figured we’d have no issue finding a cafe or something similar.
Just behind the hotel, we saw what looked like a takeaway corner store called LUCA where a lot of people were lined up. I read somewhere that seeing lots of people at a food establishment is generally a good sign of both quality and value, and so we joined the line.
All I know how to say in Romanian so far is “hello” (buna) and “thank you” (multumesc), so I had no clue what any of the menu items were. At least the Romanian language uses a Latin alphabet, so I could attempt to pronounce what we wanted to try.
We each ended up picking a square shaped pastry called a ‘menesa’, which I now know is a cheese-filled pastry! Not the breakfast I’m used to, but that’s the point of traveling and it was absolutely delicious. Plus, at 4 lei each ($1), it was a fabulous deal!
Taking the metro to King Mihai I Park
While enjoying the menesas and hotel coffee from the patio, we started planning how we were going to visit some big landmarks in the Northern area of town. We debated either taking the subway or walking an hour and 15 minutes to the parks and museums in that area.
Considering each metro ride is $0.75 (6 lei) we chose that option.
The entrance to the M2 line is right outside the Grand Hotel Bucharest. At the machines, we bought the two-ride pass using a credit card and had no problems navigating the platform. 15 minutes and 3 stops later, we were there at the King Mihai I Park (Herăstrău Park). There was actually a race benefiting children’s hospitals, so lots of people and tents were set up in the gardens. There was even a team of police/military on horseback there in full regalia!
But our final destination was the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum, so we made our way North along the forested paths. Tons of playgrounds and bars dot the paths, so both kids and adults seemed to be having a blast.
We also passed Bucharest’s triumphant arch, Arcul de Triumf, which is covered in Latin lettering and topped with the proudly waving Romanian flag.
Finally, we made it to the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum! Didn’t even get lost on the way there 🙂
Exploring the ‘Dimitrie Gusti’ National Village Museum
The ticket machine was having issues with my sister’s card, so we had to pay in cash. I’m glad I sucked it up to pay those ATM fees before we left! I showed my student traveler’s card and we both got the discount, so our tickets were only $2.50/10 lei each- score!
The Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum is phenomenal and truly one of a kind. Hundreds of historic buildings from villages around Romania have been donated for the preservation of Romania’s cultures at this open air museum.
First we walked along a trail with wooden farming equipment. Each one has a placard with a little map so you can see the machine’s purpose and which region it comes from. They have 3 different windmills, each of which looks different since they’re from different regions.
Most of the buildings are homes, and some of them you can go inside.
This was my favorite aspect of the museum because not only do you learn how architectural styles differ across Romania, you also learn why.
Not all of the buildings are homes. Some are craftsman’s shops, and some are even shelters for livestock.
Each building was different and I was so surprised by the architectural diversity of Romania. What stood out most was how much detail was put into each home. Roof tiles are not just tiles, they are carved into curving patterns.
A fence was not just a fence, the wood is braided together before being mounted on fence posts.
Some doors and windows even had paintings on them, or were painted bright blue.
And don’t even get me started on this dancing hall!
In some of the houses’ gardens, craftsmen sell anything from traditional clothes, to honey, to bead work, to pottery, and more. They didn’t pressure you to buy anything, but are happy to tell you about their wares.
We spent over an hour checking out as many buildings as possible, and even though it is an impossible feat, I wish I could remember every fact about each one!
Here are some more pictures instead:
Wandering around Herăstrău Island
After leaving the village, we crossed the pedestrian bridge into Herăstrău Island, where you can walk through the rose gardens and admire the 43 monuments there, such as but not limited to: 11 bronze heads.
On the way back we strolled with the families around the lake and made our way back through the park to the metro. Possibly the cleanest, easiest metro ever!
Now we’re just waiting to meet our tour guide and the rest of the group for our introduction meeting and welcome dinner. Since getting back, I’ve just taken it easy with a shower and another espresso with views over Bucharest from our balcony.
Still in awe that we can see the Old Town from our balcony.
Meeting the group for the Welcome Reception
When we arrived in the lobby, we took note of the people gathered around who would be our fellow adventurers for the next 2 weeks. Our tour guide introduced himself to us and I was glad he did so, we just had to thank him for recommending the National Village Museum as well as our dinner place from the night before!
We all started to chat a little bit as we made our way up to the reception with drinks on 21st floor. It seems like our tour-mates are all older than we are, but they all seem nice so far which is what really matters to me.
For the welcome drink, I tried my first Romanian red wine. It was tasty and I really felt like the trip was taking off!
I can finally fully relax now that there is a guide in charge of getting us around, so even though the metro was easy to navigate, I’m looking forward to just going with the flow and having a guy who knows what he’s doing and speaks the language be in charge.
Dinner discombobulation
I just love that word. Discombobulation. Hehe.
Our first little hiccup of the Balkan Adventure presented itself just after the welcome reception. We were supposed to have dinner at the Grand Bucharest Hotel, but due to “technical difficulties”, all amenities including the kitchens are closed. Our guide says this is unheard of for a hotel picked by Trafalgar, but he was able to find our group another place with very little time.
We ended up at the Novotel for the welcome dinner.
We started off with a white cheese salad, which is a Balkan classic. Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and a block of ‘white cheese’ which may sound alarmingly vague, but is just cheese made out of sheep’s milk. Next up was garlic butter chicken with carrots and cauliflower, then a light and airy cheesecake, and finally a cappuccino.
Our group is so much fun, and turns out, we are all annoyed by the same guy who kept interrupting the tour guide to ask unrelated questions during the welcome reception. Nothing bonds a group like a common annoyance, I guess! I tried some Romanian white wine with dinner and was equally impressed. Our waiter and waitress were super fun and even got into the picture with us! Too bad I can’t find the picture
We’re still exhausted from the eventful day and adjusting, so we went straight to sleep after dinner. I suspect that I’m STILL not fully adjusted, though. I woke up at 3am hungry and wide awake, but forced myself to stay in bed till 7am. Eventually I’ll get in the groove, I hope.
Stay tuned to hear about our next day in Bucharest, where we get to see the city with our group and visit a huge palace! Until next time 🙂
