From Architecture to Wine: Romania and Bulgaria

Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest, Romania.

On April 13, my mom and I left Los Angeles for another Title adventure which would take us upstream from Romania to Austria on the Danube River. In all our travels, we have never gone on a river cruise until now (and now I think I know why!) but with a cancelled Romania/Bulgaria trip during the Covid-19 lockdown and my mom's goal of visiting 100 countries, this was a great way to pack everything in... Which leads us to now. It was an easy flight from Los Angeles to Istanbul, with a nail biting connection. We left LAX nearly one hour late and when we arrived in Istanbul, our plane parked at the furthest possible gate from our connecting flight. With under one hour to make our connecting flight, we speed walked through the terminals, up and down escalators and on moving walkways. With my mom's recent knee surgery, speed walking isn't easy and although the Istanbul airport has golf carts to assist passengers with the long walk, not one would stop for us (and we asked at least five). After almost 25 minutes of speed walking, our gate was finally in sight, with a sign indicating final call for boarding. 

Never in my life have I been among the last few people to board! Once settled on the plane at long last, we had an easy one hour flight from Istanbul to Bucharest, the quickest immigration and passport control ever, and a short drive to the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel (though we waited forever for our luggage, which thankfully made it onto the plane despite our tight connection). By 11 PM, we were in bed and ready for a day of sightseeing the next day.

Romania is roughly 92,043 square miles -- roughly the size of Michigan. Surrounded by mountain chains, the three main ones are the southern, middle, and eastern Carpathians. North and west of these ranges lies the Transylvanian Plateau, and to the south and east are the plains of Moldavia and Walachia. While the vast majority (nearly 82%) of the population identifies as Eastern Orthodox, other religions present in the country include Protestant, Roman Catholic, Islam, and none/other/unspecified. 

April 15 was a jam packed morning of Bucharest's city sights. Due to the upcoming Orthodox Easter, it was a ghost town everywhere we went. Romania's capital and largest city, Bucharest (Bucuresti) is popular among the younger generation. Geographically, it's in the middle of the Romanian plain on the bans of the Dâmbovita (a small tributary of the Danube). The first written appearance of Bucuresti was in 1459 when it was recorded in a document of Vlad the Impaler, the ruler of Walachia. Vlad III built the fortress of Bucharest with the goal of resisting the Turks who were threatening the Walachian state. Today, it's a modern city with a communist past. The city has a number of (usually small) churches, typically in the Byzantine style. There are multiple theaters, centers for higher education, and manufactures which include engineering products, notably machine tools and agricultural machinery. 

During our panoramic drive, we visited various landmarks with few people as it was Orthodox Easter. We first went to the palatial marble House of the People (Casa Poporului, now known as the Palace of the Parliament). About 25,000 acres of old Bucharest were destroyed when construction began in 1984 to make room for the new palace and grand boulevard. This massive building is the world's second largest administrative building (after the Pentagon) and former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's most infamous creation. The 3,552,090 square foot building has more than 3,000 rooms and is the world's heaviest building, weighing approximately 9.04 billion pounds. It was constructed with 1.5 billion pounds of steel and bronze and mixed with 35 million feet of marble, 7.7 million pounds of crystal glass, and 31.7 million feet of wood. 

Across the street is the Unirii Boulevard, formerly called the "Boulevard of the Victory of Socialism" under communism which was also expanded in the 1980s under Nicolae Ceausescu. 

From there, we went to Republic Square which is linked to Revolution Square (formerly Palace Square), the latter of which is surrounded by cultural buildings including the Romanian Athenaeum. Here, there's also an equestrian statue of Carol I, the first king of Romania. 

We drove past the Arcul de Triumf, which was first constructed so troops could march under it on their way into the city (in the present day, military parades pass under the arch on Romania's National Day). After World War I, the arch was rebuilt but only lasted for approximately 13 years before being knocked down to make way for the current arch which is made from Deva granite in 1936. Today, it stands tall at 85 feet high and it was decorated by famous Romanian sculptors including Ion Jalea and Dimitrie Paciurea. 

