Next stop, Bucharest
My pit stop in Toulouse is almost over, so I'll be hitting the road shortly in my first visit to Ukraine's southern neighbour, Romania.
I’ve been on the road for five months now, so far visiting seven French cities, five Moroccan towns and Geneva, Switzerland. Next week I’ll be in Bucharest, Romania, with a side trip to Brasov, Transylvania, to visit Bran Castle, the alleged home of the fictitious count Dracula and of the real Vlad Dracula, aka, Vlad the Impaler. (There’s no evidence Vlad was ever there either, as guest, prisoner or even as a bat in the belfry.)
I’m learning to take the tourist hype with a grain of garlic after posting on Facebook this week that Bucharest’s Palace of Parliament is the second-largest office building in the world, right after the Pentagon. According to Wikipedia, it’s actually 17th, slightly more than half the square footage of the Pentagon and just a little more than Chicago’s celebrated Merchandise Mart. Mind you, Merchandise Mart wasn’t built all in marble as a monument to a dictator’s ego.
Tho we may see that soon if Trump is re-elected.
Anyway, so even though the tourist draw is supposed to be “Dracula’s Castle,” I’ve opted instead for a day-tour that throws in a second castle and a visit to Brasov, a city that doesn’t claim to be the biggest, oldest, tallest, or best anything.
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Toulouse has been my home base, or pied-à-terre, for most of my trip and is still my favourite place to hang my tuque. It’s warming up again, tho, with daytime highs climbing to 16C this week, so I am hoping to hang up the tuque for good.
I feel like I’ve been here a long time… and no time at all. Looking back over my generous photo and video collection, I’m reminded both of how much I’ve seen… and how much I’d still love to see. Spain, Italy, Greece, Tunisia, the entire west coast of France, Belgium, the list seems never-ending. But I’ve only got four more months left on my Schengen visa, so it’s time to whittle my travel wish list down to the practical and the essential. I think that will be the toughest challenge ahead of me, filling the blanks without breaking the bank.
Which explains Bucharest. I’ve always wanted to experience life in Eastern Europe and to witness the artifacts of communist rule in large cities. That, and I got a great deal on airfare. Don’t get me wrong, Bucharest has lots to offer: museums, architecture, parks, food … but cheap tickets sure helped seal the deal.
Meanwhile, here’s looking back at Lyon, Geneva, Montpellier and Strasbourg with some photo spotlights. Thanks for sharing your time with me.
Gorgeous snaps, Peter! If you swing through Italy and need some quick tips, let me know!
Brasov is a fascinating little city, more than you might expect given its size (it helps that it’s a university town, and also in a weird way it helps that it’s on trade routes and has been fought over for centuries).
Check out the Tales of Communism Museum in Brasov, which is all about daily life in the Gheorghiu-Dej/Ceaușescu era. It’s both hilarious and heartbreaking.