We added a few more countries to our list of places we wanted to see before we die! Of course we will not likely ever finish that list, but it sure is fun to try.

 We visited Hungary, slipped through Serbia, and toured through Bulgaria and Romania. What drew us to this trip was  Budapest and a visit to Transylvania. Just how many people do you know have been to Transylvania? And since it was early October, Halloween was not too far from our minds!

Budapest is rightfully called “The Paris of Eastern Europe”. It is a wonderful city. The effects of communist rule are far less visible than in other Eastern European countries (Serbia in particular). It is filled with museums, excellent restaurants and pastry shops and amazing architecture. It is a very progressive city with much more to offer and do than we had time for.

We visited the Opera House. It is a magnificent facility that rivals the Opera House in Vienna. Of course, since the two cities had such close ties to each other during pre WW1, Vienna’s influence could be easily seen. The association with Franz Liszt is evident from statues of him at the Opera House, and a restaurant filled street just a short walk from the Opera House.

Budapest was once two cites, Buda and Pest, divided by the magnificent Danube River. The Buda side is where the famous castle district is. I wish we could have spent more time exploring in this section. It is truly beautiful.

Food in Hungary is wonderful. Goulash seemed to be everyone’s favorite! I bought a cookbook published by the famous Gundel Restaurant (Darn!! Not enough time to go eat there!!). I have since made Goulash Soup at home. It is one of our favorite soups.

SERBIA

We rolled into Bucharest, the capitol of Serbia early evening. We had a bus tour through a part of the city. Traffic was beyond nasty. The city seemed cloaked in shades of grey, with communist block housing dominating the architecture. The traffic was beyond anything I ever experienced. Even LA traffic at rush hour seems to flow better.

Unfortunately, we were too tired to hire a cab to take us from the hotel to the “bohemian” section of the city. Those in our group that did go out there said they had a nice time, and found the section to have some charm and great food. I regret not having gulped down a pot of triple expresso to have had the energy to have rooted out a favorable impression of Belgrade and Serbia. I know that my dour impression is unfair since we really saw so little.

BULGARIA

The scenery become much more pretty once we left Serbia and arrived in Bulgaria. Mountains replace the plains making for wonderful vistas.  Bulgaria is a beautiful country.

Sofia, the capitol, is a large city with all the hustle and bustle that you would expect. There is a lot of old mixed with the new. The effect of the Ottoman Empire is still evident with old mosques. The effect of communism is still evident in the communist block housing. But this city is progressing and growing. New buildings along side new, shopping centers and market areas.

We visited the Rila Monastery which is not far from Sofia. It is a World Heritage Site. What a beautiful place. Nestled in the mountains, it was a little difficult for the Ottomans to get to during their rule. By special permission, the monks were left to their prayers and studies. Today, only a handful of monks stay here.

Plovid is a charming town. The Roman Empire was once flourishing here. An ampitheater is being excavated. To me, it is amazing to be able to see such history: Romans, Ottomans, Communism have all made their mark. Yet each of the countries have kept their folk traditions through it all.

ROMANIA

Bucharest, the capitol of Romania is an exciting city. I don’t think I would want to drive in this city. Traffic is hellish, and the way they drive is enough to make you dig your fingernails through a steel seat. Lanes seem to be optional. Even though they seem to be playing their version of “chicken” at every opportunity when changing “lanes”, there seem to be far fewer accidents and banged up cars than I expected, given the insane driving habits here. Definitely not for the faint of heart!

The People’s Palace is a huge Building. Built in 5 years by a crew of over 20, 000 working around the clock, it is the second largest building in the world, second to the Pentagon. Although it is argued that The People’s Palace is the largest since this calculation takes into consideration the surrounding grounds, of which the Pentagon has more of. Nonetheless, only the Great Wall of China, the Pentagon and The People’s Palace are supposedly the only man made structures visible from outer space!

The palace is filled with marble walls, stairways, crystal chandeliers weighing much more than I can imagine. It is a magnificent structure with an opulence not fitting to the communist era during which it was built.

Pele’s Castle in Sinaia is an incredible castle. Magnificent wood carving treatments are found throughout the castle. It is truly wonderful. The grounds are equally beautiful. Statues, flowers and scenery are breathtaking!

Next on our route was Dracula’s Castle. This was not the castle that Dracula (Vlad the Impaler) ruled from. That castle was not on our route, but is in a farily remote, difficult to get to location. It is not open for visiting, since it is in a bad state of disrepair.

The castle we did visit was one that legend says Dracula visited for some unknown time. It is also where the old Dracula movies were filmed. It is an old castle, not all that big. The views from the castle were wonderful.

Sighisoara is the town were Dracula was born. The house that he was born in is now a restaurant.

Old Town in Brosov is a wonderful medieval city. The “Black Church” (so called because a  town fire had blackened the outer walls of the church), has a huge organ. There was an organ concert being given, which we were able to go in and listen to. The many pipes, and the sound was an incredible thing to see. I wish I could have taken a picture, but photography was not allowed.

Gypsies are prevalent in all of the counties we visited. Romania had the largest population. They refuse to assimilate with the culture around them. They still beg, and make use of local “welfare” monies, squatting on public lands. According to a local guide, Romania had tired to build housing for them in an attempt to assimilate the gypsies. They stayed in the housing just long enough to strip the building of anything saleable (fixtures, copper piping, etc.) and then left.

Many live in homes built of Tin roof sheeting, plywood and such poor conditions that looked worse to me than what poor living conditions I saw outside of Guatemala City. Others lived in more substantial buildings, but still very poor. Gypsy children can be seen standing in busy streets, barefoot and begging. Women (always carrying a child) begging are also common.

Many Gypsies look like “street people”. Dirty, unkept, not at all like the “romantic notion” we might have of Gypsies. Then there are others that I saw that are relatively well dressed. Women in brightly colored long flowing skirts, men well groomed trying to sell briefcases and watches. It is an interesting culture. If you are interested read “The Gypsies” by Jan Yoors (available on Amazon).

Another impression I had of the areas visited was that so many homes have their own vegetable/fruit gardens. Cabbages, tomatoes, grapes and other produce as well as flowers can be seen in virtually every backyard! Whether out of necessity or for whatever reason, it seems like the gardens are tended to meticulously.

All four countries are in the process of becoming EU members. They are trying to jump through the hoops to meet requirements economically and socially to become part of the EU. Hungary will likely become the first to meet the requirements.

Real estate can be had in Bulgaria and Romania (where upwards of 90% of the population own their own home!) for a low price. We looked into one real estate office and saw a “luxury” three story home, furnished with some land for the equivalent of some $25,000 US . The Brits have invested in vacation homes along the Black Sea Coast for years. Once these countries become full EU members, I am sure the prices will triple.

If only I had a spare $25,000 lying around!!

If you have a chance to visit this area of the world, do!! The land is beautiful, the history and arts and crafts are wonderful.