Bucharest
Street names:
Boulevard- boulevard; wide street with fast traffic.
Path – a street of great urban importance.
Street – secondary street.
road – highway.
The road- alley, alley.
The word voda often appearing in street names does not indicate a location by a river or canal, because it has nothing to do with water. It is short for voivoda (voivode). The title of the rulers of the Romanian principality (farm) it appears in street names together with the names of princes, np. "Strada Radu Voda" is the voivode's street (economic) named Radu.
Rows of trees along avenues, lakes surrounded by parks, The triumphal arch as well as the pompous buildings and monuments give the Romanian capital a Parisian atmosphere. Bucharest (Bucharest) It is most attractive in spring and summer, when green reigns in the city, and beer gardens and parks are filled with colorfully dressed people. In "Paris of the East” there is no shortage, of course, interesting works of modern art, but the city's unique atmosphere derives primarily from the spirit of ancient Roman culture, on the basis of which the mysticism of the Orthodox Church has caught on perfectly.
Nevertheless, it would be difficult to fall in love with this city, mainly due to crowded streets, omnipresent noise and constant rush and… no cheap accommodation. Discovering Bucharest can turn out to be fascinating, but you have to be patient and not be comfortable. Two days should be enough to get to know the main attractions of Bucharest.
legend has it, that Bucharest founded -on the plain between the Carpathian foothills and the Danube – a shepherd named Bucur. The settlement, which was the cradle of later Bucharest, developed from the 6th century. The first surviving document for this site is the privilege of 1459 r., published by hospodar Vlad the Impaler, for a stronghold that is an advanced bastion in the system of fortifications erected by this brave ruler against the Turkish invasions. In this way, Bucharest became the capital of Wallachia, though the Wallachian hospodars (princes) they also often resided in Tirgoviste. The capital of Romania became St. 1862 r., three years after the creation of an independent state.
Today in Bucharest, the largest and wealthiest city in the country, lives 2,5 million people.
For years 80. the reconstruction of the southern part of the city, initiated by the president, Nicolae Ceausescu, was underway. The chief intended to make Bucharest a flagship example of a great socialist capital, with the magnificent People's House in its heart. December revolution 1989 r. brought an end to these alterations straight from Stalin's dream, but you can still find remnants of a bygone era here – starting with bullet-riddled walls, and ending with the marble floors in the apartments of the former party elite.
ORIENTATION
Travelers coming to Bucharest from Poland or Hungary by train, they will probably get off at the North Railway Station (North Station), which is the main railway station, located a few kilometers northwest of the center. Luggage can be left in the 24/7 storage room intended only for foreign tourists, located on the right side of the main hall (looking from the platforms). Other storage facilities, with incredibly long lines, luckily they don't cater to foreigners.
The station with the city center is directly connected with the metro line. Walking to the city center is approx 20 minutes – you have to go past the calea Grivitei station, which in the east comes to cale Victoriei, where you should turn south, of the Revolution Square and the Roman Athenaeum. The Classicist Romanian Athenaeum building itself is a good landmark in the city center. On the other side of the square stands the neoclassical Palace of the Republic, and two buildings farther east is the headquarters of the ONT office.
Another central point of the city, University market, a popular meeting place for students, lies in the vicinity of the City Museum, National Theater and Inter-Continental Hotel (tallest building in Bucharest). In the north, it is best to orientate yourself in the terrain according to the position of the Victoriei fifth, from where the Soseaua Kiseleff leads north past Herastrau Park to the Baneasa airports (8 km) and Otopeni (19 km). Exactly south of the center is piaja Unirii, where do express buses to airports depart from and where their route ends.
Maps
City maps can be purchased from vendors in front of the university building on bulevardul Republicii.
INFORMATION
Tourist offices
ONT Carpathians (tel.6140759), General Magheru Boulevard 7, distributes brochures, organizes guided tours, book private accommodation (15$ from person), provides information, exchanges cash (at a fairly reasonable rate), but it gets outrageously high, 10-percentage, commission for cashing travelers' checks. On weekdays it is open from 7.00 do 20.00, on Saturdays from 8.00 do 15.00, and on Sundays from 8.00 do 13.00.
ONT office at the North Railway Station, located at the end of the track 1., provides the same services at the same prices. It's open since 7.30 do 20.00 in the week, on Saturdays from 7.30 do 15.00, and on Sundays from 7.30 do 13.00.
TouringACR (tel.6507076), part of the Romanian Automobile Club (Automobile Clubul Roman, ACR), is based at strada Cihoschi 2, not far from Roman's fifth, and it is open from Monday to Friday 8.00-20.00. English speaking staff serve Eurodollar car rental customers and sell hotel passes (more on this subject in the Accommodation section in the Practical Information chapter). ACR's main office (tel.6502595, fax 3120434), at Take Ionescu Strada 27, block bulevardul General Magheru, makes reservations for organized tours and caravanning across Romania.
Money
Changing money on the street is not a very good idea. Black market rates are only marginally more advantageous than bank rates, while trying to make a deal with a suspicious person, it is very easy to fall victim to fraud.
Both ONT offices charge a horrendous commission for the execution of traveler's checks – 10%, but US dollars, German marks and British pounds are competitive here.
It is worth checking the rates in private exchange offices at the Nicolae Balcescu boulevard, north of the Uni-versitatii metro station. Changing money usually does not involve any additional fees, but when withdrawing cash on US dollar traveller's checks, you must pay a commission of 3-5%. It is more difficult to cash traveller's checks in pounds or marks - you can try with any of the banks listed below.
Romanian Commercial Bank, Republic Boulevard 14, exchanges travelers' checks for dollars and funnels with a .5% commission and spends the same cash on Visa cards (only in hoppers). At the time this text was written, there was the only ATM in Bucharest which was open 24 hours a day (Plus, Cirrus, Visa, MasterCard, Eurocard).
Roman Bank for Foreign Trade (BANCOREX), na rogu strada Lipscani i strada Eugen Carada (input "B”), provides services on weekdays from 8.00 do 12.00. Downloads 4% for cashing travelers' checks and 5% for Visa cards. BANCOREX branch at the bulevardul Nicolae Balcescu, in front of the Inter-Continental hotel, does not exchange currency.
Marshal Turism (tel.6502626), General Magheru Boulevard 43, is purportedly the local American Express agency, open from Monday to Friday from 8.00 do 17.00, and on Saturdays from 9.00 do 13.00. The staff arranges cheap flights and exchanges cash at competitive rates, but it did not offer any special benefits for AmEx owners.