Spring in Bucharest

We revisited Bucharest to see family and friends on the way back from Puglia, before we left for Canada. It seemed like the time we had put aside for this part of the trip, four weeks, was too short. Then again it is always too short and it always goes by very quickly. As part of my trips back home, I am learning to put myself there as a priority, if not first then in the top three. Usually I end up doing many things and spending a lot of time running around and not enough time with new stuff I want to do. I am getting better at choosing a few activities beforehand and trying to get them done as well taking advantage of being close to family and friends. I am happy we had the chance to do some things I haven’t done in a long time or never at all. We were there during springtime so it was lovely to walk around the Herastrau Park with its beautiful Japanese Garden. A lot of teenage love seemed to be proclaimed between the blooming cheery trees.

Bucharest.

Bucharest.

We enjoyed a couple of trips to the Romanian Peasant Museum, one for a proper visit inside and another to buy a couple of things from their incredible shop. It is an artisan shop, as many places and markets you can see around Romania but it also has real clothing and house pieces which were brought in to sell. The reasons behind that may be a bit sad, people having to let go of their traditional items and clothing either from lack of money or interest. But I guess by purchasing them and wearing them we would give them a new life and nurture the appreciation for the incredible craftsmanship. We also ended up buying plates and bowls again. I think a slight obsession is settling in. But when you see such beauties it is hard not to imagine them on a table with people around sharing stories and food. The ones we bought this time were made by the ceramist Les Gábor.

We also paid a visit to the Palace of the Parliament, also known as one of the largest buildings in the world, the place meant to house Nicolae Ceasescu’s ego. Ironically he never had a chance to live in it. When the revolution came in 1989 it was still in progress. Most of it was completed but the finishes and other interior work was not done. For a few years after that they had to decide if they were going to continue the work or demolish it. It is big, there is indeed a lot of incredible work done inside mostly with local materials and by local artists. Although the maintenance of it is a tremendous task, preserving some of work done and trying to find new life for it to justify some of the sacrifices made to build it, could make it worthwhile.

Bucharest.

Bucharest.

We enjoyed a long series of theatre plays, from children’s plays at ‘Ion Creanga’ Theatre to a few comedies at Metropolis and a drama at Nottara. Husband Chris, my Australian husband learning Romanian made it to most of them and did not fall asleep once with an understanding rate of probably 30%.

Food Cravings
After Italy maybe we should have ignored all food cravings and get on a diet. We were even so motivated that we joined the gym. We went three times and then didn’t have time anymore, trading it for walks around the city or visits. Enough about exercise, how could we not enjoy food especially since my aunt was so happy to take us picking wild garlic in the woods. I don’t know how pleased was husband Chris during the threatre plays but during picking plants in the woods he was very giddy. Also she has a beautiful farm with lots of vegetables and fruits and more importantly goats, baby goats. Maybe I shouldn’t mention this under a section called food cravings but I guess it is related to the farm and the little beauty is alive and well, surrounded by fellow goats.

Romania.

We even ventured to new restaurants this time. A few that I would not mind re-visiting are: Lacrimi si Sfinti, Violeta’s Bistro, great location and decent food at Zexe, always animated at Caru cu Bere or raw at Rawdia.

I am not sure when we are going back home but in the meantime when we look at the sky (Priveste Cerul) we will sometimes think of it.

Bucharest.

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