My initial pass through the security check point was pretty
easy. I mean, how could anyone not get
pass the photo id and ticket check?
Especially in an place like Vienna, where I think they only care that
you have a face. Then it happened “Sir,
your flight ticket is for tomorrow”.
Fortunately that was not me, but the guy behind. As he ran to catch his ride before they
departed the airport, all I could say was “that sucks” to the security guard.
Bucharest is the capital of Romania, with a population of
1.9 million, it lies 40 miles north of the Danube River separating Romania from
Bulgaria. Between the two world wars,
the city earned the nickname “Little Paris” with is elegant architecture. As capital of an Axis country and a major
transit point for Axis troops en route to the Eastern Front, Bucharest suffered
heavy damage during World War II due to Allied bombings. After the end of World War II, the country
fell under the control of communism, and the ruthless Dictator Nicolae
Ceauşescu. Ceaușescu's regime became
increasingly brutal and repressive. He
maintained controls over speech and the media that were very strict even by
Soviet-bloc standards, and internal dissent was not tolerated. His secret police, the Securitate, was one of
the most ubiquitous and brutal secret police forces in the world. In 1982, with the goal of paying off Romania's
large foreign debt, Ceaușescu ordered the export of much of the country’s
agricultural and industrial production. The resulting extreme shortages of
food, fuel, energy, medicines, and other basic necessities drastically lowered
living standards and intensified unrest.
Ceaușescu’s regime eventually collapsed at the same time other
revolutions in Europe were occurring. Known
as the Romanian Revolution, it was the only violent removal of a Communist
government in the course of the so-called revolutions of 1989. Ceaușescu and his wife fled the capital in a
helicopter but were later captured by the armed forces. On December 25, the couple
were hastily tried and convicted by a special military tribunal on charges of
genocide and sabotage of the Romanian economy in a two-hour court session and
immediately shot by a firing squad.
While most of the buildings survived numerous damages as a
result of war, earthquakes, and Nicolae Ceauşescu's program of systematization,
they have been neglected and are in the beginning phases of restoration under
the new administration. The city is slowly
in the process of changing, and walking through the downtown area, you get a
sense of the old and new coming together.
One thing still crazy is the traffic, especially for cars taking left
turns. With each light, it is seems that
numerous cars crowd the middle of the intersection at multiple points, and then
as the light changes, they somehow manage to break free of the chaos and make
the turn.
Three hours north of Bucharest you will find the historical
region of Transylvania in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south
by the Carpathian mountains, and extending into the west to the Apuseni
Mountains. The region of Transylvania is
known for the scenic beauty of its landscape and its rich history, but is also commonly
associated with vampires. On the border
of Transylvania, you will find Bran Castle, better known as Dracula’s
Castle. There is however is no evidence that
Bran Castle was used as the setting for Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. The castle has only small association with
Vlad III, a member of the House of Draculești, who resided in the castle for
only a few days. The castle was recently
put up for sale, and can be yours, for upwards of $100M.
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