Thursday 18 June 2026 - Bucharest (2)

Hot here. Around 30ºC again. We aren't complaining. This morning we enjoyed a 'Bucharest Highlights' walking tour with Daniel, a most knowledgeable guide who navigated us through a period from the Middle Ages in an hour and a half, before offering his take on the recent Communist period for a further hour.

Here are a few pictures from this tour. (Captions later, perhaps.)

After rehydration and lunch at a nearby café we joined a 'Palace of Parliament' tour of Ceauşescu's monstrosity. This was another guided tour - only guided visitors are allowed past security that would be of credit to an airport. It's hard to grasp some of the statistics of the building. Our tour of over an hour covered about 6% of the building, which has 1100 rooms, and there was no mention of the underground part of the building that is alleged  to match that which is seen above ground.

Here are a few pictures from this most memorable tour of a building that is only surpassed in largesse by the Pentagon.

The chandelier weighs five tons.

After a quick shower back at the apartment, which is in a conveniently central location, we wandered along to one of Collett's recommended restaurants, the oldest in Bucharest, Caru' cu bere, for a lovely meal in front of passers-by from the Jehovas Witness convention that was being attended by two girls we met on the train yesterday.

Near the restaurant, Stavropoleos, a monastery with the smallest church in town.

Here's Sue's take on the day:

Thursday 18 June
Woke late, tea, then left around 9.15 for our Bucharest Highlights Tour with Daniel at 10am. It started at Piata Sfantul Anton, at the southern end of the Old Town, with around 12 of us.
Some history, then a look at an Ottoman Inn, Hanul lui Manuc, with its interior courtyard. We went into the Old Court Church, opposite, the oldest church in Bucharest with original frescoes. Behind is the ruin of Vladimir the Impaler’s court, from the 15th C, which started renovations in 2018. 
The Stavropoleos Monastery has the smallest church in the city but with its four styles, columns and frescoes, is one of the most beautiful. It dates from 1724 and is in its original form.
We learnt about King Carol I, who reigned for nearly 40 years until 1916. He aligned Romania with France and built many Parisian-style buildings, creating a “little Paris of Eastern Europe”.
We sat under a pergola in Piata Revolution, adjacent to which is the communist office building where Ceausescu made his last speech in December 1989 before being removed by helicopter.
We walked through Cismigiu Park, crossed the River Dambovita, crossed Izvor Park, to arrive opposite the Palace of Parliament, the largest building, by volume, in the world. It was built by Ceausescu between 1983 and 1989, being finished after his death (Dec 89), in 2004. There are about 9 floors below ground and 8 floors above. A whole district was levelled to make way for his Civic Centre.
The tour finished opposite here at Piata Constitutiei at 12.30.
Lunch of cold cokes and a panini at Green Cafe, in the shade, was welcome.
Before meeting at 2.15 for our Palace of Parliament tour (we were half an hour early) we sat outside the Biserica Sfantul Spiridon Vechi church.
The tour of the Parliament building involved having passports checked, a screening of bags, and viewing paintings whilst waiting inside.
The tour was just over an hour, from 3.30 to 4.30pm. We went to around 6% of the 1,100 rooms. Almost all the materials came from Romania, except for green marble from Iran and mahogany as a present from xxx (African country). The largest chandelier weighs 5 tons and is made of ?rock crystal.
Back for 5pm, for lemon tea.
Ate at Caru’ cu Bere (a wagon of beer), the oldest restaurant in Bucharest. The interior is art deco and is huge (started off as a brewery) but it was nice to be outside.
Mixed salad first, then trout for Martin and slow cooked pork ribs with potatoes for me. Nice local beer.
Plenty of swift activity today and moths crowding around the flowers on the trees.

Back to Indax

Wednesday 17 June 2026 - Bucharest

 

An early start, and despite a few hiccups Sue and I were in Bucharest and reunited with our luggage by 11am UĶ time (1pm Romanian time)

On the 25 minute journey from airport to city centre we learnt a bit about the ridiculous cost of things here. The fare was £1.08 each.

A short walk from the station saw us in the apartment that we've hired for a few days.

Time to do some planning....

...if not distracted by the view from our writing desk.

Then we took a stroll in nearby Cismigiu Gardens, where Guy and Harriet Pringle spent time in Olivia Manning's 'Fortunes of War', set here in 1939.

