Īn Ceasescu's footsteps: Switzerland, Serbia and Romania via SQ346/345

[RedEyeflight]

Welcome to Montreux. A French-speaking town by Lake Geneva. On the other side of the lake is France.










Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux.



A street in Montreux.

[RedEyeflight]

Welcome back to Switzerland! With one full-day left in the country, I opt to go to the French-speaking side. Particularly, the town of Montreux on Lake Geneva. A journey like this would probably take 6-7 hours in Romania. But here in Switzerland, the trains would bring me there in a quick 2 hours and 50 minutes. Short enough for a day trip.

Zurich HB in the morning.



The journey involved a switch in the town of Lausanne.

The scenery became spectacular between Fribourg and Lausanne.





Approaching Lake Geneva and Lausanne.

[RedEyeflight]

Cabin mid-flight. Flight time was 2 hours and 10 minutes.



Mood lighting.



Moving map.







Before landing, cabin crew came around handing out swiss chocolates. But no LX-themed. Just general Lindt chocolate.



Descending into ZRH.





Arriving into gate A33.



My bag was second on the belt. All bags came with Easter treats stapled to their baggage tags. Thank you LX!

[RedEyeflight]

Boarding.



"Business class" cabin. Swiss-branded headrest covers but BT interior. All FAs wore BT uniforms.





Seatback.



Air Baltic safety video played. I still can't believe they're allowed to show the safety video through these small screens.



Once airborne, cabin crew came around handing out water. It was the same Swiss-themed water.



Exact same buy-on-board menu and inflight shopping.



Air Baltic safety card.



Spacious bathrooms on the A220.

[RedEyeflight]

Flight: LX1889
Aircraft: Airbus 220-300 (YL-AAW) (Operated by Air Baltic)
Origin: Bucharest-Otopeni (OTP)
Destination: Zurich (ZRH)
Class: Economy
Date: April 2024

Off to the airport in an Uber at 1.30pm. No traffic. Romanian roads are notorious for bad traffic. They have a similar culture to us in Singapore where a car is a status symbol.

Departure curbside.





Newer wing of the terminal.



Only 2 check-in counters for LX. Staff were incredibly efficient but super irate. There was virtually no queue.



After clearing security, I headed to a cafe to chill.

YL-AAW arriving from ZRH.



Gate area.



Aircraft being prepared to return to ZRH.

[RedEyeflight]

I had about an hour to kill before heading off to the airport for a 4pm departure to ZRH.

Saw some communist era trams operating near the hotel so decided to hop on one.

These are in much better shape than in Belgrade.

[RedEyeflight]

The next day was Easter Sunday and this being an Orthodox country, virtually everything was shut.

So, I decided to take a self-guided tour through the Cotroceni neighbourhood.

Hopped on a bus. Buses and trams are super easy to use. Just scan your debit card on the reader and you're good!



Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy.





House of Prince Nicolae. Ousted by his brother Carol II because he chose to marry someone not of royal decent.



Motherland Hero's Monument built to honour those who fought fascism in WWII.



Collective Housing on Panduri Street.



Rainbow stairs. Not in rainbow colours yet, I think, because it's not summer yet.

[RedEyeflight]

Headed to Carturesti Carusel a mulți-story bookstore with a cafe at the top.





Hopped on the metro to the Primaverii neighbourhood where high-ranking communist officials used to live.

House of Nicolae Ceasescu



A leafy street.



Headed to the nearby Arc de Triumf in Bucharest built to commemorate soldiers who died in World War I.

[RedEyeflight]

After the tour, decided to have lunch at Manuc's Inn.

Bread.



Lamb's neck soup.





Beef pastrami, polenta and cheese.

[RedEyeflight]

The Odeon theatre, a prestigious performance venue that is the site of international festivals. During communist times, it re-purposed to showcase state-approved performances.



Bust of Ataturk, unveiled in 1994, outside the theatre to symbolise strong friendship between Romania and Turkey, two NATO members.



