#(one of the most beautiful mansions in Bucharest)

[sisididis]

Did you know that Netflix chose to shoot its latest series Wednesday (2022) in at least four places in Romania? 👀

[elejah-wonderland]

The Sun and The Moon Curse/7

Fanfiction

Part 7

Elijah Mikaelson x Elena Gilbert

ft other tvd characters - Klaus Mikaelson, Katherine Pierce, Esther Mikaelson

set after tvd 3x14/15

Summary: Elijah asks Elena at the Mikaelson Ball to tell her what his mother wanted from her. Elena divulges Esther’s plan to the Original, and as the ritual fails, Elena goes away from Mystic Falls with Elijah. How will their lives change as Klaus can’t make anymore hybrids...

a/n: There is quite a bit of invented mythology from me. Thanks so much for reading this story, as it was my first tvd story ever. xoxo

tags @rissyrapp20 @dendrite-lover @captainshurley @cassienoble2000 @goddessofthunder112 @elejahforever @hides2000 @idkhaylijah

if anyone wants to be removed from the tag list, please let me know. xoxo

____

In the most elegant tiny attic apartment, Elijah and Elena laid together, eyes lost in a loving gaze. His fingers streamed lovingly over her arms, whispering a small I love you, making Elena’s heart shoot in million stars.

“I love you, too”- Elena said dearly and leaned over to the Original kissing him.

Drawing her closer to him, Elena snuggled up to the Original, laying her head on his chest, making loving circles around his stomach now, listening to his heart.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you after our talk in the Lockwood Mansion”- Elena now admitted. 

Elijah wetted his lips now, a smile danced on his face, sharing the same sentiment-

“Likewise. But I must say that I was taken in the night we negotiated in your bedroom- your feisty, daring nature - was compelling- but - yes - it was then, when you returned to the Mayor’s house - walking through that door - determined to set the whole world on fire - in actual fact - you delving into my soul with a mere look into my eyes - “ 

Elena now beamed her look up at the Original. She clearly remembered that moment, and what she had seen - yes, he had cared about Katherine, but he had expressed that she had moved him, and that she was the one that shook his undead heart then. 

“You - say that you will not make the same mistake again?”

“Oh, please don’t remind me of what I had said then.”- Elijah said brushing his thumb over her cheek lovingly and continued- “I was in love once before - and - “

“Katherine?”

“No. A witch. But it does not compare - not that I wish to compare - because you are unique. Your soul, your heart - does not - could not match any other woman- ever.” 

Elena’s eyes glisten with tears brought up by the Original’s declaration. She thought she was in love before, but this was something that she could not describe. She felt she could touch the moonlight, her heart was shooting stars as he now pulled her to him, kissing her even more tenderly than before. 

*******

Elsewhere

It was obvious to Yizel that Klaus would use all the resources possible to mask his whereabouts as Katherine and her found themselves yet again on a wild goose chase.

"To find a needle in a haystack would be easier."- " let's find Elena.

"If they are hiding so well, something is going on and you haven't told me the whole story."- Yizel said- " I think it's time you told me exactly what had happened."

Katherine rolled her eyes and then started with the rest of the story that took place and the story of her doppelganger and the Mikelsons supposed demise. 

The witch now asked Katherine to pour the blood in a bowl. It wasn’t hard to locate Elena. They soon were on their way to Bucharest.

Katherine smirked with gladness that at least some things were finally going the  way she wanted them to. The hatred she had harboured for the doppelganger couldn't be described. More than five hundred years of survival killed all real emotions in her. She wanted revenge and she didn't care what price she or anyone in her way would pay.

*******

Bucharest, Romania

Having eventually left the bed, Elijah and Elena left the villa as she wanted to see some of the city, do ordinary stuff, as she said. And she loved listening to him telling her his views about things and historical points. She could listen to him for hours. There was something in his voice that was inviting, calming and captures the listener fully. He told her about the time when the merchants and craftsmen established their stores in the early 1400s in the old district. She then asked about the infamous count Dracula, as they came to the place where the remains of the Old Princely Court was, and Elijah told the true gruesome story of the count Vlad Tepes, his victorious yet bloody battles against Turkish invasion, which was far different from the folklore built around him, and the fact that his younger brother had betrayed him, after which his decline was imminent. Elena could notice that Elijah's tone changed as he spoke about the count's brother.  

"You agreed to Lia's deal-and it's not easy, you feel like you have betrayed him!"

"Elena, we had this conversation, not once. Klaus and I-you see- I failed him in so many ways. I have treated him like a spoiled child. Father used to beat him because he was not his son- and I tried to compensate somehow for all that time- I am very much to blame for who he is now,and I made a promise once a long time ago 'family above all-"

Elena could see that he was in great pain and he didn't hide it.

"You wished there was another way?!!"- she said empathically, understanding the complexity of it all.

"We both know that there is no other way. Lia offering him a human life. Maybe he can find some redemption in it- I just- let's continue walking shall we?!"- he said suddenly composing himself again.

"Elijah?! "- Elena laid her hand on the Original’s arm- " this is not your fault, nothing that Klaus does is your fault!"

There it was, her compassion trying to balance it all out. Her eyes truthfully believing in him and his redemption. She had the love he needed to see him through. He smiled a little and said- "Shall we?!" She nodded and they proceeded in silence.

As they came up to the Old Court Church. Elena wanted to go in.

