A Short History of Bucharest

Disclaimer: The following information is what I remember from a free walking tour of the city that I took on Saturday night. Therefore, the information is a bit choppy and unconnected, but I think it will still give you a feel for some of the main points in Bucharest's history.

Sidenote: I would highly recommend taking a free walking tour of any European city, if the opportunity presents itself, as they are very informative and give you a good feel for the city, plus it's free!

Bucharest's Beginnings

Before Bucharest became the capital of Romania, and long before Romania even existed as a nation, Bucharest was simply a stopping point in the trade route between Budapest and Istanbul. Many travelers would come through the city and need a safe place to stay with their goods. In 1808, an Armenian man built Manuc's Inn for the traders.

The first mention of Bucharest was actually appeared in 1459, in documents about Vlad Tepes, also known as Dracula, and his reign in the area. (Yes, I will bring Dracula into my blog as often as possible, and will expand on his history at some point in time.)

A Selection of Famous Landmarks

Romania is over 90% Romanian Orthodox, and their patron saint is St. Dimitri. Their patron saint has had some rough times, as apparently this church has been through every flood and fire that the city has experienced.

The old city center is going through a lot of construction and they are working on making it look nice again. Bucharest was known as the Paris of the East during the 1920-1930s and has a lot of nice buildings from that time period. However, they have not been kept up for the most part.

The reason most of the old city center is in need of repair, is because during the 1980s someone was doing a lot of crazy construction in downtown Bucharest. That someone was the former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. He tore down homes and old buildings and moved churches (churches were moved behind the large concrete apartment buildings, because Ceausescu was trying to hide religion from the people)
to build a parliment building that is the second largest administrative building in the world after the pentagon. He also built a main boulevard leading up to the 'Palace of the People' that is one meter wider than the Champs Elysees in Paris. That makes for a lot of concrete in a relatively small area.The churches were moved behind the large concrete apartment buildings, because Ceausescu was trying to hide religion from the people.

The parliment building, formerly known as the people's palace is huge and build with only Romanian materials. It was built during a time when most Romanians did not have food...so all the decadence wasn't really looked on favorably by the people. Now the building houses not only the Romanian parliament, but also a museum, and many ballrooms and meeting halls that can be rented for parties. There are even many rooms that were never finished and have no floors or ceilings, but no effort is being put into finishing these rooms since the space is not really needed. The building also has many floors and labryinths below the surface of the building including a race track in the basement.

This is a side view of the building. I just realized I haven't taken a picture of it from the front yet.

This sad little river Dambovita was diverted for the building of the palace.

By this time in the tour it was dark, and I did not take anymore pictures, but the story of the Romania continues. Most notable is the revolution in 1989 that ousted their communist dictator Ceausescu is also important, and I will try to cover it another time. If you have any interesting Bucharest facts for me, or things that you would like to know about and have me discover...please let me know!

I am in Romania

The past few days have been packed full of all kinds of activity. I am so thankful that I have been able to get so much done in so little time. My first full day in Romania was spent looking at apartments and getting to know the metro system. My new roommate Cath and I decided on a place to live and got the details figured out all on my first full day in Romania! Cath is from England and will be teaching kindergarten.

Since I took it pretty easy on my first day...;) I decided to go ahead and increase my activities for my second day. I started out by visiting an orphanege with some of the missionaries. The orphanege is state-run and in pretty deplorable condition, however the kids loved seeing us and some of them even practiced their English with me, while I tried out my Romanian phrases with them. Some people from my school go there every Saturday, so I am praying about joining them on a weekly basis as well.

Afterwards, I was able to get some more errands run. I now have Romanian money and a bus pass...I can go anywhere. In the evening, I got to go to a string quartet concert in the park. It was very lovely and made me miss Susie.

On Sunday, I attended services that were translated into English for the benefit of all the Americans in the crowd, and in the afternoon I got to move into my apartment. My place is the very top of this building with the pillars at the windows.

Here are the dogs that watch the place...see they love me

already. 

Getting my stuff up the staircase was a bit of a challenge, but we managed.

The apartment is owned by an American/Romanian family who currently live in the states. They keep their apartment here, but like to have someone living in it to take care of it.

It's nice for us, since it is already furnished and filled with the things that we need, but sometimes it is a little bit too furnished and I had difficulty finding space for my things. Also, I now have Bob the builder sheets.

I spent Monday exploring the city center and the area around my new place. Cath and I also figured out where the nearest grocery stores are and filled our fridge. I am glad we were able to accomplish so much in so little time. I started teacher in-service on Tuesday and finally found out exactly what classes I will be teaching next Monday. My first few days here have been very busy, and there are no signs of it slowing down anytime soon. I don't feel as if I am really oriented to the city yet, but at least I haven't gotten lost yet. At some point I will have to explain my daily commute to school...

On my way!

I am thrilled to announce that I will be leaving for Bucharest this Wednesday at 1:35pm! I had meant to update the blog a little more often, but things were pretty crazy this summer. I do promise, however, to update much more frequently once I arrive in Bucharest, since I am sure I will have much to share.

This summer has been full of activity from working lots of overtime, spending time with friends and family, and preparing for Romania, to a quick trip to Harrisburg, PA for short term missions trip training.

At first, it didn't seem like I would be able to make it to Romania in time for school to start. I had a very late start raising support, but God has answered prayers, and I am so excited to be at this point. I still have need for a little bit more support, but I am trusting that God will bring that in as well.

My first answer to prayer is that I have a roommate! I will be living with another new teacher from Britain, and we will have the choice of three different apartments, all within my price range.  I also have a list of the ESL students that I will be teaching, and I am so excited to meet them very soon.

The next post will come from Romania and should include some interesting stories and a few pictures!