Bucharest- Day 1
Walking Tour of the Old Town
The morning starts cooler (17 C) but I know the temperature will be rising to 25 C, so I dress in layers.
We go to our first walking tour called Old Town and Parliament. Although we walked around the Old Town yesterday, I still learn a lot and see a number of new things.
We see the parliament building but I will talk more of that in the next post because we have a tour booked there tomorrow.
We visit another Orthodox Church designed in the time of Constantin Brancoveanu who was a Prince of Wallachia (part of Romania) in the late 1600s to early 1700s. He was a very religious man and created a number of churches (including the Stavropoleos Church we saw yesterday) during his reign. His sons and he were kidnapped by the Sultan, taken to Constantinople and murdered; thus becoming martyrs. Constantin’s body was brought back from Constantinople and is buried in this church. The frescos all tell stories, including his martyrdom and are very intriguing. 
Bucharest’s first hospital is such a beautiful building. Back in the 1700s, a close friend of Constantin Brancoveanu used his own money to build this hospital and pay doctors so that everyone could afford medical care.
We end the tour in University Square which was a focal point for the 1989 revolution that ended communist rule. There are crosses set up in various locations marking where protestors were killed.Monarchy to Communism Tour
After a brief rest period at the hotel, we walk down the Avenue of Victory (Calea Victoriei) to the front of the Romanian Atheneum.
As we wait for our Monarchy to Communism tour, we watch a fashion photo shoot taking place 
on the steps. A group of guys on the sideline are àlso intently watching.
The tour takes us to a number of buildings including a communist internal police building that was old on the bottom (with bullet holes still noticeable in the bricks) and modern on the top with glass office space.
We see the buiding that housed the former Central Committee of the Communist Party. It was from the roof top of this building that the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife fled by helicopter on December 22, 1989 during the revolution only to be captured soon after. The military had a show trial on December 25 charging them with genocide and other charges. The trial lasted one hour they were found guilty, sentenced to death and shot the same day.
We pass beautiful banks and architecture styled after the classical buildings of Paris.
There is a lot of French influence in the architecture and Bucharest was known as “Little Paris”. We stop at a historic pastry and sweet shop.
By the time the tour ends, it is dark. We see the parliament buildings illuminated.
Supper at Caru ca Bere
We go to Caru ca Bere for supper. We made reservations yesterday. This restaurant opened as a brewery in 1879. The restaurant was designed by an Austrian architect and opened in 1899. It is a historic monument. The name means the Beer Cart and it is one of the oldest restaurants in Bucharest. They serve mostly traditional, local food. Many of the items are from the original menu.
It is very touristy and loud. The waiters quickly take your order. It is designed to get people in and out. Besides being in a beautiful building, there is not alot of ambiance. The food is ok.
The saving grace are the Romanian dancers, who after performing, pulled me up and then a number of other guests to dance. I am not going to show you that video because my butt looks like the size of the Atlantic Ocean in the pictures. Click here to see the dancers.
If given the choice between last nights and tonight’s restaurant, I would choose last night’s Maruc’s Inn for ambiance and food.
The Streets are busy when we walk back to the hotel with people eating and partying. The Old Town is the heart of Bucharest’s night life.