Most people don't know much about it and its history. But spend a few days here, and you'll come to appreciate its charms.
It's the only Eastern European country that went through a revolution to free itself from Communist rule. The others sort of dropped away rather silently. Here, though, the military grabbed the ruling family and executed them in short order. No messing around here. Since this was in 1989, not so long ago for some, it's amazing to walk the streets and see where some of the events connected with the revolution.
The transformation of Bucharest to a non-Community has taken a lot of time - perhaps more than we all hoped and certainly more than we all wanted. That makes it a little two-faced. There are some great new buildings around town, and you can feel the vitality when walking the streets. On the other hand, you can feel the two parts of the city just by looking at this photo. The top of the building is the classic Communist style apartment, which is not aging well. The old Soviet bloc is full of such places, with fans hanging on the outside wall in an attempt to bring in some cooler air. Then again, note the Pizza Hut on the bottom floor. That's part of Bucharest too.
There's something of a main street, which connects to a classic Old Town with its many charms. The non-Communist portions of the buildings are quite beautiful, and it's obvious that the population takes pride in that heritage. Tourists have been coming in droves lately, and it's a challenge to host them all. But Bucharest is becoming an economic powerhouse in the region. The future seems bright even if there are obstacles to navigate.
Once around the city, please.
No comments:
Post a Comment