"I will be waiting here for you."- Elijah said. She understood that he could not go in and then felt badly for a moment, but he urged her to go.

"I- well-I kind of want to light a candle for Damon. I don't know if it is right him being what he was."

"You should."- the Original nodded a little. 

"Yes. I was so mad at him -cuz of the compulsions and - but he was there for me and when I left we didn't leave things in a good place, and I just-"

"Elena, he was human once and he had a soul.It doesn't matter where you do it! I'll wait here for you." - Elijah said dearly.

"Thank you"- she said and walked into the church. It was a small, but magnificently beautiful. She felt a tad bit strange to do this as he was a vampire, yet Elijah's words reminded him that once he was a human.

Elena came to the part where many yellow candles were burning for the souls of the loved ones. She lit a candle and placed it among the others. She needed to say goodbye to the vampire and thank him for having cared for her. 

"I hope you are at peace now, Damon."

She looked around a little bit, and then walked slowly back to the entrance. Seeing Elijah patiently waiting for her to exercise something private made her heart flutter.

"Everything all right?!"- the Original asked politely, stating the obvious as she nodded with a little smile.

"I am a bit hungry." - Elena then said.

"Of course. You didn't have any breakfast. I am sorry."- and it seemed like they were back on with their plan to take time to themselves and indulge in being nothing else but tourists, a couple visiting and simply enjoying each other's company.

"I bet you know a good place?!"

Elijah nodded with a small smirk dancing on his face. They walked away from the church/ She took him by the hand and the Original couldn’t help but glance at his hand in hers. It felt unusual as he wasn't accustomed to those kind of public displays of affection. 

“Everything ok?”- Elena asked.

“Perfectly.”- Elijah confirmed squeezing her hand lightly - “this way”

And they walked in the direction he pointed, hand in hand, followed by the sunshine behind them.

********************

In the Old Town, not far from the Church Elena and Elijah walked out of

Lia looked at her watch. It was nearly five in the afternoon. She drank her tea and enjoyed the buzzing café full of people.Then a woman in her late fifties came to her.

"Esther Mikaelson."- Lia said- "nice to finally meet you. I am Lia Vladu. Please sit down. I'd  like to discuss with you something that would be of great interest to both of us."

******

Meanwhile in another part of Europe

Klaus wasn't very kind to the young witch, and there was no business deal to discuss. The poor woman laid in the bath tub as he'd overpowered her and mercilessly killed her.

"You do not play with me!"- he hissed as he got out of the hotel room.

Feride felt the demise of the young witch as if something had stabbed her right in the stomach. Lia felt the same. Just before Lia was to enter the villa with Esther, she stood as if she couldn't get any breath.

"Are you all right?"-Esther asked.

"Fine"- Lia said, although she knew that something was seriously wrong.

The women entered the house.

"This is a beautiful house"- Esther complimented her.

"Well, thank you. Please, if you would come through here"- Lia lead Esther into the living room.

The witch then murmured words in the old Dacian language sealing the room closed.

"What is this?"- Esther could feel a strange surge of magic enveloped her.

"Unfortunately, I had to contain you. I didn't really think that you were so strong minded."

"You brought me here on false pretences?!"- Esther said openly showing that she wasn't happy about what had occurred.

"I have no choice. I have to protect Elena and your son. You are unfortunatelly in my  way."

"My children will bring you nothing but misery!"- Esther said agitated a bit, continuing- "I don't understand why you cannot see what abomination they are!"

"It is too late for being regretful about what you have done a thousand years ago. We have to fight the hybrids and I will need all your children on my side-at least those who want to go against them!"

Lia then heard Elijah and Elena enter the Villa. She excused herself and went out to meet them in the Hall.

*************************

In Germany

Feride felt that the power of five reincarnated witches break as one of the witches was now dead.

With her eyes full of tears she slammed down on the floor. She took time to mourn the passing. It was a harsh world, she knew that, and all she knew about the deadly soul of the most notorious vampire, now hybrid, came true.

"He will kill -and he would not think twice about it"- she remembered the lines she read about Niklaus Mikaelson.

With a heavy heart she got up and went to call Lia.

In Bucharest, both Elena and Elijah met Esther once again face to face. The Original witch couldn't get to them as she was now held captive, but they could converse. Elena wanted to leave mother and son on their own, but Elijah said that whatever was to be said could be done in her presence too.

"I wanted to mend my mistake!"- Esther started.

Elijah was serious. It was now time to finally speak with all cards openly laid down on the table.

"I can understand that."- Elijah said sincerely - "but you knew what was going to  happen-you were a witch, and not just any!"

"You know of survival-I have been motivated to save my family-and after Henrik was killed-"

"Yes"- Elijah muttered, his face getting grim. He understood that part as he also would do anything to save his family.

"But-I have to carry this burden, I guess...like you have to carry yours!"- Esther said.

Elijah knew what she was talking about, as he had a great share of trespasses to live with himself.

She turned to Elena now.

"I see that you and Elijah share more than just a friendly understanding. Maybe for some reason he does deserve some light in his life! Still, never forget what he is!"

Elena's sombre face indicated that she understood what Esther meant. Without saying anything to it Elena just walked out of the room. Her heart felt like it was hit with dark magic. She felt an unsual pain in her gut.

Elijah went after the doppelganger rushly.

In the library, Lia finished her conversation with Feride. She brushed the tears off of her face as she put the phone down.

There was more carnage to follow and the witches knew that.

