Final Words on Romania

We were pleasantly surprised by Romania. It was easy to drive around, it was a very inexpensive country, and we loved the wine. The weather was fabulous--not too hot and not too cold. We met only with a little rain traveling in mid September. The bonus was we didn't see any mosquitoes!

Turkish Airlines' business class is a great experience. If you get a chance, definitely give it a try. The Polaris Lounge in SFO and the Business Class lounge in Istanbul were amazing and the service on board was great.

This was all we took for a 2-week trip in early fall.

Three pairs of shoes were sufficient--sandals, walking shoes and hiking shoes. A fancier pair of shoes for the Artist might have been nice but it was not necessary.

2019 09 28

Bucharest Airport and the Flight Home on Turkish Business Class

We took Bus 783 back to the airport.

We passed by numerous monuments, including the Arcul de Triumf, a large arch located in northern Bucharest. It was inaugurated in 1936 and is a smaller version of Paris' Arc de Triomphe.

Wings, the Anti-Communist Battle Monument, sits in front of the Free Press.

We flew business class on Turkish Airlines and had access to the Business Class lounge. At Otopeni, there was only 1 lounge serving all the airlines and this was laughable.

This was the food available. The croissant was dry. Very disappointing. Certainly not like SFO United Polaris or Istanbul Turkish Lounge. It was a quiet lounge but then again, the whole airport was quiet.

We ended up grabbing a snack at La Sarmale, which had typical Romanian cuisine. The sarmale (cabbage roll) was not cheap by Romanian standards--18.99 lei ($4.44) and was just okay. A little too mushy and too salty.

Our seats were comfortable and we had a lot of room. Not the fancy pods in some planes but I liked that I sat next to my travel companion and there was lots of storage space without using the overhead bins.

On our short hop from Otopeni Bucharest to Istanbul, we were served freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh fruit & homemade yogurt, homemade red chili pepper jam from Alacati, Trabzon countryside butter, green olives from Bodrum, "Menemen" (scrambled eggs with tomatoes and green peppers in a traditional casserole), regional Turkish cheeses (aged Kasar from Kars, thyme infused Ezine from Canakkale and burgu from Usak, smoked salmon and selection of croissant and danishes. I had to eat fast to finish my meal before our 1 hour 25 min flight landed.

Welcome homemade raspberry lemonade.

Gourmet nuts and champagne followed.

Canapes were presented before the appetizer trolley was wheeled out. The lamb on the right was delicious!

Appetizers included Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Pesto & Parmesan; Bocconcini, Arugula & Cherry Tomatoes; Roasted Red Pepper Hummus; Saksuka (cooked in olive oil) Eggplant in Tomato Sauce; Marinated Seafood Salad; Smoked Salmon. All were delicious!

One of the options for the main was Steak & Salad with Grilled Tomato Carpacchio and Fresh Arugula. The stead was good but not as flavorful as the one I had on the outbound flight from SFO.

The other main option was Sea Bass en Papilotte, Julienne Vegetables and Roasted Red Pepper. The fish was very tender and had good flavor.

I was stuffed by the time the Dessert Trolley was wheeled out but I had to try the Chocolate Ball with Mango Ice Cream and the Semolina Dessert. Both were good.

My husband ordered the Chocolate Ball and a wedge of cheese.

Before we landed, we were served Mozzarella & Tomato Salad, Garden Fresh Salad, Traditional Dolma Varieties (minced beef stuffed vine leaves and zucchini) and Karniyarik (eggplant with minced beef), tomato sauce and yogurt. Dessert was chocolate mousse.

I highly recommend flying business class on Turkish Airlines. You will be spoiled.

2019 09 28

Evening in Bucharest

After dinner at The Artist and the Water Show in Piata Unirii, we found dessert at Xclusive Grill & Crepes. It's located at Str. Lipscani 36.

Papanasi--20 lei ($4.67). I will miss this dessert of fried dough, yogurt and homemade jam.

2019 09 27

The Artist

Dinner was at The Artist, helmed by Chef Paul Oppenkamp. I did make reservations a few days in advance.

The Artist is located at Calea Victoriei 147.

The inside is elegant.

We shared a bottle of blanc de noir--140 lei ($32.71).

Homemade bread was really good.

Amuse Bouche--Cheese Mousse with Salame & Lavender Smoke, Carrot Ketchup. This was very tasty and a beautiful presentation.

