Next station: Roman Square - platform on the right

I have finally set off. My first encounter with Bucharest from a totally different perspective - someone actually LIVING there: having a real job there, having a proper place to live in, making friends there, using the public transport, etc. I felt nervous but desirous in my mission. The 'gatekeeper' was my real estate agent, Crina - a young lady my age with a firm and realiable handshake, who proved to know Bucharest like the back of her palm - she knew everything there was to know about places, things and people. I took to her from the very first moment and I got open to trust her expertise. She obviously needed that to make me quickly have a mental switch about the best place to live in. She proved me right. I got the most suitable place for what I really needed: a clean well-lighted place, as hemingway was saying, in the very heart of the city...I parted with Crina at the station. She took the train into the other direction. I was waiting for mine on the platform at the Roman Square. The monitor showed the countdown time: 3 minutes more. All of a sudden, next to me I saw an unaccompanied little blond schoolgirl, who must have been in her prep grade, thin, frail but stubborn in carrying her heavy schoolbag. Instinctively, I felt the need to protect her as I heard the train grinding to a halt. The gust of wind shredded us both blowing our long straight hair in disarray. She seemed a little embarrased by my gesture and got on very sure of herself ahead of me. With firm gestures she took her seat - steadfast and tenacious, placing her bag and changing boots safe next to her. She glanced at me, somehow intrigued - her eyes young but resilient, glum but garish. Our ages seemed to have reversed for a moment... She was not alone. And neither was I. We were safe, in the grand unsafety around us... all.

Rediscovering Bucharest - Eclectic Living

I came to re-discover Bucharest a while ago. My perceptions used to be filled with stereotypes and prejudgements about the capital city as being a place where souls go numb and everything turns mechanically into money making machines. It's no place to raise your children, I was told. They are all robotic... I was loaded with such ideas when these started to dry out during my latest visits there, in front of a fascinating richness that would slowly come out to light.

Nowhere have I seen a more magical mixture of times and cultures as in Bucharest these days! Here I am sitting in the heart of the city in a fancy four-star hotel room (for which I would have paid four times more in Paris) having state-of-the-art tech and interior design (and yes, they served me camembert cheese and red wine on arrival) - only the cry of a street seller of soap as if coming down from the 19th century time breaks the grand contemporary air of the street. Absolutely surreal!


The place abounds in highly modern buildings and Belle Epoque streets, people range from stylish cosmopolites to rural village characters - so it's this very mixture of spacial and temporal dimentions that cut through time and place that makes Bucharest a uniquely fantastic city - but beware! you need a good friend to show you round the hot spots!

Sighet Memorial - The Form of Justice.

The former political prison in Sighet turned, after the Revolution of 1989, into The Memorial of the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance. The Council of Europe designated the Sighet Memorial one of the main memorial sites of the continent, alongside the Auschwitz Museum and the Peace Memorial in Normandy.
The amazing work of a handful of specially dedicated people keeps the memory of this country and continent alive - the memory of who we are, of our own identity.
Without the Sighet Memorial my life as a simple citizen inhabiting Europe and this world would lack an essential dimension...

Tescani - Artists' Creativity Hub

When I arrived at Tescani Mansion this week, which is the home of George Enescu Cultural Center in Bacau county, the place was very quiet and still and brightly lit by the sun - the trees and the field were inviting and protective though and the 250-year-old elm tree - the Rosetti-Enescu family tree - was guarding the mansion as forever. When I stepped inside I found out the reason behind all this sought-after tranquility: there was an International Painters Summer School going on. The most passionate curator I have ever met revealed to me the stories of George Enescu's destiny as an artist born to give life to all the artistic tension that vibrates in the Romanian space and when I was about to leave I noticed the French musician who was minutely studying musical notes and laboriously working on his individual project close to an old piano...I believe this space is ready to be discovered by international musicians and artists because it is inviting and has a fantastic energy that is so inspirational - my favourite place in Tescani is Enescu's Hill (Movila lui Enescu) - a place I discovered in the big park surrounding the mansion and where, as I was told, Enescu used to climb up to get inspiration for his music - I did too and the magic combination of generous sun light, fresh fir tree smell and hight triggered a myriad of emotions immediately. Tescani is a magical place which is for sure worth experiencing on your own...