She now took a moment to reconsider what would be the next step. Time could not be wasted. Once again she read about the ritual that was to take place. She calculated out the moon and the sun conjunction that was to happen before she had planned it, and what the implications it would bring if brought forward.

In the attic apartment Elena nervously undid her coat and tossed it on the bed.

"Elena"- Elijah said concerned as he walked in after her.

She looked at him worried.

"I don't like her being here!"- Elena said- "with all that happened last time- I mean-I know we brought her back-but-huh!!! "

"Lia needs Esther for the ritual!"- Elijah said seriously.

Elena could see the transformation in Elijah. He seemed to have closed himself off again.

"Demons and darkness"- Elena thought. She sighed.

He now turned away from the window-

"You will have to be stronger than you have ever been!"- he said to her.

"Why are you saying this!?"

"I just got a message from Niklaus! He knows what we are up to!" 

Elena felt like the blood in her veins froze. They were both quiet for a moment.

"What now?"- Elena uttered.

"Well-we still have a powerful witch on our side...she must come up with something."

And, indeed it was so. Lia called them to the library not long after. She told them what had happened, and that now they were in a dangerous limbo. But the very resourceful witch had a solution.

"We know now the cause of the mutation"-Lia said- "but that is the least of my worries. We have lost a witch that was necessary to complete the ritual to close the circle to end the hybrid gene. But we are looking for a witch that is born with the mark of Earth so we can complete the ritual when the time comes. Now to more pressing matters- before the first dark red 'blood moon' appears we have to complete the Sun and the Moon conjunction ritual, so we have two that can fight against the hybrids holding the same powers as once the witch-slayers had.

The scrolls say that Elena is the bearer of the Sun and you Elijah the Moon."

What does that mean?"- Elena inquired.

"You are speeding thing up!? Would you care to explain?!" - Elijah looked at her poignantly.

"Because the Tetrad is about to set in and it gives the hybrids great power-when the sun, the moon and Mars are aligned -they create a passage of six full moons. You know what full moons enable the werewolf to do. You will be able to fight them when they are either vampire or werewolf. You two drawing power from the doppelganger and vampire will  have equal power against them. Although you are an Original you are still so much weaker than you brother, or isn't it so?! This conjuction will enable Elena and you to be as strong as a hybrid, and she will not anymore be merely a human."

"Will I become a vampire?"- Elena then asked.

"No. You will still remain human, but you will be Immortal nevertheless, as you will become the reincarnation of the sidhe-spirit, the first, Zana, from whom the first vampires were created."

"That is not what you were suggesting earlier?"- Elijah wanted to know.

"No. I received some more disturbing news, namely, the hybrids have made covenant with witches and warlocks who practice dark magic- and that your brother is meeting them!"

"What proof do you have?"- Elijah said.

"This" and Lia put her hand on Elijah's forehead and what Feride had teleported to Lia she now did to him. It showed Klaus with the mutated hybrid called Julius.

As she finished Elijah moved away from her as if stung by a wasp.

"Elijah"- Elena said as she saw that his facial expression got darker. All he told Elena before the ritual in Mystic Falls now was coming to be.  

"I couldn't kill him-he is my brother!"- the Original muttered.

"I know!"- Lia sympathized with him- "but you knew what would come to pass!"

"Yes"- he said faintly- "if I agree to all this-we still have a deal-you turn him into human!"- he demanded.

"I can sign it in my own blood if you want!"- Lia said coolly.

Elena's mind was racing now. She felt exactly the same as the day when she found out Klaus had arrived in Mystic Falls and the only clear thing was to undagger Elijah.

"I am willing to do it!"- Elena said resolved- "I want to fight them." 

Elena looked Elijah wanting him to declare the same.

He knew that she wouldn't take anything less than a straight answer.

"We do this!"- Elijah said looking at Elena and then at Lia.

"I will make the preparations. We need to depart for Cluj-Napoca as soon as possible!"

"And Esther?"

"She remains here. She will be safe!"- Lia confirmed.

Not long after, the trio made their way to Transylvania.

***************** 

Elsewhere

Klaus sat down with Julius, who was the leader of the twelve hybrid packs.

"I know  that you have stolen the precious doppelganger blood bags!"- Klaus said calmly, but the blood in him was boiling.

"Unlike you, we only need now a few drops for the werewolf to change into the hybrid thanks to my mother, the hybrid witch!"

"Your mother?"- Klaus asked.

"Yes. she is a hybrid and yet she kept all her witchcraft-"- Julius said.

Klaus was quiet. He was there to collect information, and didn't like what he was hearing.

"I am listening"- Klaus said cleverly playing the game of someone who had thousand years of cunningness.

"I hear that the doppelganger has escaped!" - Julius remarked.

"She is with my brother! We are out of blood bags, aren't we?! Guess what - I don't negotiate with thieves!"- and Klaus vamped out, attacking Julius who fought back with the same strength that Klaus had. Everyone present watched how the two bit one another and charged at each other over and over again as rabid dogs.

"Enough!"- the witch waved and the magic separate them. They parted for a moment and stood still, not changing back into the human form just yet.

"Yes, he stole from you, as I have instructed him so. You don't negotiate with an Original. And we needed the blood to work the spell. I apologize, but it is in our best interest! You may think that your brother is on your side- but we know of his alliance with witches who try to kill all hybrids even you!"

"You think that I don't know that the witches are on my case. I have killed one of them! And as for your information. I have received fresh blood bags. You see, we are a close family, and my brother is only keeping the doppelganger safe from the likes of you!"

