Delving into the history and culture of Bucharest with the help of Romanian friends

Remaining front of 19th Century Grigore Paucescu building near Revolution Square, with modern building built behind it, still shows bullet holes from 1989 revolution

When locals in Maramures and Cluj-Napoca learned that my itinerary included Bucharest, they warned me about a cultural divide between the eastern and western portions of Romania. Residents in the west, they insisted, had always felt a stronger affinity with Europe, while cities in the east looked toward Russia. I began to feel the shift … Read more