234. Farewell to Bucharest ...

My time here in Bucharest is up, now all I have to do is clean the apartment, pack my kit and hail a taxi before I head off for another city to explore ... but before I go, here are a few "architectural" impressions of this Romanian city that has captivated me totally for the past three weeks ...

My Airbnb apartment - 

just fifteen minutes from the city centre by bus ...

The best "inspirational" studio view ...
 

Monument to Barbu Catargiu - 
a conservative Romanian politician and journalist. 
He was the first Prime Minister of Romania, in 1862, 
until he was assassinated on 20 June that year.

Bucharest has many fine Romanian Orthodox church buildings ... architecturally distinctive with unbelievable interiors dripping with frescoes, icons and lotsa gold ... as they are all working churches, photography inside is not encouraged unfortunately ..

 

The Patriarchal Cathedral - the structure was begun in 1654 and completed in 1658 … In 1862, the Romanian prime minister, Barbu Catargiu ( see previous statue ), was assassinated as his open carriage passed in front of the cathedral ( but that's another story of intrigue from the Balkans ... ) …

main entrance ...

   church and patriarch's palace ...

 

Church Hagiu ...

 

 

 

 

 

... and as the final days of a cold winter are looking as though they are nearing an end and the spring sun is breaking through the clouds, city cafes start spilling out onto the sidewalks ...

 

... and the bare trees along the boulevards and in the parks suddenly come into bud and blossom - soon to be be covered in dense foliage in readiness for what is forecast will be a scorching Eastern European summer ...

 

Bucharest architecture is quite distinctive and beautiful ...

Dambovita Runs through the centre of the city ...

Court of Appeal building ...

Trajan and the She Wolf - Vasile Gorduz ...

Evidently, the statue was not well received by the Bucharesters, who met it with derision, due to the nudity and the awkwardness of the subjects, being described as "a monument to Romania's many stray dogs", with commentators wondering why "the dog is levitating", and why the animal wears a scarf "while the emperor isn't even wearing any underwear".

CEC Bank building ...
tourists are not allowed inside to view the grand interior
unless you have a bank account with them !!! ...

another aspect ...

The General Inspectorate of Police building ...

Romanian Athenaeum

Department for the Fight Against Fraud

University of Bucharest

unsure what was housed behind these fellas ...

Central University Library and
statue of King Carol ( Charles )

University of Medicine

a view of the Palace of Parliament from the city centre ...

Central Bucharest Hospital

... this building housed an arts and crafts centre ... !!! ...

 

National Theatre
very Corbusier-like building

The Arch of Triumph

The first, wooden, triumphal arch was built hurriedly, after Romania gained its independence (1878), so that the victorious troops could march under it. Another temporary arch was built on the same site, in 1922, after World War I, which was demolished in 1935 to make way for the current triumphal arch, which was inaugurated in September 1936.

Bucharest also has a very distinctive suburban residential architecture dating back to the early 19th century ... many homes were in a state of urgent repair, but wandering around the city I could see lots of fine Romanian-style buildings that I would be more than happy living in, and many more already in the process of restoration ...

 

 

... and everywhere are examples of 20th century Ceausescu-era apartment buildings ...

... and there's just time for one final coffee at my local morning caffeine hot spot - conveniently  just around the corner from my apartment ...

... then it's a taxi to the Gara de Nord ...

 

... and "all aboard" this sleek little Romanian beauty ...

... stay tuned to see where the time machine drops me off ...