This morning we enjoyed a city walking tour; our guide provided good insights into way of life during Communist times and did show some of the hidden treasures … including one of the churches, that has been moved to make place for the Palace of Parliament.
Category Archives: _Europe_
Bukarest – Palace of Parliament
We made it to Bukarest in the late morning. A quick lunch had to do, as we were scheduled for a guided tour through the Palace of Parliament at 13:15.
The building – often referred to as the second largest on the planet (after the Pentagon) – goes back to the 1980s and greatly depicts the megalomania of Romania’s dictator Ceausescu. In the building process a whole city quarter had been torn down, several churches and other buildings were moved to new locations. Originally only Romanian materials and products were used in the creation of the building … today this still holds true to a big extend, however some non-Romanian products got added (e.g. air conditioning units).
Today the building houses the Romanian parliament and the senate, as well as other administration. The building also serves as conference center and many of the big halls can (as our guide pointed out multiple times) actually be rented for any sort of function.
Continuing to Bukarest
We had an early start the next morning, leaving Brasov to make our way to Bukarest.
Oktoberfest
We made it back to Brasov in the evening; in time to head out and visit the local Oktoberfest for some beers, sausages and other treats.
Bran Castle
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Our final stop for the day was in Bran – for Bran Castle – also known as Dracula Castle … and one of the drivers for people to come here. The castle itself goes back to the 14th century, built … Continue reading
Peleș Castle & Râșnov Citadel
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This Sunday saw us heading out for castles and citadels. We started early in the morning, first making it to Peleș Castle. Built only in the late 19th / early 20th century in German Renaissance style, this castle was the … Continue reading
Brasov
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After a good breakfast in Viscri (with an amazing rhubarb jam) we continued our journey to Brasov or Kronstadt – a good one hour drive away. Brasov is yet another city with Germanic roots – founded in the 13th century … Continue reading
Viscri
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Arriving in Viscri felt like stepping back in time … Our bed rooms were essentially old farmhouse parlors, in many cases complete with furniture and decoration from as far back as the 19th century. The rooms had a slight museum … Continue reading
From Sighișoara to Viscri
We had another morning for a further wander in Sighișoara – museums and churches now were open and ready for visit.
Around midday we left Sighișoara and made our way to Viscri – or Deutsch Weißkirch – a Saxon village about an hour away from town.
Into Sighișoara
We now continued into Transylvania – towards our first overnight stop in Sighișoara or (to use the German name) Schäßburg.
With the region settled since Roman times, the city itself goes back to the 12th century, when immigrant Saxons established the town here. Many of the buildings in the historic city center today go back to a bit later in the 16th century.