"Calm down. This is exactly what they want- to divide and make us weak!"- Julius now said.

"My son is right. Join us, Niklaus Mikaelson, and our power will be infinite!"- the witch said.

Klaus retreated to reconsider the offer. He didn't like what he had heard and that there was now a witch that was also a hybrid werewolf/vampire. He didn't believe it could ever happen.

**********

Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Elena, Elijah and Lia arrived in the north-western city of Cluj- Napoca, Transylvania, sometime before midnight.  

Lia told Elena a bit more about the history of Dacians. Elena wanted to know more about Zana, whose spirit she would be assuming in the ritual that was about to take place the following night.  

"She was the spirit of nature, which you are too, because you are the doppelganger-you will know once it is done, as you are a reincarnation as well."- Lia said.

When they arrived in the apartments Lia had organized for them, Elijah asked to see the text in the scrolls that talks about them.

Elena made herself comfortable in one of the bedrooms. She took a shower, needing time to herself. He heart felt like it separated into million pieces. She felt she grew more mature in the past few months. Curiously, she felt a strange calm envelope her.

As she got dressed, she decided not to join Elijah and the witch in the lounge. She laid down on the bed. Her thoughts were with her friends and her brother, and the life that now was so far away. At one point she fell asleep.

When Elijah got in, Elena woke up. He sat on the bed next to her. She could see in his look that he was still very worried. She sat up.

"We will be bonded for all eternity."- the Original then said.

"I know. I understood all what Lia was saying. Sometimes it feels like I dreamed this moment- all of this. Like I have always known but it wasn't clear, now it kind of is-I used to lay down in my bed in Mystic Falls and thought about the future, and- I dreamed of this guy, wondering who he was, where he was. In my heart -you know when it all fits and you know it but you can't understand how that is. Where you go, I go. It's so clear to me. Give me your hand" - Elena said.

He put her hand out to her and she took it.

"I love you. And I know now that it was always you!"

"I love you so- more. I never could have imagined how real love can be!"- he uttered- then looked deep into her eyes, which responded with warmth and love, he then said -

"I would be honoured if you would enter into this as my betrothed?!"

"Yes."- Elena nodded smiling a little- and then embraced him dearly.

In the apartment next door Lia wrote a message to her fellow witch Feride.

*************

At the same time in Germany, Feride opened the door of her flat to a woman in her thirties, who introduced herself as Adelheid Friedrich. She showed the witch the mark of caduceus and Feride smiled relieved that she found a fellow reincarnated witch. She invited her in and the two women commenced  exchanging all that is to do with the strange occurrences that were taking place.

____

[connorrenwick]

Design Milk Travels to… Bucharest, Romania

Bucharest may have been slow to ride the waves of gritty-to-glam resurgence that plowed through the other capitals of Eastern Europe earlier in the decade. But the post-communist capital of Romania is in its own quiet prime and has a humble beat to its step: streets see-saw between ornate communist structures and buildings falling into tender disrepair; modern restaurants are encased in brutal Neo-classical facades but resonate with laughter and warmth inside. Walking around, there are plenty of surprises to be had, parks to linger at, and monuments to uncover.

Where to Stay

Intercontinental Hotel in Bucharest \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

Intercontinental Hotel Bucharest \\\ Photo: courtesy of IHG

The InterContinental Hotel in Bucharest was the first skyscraper to be built in Bucharest and continues to be an imposing landmark in the city center, towering above the Bucharest National Theatre. The moon-shaped curve of the building allows each room to have a unique panorama of the city – so much so that during the Romanian Revolution of 1989, it was the go-to spot for foreign press to observe the protests in University Square.

In the morning, unobstructed sunshine creates beautiful auras on your balcony window. Room rates start at $35/night, which includes use of the spa area, gym, and a splendid intercontinental breakfast in the morning – for a five-star hotel, I’ve never met a deal quite like it.

Photo: courtesy Intercontinental Hotel Bucharest

Where I found myself spending the most time was on the rooftop pool and spa. The white ceilings, muted color palette, and pale timber furnishings lend this 22nd-floor wellness oasis an airy Scandi aesthetic. After a day of walking from one end of the town to the other, I looked forward to nothing more than to sit in the jacuzzi and observe Bucharesti traffic slow down to a steady shimmer on the main concourse.

Watching the sun set and the lights come on from the Intercontinental Hotel in Bucharest \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

The Mansion Boutique Hotel in Bucharest \\\ Photo: courtesy of the hotel

If you’re looking to live in Bucharest’s Old Town, the adults-only Mansion Boutique Hotel is where you’d want to be. While it has an imposing historic facade, its interiors are outfitted to be elegant and classy, and the themed rooms are anything but bland. Your room options include Zen, Industrial, Art Deco, French, but the most popular option is the Transylvania room, complete with handcrafted furniture and floral motifs.

The Mansion Hotel in Bucharest \\\ Photo: courtesy of the hotel

Photo: courtesy of the hotel

Photo: courtesy of the hotel

Notable mentions: Hotel Novotel Bucharest City Centre \\ Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Old Town

Where To Visit

Photo: Keshia Badalge

To see Communism in all its splendor (or megalomania, as you see fit), you’ll want to visit the hulking mastiff of a building, the Palace of Parliament. Designed by chief architect Anca Petrescu with the help of approximately 700 architects over the span of 13 years, this Totalitarian and Neoclassical building personifies the sweeping socialist realism that took hold of Romania under Nicolae Ceaușescu, the dictator and personality of Communist Romania. It’s currently valued at €3 billion, making it the most expensive administrative building in the world; it’s also one of the most massive buildings in the world, even exceeding the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Heads up: you’ll have to bring your passport in order to gain entry to this building.