Stopped by for some Savarina at Casa Capsa along Calea Victoriei, next to the Odeon Theatre. Casa Capsa is a famous cake shop founded in 1852 and is known for famed creations such as Joffre Cake, named in honour of a French Marshal that visited the city in the 1920s.

Savarina īs a classic Romanian treat. It is a sponge cake soaked in rum and filled with cream. Due to shortages during communism, the cake became a revered treat and a symbol of resistance against bleakness. During this time too, artificial rum began to be used to make the cake.



Next, we headed to a nearby church that was moved on rails from its original site where the Palace of Parliament now stands. Hundreds of buildings, including churches and apartment blocks, were jacked up from their foundations and moved on rails to different parts of the city under communism.



Macca Vilacrosse passage







Curtea Veche Church. Founded īn the 1600s and partially destroyed by fire in 1847. Restored over many years up to the 1980s.

[RedEyeflight]

Went on a walking tour the next day. Started at the Romanian Athenaeum.



Carol I on horseback. Carol I was Romania's first monarch (1866-1914). Following the abolition of serfdom, the country appointed a German-born royalty as king to lead the newly united country. Previously, the country had been a collection of Voivodes. Carol I would play an important role in modernising the country. This statue was initially unveiled in 1939, but was destroyed by the communists in 1948. Another statue was created in 2010 with some differences from the initial statue from the 1930s.



Central University Library Bucharest, founded by King Carol I in 1899.



Former royal palace.



Dacia was founded by the communist government in 1966. It originally produced cars built under license from Renault.



Revolution square. This was the balcony where Ceasecu would last speak in 1989 before escaping in a helicopter on the roof. Here he addressed a crowd which eventually turned against him and catalysed the revolution against the communist regime.



Monument to the Heroes of the Revolution. Unofficially known as a potato in a spike, it symbolises the Romanian people's revolve in overcoming communism. The spike emerging from the blob on top, signifies the overcoming of communism. Communism was imposed by the Soviets, like in the rest of Eastern Europe, through sham elections. During World War II, Romania switched sides and allowed Soviet troops to march through the country who eventually occupied its territoy and handed power over to the local communist elements.



Monument to Luliu Maniu. Maniu was Prime Minister during the interwar period and a staunch opposer of Soviet influence. He was imprisoned by the communists and died in captivity.

[RedEyeflight]

That night I went to Restaurant Vatra, which was a highly recommended place serving local cuisine.

Started with stuffed mushrooms.



Also had Mici, which if you recall from Serbia, is similar to Cevapi. The only difference is that Mici uses a different seasoning as well as baking soda and beef broth for a juicier texture.



Also had Papanasi which is a cheese-filled donut slobbered with cream and jam.

[RedEyeflight]

There have been a lot of busts on this trip. This TR should have been called 'Busts galore'.



Stopped by a Sweets shop for a break.





Manuc's Inn in the Old Town. Now a restaurant and previously a film set during the communist times. The Inn was built in 1808 by an Armenian entrepreneur.







More photos of the Old Town.





Stavropoleos Church, built in 1724, also extremely popular with Instagramers. Founded by a Greek monk, but is a Romanian orthodox church.













Palace of Deposits and Consignments built in 1897. The building boasts a large glass dome. It is not open to the public.





Headed back to the hotel on the Metro. Bucharest's metro system opened in 1979. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the same pomp and circumstance of other communist systems.





Narrow platforms at Piata Romana. The station was built clandestinely as communist dictator wife Elena Ceausescu believed building it would make students and workers become overweight. Initially, trains passed through the station and it finally opened in 1988.





Emerging from the metro and walking back to the hotel.

[RedEyeflight]

First day in Bucharest, headed to the Palace of Parliament, the world's second largest administrative building built by the communists.







Constitution square in front of the building.



Took a walk to the fountains at Piata Unirii

[RedEyeflight]

Stayed at the Hotel Christina, located just outside the city centre.