Bye from Bucharest

March 30, 2026

Bucharest, Romania

This is the view from our hotel room window. The large building to the left is the Palace of Parliament. It is the largest civilian administrative building in the world. The building on the right is the National Cathedral of Romania (Eastern Orthodox). The building is not yet complete, and is controversial because of the huge cost.

Fun Facts about Bucharest

• Legend says the city was founded by a shepherd named Bucur, whose name translates to "joy" or "happiness."

• The city is a hub for "dental tourism," with many people traveling there for affordable, high-quality dental care.

• There are several theories trying to explain the name Bucharest, but the most remarkable of them is a legend about a shepherd called Bucur, who fell in love with a lady called Dâmboviţa. When they started a settlement near the river, which now flows through Bucharest, he named it after her. For settlements, in Romanian it was quite common to name them after its founder by adding the suffix -ești and so București (Bucharest) was born.

• Bucharest has a notorious reputation for its stray dog population, although the situation has improved in recent years with a mix of local and international efforts to control the numbers. The locals believe that the spirit of the first stray dog that turned feral still roams the city, guiding and protecting its descendants. The legend also warns that the dogs should never be mistreated, as their loyalty and connection to the city’s history make them sacred.

• One of Bucharest’s oldest and most enduring legends is tied to the Maidens’ Bridge (now known as Cărturești Bridge). According to the story, the bridge was haunted by the spirits of young girls who were tragically thrown into the river by their lovers, who were unwilling to marry them. Legend says that if you walk across the bridge at night, you may hear faint whispers and cries from these lost souls. Some believe that the bridge has the power to bring bad luck to those who dare cross it alone at night.

• Another popular local legend is the tale of a ghostly figure that haunts the streets of Bucharest, particularly the area around Calea Victoriei. The ghost is said to be the spirit of a beautiful woman who was once a lady-in-waiting in the royal court during the 19th century. She fell in love with a soldier, but when he was killed in battle, she wandered the streets, searching for him. It’s said that on certain foggy nights, her figure can be seen drifting through the streets, still in mourning for her lost love.

We arrived in Bucharest yesterday as part of a 2 day land tour that finished off our Viking experience in Eastern/Central Europe. After a bus ride from Constanta, on our way to the hotel, we were given a tour of the city. However the weather was not cooperating, and the cold and rain deterred us from some parts of the tour, and made it challenging to get good pictures. (Sorry!) Here is one example....it is the Arc de Triomphe Bucharest through bus windows.

After our bus tour, we stopped for lunch. The local restaurant prepared a fabulous lunch which included several drink options, and some wonderful Romanian musical and dance entertainment.

After lunch, we found a little artisan food market very near to the restaurant. We walked around and looked at the local food, and we might have tasted a few things too! 🤣🤣

Checking into the hotel was an easy process, thanks to the organized Viking staff who had already made room assignments and delivered our suitcases to our rooms.

For dinner we were off on another organized dinner event! This time we went two local restaurants that served different courses of our dinner. We really enjoy sampling local food and wine! Our tour guide for this experience was fantastic! His knowledge of the area and its history was awesome, his English was great, and he was fun!

Here are some pictures from our first restaurant:

Below are pictures from our second restaurant, which was our dessert stop! Please note our guide at the end of the table, and the very nice young waiter who helped the "older" people with the selfie!

As we headed back to the hotel we walked down a vibrant street, full of local people enjoying time together. There was a wonderful, positive feeling in the air.

The following pictures are of random, interesting things we noted in our travels through Bucherest.

Bucharest is not far from Transylvania, which is connected in folklore to Count Dracula, the vampire. Love the name of this place!

Unrestored romanesque looking buildings.

Notice the name on the building. Do you remember Nadia?

Take a look at the sign to the left. What do you think Non Stop means?

Answer - Open 24 hours

Another interesting manhole cover

Please notice the motorcycle handlebar gloves! Obviously, we don't need them in southern California, but what a great idea!

Another church being renovated.

A woman working in an outdoor kitchen behind a church, cutting up fish.

CEC Palace (basically the treasury building)

Dogs (and cats) of Bucharest

The tray to the right is food that residents put out to feed the cats. We also saw a couple of empty cat food cans.

Final thoughts -

This was a fabulous trip and very educational. We learned a lot about the history of the area, although the details changed some as we went from country to country; each area guide sharing different perspectives influencing each story. And while some people missed the life of the socialist communist regime, most were happy to have left those times behind and looking forward to rebuilding and recovering from the wars (1989). Although the 100% employment and housing rates were appreciated by some, others much prefer the freedom they experience today. The art and culture were influenced by all of this history.

Our guide for the dinner/dessert event is 42 years old and said he has many memories from that time in Romania. When the revolution ended, he was 8 years old, and remembers his teacher telling his class that they should forget everything they learned about their history because none of it was true. Prior to the revolution teachers, apparently, were required to teach propagandized history. WOW!

This is the end of our Capitals of Eastern Europe tour. We were exposed to so much lived, actual history and experiences of the peoples in this region of the world. And we loved the food and music. We gained a new admiration for their struggles and victories, and we hope you felt/learned a bit of their stories and culture, too!

Tomorrow we fly to Paris to visit our dear friend Nicolle (she moved to France in 2015). She has moved to the Burgundy area of France, a few hours southeast of Paris. Who knows, we may post a Bonus Blog....so, please check back! Once again, thank you for joining our journey. Ciao from Romania!