MNAC, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest \\\ Photo :courtesy of MNAC

After a heady serving of history and diplomacy at the Palace of Parliament, you’ll want to pop over to its new glass wing, which houses MNAC – Muzeul Național de Artă Contemporană al României, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest. Once you’ve had enough indoor time, the lawns of the Parliament Palace that make up Izvor Park are perfect for lounging around or grabbing a snack.

Caru’ cu Bere serves hearty, traditional Romanian fare \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

For a more substantial meal, you can’t go wrong with the classical Romanian gastronomical icon, Caru’ cu Bere. With 130 years serving the thoroughfare on Stavropoleos Street, even locals have deemed this Gothic Revival restaurant “the soul of Bucharest.”

Stavropoleos Monastery at sunset \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

When you’ve got your fill of their house speciality of confit pork and braised sour cabbage, dip into the Stavropoleos Monastery down the road, an Eastern Orthodox stone monastery with stone-carved decoration and artful frescoes, where, if you come at the right time, you might just get to watch the nuns at work.

Stavropoleos Monastery \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

The Botanical Gardens of Bucharest are home to over 4,000 m² of greenhouses dotted along landscaped fields.

If being surrounded by grand draping plants and the natural warmth of greenhouses excite you, the Bucharest Botanical Gardens, with over 10,000 species of plants, can provide a delightful stroll. Or, to fully wind down, Bucharest even has the biggest wellness and entertainment center in Europe: Therme Bucharest, a tropical paradise with 9 swimming pools and 10 themed saunas under a modern glass and steel structure. If you want to take your experience up a notch, ask for Aufguss, an exhilarating, modern sauna ritual that’s meant to entertain your senses through smells and storytelling.

Notable mentions: Romanian Athenaeum \\ Revolution Square \\ Arcul de Triumf \\ Cișmigiu Gardens

Where To Shop

Exploring the city center of Bucharest is easy enough on foot and there are plenty of modern design stores housed in old facades.

Photo: Keshia Badalge

One of the Old Town’s main draws is the grand, regal bookstore, Cărturești Carusel – it’s housed in an architectural gem of a building and is often cited as one of the most beautiful bookstores in Europe. Over four expansive floors, you can sip coffee at a cafe, browse English and Romanian texts, or shop for contemporary gifts to take home.

Spiral staircases at Cărturești Carusel \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

The Romanian design store dizainar is always on the look out for young local design talents and is always a strong presence at the annual Romanian Design Week. Photo: Keshia Badalge

Most young designers in Romania have their eyes on being stocked at dizainar, and it’s obvious why: this cosy design store has consistently picked out promising Romanian designers and delivered their products through the dizainar online platform to the rest of Europe. It’s a ticket to being recognized both in your country and outside of it, and dizainar currently carries all kinds of furniture, lighting, accessories, ceramics, and books. If you’re looking for the holy grail of contemporary Romanian design, you’ll be in heaven here.

Mushroom salt and pepper shakers at dizainar \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

The CD section at Carturesti Verona. There’s dozens of sections dedicated to CDs, DVDs, clothes, accessories, bags, teas and more.

If you’re more into a laid-back, Carturesti Verona is an enchanting book shop, records store, tea room, and backyard hang out spot in one location. There’s a sizable collection of design, art, and architecture books that you can get lost in, but what we enjoyed most was simply walking around the expansive store, discovering new rooms hidden in small nooks and the treasures they held, like antique copper cups stacked around the staircase, carefully knitted scarves by the corner windows, or trendy color block izipizi glasses.

Final Thoughts

Walking around Bucharest in the evening \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

We were pleasantly surprised by all that Bucharest had to offer from dawn to dusk. Whether it’s relishing in the pleasures of an affordable and piping-hot pretzels at a traditional Romanian bakery in the morning, dancing to street performers serenading foot passengers in the Old Town, having a moment of quiet watching nuns pray in the monastery, or walking into the antique store to get a traditional Romanian hand painted egg, there are many treasures to be uncovered here in Bucharest – and the best time to visit might be now, before all the cosy wooden buildings are upheaved and retrofitted with modern interiors and the scars of Communism are bleached from the buildings’ facades. You’ll have to see it for yourself.

If you’ve traveled to Bucharest, Romania and have any additional favorite spots or recommendations for first time visitors, let us know below so we can share (and also check it out ourselves the next time we’re there).

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[oneexcellencetravel]

17 Compelling Reasons You Should Visit The Capital City In 2018

Traveling for fun is a thing only the travelophile people would know. Romania is such an amazing country that you would love going there again and again. Even its capital city has got loads to offer to the enthusiastic travelers who visit this city. Bucharest adventure tours are filled with city’s exploration, the historical centers, the modern places and of course, the lovely people of the city who are always there to enjoy with you.

There are a lot of places to visit in this city. And not even places, there are a lot more activities you can do in this city. Well, we have compiled a list of 17 compelling things that you can do in this city to make your experience a thousand times better.

What Can You Do In A Bucharest City Tour In 2018?

