October 2009

While its trains continue to go backwards, Romanian railways (CFR) takes a giant leap forwards

by Craig Turp October 30, 2009 Bucharest

 A while ago we reported how we had thought we must be stupid, for we could not find the ‘buy tickets online now’ button on the website of Romanian railways, CFR. As it turned out, there wasn’t one. Now, however, news reaches us that you can indeed buy Romanian train tickets online. Oh yes. Right [...]

9 comments Read the full article →

The best in new Romanian art

by Craig Turp October 30, 2009 Bucharest

 Metro carriage with graffiti, by the seven-year old artist known simply as Maxi, is just one of the many exciting works not featured in a new book showcasing the very best in Romanian snake oil. Called 100 Ways to Milk a Cow the book is a hilarious spoof of the contemporary art world. Look out [...]

11 comments Read the full article →

Bucharest’s Village Museum: Good, but much better when there’s a fair on.

by Craig Turp October 28, 2009 Bucharest

 On Saturday we went to Bucharest’s Village Museum, one of those few sights in the capital that we can safely label Essential without looking stupid. We’ve always liked it, though we have a few reservations (mainly the fact that it presents a somewhat false idyll: most Romanian villages are simply not like this). Anyway, this [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

Hammer & Tickle

by Craig Turp October 27, 2009 Bucharest

 Bucharest Life is currently reading a wonderful little book we picked up at (where else) Anthony Frost last week, called Hammer & Tickle: A History of Communism Told Through Communist Jokes, by BBC man Ben Lewis. It is rather good, and we recommend it. More than a joke book (yet much less than a full [...]

8 comments Read the full article →

Badly Parked Cars: Why?

by Craig Turp October 25, 2009 Bucharest

 This one was submitted by a reader, Nicholas Wright, along with the accompanying text: This one begs the question: Why? You could have parked properly? But hey, this is Bucharest. There’s a photo on Wikipedia of Casa Scanteii in 1971 – one car out front – much better! But seriously, why are people driving here? [...]

21 comments Read the full article →

Lipscani is doing just fine without any input from Bucharest City Council

by Craig Turp October 23, 2009 Bucharest

 As we wrote in the foreword of the current edition of Bucharest In Your Pocket, the rehabilitation of Lipscani/Centru Vechi/Historic Bucharest as the city’s heart and soul continues apace. It is the one part of the capital that has the potential to become a worthwhile place to visit, a centre of nightlife and debauchery to [...]

9 comments Read the full article →

Anthony Frost: Bucharest’s English Bookshop

by Craig Turp October 19, 2009 Bucharest

 Bucharest has had English bookshops before. There was a place called Salinger’s at the Marriott, which sold overpriced books few were interested in and eventually closed (though a tiny branch survives at the airport). There was an attempt by Libraria Noi/Sala Dalles to move into English books – at one stage they had a wide [...]

18 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries