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

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The park also has a tropical green house.

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Back in Cluj for lunch.





Transylvanian dish of stuffed cabbage rolls and polenta at Casa Vece.



Cheese cake.



After lunch took a walk around the city centre and headed to a local history museum on Transylvanian history.

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The Hungarian Theatre of Cluj. The theatre company was founded in the 1700s and performs Hungarian-language plays. The building was built in 1910 and reconstructed in the late 1950s.





Went for a walk in Central Park.







The city's opera theatre.

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Flight: RO648
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 (YR-BGK)
Origin: Cluj-Napoca (CLJ)
Destination: Bucharest-Otopeni (OTP)
Class: Economy
Date: April 2024

Time to make my way to the capital, Bucharest. I call an Uber after a chat with a Singaporean living in Sydney who happened to be staying at the same hotel as me in Cluj.

After clearing a traffic jam 1 km from the airport, I arrive at the drop-off area of Cluj Avram Iancu International Airport.

This airport does handle non-Schengen flights mainly to the UK and TK to IST, and you can also reach the airport via MUC on LH.







There were 2 check-in counters open for TAROM flights. RO only operates a shuttle up to OTP from CLJ. But there are several flights a day operated on either a turboprop or 737.


Waiting area at CLJ. I had dinner at the airport from a local 'Asian' fast-food place called Noodle Pack.


FIDS at CLJ.



Boarding took place on time.

[RedEyeflight]

YR-BGK operating RO648 CLJ-OTP tonight.



TAROM stands for Transporturile Aeriene Romane






Cabin during boarding. It was a full flight owing to Easter weekend.



Seatback.



Flight time was announced to be a quick 45 minutes.

Pushback was on time. Engines were fired up and we taxied to the runway for an on time departure.

Climbing out of CLJ.

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Once airborne, I emptied the literature compartment to see what was available.



Model aeroplanes were for sale. But I doubt available on this short hop.



Inflight magazine.



RO's fleet has shrunk quite a bit. It is probably the smallest airline in ST at the moment. A mere 14 aircraft. Like other airlines in Eastern Europe, it has faced a lot of pressure from low-cost carriers and a lack of or smaller number of premium passengers in its market area.



Routes within Romania.



Routes within Europe. RO does fly to a handful of destinations in the middle east outside of Europe. But a far cry from the days when it sent a B763 to JFK.



Cabin crew handed out bottles of water. And that was the extent of service on this flight.



We soon started our descent into OTP.



We landed, again, on schedule in OTP.

The cabin as we left the runway and taxied to our gate.



We pulled into a non-schengen gate and were met with an air-stairs and a bus to bring us to the schengen part of the airport.



Seat upholstery.



Deplaning in OTP.



It was a long walk to baggage claim. We were given a belt in the old part of the terminal where I gather all the other domestic flights within Romania arrive.

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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

Bread.



Lamb's neck soup.





Beef pastrami, polenta and cheese.

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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]

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.