The first thing to point out is that this park is massive. I had in mind a quick jaunt in mind not the epic two hour trek it became. The main park entrance is by the Arc de Triomphe. Now, I know what you are thinking, and you're right. Those thieving French bastards! Is there nothing sacred to those people? Sure Romania's version was built after the one in Paris, but that is merely detail. It was built in 1876, originally out of wood so there was time for the troops of newly independent nation to march under, it rebuilt in stone in the thirties. As I walked past the Arc into the park there were dancing native Americans, but more on them later.Parks in Romania are unusual anyway. The main reason is that you are not allowed on the grass at all. Going to the park and not being allowed to walk on the grass is like going to the cinema and not seeing a film. It also leads to Bucharest kids virtually never playing on grass. There is also more roller-bladers than you can shake a stick at. There are also plenty of couples so into each other that I feel like I've slept with them, bom-chika-wa-wa. Thats probably why I like the parks so much.
When you go in you find yourselves in some wooded gardens. Among the trees there are busts of famous historical figures. Now sure, very few of these figures are Romanian, they borrowed some. Shakespeare, Carl Jung, Victor Hugo and even surprisingly based on the recent past Karl Marx are all honoured. Now, thats cheating.
Once you emerge yourself in what effectively is a shrine to the EU. Theres fifteen heads in a circle of the guys who formed the EU. By the look of them they're the sort of guys who if you don't come to the party, they'll come get ya'. In the middle there was a proud EU flag. We should defiantly get one at home, right in the middle of Hyde Park. Fuck it, demolish Buckingham Palace to make room for it, we'll get Polish workers to build it. Lets do it to just piss the Daily Mail off.
Once you come out of that area you come to the parks main attraction, Lake Herastrau. The lake is massive, there are boats and lots of little bars and restaurants around the edge. There is however one peculiar thing about it, theres no water. Now I don't know whether this is a temporary situation or whether its permanent, but its weird. There should be a kilometers worth of water instead the dogs are sleeping there.
Once starting to head around the lake you walk past the Chinese embassy. At the minute there are about 300 immigrant workers camping out in a make shift village outside. They were brought over to build things, the projects canceled but they don't have the money to go home and no one else including the Chinese embassy is being much help. It's really tragic.
From there you carry on, for a long way, passing sixty year old men pulling out stunts on roller blades and you have to cross the lake. When you go up the stairs to get on the bridge you are in for a surprise as when you get to the top you find out its a railway bridge. There are couples mounting each other, teenagers smoking and looking shifty and kids playing on the tracks, not the embankment or the stones on the side the actual track. Lots of people were taking photos. it was one of the busiest areas of the park. Resisting the temptation to re-enact the scene from Stand By Me I pushed on down the stairs where you end up under the bridge. Guys are fishing in a tiny stream of water, but theres no fish, so it could have been a long day for them.
From there you pass by a recreation of a rural 18th century village, walk through a mini golf course and walk through a strange area full of these (video below). Like something from Alice and Wonderland. There were another troupe of dancing native Americans, a different one and also different to the Unirii ones, so that means Bucharest has at least three groups, which city can rival that? Maybe somewhere in the Dakotas, but again details!
This is probably my last week as I think I will be home again a week today, let me know if you are around. much love x
1 comment:
the lake thing is only temporary
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