Bucharest bagged

Sunday evening I returned from Bucharest: the last leg in my journey along all 27 European capitals. It IS a big number and I guess having visited them all is some sort of accomplishment. However, I am glad we have reached the final station of this particular journey. In Bucharest I experienced once more how difficult it is to find fresh angles through the Horizon’s viewfinder. In a way I am photographed-out with this particular camera, at least in an urban setting.

Bucharest surprised me as being more Western than I anticipated. Compared to Sofia it feels less exotic. In their physiognomy and demeanour, the Romanians look more Central than South-Eastern European. The language too has its share in the ostensible familiarity of the surroundings. It looks quite close to Italian and it is comparatively fairly easy to get around menus and transport systems. Bulgaria, with its cyrillic alphabet, is a very different ball game. Although I was happy to be accompanied by my friend Werner, I felt reasonably safe in the city. We stayed out on the streets until midnight without any problems whatsoever. Actually, the biggest nuisance is the profusion of security personnel. Werner joked that probably one quarter of the population was being employed in security services, whilst another quarter was on the run for security services. We had an unpleasant encounter with a few of these guys on a cemetery where I wanted to take some shots. Luckily they intercepted us before I actually took a photo. Otherwise I might have lost a roll of film, or even the camera. One never knows. In any case, friendly they were not.

Architecturally the city reflects the megalomaniac reign of Ceaucescu. Vast, monumental buildings are sprinkled all over town. The famous Parliament Palace, second biggest building in the world after the Pentagon, dominates like a stranded, tasteless spaceship in the southeastern part of town. There is a compact “old town” which shows something of the former Belle Epoque glory of this city.

We crisscrossed the city, covering at least 35km on foot. The weather was fine, with temperatures around 14°C and fairly sunny on Friday and Sunday. However, despite these ideal conditions, I only shot 3 and a half roll. Today I got the negs from the lab and I think I will be able to find 6 decent pictures for the website. I haven’t decided yet what picture I will put in the book.