Bucaresti

We nearly did not go into Bucharest. We are tired. Tired of traveling. And our Lonely Planet guide did not exactly entice (nor enlighten, once we got there; it is the worst LP, the worst guidebook, I have yet seen). But, once more, we went unto the breach. We are glad we did. It was a glorious end of summer day, and the whole city seemed to turn out in a variety of celebrations. And, if it is not a great city, it is one that holds great promise.

The Eonescu concert hall, on Caile Victoria

Part of the National Art Museum

Part of the National Art Museum

All this near a central square, where hundreds
were massacred in 1989

Communist Party headquarters, from the balcony of which
Ceausescu attempted his last speech; as the protest grew,
he was rescued by helicopter; but, within days, he and his
wife were "tried" and executed by firing squad, the only
communist leaders to be so dealt with in 1989-90

One of the several monuments to the struggle, which lasted
several more years

Bucharest's historic district offers a variety of beautiful old
buildings, a variety of styles and forms

Covered arcade

A side street in the historic district, and
the national library

In the banking district

Of course, not everything is historic nor
beautiful