With eternal thanks to George Hari Popescu, who wrote about this yesterday on his terrific blog, it now looks as though Bucharest is to get some kind of tourist bus route. The final decision will be taken on Tuesday, but it looks a done deal.
In a nutshell, some kind of hop-on, hop-off bus (probably a double decker, see below) will run from Piata Scanteii to Casa Poporului and back, stopping at all of Bucharest’s worthwhile sights. (It’s a non-stop service then? – Ed). Tickets, valid for one day, will cost 25 lei for adults, half price for children.
The proposed route of the Bucharest tour bus
And there’s the first problem…
We do not want to be cheap (although we are), but 25 lei? That’s almost €7, or five quid. For that money you can buy a one-day travelcard in London (a city not until now famed for its accessibly priced transport).
Reading through the deadly dull as dishwater proposal last night (Romanian bureaucrats are still living in the 1980s when it comes to the language they use), we did discover one real nugget that kind of gives the game away:
If done well...
Somebody called Mircea has noted that the project might succeed, if implemented correctly. The implication of course being that it will be one massive fuck-up all round. Also note the brilliant last comment he makes ‘perhaps I am asking for too much.‘
Alas, experience leads us to agree with Mircea on this one.
From 5 until 9 october we visit Bucharest.
Is this “hop on, hop off”bus already a fact?
If not, can someone advise me wich company is reliable concerning cityguides?
thanks
Astrid
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Bucharest Life Reply:
September 21st, 2009 at 2:59 pm
No! It of course never happened…
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4th July, 1999
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Is that an event you organised?
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There really is nothing to see – can you imagine the insecurely nationalistic, scu-English commentary on this bus? And here we have Triumphant Arch Market. Some other countries have similar monuments including Chisinau and Paris. It is opened only one time each year for the honour of the dead of the wars. Unless Coca-Cola offer us some money in which case we will let them paint it red and have teenagers abseil down it.
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