Insanely tiring day. I decided to skip visiting Craiova this morning, opting instead to head straight into Bucharest, expecting the drive to take about 3 1/2 hours as estimated on Google Maps. Well, I left Craiova ay 8:30 AM and did not reach my hotel until half past 3. The traffic was simply horrendous. Long lines of trucks, maddening delays due to road work, and a malfunctioning GPS are equally to blame. I kept my cool best that I could, but I did let out a couple of screams inside the car, just to release pent-up aggravation. Again, the topography along the route was anything but exciting. Driving through some of the villages was interesting, I love the old houses with steep roofs on all sides, but I did not want to stop for photos on account of the delays. Orthodox churches are everywhere. In small villages they are not very elaborate (at least on the outside), but I found them interesting all the same.
One redeeming factor of the tiring drive was that in each town, between 12 and 2 PM, roadside restaurants like the one below, are grilling meats, and the aroma was incredibly palatable and mouthwatering, wafting seemingly for miles. Each time I passed one I rolled down the window and took a deep breath.
I parked the car at the hotel and took the metro into town (efficient and pleasant), then, in a mere few hours I managed to walk yet another 17,000 steps, starting at the House of Parliament, built by the despot President Ceaucescu. It is the heaviest building in the world and it is simply so large, that it is hard to imagine. It is surrounded by a wall, and it took me over one hour to circumnavigate it! On the property, plans are moving along to construct a new cathedral, which is going to be impressive (and as gigantic), indeed.
Another metro train took me to downtown, but once out on the street, I took a wrong turn and ended up back in Old Town, where I was lodged a few days ago, so I missed some of the highlights I had planned to see, but it gave me opportunity to go back to the restaurant where I had dinner just a few days ago, and this dinner (lamb chops and roast potatoes) was equally delicious. Here are some pictures of the area.
Fishing in the canal
Izvor Square)
Communist era buildings. They are everywhere.
Church of Mihai Voda
A quaint Plaza
Halul Luj Manac Restaurant (built over 200 years ago)
Palace of Justice building
Street view, with the National History Museum building in the background
The she-wolf statue. A gift by the city of Rome in 1906
A cute bit of graffiti
Comparatively, I found Sofia to be more attractive than Bucharest, although Bucharest is more hip. My flight back to Italy is not scheduled until late afternoon. There is a museum that I'm hoping to take in, in the morning, which depicts life in a Romanian village at the turn of the century. I will not set my alarm clock, as I'm planning to sleep until I wake up naturally, but hopefully I will have enough time. Thanks for coming along; do your feet hurt as much?
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