Bucharest is one of the most happening cities of Eastern Europe. It is the capital of Romania and shows all sorts of modern development along with all the government offices. Despite being all this modern, the city doesn’t hide its historical counterpart. The country’s rich history can be easily observed in the alleys, squares, the monuments, art galleries and the old shops of the city.

There is a lot you can do in Bucharest; whether you are alone or with friends and family. Here is a list of things you should know about the city and can do in your Bucharest City Tour this season and make the best of your trip.

You Won’t Get Too Light On Your Pockets

Bucharest is really an affordable city and if you calculate, you would find that you could easily save bucks on almost everything. Romania is part of the EU but not of the Eurozone. It has its own currency by the name Romanian Liu. In 1 euro you would get around 5 Romanian Liu. That’s a really good deal and would surely give you no problems when you are spending on food, shopping and commute.

In Most Senses, Bucharest Is Lovely and Certainly Getting Lovelier

With a lot of splendid architectural examples and having been called the “Paris of the East”, the twentieth century was not kind to Bucharest. It was bombarded by both the Allies and the Nazis amid World War II, a significant part of the historical portion was annihilated by Ceaușescu, and a quake in 1977 made further harm to a large number of the old structures that remained.

There are still a considerable number of old structures (some of which are being remodeled, particularly in the historical center) yet there are brilliant points of interest all around, the fabulous old structures like the Athenaeum, which have been reestablished and look astounding. Even the 1980s design of Ceaușescu’s time has idiosyncratic postmodern subtle elements.

You Can Gape At The Mammoth Of A Building

The focal point of Ceaușescu’s master plan for Bucharest, the Palace of the Parliament is the heaviest building on the planet, tipping the scales at 4,098,500,000 kilograms. It’s likewise the second-greatest managerial building on the planet, after the Pentagon.

You Can Find Several Places With Reference to The Dracula

At the south-eastern edge of the old town, you’ll locate the Old Princely Court, which worked amid the rule of Vlad III Dracula, AKA Vlad the Impaler, and the motivation for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Archeological unearthing is being completed on the site. If it’s open, you can stroll around the edge and see the somewhat threatening statue of Vlad himself.

Take Amazing Day Trips From Bucharest

You can take one entire day from your trip to go to places near Bucharest. There are a lot of different activities in the city and some extraordinary day trips from Bucharest. A standout amongst the most famous is multi day outing to Bran Castle in Transylvania, also called Dracula’s mansion. An outing to Bran Castle is regularly joined with close-by Peles Castle and the medieval city of Brasov.

You Can Cover a Lot Of Amazing Sights In A Small Walkable Region

This is pretty common, yet when you’ll go on a city break, you will cherish mapping out every one of those spots. You may need to see Google Maps every now and then. But a lot of places could be easily covered by walking around a small region. You can find these places in the city center and the historical center of Bucharest.

A Lot Of Splendid Bookshops

The bookshops of Bucharest are really good. Some of them are so good that you wouldn’t even care about going out if you spend some time in them. Carturesti Carusel is unquestionably a gorgeous bookshop. This excellent bookshop is a top choice for the Instagrammers, and in light of current circumstances – the white-and-wood inside, winding staircases and agile columns are more than just photogenic.

It’s only one example of the resurrection of Bucharest’s old town; appropriated by the legislature from the original owners amid Communist times, it was transformed into a shopping store. After the fall of Communism, the building remained shut for almost 25 years before reviving as this incredible 6-story emporium.

Bucharest’s Historic Center Is Getting Better Every Day

Bucharest’s historic center is really amazing and certainly on the rise. You’ll see a perfectly reestablished building, and after that, the next one might be totally damaged. Not many years back, the noteworthy center was a restricted area, with little importance to general tourists. Nowadays every road in the locale is brimming with life, with cafés, restaurant, old-fashioned merchants and bookshops simply made for waiting in.

Visit Some Astonishing Summer Parks And Magnificent Old Windmills

You can visit Cişmigiu Gardens where renting a boat is a practice of the visitors. It is counted amongst the most well known natural place for relaxation in Bucharest, particularly on a hot day. The city isn’t short on green spaces and Herăstrău Park is likewise a treat. Windmills, parts of churches, old residences and farming fields are all in plain view in the National Village Museum, an open-air wonder on the banks of Herăstrău Lake.

There Are Some Of The Loveliest Orthodox Churches

More than 80% of the Romanian population is Eastern Orthodox and you will discover Orthodox churches and chapels dabbed all through the city. The Stavropoleos Church in the Old Town and St Apostle’s Church, north of B-dul Unirii, are worth visiting once to witness expound frescoes and amazing gold iconography. Keep in mind that these are spots of worship and you may get tossed out for wearing shorts.

Drinking Is Staggeringly Affordable

The beer costs alone are sufficient to influence you to think about leaving your place for good. Indeed, even on tourist spots, two pints will set you back not as much as a fiver. Also, make sure you taste Tuică, a traditional spirit produced using plums.

Travel Back A Few Decades At Some Old Train Stations

The train from Bucharest to Brasov feels like an adventure back in time. Along the way, you’ll see some train stations that look like they have been there unchanged for many years. This will surely amaze you.

It Has An Oddly Satisfying Architecture

In the early twentieth century, Bucharest came to be known as the “Paris of the east” because of its Art Nouveau engineering and excellent civil structures, most of which were French planned. This blurred loftiness is presently blended with utilitarian structures left from many years of the communist era. The town might be less classically lovely now, yet the confusion of engineering makes for a remarkable and tasteful view.

