Bucharest, The Old Town

We awoke to a beautiful sunny day with wonderful temps--warm but coolish in the shade. 

One of the best investments I've made was getting the  GPS My City app. I've mentioned them in other posts and they continue to grow in their reach into cities around the world. Their two hour walking tour that is mapped out with places of interest and descriptions in the Old Town of Bucharest was spot on today.

Saint Nicholas Russian Church

After a good breakfast buffet at our hotel, we ventured out. First on the list was to find our meeting point for the Viator excursion we will take tomorrow. We have to be there around 6:30 in the morning so we didn't want to be caught not knowing where exactly it was. It took us to a place not far from the National Theater of Bucharest. In the square there was an interesting collection of statues called The Wagonload. The characters depicted there come from a Romanian playwright's works (among other talents) who lived in the late 1800s to early 1900s. 

From there we started on our walking tour and found our first stop, University Square. It serves as a transportation hub and in Romanian history, served as a gathering point for mass demonstrations that helped shape the course of Romania's democratic transition. 

The next stop was a gem, the Saint Nicholas Russian Church. It was built between 1905 and 1909. The outside looks pink and has seven gilded onion domes on top. The inside was amazing with walls painted with religious scenes. As Bob noted later, we did not see any organs in any of the churches we visited today. 

We stopped in at the Museum of the National Bank of Romania because the decor was supposed to be impressive. There was a very small lobby entrance, well protected by guards and a glass fortified wall with a reception desk. When asked about the museum, they pointed to a small office to one side that was for information. You had to make a reservation and if we understood correctly, it would be in two days. Scratch looking at a bunch of old money.

Stavropoleos Convent

A passage call Macca-Villacrosse went in two forked directions. The arcade covering was an arched golden glass and the two passageways were full of little boutiques and cafes that were just beginning to set up shop. From our observation, things don't really get rolling around the Old Town until afternoon.

The Stavropoleos Convent, founded in 1724, was another beautiful structure. The chapel was again adorned with religious paintings on the wall. Outside was a courtyard that had old stone relics that perhaps had adorned graves in another century. It was a very peaceful respite off on a quiet street.

The tour took us down another street call Smardan which was beginning to bustle with lunchtime foot traffic. Sidewalk cafes were filling up. As you walk past each of them someone is standing there asking if you want food or drink and inviting you in. We weren't hungry but we were ready for a cup of coffee. 

The Old Court

We ordered some flavored coffees and of course needed something to go with them so we ordered "pancakes" with fruit. The pancakes were more like donuts and covered with a blueberry sauce and each one (there were three) had a donut hole on top. Different and good.

On to the birthplace of Bucharest called The Old Court. It was established in the 15th century Vlad Tepes, better known as Vlad the Impaler (more on him tomorrow). It grew into a complex of royal buildings over the early years but eventually fell to ruin. It appears though there might be some restoration work going on there. It would be an interesting site to see when it's done.

Old Court Church

Right next to the ruins is the Old Court Church, the Church of Saint Anthony. which dates back to the mid-16th century. For a church that is said to be that old, it looks to be in very good shape. Apparently it was damaged during wars, fires and earthquakes and has been restored to its near-original appearance.

The Manuc's Inn was a little challenging to find. We found the building but never found the entrance to the inside courtyard where there was supposed to be "charming balconies". It was also said to be the site of the signing of the Treaty of Bucharest that ended the Russo-Turkish War and later briefly housed Bucharest's town hall.

Another inn called the Linden Tree dates back to 1833 and was a challenge to find. My app kept telling me we were there but nothing matched the picture we were supposed to see until we shrugged, gave up and started walking again. Suddenly we happened upon the gated entrance to it. Inside the courtyard were artisan shops featuring all sorts of artwork and crafts. 

Our last stop on the tour was Lipscani Street, one we had walked down the night before. It was filled with now bustling cafes and many people, locals and tourists, filling seats for late lunch or afternoon drinks. We opted to skip traveling it again and headed for the hotel for an afternoon nap.

The best stop on our tour mid way was a place called The Beer Wagon or Caru' cu Bere. A lovely restaurant with sidewalk cafe but even more impressive was the inside with stained glass windows and rich dark wood, perhaps mahogany. Originally it was opened as a brewery in 1879 by Transylvanian entrepreneurs. We looked at the dinner menu and found it to our liking. When I finish this post, we will be off to eat a true Romanian meal.