Bukarest

Bucharest, established by Prince Mercia the Old in the 14th century and first mentioned in writing by Vlad "Dracula" the Impaler in 1459 was located on an important commercial road connecting the Ottoman Empire and Central Europe. The principality of Wallachia basically was under Ottoman rule for many years. However, we couldn't find any traces of oriental architecture as you'd find in Spain.

Instead, the city is characterized by a mixture of late 19th and early 20th century buildings from when King Carol I modernized the city taking Paris as a model (hence the nickname "Little Paris of the East" up until the World Wars), Bauhaus Modernism and the typically grey architecture of the communist era, marked by Ceausescu's megalomanic building projects such as the gigantic Parliament Palace.

There seems to be an Orthodox church at every corner - which is somewhat of a contrast to the web of streets and alleyways that make up the center and are lined with restaurants, bars and night clubs. Soon, we jokingly concluded that there were so many churches so that you could redeem yourself of your sins if you succumbed to temptation between one corner and the other.Read more