Copyright: Zum Adrian
Cimitirul
Ghencea (Ghencea Cemetery)
The cemetery’s chief draw is that it is the final
resting place of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu, as well as their son Nicu.
Pass through the main entrance, walk
forward towards the chapel, and the dictator’s grave is on the
left-hand side, in row I-35, demarcated by two black crosses and a small black
fence.
The old matriarchs who sit around the cemetery will
point you in the right direction (in the hope of a small tip) if you can’t find
it. The same cannot be said for the burial place of Elena, across the other
side of the main walkway. The cemetery also has a military wing, where the
resting places of former airmen are
marked not with headstones but with bright propeller blades.
Calea
13 Septembrie. Tel : (021) 413 2018.
Open: 8am-dusk.
Free admission.
Bus: 385,
173, 122.
Grădina Botanică (Dimitrie Brândzâ Botanical Gardens)
The garden’s
rather turbulent history (uprooted from their former location in 1884, damaged
by the Germans in World War I and bombed
by the Allies in World War I) is scarcely visible today. Now in the Cotroceni
district, home to the president, who lives close by in Cotroceni Palace, they
are a peaceful place to pass a sunny afternoon. The 17ha (42-acre) facility is
home to ever 10,000 species of plants, but most locals use the gardens as a
park rather than a place to indulge their scientific interest. Keen botanists
may wish to peruse the Botanical Museum,
a Brâncovenesc building
near the entrance that contains a thousand of the common or garden variety, the
museum reopened in late 2009 aften an exhibit rearrangement. The greebhouses
have also undergone renovation and should welcome visitors again in 2010.
Șoseaua Cotroceni. Tel (021) 318 1559, www.gradina-botanica.ro
Gardens open:
8 am-8 pm (summer); 8 am- 5 pm (winter)
Museum
open: Tue, Thur, Sat & Sun 9 am – 1 pm. Closed: Mon, Wed & Fri.
Admission charge.
Metro:
Politehnica, Bus: 336
Grădina
Cișmigiu (Cișmigiu Gardens)
In some ways the
city’s
most enchanting green space, Cișmigiu
is a favourite with the locals, who
descend en masse on summer weekends. The
wonderful layout was designed by German landscape architect Carl Meyer.
The gardens feel much larger than they are, thanks to the inclusion of separate
and distinctive areas that cater to all kinds of park-goer. There’s a Rotonda
Scriitorilor (Writer’s Rotunda), a circular section where busts of Romanian
literary giants punctuate park benches, invariably occupied by cavorting
lovers. Several among the gardens’ many monuments commemorate fallen soldiers.
A higlight is the lake, for which pedalos and rowing boats can be rented; in
winter it is drained and turned into an ice rink. There are several kiosks selling
juice, beer, ice cream and popcorn, plenty of benches,a s well as the odd bar
or place for sit-down meal, and the park feel safe and lively well into the
night. It’s also a good place to observe Romanian matrimonial ritual. Bucharest
newlyweds love to pose for ther wedding photos in the picturesque park (always
well tended because it’s right opposite the city hall). On warm weekend
afternoons during spring and summer, the park is full od wedding parties.
Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta & Bulevardul Schitu
Măgureanu
Metro:
Izvor
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