We then made our way to the Old Town, which is incredibly quaint. Walking down cobbled streets past the gorgeous Palace of the Deposits and Consignments, we made our way to the Stavropoleos Monastery Church. 

The church was built in 1724 and is easily one of the prettiest churches I've ever seen. Tucked away in Old Town, the 18th century monument was originally part of Stavropoleos Monastery which gets its name from its founder, the Greek monk Ioanichie, who later became a Metropolitan of Stavropolie. The old monastery and inn it housed were damaged by fires and earthquakes in the 19th century and it was restored and rebuilt in the early 20th century. The church is a masterpiece of the late Brancovenesc style from the early 18th century, which is an original style that appeared in Southern Romania during the reign of Prince Constantin Brancoveanu. The style combines local, Oriental, Byzantine, and late Italian Renaissance elements with distinctive elements including the loggias with stone columns carved with floral patterns, carved door and window frames, and the use of interior columns. 

In the Old Town, we had some free time which we spent at a bookstore I have followed on Instagram for awhile: Carturesti Carusel. The building was built in 1903 by a wealthy family of Greek bankers only to be confiscated by the Communist regime in the 1950s at which time it was turned into a general store and later abandoned as Communism collapsed. The grandson of the banker who originally bought the building requested it be returned to his family as legal heirs and, after 24 years of battles in court and finding the proper documents, he finally took possession of the decaying building in 2007. He began its transformation to the Carturesti Carusel ("Carousel of Light") bookstore that stands today. The bookstore is considered one of the most beautiful bookstores in Romania, and the world, and for good reason-- the extensive renovation happened because of the 75 people putting in a combined total of 20,000 hours of work over the course of five years. The three floors span more than 10,000 square feet with more than 10,000 books, elegantly curved balconies on the upper levels, an open space in the middle, and even a teahouse on the top floor. 

We walked back to the bus, but not before stopping for a quick lemonade! 

By the time we got back to our hotel it was almost time for dinner. Because our hotel was not in a walkable area, and even if it had been many places were closed due to Orthodox Easter, we had made a reservation for JW Steakhouse. After a short presentation on the cuts, we decided to share a filet mignon with the most amazing red wine sauce. We also ordered a plate with fried calamari and fried tiger shrimps and an incredible truffle mac & cheese. By the time our filet mignon came, our waiter brought an illuminated case of knives for us to pick our own steak knife... a nice touch for the experience! It turns out that our dinner here was in the top three meals of the entire trip. 

The following day, we drove to approximately three hours, passing stunning yellow canola fields, to Constanta (located on the shores of the Black Sea in Romania) where we met our longship to begin our journey up the Danube. It's often said that rivers have the power to either divide or connect people. In Roman times, the Danube separated the Roman Empire from the barbarian tribes that resided in the lands beyond its left bank. Only Trajan (the emperor under whom the empire achieved its greatest geographical reach) marched across the river and conquered what was then Dacia. Later, the Magyars (nomadic horsemen that settled in what is present-day Hungary) found their way into the heart of Europe by following the river upstream. The Crusaders also used the Danube as the most convenient overland route, and, three centuries later, the Ottoman Empire followed the river into Central Europe. Armies only periodically used the Danube, but the traders never stopped using the river. In the process, they pollinated the towns along its banks with tools, artifacts, and influences, sparking innovation. We spent the remainder of our day in Constanta unpacking, getting organized, and catching up on sleep for our long day of touring the next day. At the time, we didn't know how long it would be... 

