Traveling with Michelle: Day 18: They didn't want him or his palace!

July 3, 2018

Bucharest, Romania

Last night we looked up how to visit the Palace of Parliament building and the Parliament website said that you needed to submit your names by phone at least 24 hours in advance of a tour (probably for security). Well, we didn't have 24 hours, so we looked further and Randy found a site where someone said that they just went to the parliament building in the morning (with their passport) and were able to be added to a tour later in the day.

So we woke up early, only to find that there was no hot water. Randy had a hot shower last night, but there was no hot water this morning. We texted our host and she didn't know what to do and said that she'd call someone to look at it--we're thinking that she might not live in Bucharest. So we left our breakfast dishes to do later--hopefully with hot water, and left. We got to the parliament building a bit before 10:00 and were able to join the 10:00 English tour. We had to submit our passports for scanning and go through airport-type security and were given a visitor badge to wear. They are very strict about staying with your group and not wandering off (Randy read on a website of a few tourists that stayed behind to take photos and lost their group--the guards were not happy!).

It is huge. It was planned and begun by Nicholae Ceausescu for he and his wife Elena (who was the deputy prime minister for part of their marriage). Unfortunately for them, the Romanian Revolution happened and they were arrested and charged with the genocide of 60,000 people in Timisoara. They were executed in 1989. Work on the palace stopped and the project was abandoned. To build the palace, they had taken 7 square kilometers of space and cleared it, leaving 40,000 Romanians without a home. After the communists were pushed out, the Romanians tried to decide what to do about the partially completed palace. Some wanted it leveled, others wanted it completed. Well, they completed it and it is now used for the parliament. It is the second largest building in the world (after the Pentagon). It is the heaviest building in the world! It has eight floors below ground and 9 above, most in marble and oak (Nicholas loved oak). It is extremely grand and 70% of it is unused. It has twenty nuclear bunkers underground and 2 parking garages. It costs 5 million dollars a year to maintain it. (Sorry there are so many photos!) We were told that there are currently no communist photos, portraits, or statues in the palace.

The Northern side (the visitors entrance)

hallway

a theater

Artwork by Romanian Artists

A lobby area between the theater and the press area

This would have been Nicholas' study. He liked oak. The woodwork
is primarily oak and walnut.

Elena's study

The pattern in the carpet matches the pattern in the radiator covers
and in the curtains. Elena's preference.

A meeting room

A meeting room. The table was Nicholas' idea and is oak. He
had intended to add one more chair. Very large with arms and on a
for him.

There is a secret door here. There are many of these connecting to several kilometers of tunnels.

The main entrance

The main entrance. The idea was that Nicholas would come down the staircase
on one side and Elena on the other. The would meet in the center, greet their guests,
then invite them into the reeception room.

The first (and smallest) reception room

This pattern is everywhere and shows the pattern of the building

Here is the pattern again

These curtains were made by nuns to go with the rug

The second (larger) reception room

The third (largest) reception room--the ballroom

This space was designed for a large portrait of Elena

And this space for a large portrait of Nicholas

One of the staircases of the main entrance

Above the staircases

Another reception room. Now it is used for concerts.

There is room behind this curtain for a 36-piece orchestra

From the balcony of the South side

The main entrance

The North side

As for maintenance, we noticed a huge crack in one of the doorways, going from one side, around the marble arch to the other. Also, the grounds need more maintenance. It looks like they've tried to do some planting and landscaping, but then let it go--no maintenance. In the rest of the city, we've noticed the same thing---nice infrastructure, but no maintenance. Some of the fountains along Victorei Street (modeled after Paris' Champs Elysees, complete with an Arc de Triomphe) don't work, there are sidewalk pavers loose everywhere, weeds, garbage, water-damaged buildings through lack of maintenance. I suggested that they could move some of their ministry buildings (that are located in buildings surrounding the palace) into the palace and rent out/sell their spaces, then open a child care in the palace for employees and charge a bit more than cost for the convenience (and how great for nursing mothers!), and use all of that rent/sale and child care money to work on maintenance of infrastructure. But what do I know, I'm an American with a horrible president (sorry, I'll try to keep the politics out of this).

The fountains along Victorei Street

Missing and cracked pavers (more are loose)

So then we stopped for lunch and walked around the city a bit--both modern and old town.

The oldest church preserved in Bucharest. The Annunciation Church or
Church of Old Court is on the site from the 15th Century.

A super cool store we found. If you are in Bucharest you have to go here!
I wish this store was in Minneapolis, I would shop there all the time!

The main floor is gifts and cool things

The second and third floors are books.

The fifth floor has a bistro and work spaces. Placards have the free wifi code.

The basement is music, games, and fandom

The fourth floor has an art gallery and a children's books/toys area.

I just liked this!

Here's what they have, sorry it's hard to read.

Obviously, a restaurant for mannequins!

Note the juxstaposition of the older building on the left and the newer,
communist-age building on the right

By then we were tired, so we returned to our apartment for a rest--but no naps! We need to get to sleep early tonight. We have to catch the bus at 6 am tomorrow for three plane trips to get back home (I'm guessing that it's about 20 hours of travel). Oh--we had hot water when we returned, so we could wash the breakfast dishes! Now I have to decide if i want to shower tonight so I don't have to get up so early, or tomorrow so I can be "fresher" for our 20 or so hours of travel!

After a long rest (mostly using our fast wifi), we went downstairs and ate dinner at our Irish Pub again. Unfortunately, I had the worst ribs I have ever had--tons of fat. But the Strawberry Lemonade was good! Then Joshua wanted to go back to the apartment and take his shower while Randy and I wanted to walk around the Parliament Building and see if from the other sides.

We walked around the Parliament, starting on the East side, which is where the actual front entrance is.

A nearby apartment? building. There are several identical ones, built in curves facing the palace.

Then we walked around the South side and saw a new structure being built behind the wall. I voted for a church or cathedral, based on the rose windows, domes, and transept.

Then when we got to the East side, there was a tiny church with people inside. They weren't having mass, they were sitting in chairs around the outside and in the center, huddled together. Some were standing around. I didn't feel comfortable taking photos in the church, it seemed invasive. There were people milling around the outside as well. Many of the women had scarves on their heads.

Then we went behind it to see the building being built and opened a gate. There was a priest and some men there, so we stood just inside the gate. They said that we could come in so we went over and took more photos of the construction. We had some debates about what the building would look like. Then when we continued along the East side we saw a billboard with a drawing of what it would look like. Definitely a cathedral.