Bucharest 3; Palace of Parliament

Many of the Explore Group are leaving today, but we're stopping for an extra night in Bucharest.

After breakfast, we retrace yesterday's route along Calea Victoriei to pick up from where we left off yesterday at the CEC Palace. There are a couple of events happening today that we see a part of (a running race and a supercar stopover). We cross the River Dambovita and walk round to join Union Avenue to walk towards the Palace of Parliament; this building has 1,100 rooms and is the second-largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon in the USA. The dictator Nicolae Ceausescu wiped out a local neighbourhood, including churches, to build it. We are not able to visit, as it is booked out several days in advance.

We pass the People's Salvation Cathedral situated on the same hill; this will be the tallest and largest Eastern Orthodox Church in the world when it is finished. We circle around the hill, cross the river, and then visit the Cismigiu Garden, a lovely park on our route back to the hotel to rest before going out for dinner.

We go to a small local food establishment (Bucataria), recommended by Horea, for food and drink, and then have a final glass of red wine at Buongiorno, where we ate a couple of nights ago. It has been a great trip to Romania!Read more