“There comes a moment of disconnect in journeys where the unreality is its own power, banishing aches and recognition of trials.” – Old Sean
Pitch Fountains
After spending some time in Varna, Bulgaria, I hopped aboard a shuttle-van service heading towards Bucharest in Romania.
I arrived at an ungodly hour, blinking sleep from my gritty eyes at two in the morning. For a moment, I just staggered free from my seat and stood around, wobblily gaining my bearings.
I can resolutely declare that Bucharest’s city center makes an impactful first impression. The first thing I laid eyes on was Fântânile București, otherwise known as the Bucharest Fountains. This vast fountain-pool complex was spewing and jetting water with ghostly hues underneath. Soft blues and sharp purples were fringed with churning white as arcs of illuminated water continuously flung itself skyward.
Still groggy, I began walking to my hostel. When visiting Bucharest at night, it’s clear the city is an active nightlife-entertainment zone. Even close to witching hour, there were still active crowds of drunk folks staggering past shops and bars. I continued cutting north until I eventually arrived at my hostel.
There, I shrugged out of my backpack and slouched in a corner until the sun finally rose.
Checking In, Heading Out
Technically, I wasn’t supposed to be in the hostel. Check in wasn’t until 10 AM in the morning, so I didn’t have a room booked for the night hours. I was told I wasn’t allowed to sleep in the lobby by another guest, but a low-brimmed hat and long, muted SNL skits on my phone created enough of an illusion to be left alone. I fell into fitful snoozes while waiting for the sun to rise.
Eventually, the sun peaked up, I grabbed myself a brief coffee and returned to my hostel to check in. Rather than enjoy a slow morning with naps, I decided to begin exploring.
Much of Bucharest is a large, bustling old town area with unique architecture and fantastic parks. Other portions of the city are quieter, more business-like and distinctly, functionally modern.
I took a supremely long walk around town. I first visited Parcul Tineretului, which contained a curving lake, many walking trails, a small island and numerous playgrounds.
Afterwards, I angled back towards Parcul Carol which is home to a smaller lake, a miniture caslte (the National Office For Heroes building) and the stately Nation’s Heroes Memorial.
I continued walking, pausing to stop at Palace of Parliament (Palatul Parlamentului), an absolutely colossal parliament building dominating an entire section of the city.
Finally, I reached Grădina Cișmigiu, an English-styled park with gorgeous rectangles of bright flowers, a strange stone hut which I believe was named La Movilă, and stone trails with trees beginning to shift colors.
Finally, energy well-diminished, I pass the Old Princely Court building on my way back to my hostel. Before I could blink thrice, I was laying down, skipping dinner and falling asleep.
Day Two of Visiting Bucharest
The following day, woke up early to visit more portions of the city.
My favorite site by far was the Muzeul Satului Dimitrie Gusti, an outdoor museum display of houses along a beautiful lake.
The buildings showcased all the traditional methods of lodging from Romanian history, exquisitely rendered and carefully explained on small panels, making it feel like a rather extensive tour of ye’ olden days.
After finishing my tour, I made a point to duck inside the Natural History Museum and stopped at a few random street stalls selling pastries.
After I recharged on pastries, I hiked forth to see Stavropoleos Monastery Church, an interesting and beautiful Eastern Orthodox Church. Afterwards, I swung by (but didn’t enter) the Romanian Athenaeum.
That concludes my time visiting Bucharest. The visit felt odd and dreamlike. I was tired for most of it, except when I was so overly stuffed on pastries, I felt like I was rolling. In the end, the city didn’t resonate strongly with my detached mind, but it felt like it should have.
Regardless, I’m off again. Tonight, I’m picking up my backpack and hopping on a night-train to the border-town of Timișoara.
So until then,
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written September 19th 2018
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Skog Å Kust Watertight Day Bag
Everyone should have a day bag. My favorite is the Skog Å Kust Watertight Bag. It’s easy to sling over my shoulders and lets me walk without fear of m devices getting damaged in the rain. Better yet, I can go swimming with electronics whenever I need to.
