6/13/2008 at 10:00 AM
Tags: Ballet, Romania Travel, Bucharest (all tags)
Funny, we were just considering buying tickets to an upcoming performance of Swan Lake--it's an attempt to be cultured--but then we read about a Romanian version that's being investigated by the Consumer Protection Office.
In case, like us, you didn't know, there should be 24 swans on stage in the famous Tchaikovsky show. But recently at the Romanian National Opera House in Bucharest there were just 16, and one member of the audience made an official complaint.
As far as our rusty Romanian can translate, the Swan Lake show is still running, under the less romantic sounding Romanian translation of Lacul Lebedelor. If you go, you'll have to be prepared to make do with fewer swans than Tchaikovsky prescribed.
Related Stories:
· Swan Lake's Swan Shortage [Ananova]
· Romanian National Opera House [Official Site]
· Romania Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: rayparnova]
by amandak
2/21/2008 at 9:30 AM
Tags: Bucharest, Romania Travel, Political Travel (all tags)
Until now, our coverage of Bucharest has focused on Dracula, but come this April, there'll be more scary creatures there: lots of politicians. The 20th NATO Summit will take place in the Romanian capital between April 2 and 4, carefully avoiding the prospect of starting talks on April Fools' Day.
So who and what will we see in Bucharest this April? Well, surprisingly, Russian president Vladimir Putin has agreed to show up, the first time a Russian leader has been there in six years. Along with him, the usual suspects--that is, heads of government of NATO members--will be in town, too.
Whether they'll take a countryside trip to haunt Dracula's region or spend more time at some of the sites made famous during the 1989 revolution (remember Ceausescu?), we are sure to see some pretty Bucharest churches in the background on TV. If the delegates have too much fun, we'll just be grinding our teeth about where our taxes are going.
Related Stories:
· Putin Agrees To Go To NATO Summit [Moscow Times]
· Jack Bauer Travels In The Shadows Of Dracula [Jaunted]
· New York Is Selling Dracula's Castle [Jaunted]
[Photo: mircea tudorache]
by amandak
4/21/2006 at 11:44 AM
Tags: Trains, Paris, Istanbul, Budapest, Bucharest, Transportation (all tags)
While train travel via Amtrak is pretty miserable over here,
Orient-Express (not just the famed route, but the company) is making a go of fancy train travel abroad. The Times of London recently
checked out their
Eastern & Oriental Express, which runs from Bangkok, through Malaysia to Singapore in super swanky luxury. Compartments have their own showers and toilets, and the food is freshly prepared at every meal in thai-continental fusion style.
It's expensive, though; the four-day journey costs $1, 780 for a one way ticket, assuming you travel with accompanying passenger in a Pullman cabin, the smallest available. Sure, there's afternoon tea, an open-air verandah-style observation car, and a bustling bar car, but it's still quite a bit of scratch.
Besides, if you're really intent on dropping a bundle for train travel, why not do the
original Orient Express? For a mere $7, 380 (it includes day trips and two nights in hotels), you'll experience a super-luxe six-day journey between Paris and Istanbul, with stops in Budapest and Bucharest. It's very much in the same vein as the Eastern & Oriental, but there are no private bathrooms on this train, though. For authenticity's sake, perhaps?
It's hard to say when luxury train travel will hit the northeast corridor--the Acela doesn't count--but in the meantime, some extra legroom would be nice. And we wouldn't object to an open-air verandah, either.
[Image via Feuillu/Flickr]
Related Stories:·
The Elegance of the Far East [Times of London]
·
Rail World [NY Post]
by AVB
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