The impression Bucharest makes is rather mixed; we can see pre-war buildings here, churches, modern office buildings, cube-shaped housing blocks and a district reflecting the magnanimous ambitions of the former dictator. The once rich city was eroded by earth quakes, bombs and Ceausescu's destruction.
Before the war, the capital of Rumania used to be called the Paris of the East, but, by today, not much remained from it. The bombings of the second world war, the earth quakes and Ceausescu are to blamed for this. The ex-dictator's destructive conduct could well be illustrated by an incident, when he ordered the demolition of 7.000 houses and 26 churches in 1980, in order to provide a site for the development of a privileged residential district.
The largest building of the city is the 12-storey high House of Parliament, nicknamed Ceausima. Ceausescu aimed it to be World's largest building, but it is only second, behind the Pentagon. It accommodated originally the headquarters of the President, the Central Committee and of the Ministers. After the fall of the dictator, many a people wanted to demolish the building, but a decision was made in 1994, to keep it, to house the Parliament and also to accommodate international conferences here.
The overall picture of the city is rather mixed; the pre-war houses of the upper class can be found here as well as the churches surviving the bombs of the war and the persecutions later, the office buildings and the cube-shaped housing blocks of the '70-s and '80-s. Along with the historic architectural relics, the governmental district reflecting Ceausescu's megalomania can also be seen.
In the Ghencea Public Cemetery on the Western part of Bucharest, Nicolae Ceausescu's tomb can be seen. The tomb of the ex-dictator executed after the 1989 revolution is rather richly decorated with flowers and candles. The nearby tomb of the dictator's wife, Elena is less looked after. Their son, Nicu is also buried here; he once governed Transylvania and came to dubious fame as a drunkard playboy. He was seen escorting even Nadja Comaneci known gymnast once.
One of the most interesting place to see is the Village Museum (Muezul Satului), where over sixty rural houses are exhibited in a huge park. Rumania's every region is represented, thus we can see Transylvanian houses too. We can see interesting ethnic arts and craft relics in the houses where we can enter.
The highest expense in Rumania is accommodation; eating, museums and public transport are very cheap. Taxi is also cheap, but if we don't order the cab by phone but hitch it on the street, it is advisable to fix the price in advance. The inner city is not really large; practically everything is within walking distance. If we go to a restaurant, there it is also advisable to clarify the prices. Food is not expensive, and, though Rumania is not the target of shopping tourism, there is a choice too. It is worth buying leather goods, for instance, shoes and leather coats are cheap.
Stray dogs cause problems in Bucharest. Whilst the estimated number of stray dogs in Budapest is between 15- 20 thousand, the number in the Rumanian capital is tenfold: 150- 200 thousand dogs stray the streets of Bucharest. The dogs have been chased out of the inner city, but the large number of dogs is still a problem in the outer districts. About two years ago, the Mayor ordered the removal of the dogs, but, due to the resistance from animal rights organisations and from local residents, the action stopped. The beneficial effect of the large number of stray dogs is, however: there are no rats in the city.