Romania > The Enormous Palace of Parliament

The alarm goes off. I take a shower. On the ground floor, the breakfast buffet is already starting to get busy. I basically choose the same options as yesterday. After breakfast, we pack our luggage from the room and check out. By car, we drive a short distance through the city to the Palatul Parlamentului, the Palace of the Parliament. This enormous building was once commissioned by the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The Parliament Palace has become the largest building in Europe. We park the car in front of the building. From the parking lot, the immense size is clearly visible. We originally had a tour scheduled for eleven o’clock. Yesterday, we were informed that the English tour will be at twelve. We arrive well in time. We walk a bit along the boulevard in front of the palace. The fountains spray water upwards—a beautiful sight with the palace in the background. At a terrace, we order coffee. Then we walk to entrance B3, which turns out to be exactly at the rear side. It is about a fifteen-minute walk, illustrating the size of the building. We arrive at the entrance well ahead of time.

Romania - The impressive Parliament building of Bucharest

The Spanish tour is just leaving. It takes a while before everyone for the English tour has passed through security. With about twenty minutes delay, Christian starts the tour. He explains that construction began in 1984 and that over one million cubic meters of marble were used in the palace. This makes it the heaviest building in the world. He mentions that the palace sinks about half a centimeter each year. This is almost unimaginable. Above ground, there are eight floors; underground, there are nine more. In total, there are 1,200 rooms. We ascend a wide stately staircase. Through a broad marble corridor, we reach two conference rooms. Christian explains that Ceausescu never saw the building completed. In 1989, he was executed during the Romanian revolution. There were three options for the building: demolish, sell, or complete it. The first option was costly and would waste valuable materials; for the second, there were no suitable buyers.

Romania - The assembly hall of the Romanian Parliament

The third option seemed the best, especially since much material had already been purchased. In 1996, the building was put into use. We pass various corridors and large halls. Finally, we arrive at the Romanian parliament chamber. Here, parliament members meet during weekdays. Impressive. After more than an hour, we are outside again. We drive out of Bucharest. Traffic is calm on a Sunday afternoon. Outside the city, the road turns into a highway. We head west toward Pitesti. We have not eaten yet. We decide it would be nice to eat in a village instead of a roadside restaurant. When we leave the highway and drive through a village, the restaurants suggested by Google appear to be closed. At the third location, there are tables and chairs, and some youths are sitting there. When we sit down, giggles break out. No one speaks English. With some gestures, we ask if we can get something to eat. We are pointed inside. It turns out to be a small supermarket. There is not much choice. Maybe some bread with sausage? We decide to keep driving. A few kilometers further, we pass a pizzeria. We park the car and order two small pizzas. On the terrace, in the shade, we enjoy lunch. It is oppressively hot today. The temperature is around thirty-five degrees. It’s no surprise everyone takes it easy. It is already four o’clock when we drive the last stretch to Curtea de Arges. We pass Pitesti via the highway. From here, it is another half hour’s drive. When we arrive at Curtea de Arges, the highway ends. All traffic is diverted off the road. In the center, we arrive at Pension Montana. Inside, we are warmly welcomed. There is space to park three cars. A brief discussion is held about who will leave first tomorrow. We park our car second in line and, just in case, leave a note with our phone number. We have a triple room on the second floor. On the terrace, we order a beer. Opposite the pension is the Sfantul Gheorghe church. The white Orthodox church contrasts beautifully against the blue sky. Although it is past six o’clock, the door is still open. I walk inside briefly. The church is completely covered with frescoes on the walls and ceilings. This gives the small church a beautiful appearance combined with the gilded iconostasis.

Romania - The historic Saint Nicholas Church is being restored

A little further lies the Sfantul Nicolae church. The Sfantul Nicolae church is one of the oldest and most remarkable churches in Romania. It was probably built around 1352 during the reign of Nicolae Alexandru, son of Basarab I, founder of the Principality of Wallachia. When I arrive at the church, it is completely surrounded by wooden scaffolding. I walk around the “wrapped” church. Although signs indicate the church is already closed, the door is open. I walk inside. It appears someone is giving a private tour to some visitors. This gives me the chance to admire the church with its historic frescoes. In the evening, we eat at a restaurant further down the street. It is a one-way street, and it seems several cars pass by multiple times per evening. Why is unclear to us. Also, people struggle to park neatly. Cars are parked crooked in the spaces. The waiter is pleased to hear we are from the Netherlands. He lived in the Netherlands for two years and delivered packages for Amazon. Since we ate late this afternoon, I choose something simple with chicken and fries. On the waiter’s recommendation, we share a Papanasi dessert. A local delicacy. It resembles an ordinary doughnut with sauce poured over it.