noe847

We returned from our trip last evening. Romania is amazing! My brother and I shot 3700 pictures. I could not get enough of Romanian villages, buying things from roadside vendors, and meeting people in out of the way places. Meeting our Romanian relatives was also fantastic. It will take me a while to process my notes and pictures, but then I will post a trip report. In the meanwhile, if anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to respond.

gabrieltraian

Glad you enjoyed your trip!

Looking forward to reading the trip report.

tower

So very happy that everything turned out well for you, dad and brother! Ain't it a remarkable country??!! Will read your report word for word..

Stu T.

Clifton

Pleased you ended up having such a good time. Hope you'll share some of your experiences now that you're back! Let's see if we sway a few more folks over

gabrieltraian

Oh yes! I almost forgot!!

Don't forget to tell us how did you do with the tap water, the fruits & vegetables and other "scary stuff" that you were told to beware.

noe847

I finally finished writing up my journal from the notes I took as we traveled - over 20,000 hand written words. I'm starting to condense it into a trip report - it will have plenty (too much?) of detail. I'll also post a photo link. Won't be for a few weeks, though, as I'm headed out this week for an 11 day trip to New York/New England.

To answer your question, gabrieltraian, we drank bottled water because it was very readily available. Didn't worry about the tap water for toothbrushing. We enjoyed the salads, etc., and had excellent food at the restaurants and homes. My father did develop traveler's stomach, we don't know how, so that was too bad.

DonnaTra

Just a question on the english speaking guides. How much do they charge per day?

noe847

We paid just over $1000 each for the five nights and six full days with our guide. That amount was based in part on the mileage of our itinerary, and included all of our hotels (we paid the single supplement, and stayed at top quality hotel in each town), breakfast, car, admission fees (fairly nominal), and one dinner.

If/when I return to Romania, I will again hire a guide. English is just not widespread enough for my comfort level, and my couple dozen Romanian phrases are pretty pitiful. French and German came in handy at times.

mikebolton

Been reading this with great interest.

I am in Bucharest on business in mid-January can find a couple of days to explore a bit. Given the temperature (cold!) & the relative lack of time what are the key places to see, and places to eat - I have noted the Casa Georjeana in other postings as well so that has to be one!

Any thoughts appreciated

MikeB

gabrieltraian

Mike,

You must have read of Casa Gorjeana in one of my reports.

Check out these sites for Bucharest

http://www.wordtravels.com/Cities/Ro...st/Attractions

http://www.romaniatourism.com/main.html

http://www.ultramarine.ro/engleza/ghid_cotroceni.asp

The Palace of Parliament is stunning, worth visiting.

Another place to visit is the National Fine Arts Museum, on Calea Victoriei, near the Romanian Atheneum.

I enjoyed very much the Cotroceni Palace. To visit it you must call beforehand and make a reservation. It is after all the seat of the Romanian Presidency, but part of it is a museum. Visits are possible only with a guided tour (it's closed on Mondays).

Guided tours are in English as well.

Tel. 021-3173107, 021-3173106

Here's a site that says about Cotroceni Palace

http://www.inyourpocket.com/romania/...id=ROBUENW0012

Any more questions, you're welcome!
Gabriel

noe847

MikeB, will you be venturing out of Bucharest?

We had very little free time in Bucharest, but did visit a lovely downtown Cismigiu park, which won't be a prime destination in January! Had we more time we would have visited the Museum of the Romanian Peasant. I understand that it has a very nice shop with high quality folk craft items. Also the Village Museum in Bucharest is quite nice, especially if you are not able to explore any of the villages yourself (although an open air experience will depend on weather.)

There are some wonderful old Orthodox churches dotted around downtown Bucharest. I'm not sure if they are open regular hours; we happened upon one that was open for a group of pilgrims. It was the Stavropoleus church/monastery in the Lipscani area, not far from our hotel, the Rembrandt.

We enjoyed a meal at City Grill, which was in the pedestrian zone within a short the Rembrandt. Another restaurant that was pleasant was the Casa Mama, although the outdoor terrace won't be in use when you are there.

mikebolton

Thanks for the ideas - yes I did read about the Casa Gorgeana in one of your reports Gabriel. I shall give your eating places a try as well noe847.

I guess thermal underwear may be the order of the day for exploring the city!

Mike

gabrieltraian

Yes, mid January is very cold in Bucharest.

Normally it is 0 centigrades and below, but with the weather and climate change nowadays, you may even get +10 centigrades.

It's better to bring warm clothing and leave it in your room if it is too warm outside, than freezing on the streets without enough warm underwear.