Bucharest, Romania

Even with Bucharest's edgy and dark historical vibe there are colourful stories and sites. For example, hearing about Nicolae Ceaușescu’s Communist era which ended abruptly, when he and his wife were executed on Christmas Day in 1989.

During Ceaușescu’s regime, while using austerity social policies, he commissioned The Palace of the Parliament. This is the heaviest building in the world, weighing about 4,098,500 tonnes and is the third largest administrative building in the world.

The building was designed and supervised by chief architect Anca Petrescu, a 33-year-old woman. The sumptuous building is fully made of Romanian products including stunning parquet floors, crystal chandeliers, silk drapes and colourful carpets.

In 2020, the Palace of the Parliament was valued at €4 billion, making it the most expensive administrative building in the world. The cost of heating and electricity alone exceeds $6 million per year. Obviously, Ceaușescu’s opulent spending did not sit well with the common Romanian people who were struggling to eke out their housekeeping budgets.

A little older (built in 1724) and humbler is the Stavropoleos Church, dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. This Romanian Apostolic church is tiny inside, where men and woman stood on different sides of the room to pray.

In case you need to know Romanians have the fastest internet speed in Europe - it sure worked well for me and the Penguin (faster than a hungry leopard seal).Read more