On April 17, we left the ship early in the morning to travel near the Ukrainian border to Romania's Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve: a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To get there, we passed through small towns and the Dobrogea region which many people traveling to the larger cities wouldn't typically see. Over three hours later, we arrived in Tulcea (tool-cha), the gateway to the Danube Delta. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, the Biosphere Reserve has over 300 species of birds as well as 45 freshwater fish species in its numerous lakes and marshes. We took small speedboats weaving around small water channels looking for birdlife. We unfortunately didn't see much and, with the wind, it was a very chilly ride. Halfway through our journey, we stopped for a fisherman's lunch in a small restaurant on the delta's riverbank where we had a fish stew with garlic sauce. For dessert, we enjoyed cozonac which is a simple, sweetened yeast bread typically made during Easter and Christmas. The citrus-scented sweet dough is twisted around a nutty filling, which creates a spiral design when baked. After lunch, we boarded the boats for another hour on the river to reach Tulcea and then the three hour return bus trip to Constanta. By the day's end, we were completely exhausted. That evening, our boat set sail on the Danube leaving Romania behind for Bulgaria. 

The Danube is Europe's largest river after the Volga at 1,775 miles in length... 972 miles of which we traveled up during our time on the Danube. The Danube flows through ten countries, and four Central European capitals have emerged on its banks (though Vienna technically started on the banks of a small tributary). It's not as scenic as I pictured, but the majority of the sailing we did was at night. 

The following day, we had our passports stamped in Bulgaria. Bulgaria is 42,810 square miles-- roughly the same size as Tennessee and almost half the size of the UK. Around 30% of the land is made up of plains while 41% consists of plateaus and hills. Mountainous areas also populate the country with the Rila and Pirin Alpine ranges in the southwest and the larger Rhodope Mountains to the east. In the middle of the country, the Balkan Mountains run east to west. We docked in Russe where we disembarked for a quick overnight trip. From Russe, we drove 2.5 hours to Pleven where we had a sightseeing leg stretch. Pleven is surrounded by limestone hills in an agricultural region of the Danubian Plain. It was a stronghold during the Bulgarian Empire and functioned as a key fortress during the Ottoman Empire. It also became an important trade center from the 15th to the 19th century. Today, it's a major economic hub and the third largest in Northern Bulgaria. It was here that a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 was fought. During this battle, also known as the Siege of Pleven (then Plevna), Russian Tsar Alexander II seized Pleven by cutting off the Turkish supply routes as part of an attempt to liberate Bulgaria. The victory came at a high cost, and Russian and Romanian forces suffered approximately 38,000 casualties and it took five months to take the city under four assaults. Even so, the Siege of Pleven paved the way for the defeat of the Ottoman Empire as well as Romania's independence and Bulgaria's liberation. 

We walked around Pleven's deserted pedestrian zone, ate lunch, and briefly went into the St. George the Conqueror Chapel Mausoleum.

The building was designed by the architect Pencho Koichev and completed in 1907. It honors those who died during the siege of Pleven in 1877-1888, and the remains of many soldiers are buried in the crypt of the chapel. The iconostasis and icons are works of eminent artists Ivan Murkvichka and Anton Mitov. Following our visit, we got back into the van for another two hours before reaching Bulgaria's capital and largest city in the late afternoon. 

The Serdi (Sardi), a Thracian tribe, first established a settlement in the Sofia region in the 8th century BCE before being conquered soon after 29 BCE by the Romans, who named it Serdica (or in Greek, Sardica). The region flourished during the reign of the emperor Trajan and reached its greatest height under the emperor Constantine I the Great. From the 4th century, it was part of the Western Roman Empire but with the decline of Rome passed to Byzantium, and it was plundered by Attila and the Huns in 441-447. Byzantine influence increased under the emperor Justinian, and the restored Church of St. Sofia (which later gave the city its name) still survives. In 809, the Bulgarian khan Krum seized the town and incorporated it in the Bulgarian state. The city was under Byzantine rule from 1018 until 1185 when the second Bulgarian Empire was established. Sofia then fell to the Turks in 1382 and the Ottoman governor of Rumelia took up residence there. As a result, the city gradually acquired a distinctive Oriental appearance. It was liberated from Ottoman rule by Russian troops in January 1878 and was designed the Bulgarian capital in April 1879.