It’s Crowded With Trendy Coffee Spots

Bucharest is home to a lot of graduates and students and where youthful professionals go, trendy people follow suit. Tasty local dishes and in new waiters can be found at T-Zero, Origo, Dianei 4 and The Coffee Factory.

Relax In The Wellness Center

Closer to the downtown area, in the mid-year, local people prescribe the extensive King Michael I city stop which is additionally home to the open-air National Village Museum. In the event that the climate is slightly below average, travel to the Therme Health & Wellness Center. Found only north of the city, it is the greatest thermal health center of its class in Europe and flaunts 9 pools, 10 saunas, 16 water slides and the biggest professional flowerbed in Romania.

Witness The Great Romanian Athenaeum

The Athenée’s area and history procure it its own particular place in the manuals, and the echoes of wartime and communist-era insights can be felt in its walls. The inn’s style looks back to pre-war Art Nouveau greatness and this is reflected in the praiseworthy administration.

There are beauty and surprise in every corner of Bucharest. You may not expect but you’ll find such stunningly beautiful places in the city that you will forget everything else. Find and select from the best of our Romania Tour Packages and give this beautiful country a visit. I hope and I believe that this would be a collection of the most beautiful and fun memories of your life.

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This weekend’s #lpInstatakeover is from #LonelyPlanet writer and Bucharest local @monicasuma, who recently moved back to her native #Bucharest after 12 years abroad. Drawn by the urban revival and cultural effervescence, this former New Yorker is happily back to strolling through the back alleys of the interwar city, searching for its hidden haunts, delicious eats and ever-present festivals. Here she is in the tranquil courtyard lapidarium of the Orthodox Stravropoleos Church, a magnificent example of Brâncovenesc style built by Greek monks in the 1700s. – ‘The reason I love Bucharest so much is because of all its hidden gardens, tucked away behind stately mansions. Stavropoleos Church certainly holds one of its most beautiful. Join me this weekend as I share some of my favourite sights in Bucharest and #Romania in general, as I rediscover my beautiful country.' – @monicasuma #travel #lonelyplanet http://ift.tt/2BwQFug

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Breaking bad: Hollywood wakes up to the power of dark, dangerous women

Forget the sobbing suffering beauty. From Rebecca Halls unlikable newsreader to Jessica Chastains ruthless lobbyist, this is the year of the unsympathetic, deeply flawed femme. Thank goodness for that

The good news is that there are some great female characters coming up in the cinema in 2017. The bad news, if youre looking for inspirational feminist role models, is that you wont always find them in the movies. Lurking behind such obvious audience-pleasing instances of fine upstanding womanhood as Taraji P Henson plotting a course through the cosmos in Hidden Figures, or Rachel Weisz taking antisemitism to court in Denial, lies a monstrous army of deeply flawed femmes perverse, prickly, deluded, depressed, obsessive, venal, scary. Well, I say hurrah for that.

First up, though, is the unfeasibly perfect Natalie Portman in Pablo Larrans Jackie, not so much a biopic of Jacqueline Kennedy as a tone poem evoking its subjects transformation from trophy wife via weeping widow into American icon, a makeover forged by grief. In recreating a historical event made to seem ever more removed from reality by more than half a century of Zapruder, Warhol and conspiracy theorising, the film-maker and his leading lady transport us back to basics: the barely imaginable horror of witnessing your husbands brains being blown out. Portman knocks it out of the park, giving a masterclass in suffering beautifully.

And I mean beautifully. Whereas the likes of Claire Danes and Laura Dern convey excoriating emotional pain by snivelling like you and me, cry-faces scrunched up and shoulders heaving, Portman weeps like a lady, trying to blink back her tears, elegant eyebrows rearing up like rival caterpillars to greet each other across her lightly furrowed brow. She cries cute, a fan comments beneath one of the supercuts of Portmans comely blubbing in everything from Lon to V for Vendetta to the Star Wars prequels to Black Swan. And Larrans camera loves her, whether shes crying in the shower or chaperoning her husbands coffin on Air Force One.

Tippi Hedren in Hitchcocks The Birds. Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/Universal

There is something exquisitely cinematic in the suffering of women, and depicting their torment in big closeup has long been a favourite pursuit of male auteurs. How often do their cameras linger on womens pleasure? Try to think of great actressy moments in the cinema and the memory veers towards heartbreak more than happiness or fulfilment. Greta Garbo may have laughed in Ninotchka, but this was already so atypical that the publicity department bragged about it on the poster.

No wonder there have been so many films about Joan of Arc – all that in-your-face spiritual agony, with the religious element providing a righteous front for the voyeuristic revelling in pain. In The Passion of Joan of Arc, Carl Dreyer dwells on Falconettis sublime anguish so relentlessly his camera is practically lapping up her tears. One thinks of the womens pictures of Douglas Sirk or Max Ophls, or Rainer Werner Fassbinder (Margit Carstensen in The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant), or Meryl Streep tortured by Sophies Choice, or, more recently, Nicole Kidman in Birth, or Marion Cotillard howling the roof down in La Vie en Rose or Rust and Bone.

