Day 29 - Ceaucescu

The Peoples Palace, Bucharest.

Today our main plan of action was the peoples palace in Bucharest which is supposed to be the second largest building in the world after The Pentagon in DC. Bucharest is really all about the Ceaucescus, the last communist leader, and here is what I found out about him. From around 1965 he was the unlikely successor as President of Romania. As a young communist he had done the prison rounds and suffered for his ideology so was adequately qualified. At first he looked like a hero in Romania being the only nation to stand up to the USSR, particularly in the invasion of Czechosklovakia where he wanted no part of the Warsaw Pact. Although looking heroic, the Soviets actually monitored him and tolerated him. When leaders believe their own press (even if they are the authors) they can be unstoppable. The Peoples Palace is an example of the blindness of the man to the nations woes. It was built between 1985 and 1989 and the size of the building to be more less completed in that time is awe inspiring. To his credit on this you could say the peoples palace was a good public works. It only used Romanian materials and labour. On the other hand nothing was getting in the way of the vision, and peoples homes and churches which were in the way were ruthlessly moved. The avenue leading up to the palace was purposely made a few inches longer than the Champs Elysee in Paris. His folly came when he visited North Korea and became interested in Juche, which I understand to mean the State is also the religion. When he borrowed $13billion off the USA (not fully understanding it to be a loan) he sought to repay this fast by ensuring everything the country produced was exported to pay back the debt (take note Conservative government with it's strong debt clearance policy). People worked hard for food that wasn't for them. A few other freedom restrictions such as prohibition of abortion and most divorces alienated the people further. A student riot which was violently suppressed, caused riots in Bucharest. Ceaucescu completely misunderstood his opinion polls and decided to talk to the people. His face as he first heard the boos and hisses has become one of the defining moments of the fall of communism, followed by his exit by helicopter. Known for suspected enemies "disappearing", when the Defence MInister commited suicide (which he actually did) the army suspected foul play and came over on the side of what was to be the revolution. To this end most Bucharestians hate the huge peoples palace for what it symbolises. For me it is similar to the Palace of Versaille near Paris. The trouble caused by one building. Now it is the largest parliamentary building in the world. All senators and deputies have their own offices within the building. Every ministry is held within it. With all the use, it is still largely unused.

Getting away from the 1989 revolution, Bucharest is my kind of city. Ugly and charming. Grubby and civilised. The old town with the bars and cafes are wide and filled with outside chairs, yet still inviting and vibrant. As alway price is important and while the best places in the old town can be only slightly cheaper than Britain. If you are little less picky and chose a bar / cafe nearer a junction the price shoots down. In my book it would definitely join the mega cities of Europe. Berlin, Paris, London are others I put in that bracket. In truth wandering north and near the main station and other streets near there and you feel a little more muggable. So normal common sense applies there.

From Bucharest we took the night train to Sofia, Bulgaria. I'm glad this was the last non bed sleeper we took.