17. Bucharest, Romania
I had to go to Bucharest to get a connecting flight to Sibiu. I could’ve done the journey in a day, but I was intrigued to see the capital, so I spent four days there.
I’d imagined it to be similar to Prague and Budapest: an architecturally beautiful city that had, following the changes between 1989 and 1991, developed as a tourist centre. It has the architectural beauty but it is not a city that attracts many tourists. I imagine that if low cost airlines continue to move in, it soon will. Though it has buildings and places of beauty (Parliament Palace, Piata Victoriei, Lipscan, Herástrau Park) and fascinating museums (Satulul Museum, the Museum of Romania), it doesn’t appear to have a cafe culture or bar culture that will be one of the keys to its tourism success.
What do I know?
I was encouraged to see Sibiu promoted here in the form of posters advertising events, festival and performances. There are also banners with the Sibiu 2007 logo, and in the book stores there are numerous books about the city. A visit to the Ministry of Culture confirmed the country’s pride in Sibiu as Capital of Culture.
I hope that London will raise Liverpool’s profile next year in similar ways, but I felt a tinge of doubt. I figure it will be so absorbed in 2012 that Liverpool 2008 will not be well promoted. I hope I’m wrong. And actually, I do have confidence that the Culture Company will make every effort to ensure our profile is raised outside of the city.
It’s outside the city that the banners, posters and 08 logos need to be, not in Liverpool. We who live and work there, know that it is Capital of Culture next year...
My time in Bucharest was a useful precursor to my visit to Sibiu. I talked with numerous people about the city; what their awareness was, their views about its status as Capital of Culture. Responses varied from lack of awareness of what was happening during the year, to intense enthusiasm; that it is positive for the city and for Romania. One person I met, an international transaction manager for a tyre company, a native of Sibiu, told me that Capital of Culture is “like a gift from heaven”, that for the first five years after the changes in 1989, nothing changed in Sibiu, but now it has been transformed because of 2007. He felt some anxiety about the future and stressed that it is essential that Sibiu’s development does not cease.
I spent two full days absorbing the history, vibrancy of the city and sights whilst walking around in temperatures of 35-40 degrees. Getting around on foot and by metro is easy. Taxis are cheap - around 25p per kilometre. But if you visit, watch out for Auto Taxis who charge around £2 per kilometre. On arriving in the city I unknowingly got one of these, went on a tour of the city en route to my hotel (not requested) and was charged £14 for a fare that cost me £1 the following day when I used a reputable company. Humph...
I’d recommend Bucharest for a short break. The cuisine is fantastic, the Bilberry Brandy, delicious, the climate is perfect (if you like it hot) and the architecture is stunning and its history important. Don’t come for a pair of Levi’s or Lee Cooper’s, though. In the sale they were around £45, reduced from £90...
I’d imagined it to be similar to Prague and Budapest: an architecturally beautiful city that had, following the changes between 1989 and 1991, developed as a tourist centre. It has the architectural beauty but it is not a city that attracts many tourists. I imagine that if low cost airlines continue to move in, it soon will. Though it has buildings and places of beauty (Parliament Palace, Piata Victoriei, Lipscan, Herástrau Park) and fascinating museums (Satulul Museum, the Museum of Romania), it doesn’t appear to have a cafe culture or bar culture that will be one of the keys to its tourism success.
What do I know?
I was encouraged to see Sibiu promoted here in the form of posters advertising events, festival and performances. There are also banners with the Sibiu 2007 logo, and in the book stores there are numerous books about the city. A visit to the Ministry of Culture confirmed the country’s pride in Sibiu as Capital of Culture.
I hope that London will raise Liverpool’s profile next year in similar ways, but I felt a tinge of doubt. I figure it will be so absorbed in 2012 that Liverpool 2008 will not be well promoted. I hope I’m wrong. And actually, I do have confidence that the Culture Company will make every effort to ensure our profile is raised outside of the city.
It’s outside the city that the banners, posters and 08 logos need to be, not in Liverpool. We who live and work there, know that it is Capital of Culture next year...
My time in Bucharest was a useful precursor to my visit to Sibiu. I talked with numerous people about the city; what their awareness was, their views about its status as Capital of Culture. Responses varied from lack of awareness of what was happening during the year, to intense enthusiasm; that it is positive for the city and for Romania. One person I met, an international transaction manager for a tyre company, a native of Sibiu, told me that Capital of Culture is “like a gift from heaven”, that for the first five years after the changes in 1989, nothing changed in Sibiu, but now it has been transformed because of 2007. He felt some anxiety about the future and stressed that it is essential that Sibiu’s development does not cease.
I spent two full days absorbing the history, vibrancy of the city and sights whilst walking around in temperatures of 35-40 degrees. Getting around on foot and by metro is easy. Taxis are cheap - around 25p per kilometre. But if you visit, watch out for Auto Taxis who charge around £2 per kilometre. On arriving in the city I unknowingly got one of these, went on a tour of the city en route to my hotel (not requested) and was charged £14 for a fare that cost me £1 the following day when I used a reputable company. Humph...
I’d recommend Bucharest for a short break. The cuisine is fantastic, the Bilberry Brandy, delicious, the climate is perfect (if you like it hot) and the architecture is stunning and its history important. Don’t come for a pair of Levi’s or Lee Cooper’s, though. In the sale they were around £45, reduced from £90...
