Bucharest Sites & Bites

 

Start off in Revolution Square, which plays an important role in Romanian history. Notably, Ceausescu made his ill-advised rallying speech to a crowd that quickly turned on him back in 1989 which then led to the Romanian revolution. Close by, there are lots of landmarks, such as the former Royal Palace, the Athenaeum concert hall and Athenee Palace which was the place on everyone’s lips back in the day. In such a historical spot, it only seems right to have a traditional treat. We’ll enjoy a covrig - a daily salty snack for most Romanians. The snack was likely brought to Romania by Hapsburg or German merchants back in medieval times.

Next up, Victory Street: named after the 1871 War of Independence. Although it took until 1918 for Romania to be fully united, hence each region has its own distinct character. This stretch is also home to a bunch of other iconic inter-war monuments, including the Kretzulescu Church, Telephone Palace, Military Circle and former National Theatre.

We head in to the old town - this is the heart of medieval Bucharest. Here you can witness the many diverse influences on Romanian food — the Balkan mici (skinless sausages), the Ottoman sarmale (stuffed cabbage leaves), Russian borscht and ciorba (sour soups) and Austro-Hungarian schnitzel. Cast your eyes over the lavishly lush interiors and princely courts, the never-seen-before tranquillity of an orthodox monastery and the great wooden inn of Hanul Lui Manuc.

En route to our final destination, we’ll get a look at People's Palace, the centre of Ceausescu’s megalomaniac attempts to re-shape the city and the second largest building in the world (only pipped to the post by the Pentagon!). Try some culinary specialties at a traditional hanu or inn. During the time of the ancient Romanians (the Dacians) so much wine was drunk by the people that their leader: Burebista completely banned its production. The inventive Dacians began brewing beer right away! Pick either fine Romanian wines and/or locally brewed beer, just like the Dacians would have wanted!

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English.