By the time we had checked into our hotel, the Sofia Balkan Palace, we only had time for a quick orientation walk and dinner. Because our small group of eight were going to drive an additional two hours for the dinner location and tonight's entertainment, we decided to hang back at the hotel and order room service-- you could not have paid me to get back in the car for more driving after all the driving we had just done! 

The following day, we skipped the organized group touring and I designed our own private walking tour for the two of us, hitting (almost) all the major buildings we wanted to see. We started at our hotel and turned to the right, crossing the street and walking one block to see the Banya Bashi Mosque. 

The mosque is currently the only functioning mosque in Sofia and is a remnant of the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria that lasted nearly five centuries. It was designed by the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan and completed in 1566, during the years the Ottomans had control of the city. The mosque derives its name from the phrase "Banya Bashi" which translates to "baths" because the most outstanding feature of the mosque is that it was built over natural thermal spas. If you look closely, you can see the steam rising from vents in the ground near the walls. 

Across from the mosque is the stunning Regional History Museum Sofia which is housed in the former Central Mineral Bath building. At the suggestion of mayor Vladimir Vazov in 1928, a decision was made to establish a city museum. Its first permanent exhibition was opened in the building on Banski Square No 3 on December 1, 1941. However, the building was destroyed during the bombing in World War II. Fast forward to 1998... It was decided that the Central Municipal Mineral Bath would be rebuilt as a museum and, in late 2015, the museum opened its doors in its new location. Today the museum houses over 120,000 artifacts, the earliest of which are from the Neolithic Age and were discovered during archaeological excavations of the Neolithic settlement in the Slatina district. While we unfortunately didn't have time to visit the inside of the museum, the outside is absolutely stunning with its pastel yellow color and intricate detailing. 

From here, we crossed the street passing by the temporarily closed Central Market Hall, and went to see the Sofia synagogue. Because we had left early for our do-it-yourself walking tour due to a limited time window (we were scheduled to depart Sofia at noon to meet the ship), the synagogue wasn't yet open. The Sofia synagogue is the largest Sephardic synagogue in Europe. Its style is the so-called Bulgarian National Romanticism and its architecture was the work of the Austrian architect F. Grunanger. The chandelier inside is the largest chandelier in Bulgaria, weighing two tons and the hall seats 1,170 people. 

We turned around, retracing our steps towards the hotel, passing by the Statue of Sveta Sofia. The statue is fairly new (it went up in 2000 to replace a statue of Lenin removed 10 years prior), Sveta Sofia stands tall over Bulgaria's representative center. Though the name is Sveta Sofia, the statue is meant to depict a combination of figures rather than one individual. The two most commonly attributed are Sofia and Athena (both of Hellenistic origins and both symbolizing "Holy Wisdom" or "Hagia Sofia", the expression for which the city and its founding church were named). The statue contains ancient vestiges of that concept: the crown, laurel wreath, and an owl. 

Here are some other photos of buildings we passed along the way to our next stop... 

We then took our adventures underground to the mind-blowing Serdica Archaeological Complex. This partly covered excavation site is situated in the metro station and displays the remains of the Roman City, Serdica, that once occupied the area. The remains were unearthed only from 2010-2012 during construction of the metro. There are fragments of eight streets, an early Christian basilica, baths, and houses dating from the 4th to 6th centuries. We first came across the east part of a Christian church with its semicircular niches.

In 2015, the remains of the church were moved to their current location where the frescoes were restored. Nearby, we also saw many limestone statues and altars. As we rounded the corner, there was a massive section of tabernae (shops) typical for big residential buildings in the town centers of the Thracian provinces of the Roman Empire. The shops cover the whole length of the building along the main street Decumanus Maximus and are separated from other parts of the building by a barrage wall. Here, a variety of goods were sold including bread, snacks, meats, spices, fresh fish, olive oil, wine, fruits, copper, leather, wool, jewelry, clothes, and luxury goods. There were leftover Easter decorations in front of the ruins! 