We decided to order the Spoons Tasting Menu. We went with the Degustation of all Appetizers--65 lei ($15.19) and Degustation of all Mains--78 lei ($18.22) and skipped the Degustation of all Desserts--45 lei ($10.51). You get a spoon tasting of each dish on the menu.

The appetizers included (from left to right):

Oyster Trio with Beef Tartar/Soya/White Chocolate & Champagne

Hot Smoked Trout with Polenta Fries/White Garlic/Black Garlic/Cucumber

Chicken Liver Parfait with Port Wine/Balsamic/Brioche/Figs/Frisee/Pistachio

Romanian Tomatoes with White Cheese/Basil/French Toast

Raw Tuna with Avocado/Lime/Ginger/Coconut

Chilled Borscht of Beetroot with Yogurt/Black Cherries/Romanian Goat Cheese

White Bean Soup between courses.

The Mains included:

Tandoori Spiced Duck Breast with Apricots/Duck Croquette/Sweet Potato/Yogurt

Sea Bass Roll with Quinoa/Corn/Chicken Jus/Parsley

Beef Strip Sirloin Steak with Crispy Mici/Tecucci Mustard/Eggplant

Dover Sole with Green Peas/Black Truffle/Asparagus/Hollandaise

Braised Pork Belly with Lobster/Soy/Chili/Radish

Grilled Octopus with Chorizo/Tomato/Saffron/Risotto

Dinner was amazing. Everything was delicious and at such a bargain. Definitely make plans to have dinner here. You'll thank me later.

2019 09 27

Taverna Covaci

We found lunch in the Old Town at Taverna Covaci.

Taverna Covaci is located at Strada Covaci 1. We ate outdoors and braved the smokers.

This was a good pear cider--Somersby from Denmark. 10.9 lei ($2.55)

They offered a 4-course lunch for 27.9 lei ($6.52). The first course was a soup. One of the options was a Vegetable Soup.

Another was Chicken with Homemade Noodles.

One of the options for the main was Grilled Chicken with Potatoes.

Another option was Grilled Pork with Potatoes.

You could also choose a Salad--this was Vegetable Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber and Onions.

One Dessert Option was Crepe Filled with Cherry Jam.

Another option was Apple Pie.

2019 09 27

The Story of Bucharest Tour

The Royal Century tour was so good, it prompted us to take the Story of Bucharest Tour the next morning. We met in Piata Unirii next to the clock.

Between 1982 and 1988, thirteen churches were moved hundreds of meters in order to save them from destruction, as Nicolae Ceausescu set about redesigning Bucharest. These churches were placed on rails and rolled to new sites, hidden between buildings. This was one of the churches wedged between buildings.

Manuc's Inn, built in 1808, is the oldest operating hotel in Bucharest. It briefly housed Bucharest's Town Hall in 1842.

It is a shaded 2-story building that also houses a restaurant.

This building had caryatids.

The caryatids reminded me of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis in Athens.

The Biserica Sfantul Gheorghe Nou (New St. George's Church) dates from 1699 and is the burial place of Wallachian prince Brancoveanu.

The Stavropoleos Monastery dates from 1724.

It has an ornate door.

The inner courtyard is filled with tombstones.

The Pasajul Vilacrosse is another passageway.

The interior is beautifully restored.

There are cafes with outdoor tables in the passageway.

Biserica Studentilor, an Orthodox church.

2019 09 27

Caru' cu Bere

A popular restaurant in the Old Town is Caru' cu Bere. It was opened in 1879 and is Bucharest's oldest beer house. Reservations are a must for dinner.

It's located at Strada Stavropoleos 5. 

It's rather touristy and has traditional music and dance shows. The interior is beautiful.

We sat on the upper level and had a nice view of the shows.

We had to order bread--5.20 lei ($1.21) for 1/2 lb loaf

to eat with the Eggplant Salad--19.70 lei ($4.60). Not quite as good as baba ghanouj but it was nice to eat some vegetables.

Giblet Soup--15.50 lei ($3.62). The giblet soup had some hearts in it as well and it was quite good. The giblets and hearts were tender.

Pork Platter with Mamaliga (polenta) & Cabbage--51.90 lei ($12.13).

Mici--6.50 lei ($1.52) with Green Beans--10.40 lei ($2.43).

Mixed Salad--12 lei ($2.80).

We also had a liter of beer--23.50 lei ($5.50) and a glass of house wine--11.90 lei ($2.78).

2019 09 26