Day Four. Obor market

 On a bitterly cold morning we hopped on a local Tram and made our way over to Romania's largest market (Obor Market.) The old trams are not the most comfortable and there was a pretty nasty smell in our carriage. 

The market itself is a huge place selling every possible item, although meat, fruit and veg seemed to be the most popular items. 

The real Christmas tree section were especially doing a  brisk trade and we noticed that the price of trees increased the closer it came to the big day.

As we left the market we encountered a number of Romany woman trying to sell us packets of cigarettes. 

Day Four. The Parliament building and The City

 The overnight rain stopped as we began our final day in Bucharest. We took the short walk over to the Parliament building that was built in the Nicolae Ceausescu era.

We took a tour of this quite unique and mammoth building, one of the biggest in the world with a troubled history. 

We then took a stroll along the riverside and stopped off for some brunch at an area called "The Dock".

We then walked into the town centre to see some of the old buildings and sights.

To warm up we popped into a restaurant for some mulled wine.

Day Three, A visit to Ruse, Bulgaria

 On a chilly morning we joined a small tour for a visit to the Bulgarian town of Ruse. We set off battling through the early morning traffic of Bucharest.  We drove for about an hour passing the huge  flat lands of Romanian agricultural. 

As we approached the Bulgarian border we passed a convoy of hundreds of large goods trucks slowly driving towards the border, we were told that the war in Ukraine was the reason for this convoy because it was the only way that Ukraine could export their goods, due to the closure of their ports.

We cross the freedom bridge that spans the River Danube and also acts as a border between the two countries. Passing quickly through passport control we soon noticed the change in scenery as we passed numerous huge blocks of drab apartment buildings from the Communist era.

We then entered the centre of the town of Ruse which was another contrast in scenery because the Old town is very picturesque with wide open areas and traffic free cobbled streets.

Our first stop was the remembrance park of Bulgarian heroes with its impressive statues set over a large area.

Our second stop was a visit to the Orthodox church,  once inside you walk dow a set of stairs before entering the small but impressive church.

We then spent some time exploring the cobbled streets and the small Christmas market, we then had a lovely lunch at a local restaurant before setting off on our return to Bucharest. 

Day Two in Bucharest

 We awoke to clear skies but a definite drop in temperatures. We walked over to Constitution Avenue to join a City walking tour,we started off at the Parliament building and heard about the Communist era when the Country was living under the evil Ceausescu regime.

We continued our walk over to the old town taking in The National bank building, Stavropoleos Monastery Church and the National Museum of Romanian History.

After a couple of hours touring the City and learning about its history it was time to find a cafe for a bit of much needed warmth and a refreshing drink.

Bucharest Christmas market

 On a cold evening we walked over to the Bucharest Christmas market that stands in front of the impressive Parliament building. The market has numerous stalls, attractions and food outlets.

We wandered around looking at the various stalls selling all manner of goods before getting a couple of cups of mulled wine, which I have to say, were suprisingly good. We then had a snack of minced pork in cabbage leaves.

We continued wandering around the market before strolling down the impressively lit Constitution Avenue. 

We then made our way over to old town, found a cosy restaurant and enjoyed a cheese and fruit platter with a bottle of chilled wine.

A visit to Bucharest -Day One

 We decided to make a quick visit to Romania's capital City of Bucharest as we were told that the Christmas markets were particularly good.

We hopped on a Ryanair flight out of Paphos for the two hour flight to Bucharest, we were greeted by a downpour of rain.

After dropping off our bags at our accommodation we made our way over to the lively Caru cu bere restaurant.

It was once a famous beer hall but now it is a very popular restaurant,  the  Caru cu bere's History goes back to the late 1800's. 

The interior is quite amazing with a vaulted ground floor in Neo Gothic style with stained glass windows and carved panalings. The superb Christmas decorations added to the atmosphere. 

We enjoyed a few drinks and a very good meal while being entertained by traditional Romanian dancers.

The Rat Pack in Pafos and Christmas Lights in Wales

An early start to the festive season began when we took a trip to the Sapphire diner in Paphos to see the "Rat Pack Christmas show".

The three guys in the tribute show entertained a full house with their polished act.

Back in Wales the Cool Kids get in the Christmas Spirit with a visit to the impressive light show in Cardiff's Bute park.