Al.I. Cuza Palace

Built in 1806 in Lapusneanu Street in Iasi, Alexandru Ioan Cuza Palace hosts the Union Museum and it also used to host kings and queens in the not very distant past. The reason why this place is worth visiting is because it is not just a palace but a home where you feel isolated from the hustle and bustle of a city and can feel the quietness and peace of a most warm royal house which does not bear the height of great empires but the humbleness of dignified royalty...
Currently, you can see a temporary exhibition on The Year 1939 which represented the peak of Romanian civilization and culture but also the critical point of downfall.

The National Museum of Art

The National Museum of Art of Romania is probably the first thing you must visit in Bucharest. It is a grand building and if you want to see all exhibits you need several hours. There are 2 main parts: the European Art Gallery (with works by El Greco, Breughel, Monet, Rodin and reps of German, Dutch, French and Italian Schools) and the Romanian Art Gallery (with remains of orthodox churches after the communist destruction, and also works by the greatest painters and sculptors like Brancusi, Grigorescu, Tonitza, Luchian).
I have the impression I have never seen enough and I go there to rediscover something new every time. The NMA seems to keep the same high quality standard like the National Art Gallery or Tate Museum in London.

Sutu Palace - Window into the Grand Past

Built in 1834 for the great aristocrat Costache Grigore Sutu by the architects Johann Veit and Conrad Schwinck, Sutu Palace hosts the Bucharest Museum now. The beauty of the building is unforgettable due to the inner staircase, tall rooms and crafty decorations and details...Until the 30 August you can see a temporary exhibition titled "C.I.Nottara and the Romanian Theatre". Personally, I was impressed by Nottara's private armchair and study desk, as well as the make up that endured time, backed up by his grand performance stories on the stage.

Exeter College. Oxford

Exeter comes from excellence, in this case. Undoubtedly! This Oxford College offers top world class studies because of the tutors here. This is the place where you can learn the real value of individual and small-size group study and where you have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet a real Gentleman - like the one you read about in books and think they no longer exist.
If you want to have a taste of the atmosphere that JRR Tolkien or Phillip Pullman enjoyed then this is your place...Never have second thoughts about the Summer Schools they offer - they are second to none!

"Cuza" University - Tradition and Modernism

Cuza University of Iasi is the oldest university in the country and it is a cultural place where traditional authentic values confront modern times. Far away from 'big' politics, this uni manages to keep independent and establish links with many top universities abroad. Located on Copou hill, in a most welcoming friendly city, it accepts everyone making them feel at home no matter what. I have German and American friends who studied at Cuza and who name it their 'personal best'.

Carturesti "Book Village"

Open at the very beginning of the new millennium in Bucharest in a 19th century traditional house, Carturesti has become more than just a chain bookstore - it is a miraculous cultural space where we can enjoy the benefits of leisure, high-quality taste - of books, audio and visual materials and tea - and the personalized creative style which is simply enchanting.
Nicoleta Dumitru and Serban Radu (at 30 years of age) are part of the young Romanian generation who had the courage to innovate and re-think the social context around them and, with a lot of passion and faith in clear concepts, they managed to build a company worth 20 million euros at present. According to the owners, "Carturesti" is "a high-standard cultural platform" which was not cut out for high profits. This cultural product is an 'in-house' project and the staff consists of art lovers who eventually turned into shop assistants, Art students and newly-graduates who let their fresh creativity become reality and even Romanian writers and scholars who even donated their favourite chairs when there wasn't enough at the beginning.
Carturesti proves to be a highly creative undertaking where young energies come together and inspire everyone. What drives people to this space? There's only one way to find out by simply visiting their site...

Until 15 July, if you are in New York, you can check out the temporary Carturesti Cafe Society on 38th Street and Third Avenue, as part of the Romanian Cultural Institute New York, according to this article in The New York Times.

Oxford Blackwell's - Much More than a Bookshop

The best bookshop I have ever seen must be Blackwell's in Oxford, UK. Situated in the very heart of dear old Oxford, on Broad Street, and first opened in 1879, every minute inside is a journey into multiple worlds. Blackwell's has charm and character and it is a magical place where you can easily find yourself through books that are ready for you to open...So far away from the typical capitalist chain bookstores, Blackwell's is perfectly integrated into the spirit of Oxford - inspiring, warm, essentially deep...a great spiritual journey and such a pleasure for book lovers.