Further down the metro station, we saw massive limestone tablets with no barrier in place. 

We continued on, exiting the metro and heading towards the Ivan Vazov National Theater. It first opened its doors in 1907. Initially it was called "The National Theater" but from 1962 to the present day, the theater has been known as the Ivan Vazov National Theater after "the father" of Bulgarian literature and drama, Ivan Vazov. 

The building was constructed in a Baroque style following the project of Viennese architects Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Felner, who were influenced by mythology for the stunning facade. Visitors are greeted by Poseidon riding his chariot, which is pulled by four horses. There are two other chariots sitting atop two towering domes on the right and left side of the entrance. 

Unfortunately, the theater has seen lots of destruction in its years of establishments. During a performance in 1923, a fire broke out and destroyed the building. The reconstruction began two years later and finished in 1929. The bombardment of the 10th of January, 1944 by the American army destroyed the south wing of the national theater, but didn't manage to damage the facade or other parts of the building. Today, the building is gorgeous and I think it was my favorite building we saw in Sofia. 

As we continued on to arguably the most iconic building of Sofia, the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, we passed colorful apartment buildings, small gardens, and the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker Russian Orthodox church. 

We walked up the long street, passing a monument to an unknown soldier and other sculptures. 

Finally, we saw the Eastern Orthodox church built in the beautiful Neo-Byzantine style. The cathedral was built to honor Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, after which Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman rule, and was named after a Russian prince. While the foundations were laid down in 1882, the structure wasn't completed until 1912. The main features are the central dome (150 feet in height) and the bell. The design and construction are representative of the trade boom of the time, since the marble parts were created in Munich, the metal elements were created in Berlin, and the gates and the mosaics were shipped from Venice. For a time, the cathedral changed its name during World War I to the Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral since Bulgaria and Russia belonged to opposing alliances during the war. Its original name was reinstated in 1920 and the cathedral was proclaimed a monument of culture in September of 1924. 

We took a taxi back to the hotel since we were short on time, and I quickly ran through the world's creepiest basement (the hotel had human-sized figures with stuffed animal heads lined up in the hallway) to see the St. George Rotunda Church, which is literally right next to the hotel. 

It is the oldest surviving building in Sofia with a red-brick domed rotunda room with a circular plan on a square base. It's been used for baptismal ceremonies since the 4th century and is part of a larger archaeological complex. Behind the apse, there's a section of a Roman street with preserved drainage as well as foundations of a basilica, public building, and some smaller buildings. During the Ottoman rule in the 16th century, the church became a mosque but shortly after it was abandoned by the Ottomans in the middle of the 19th century, it began to be used as a Christian church again. 

At noon, we got back in the van for the drive to Tipchenitsa in the north-western planing region of Bulgaria. The small village of only 300 people is home to the small, boutique, Tipchenitza Winery. The town is so small that the winery literally has to bus in workers during the busy season! The region here boasts centuries-old traditions in quality wine production as well as some of the best grape varieties. The winery plants on the hills above the village, using specialized vehicles to reach the grapes. Bulgaria is one of the oldest winemaking countries in the world. Historical evidence suggests that the cultivation and production of grape vines can be traced back to the Thracians. There are more than 40 grape varieties indigenous to Bulgaria and, across the country, there are nearly 150,000 acres of vineyards. At the winery, we had a tour of the cellar before sitting down for a wine tasting complete with salami, cheese, and fruit. 

We ended up buying two bottles of the Tochka variety (identifiable by its blends-- we purchased the Chardonnay & Colombard variety which has a fruity flavor with peach and vanilla undertones). 

We all got back in the car with bottles of wine, and drove another 2.5 hours to Vidin, one of Bulgaria's oldest riverside towns and where we were rejoining our longship to continue our journey up the Danube, towards Serbia. 

Thanks for following along with our adventures in Eastern Europe. As always, follow my Instagram @elissatitle for photos, and stay tuned for more.