A very personal view of Bucharest, Romania

I had no time to explore this city. But what I saw did not encourage me to linger.  

Stuck in traffic jam during rush hours at Bucharest

First, the traffic was horrendous during rush hours, not unlike other major cities. But this one is quite special in Central Europe. At major traffic junctions, there were policemen on duty, as add ons to traffic lights. This might be what one would call belt and braces. There seemed to be little lane discipline: drivers cutting each other from left and right. There were a number of taxi drivers who thought they were the reincarnation of Ayrton Senna, taking almost death-defying maneuvours, but with such lightheartedness. These taxi rides were adventures on their own. Most taxis were Dacias, and many had seen better days. One had paint peeling off which was quite a picture because I had not seen such a phenomenon before. Rust, yes, paint peeling off, no. I was forewarned that I should have small change but in a hurry on the first day I forgot to get change for a 50 leu note, and eventually had to get change from a delivery man in order to pay the taxi driver. He was quite annoyed at my insistence and was hoping that I would part with the 50 leu note for a 26 leu fare.

Overhead cables

On the way to lunch, I spotted this bunch of overhead cables. This is quite hilarious because this sort of thing would give the health and safety obsessives in the UK an instant heart attack. But no one batted an eyelid. I felt disrespectful to my host for taking this picture with my iPhone, but I could not resist anything unusual.

The JW Marriot Hotel, Burcharest

Thankfully the hotel was a haven of peace and quiet. At the lobby there were posh shops but no customers. The shop assistants looked exceedingly bored.

At the end of the day, my hosts made me feel welcomed. And that, I suppose, is the single most redeeming feature of this visit. Maybe better luck next time.