Then a stroll around some of the town's impressive buildings before returning home for a cold shower. It's 30ºC here, and quite humid. Lovely blue sky though.

Apart from the odd Ferrari, drivers here are fairly sedate, so life as a pedestrian is fine. The place is however littered with (mainly) green electric scooters that bomb around with takeaway orders etc.

As in other places we've found an Umbrella Street.

There are some very impressive buildings, some of which are on the verge of collapse due to earthquake damage. 

After cooling down under the shower we ventured out to a traditional Romanian restaurant, Casa Romãneascã Ateneu, recommended by our apartment's owner, for an excellent meal. Less than £40 including plenty of rehydration fluid.

PS I sent out a programme of walks yesterday. I thought I had checked the links but some of them don't work. I tried to repair the links but I failed to get our old XP computer on which I rely to update the topwalks.com website, to work. It appears to have a hardware failure. So instead of using the links, readers will have to deploy Google or similar. 

Here's Sue's take on the day:

Weds 17 June 2026
3.10 alarm
3.30 taxi on a damp night/morning
Coffee and croissant at Starbucks before take off for Amsterdam at 5.55 for 50-min flight.
Fingerprints were taken as we transferred to gate D83 for the flight to Bucharest then long queue for passport control through electronic gates. Nearly last on the plane.
Left at 9.25, on time for 2h 10-min flight. Sandwich and coffee served.
Landed and our bags were already on carousel 5 so we walked 2 mins to the station where the 13.10 train was about to depart! Two tickets at 6.50R (£1.08) each.
Hot and sunny.
25-min journey to Gara de Nord then a half hour walk to Bucharestby apartment at the end of Luterana.
Opposite a church and the Park Inn.
Collapsed for a while then ventured out to Parc Cismigiu, the oldest park in Bucharest.
Lovely and shady, with lakes where boats could be hired and a few flower beds. Lots of moths, butterflies, dragonflies flitting around. Swifts heard above too.
Walked up Calea Victoriei to the Umbrella Street, where rainbow umbrellas hung above the narrow alley.
Admired sculptures and the Carol I statue before returning for a cool shower.
Ate 10 mins away at Casa Romaneasca Atheneu, which served traditional Romanian cuisine. Pork with polenta (M) and beef goulash (S) with a salad and beer. 207R with 20R tip. Returned for about 8.15. Still hot.
Air conditioning set at 18 overnight. 

Back to Indax

Monday 15 June 2026 - A Bowfell Circuit

A call from Kate and Fiona, who we met last year in Ehrwald, triggered this round of Bowfell, Esk Pike, Allen Crags and Rossett Pike on a fine day with just a few spots of rain as we entered the pub at the end. Sadly Fiona had hurt her knee the previous day, so it was just Kate and one of their dogs, Bengie, that we joined for this walk over four Wainwright summits that Kate hadn't been on before.

The fields in the Langdale valley are full of buttercups just now.

Our ascent route today was The Band, on which we soon had a coffee break to refresh Sue and me after our two hour drive from Timperley.

There were great views back down the valley.

It cooled a little as we rose gently to the summit of Bowfell, but conditions were generally benign for the few people who had ventured out today.

We duly reached the 902 metre summit of Bowfell, with Bengie grinning at his achievement.

Lunch with Bowfell's northern summit and Esk Pike ahead.

Good views across to the Scafells.

Then it was an easy walk, missing out the northrn top of Bowfell, to Esk Pike.

Our route led down to cross a major path and head up to the summit of Allen Crags.

Good views towards the Langdale Pikes from Allen Crags. Becoming hazy.

Back down at the main path, we soon got good views to Angle Tarn and the easy summit, just to the left, of Rossett Pike. Here we started to encounter a 'DofE Gold' group of children who were enjoying day 2 out of a four day expedition before descending to camp in the Langdale valley.

Here, I'm on Rossett Pike with the Lagdale Pikes behind me.

A final tea break before the long descent to Mickleden.

It clouded over, with just a few drops of rain before we reached the pub next to the NT car park, where Fiona and friends and their dogs lay in wait. Bengie's mate Teddy was particularly annoyed at having been overlooked for today's walk.

Here's the route - 17km with 1080 metres ascent.

A great day out and thanks to Kate and Fiona for triggering it and to Kate and Bengie for their excellent company.