Alfred Hitchcock pretty much dedicated his career to putting his leading ladies through the wringer, and duly subjected Joan Fontaine, Ingrid Bergman and Kim Novak to the sort of carefully calibrated mistreatment guaranteed to make them look more alluring than ever. This tendency reached its apex in The Birds, where Tippi Hedren starts off as the epitome of cool blonde chic (impeccable coiffure, spotless suit and pearls) and ends up decoiffed, streaked with blood, her nylons laddered a traumatised victim of assault. Hitchcock is clearly getting off on it. Male directors, few of them attractive physical specimens themselves, like nothing better than to knock perfect leading actresses off their pedestals.

The most Hitchcockian heroine of 2016 was Amy Adams in Tom Fords Nocturnal Animals. Adams plays Susan, a super-soigne Los Angeles art gallery owner who lives in a concrete and glass Bel Air mansion and sports impeccable maquillage, preternaturally straight hair, high-tone couture (as youd expect in a film from the former creative director of Gucci), statement jewellery so pronounced you half expect it to start talking and a fabulously good-looking husband who keeps her in the style to which she is accustomed.

Perfectly flawed Amy Adams as Susan Morrow in Nocturnal Animals. Photograph: Merrick Morton/Universal

But, this being a revenge thriller (albeit not necessarily the sort that youre expecting) the delivery of the manuscript of a novel by her first husband throws a spanner into the perfection. Unlike Hitchcock, Ford is a prime physical specimen, and one can safely assume his interest in her downfall isnt so much sexual as conjuring classic Hollywood by expressing emotion via screen style. But many filmgoers have felt alienated by Susan not being sympathetic, and condemnations of the film as misogynistic are not hard to find. A love letter to sexist movies (Bitch Flicks); epitomises salacious, exploitative misogyny (Ruthfully Yours); an ugly, mean-spirited story from start to finish, with a deep misogyny at its core (Bouquets & Brickbats).

I suppose if you like your films to be purveyors of Old Testament-style justice, in which anything unpleasant that may happen to, say, a career woman must be de facto punishment for sins she has committed, then Fords treatment of her is as cruel as that of her ex-husband. But Nocturnal Animals is a cautionary tale, not a moral one. I prefer to think of Susan as a tragically flawed human being, wrestling with lifes complexities and suffering the consequences of her own misguided decisions, yet in control of her own destiny, just like all the best male movie characters. Im not interested in watching the hackneyed rise and fall and rise again of a one-dimensional paragon who learns from her mistakes, triumphs over sexist opposition and emerges in the third act as a shining feminist role model. I want compelling drama and dark nights of the feminine soul. I want Shakespearean, and if that means a character suffering, so be it.

And it looks as if 2017 might be stepping up to bat. Brace yourself for a coven of female characters who are no more sympathetic than Susan. Prepare to see them make awful decisions and do bad things, with results that are sometimes tragic, sometimes comic, sometimes both simultaneously. In Christine, Rebecca Hall gives a fearlessly unlikable performance as an ambitious Florida newscaster whose refusal to play the game leads her into some very dark places. In Miss Sloane, Jessica Chastain is bracingly uningratiating as a ruthless Washington DC lobbyist. In Elle, Isabelle Huppert plays a chilly businesswoman who reacts to being raped by refusing to embrace the traditional movie roles of victim, survivor or avenger, instead striking out into unexpected and distinctly uncomfortable territory.

Elle trailer: Isabelle Huppert stars in Paul Verhoevens noir thriller exclusive video

All these are hints that the next few months could be one of the most promising seasons for choice female roles in years, and what is especially exciting is that female film-makers visions are at last entering the picture. In the three chapters of Certain Women, Kelly Reichardt presents the non-glamorous lives of Laura Dern, Michelle Williams and Lily Gladstone in a precisely observed manner that is the opposite of melodramatic, though one of the segments will still break your heart. Maren Ades Toni Erdmann may be named after the grotesque alter ego of its leading male character, but its chiefly about the strained relationship with his daughter (Sandra Hller), a workaholic businesswoman leading a bleak life in Bucharest. Like Reichardt, Ade isnt in a hurry and prefers slice of life to glamour, but the film packs at least two audience-pleasing highlights to rank with any by commercial Hollywood.

But you dont have to settle for realism, because the more we see movies by female film-makers, the more its evident that the female point of view, like the male one, is not some homogeneous, touchy feely Mama Mia!-type hoedown. Alice Lowe stars in her own directing debut, the deliciously mean-spirited Prevenge, as a pregnant woman whose foetus urges her to kill, and kill again. Lowes Arnold Bennett-ish ear for one-liners, insight into hormonal chaos, and gleeful splatter combine to present a female POV youve never seen before. From the other side of the Atlantic, Anna Biller pays visual homage to the colourful style of 1970s occult thrillers in The Love Witch, the tale of a Californian femme fatale (Samantha Robinson) whose love spells have bloody consequences, but gives the story a modern feminist twist.

Alice Lowe as a woman whose foetus urges her to kill in horror flick Prevenge. Photograph: Western Edge Pictures

And while there is no UK release date for it yet, keep your eyes peeled for Julia Ducournaus Raw, the best and bloodiest slice of body horror since David Cronenberg in his prime. Its about a naive French veterinary student (Garance Marillier) whose hair-raising rite of passage includes brutal hazing, eating raw liver, cannibalism and the funniest, most gruesome bikini waxing ever filmed.

Theres more than enough room for all these films. Some you may love, others you might loathe, but there is no longer any excuse to pin feminist hopes and dreams on to a single film or female character. We contain multitudes.

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from Breaking bad: Hollywood wakes up to the power of dark, dangerous women