Bucharest

I can't believe I didn't talk about the absolutely most amazing church I have ever been in in my last post. We went to the Nativity Church in Arbanassi Bulgaria. This church with an plain unassuming exterior was built in three distinct stages in the 16th & 17th centuries. This is the oldest and most richly decorated church in Arbanassi.

We were told that no pictures could be taken because the paintings inside were so fragile. While I understood, You can't imagine how painful it was once we walked inside and saw this place. It is better than the Sistine Chapel! I am only glad the rest of the world hasn't discovered it because they couldn't handle the crowds and it would be destroyed. That said, I was able to find a large number of photos on Flickr.com. Search for Arbanassi Nativity Church. I am glad you can see these pictures but I am also mad that folks seem to think the rules apply to everyone else but themselves.

OK, enough of that. So, on the bus for one last day. As we drove to Bucharest, our guide talked a lot about gypsies and their history and way of life. He pointed out a gypsy castle:

He said that the number of towers denotes the wealth of the family. Even with such an opulent home, they would sleep in tents in the yard. The castle was all for show and stature.

Again more communist revival architecture and then the renovations to the same type of building after communism ended.

Not sure which was better. We arrived in Bucharest and visited a Village Museum with authentic dwellings from all regions,of the country including rural cottages, farmhouses and water mills. Ernie and I had visited a similar museum in Hungary a few years ago and we were really looking forward to this one. We were not disappointed. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Now this is an outdoor Barbeque.

Love the blue on white.

We only had enough time to see about half of the museum so we will probably go back for the rest on another day, since we will be here for three more days. Lunch in another local restaurant with a folk show.

Got to love the little hats. Think I'll get one for Ernie. NOT!

We citied Ceausesu's lavish and expansive "House of the People". I didn't take any photos inside since they wanted $10 for a photo pass. This palace is the second largest building in the world. He confiscate some incredible amount of land to build this monumental building. He just took what he wanted from the people, kicked them off their property, leveled it and then "convinced" them that they should work on the construction. He not only built the palace but a massive grand square and a boulevard that is wider and longer than the Champs Élysées in Paris. There were 47 fountains built, representing the 47 regions in Bulgaria. There are 1000 rooms in this structure and currently only 400 are being used. When you see all the rebuilding that needs to be done in this country and think of all that went into building this monument to communism and himself, you can't help but think what a monumental waste!

Here.s on elf the fountains. None of the fountains were operating and our guide said they should be on because the weather was warm and that's when they operate. As we drove down the boulevard and passed the fountains, it was obvious why they weren't on. They all needed repair!

Not to end this post on a negative note. We the. Visited the Orthodox Church close to the palace. It was just what we needed, to see beauty after the palace.

We are in the 5-star Radisson for tonight and then we move to an apartment for the next three days. Spending tomorrow doing laundry, catching up on the blog, and not riding a bus.

Going to the old town the next day and to a restaurant that serves traditional Romanian food in the evening. Hope y'all have a great day too!

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