Whether you are British or not, you must surely enjoy a cup of aromatic tea –with the smell of cinnamon and apple, honey or pepper tickling your nostrils. The sensation is enhanced once the tea is accompanied by a good book and chill music ‘whispering’ in the background.

If so, I could recommend the perfect place for such an experiment, namely the Act Teahouse. Placed in an old-style house on Victoriei Street, it is an oasis of silence, contrasting with the noisily combustion in the street. (http://www.teatrulact.ro/index.php?pag=contact). An old-style elevator takes you to the 2^nd floor, where you can easily recognize the entrance by the many posters promoting cultural events.

Seated on one of the red couches, your wondering eyes lay upon many shelves of books, beautifully crafted decorative items, flowers and paintings. There is even an oriental room, where you can sit on pillows, in a diffuse light.

The prices are acceptable (10 lei/ tea) and there are more than 20 types of tea to order, together with delicious cookies, brown sugar and honey. Also, the teahouse organizes many cultural events, such as piano concerts, art exhibitions or theatre plays. You just have to follow their blog. (http://www.teatrulact.ro/index.php?pag=sala&cat=program)

I hope I have raised your interest. If so, I wish you a lovely time at the Act Teahouse!

For those of you who have seen What Dreams May Come (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120889/), you surely remember the scene when Robbie Williams plunges into a heaven made of different hues of colorful paint. A turquoise bird, orange clouds or a purple tree – all brushed in vivid colors with exquisite paintbrushes.

Coming back to reality, a lovely place where you can stop by and recreate that colorful atmosphere is the Hanul cu Tei bazaar. You should look for an antique street in the old centre of Bucharest, crowded with art stores and antiquity galleries. Once you step into these stores, you are surely taken aback by the multitude of pencils, the ‘explosion’ of colors, the diversity of paintbrushes or the quality of drawing paper. (http://www.bucharest-driver.com/images/hanul_cu_tei.jpg)

Also, do not overlook the antique galleries. Your inquisitive spirit will surely get lost among tables teeming with different antiquities - from old watches and decorative items, to vessels and coins. In other words, it is the perfect way to stroll among different periods in history.

So, if you have an artistic inclination, if you want to wander in the old centre of Bucharest or if you simply liked the movie scene, Hanul cu Tei bazaar is a must destination. For the exact direction, here you have a link with the detailed map. (http://www.sapteseri.ro/ro/detalii-loc/galeria-hanul-cu-tei-ceramica-7/bucuresti/)

A lovely day!

“Amintiri din Epoca de Aur 2 - Dragoste în timpul liber”

(Tales from the Golden Age 2 – Love in the free time)

The second part of the series (see also preceding entry) is now screening in Bucharest’s cinemas. The first part is also still playing at some locations. Check this movie website for more information: http://www.cinemagia.ro/program-cinema/

Attention: This time the version playing at the cinema “Studio” is with French subtitles!

“Amintiri din Epoca de Aur 1 - Tovarăşi, frumoasă e viaţa!”

(Tales from the Golden Age 1 – Comrades, how lovely is life!)

is the first of two films of Cristian Mungiu and other directors about urban legends in communism in the 80ies in Romania. Although the episodes are ironical portraits, I think this film is a good opportunity for people who come from abroad, to gain a little insight into this part of Romanian history, concentrating on the daily life of the small people. You can see the film in Bucharest’s cinemas until Thursday 8th of October.

Tip: At “Studio” the film is shown with English subtitles. At cinema “Studio” they are screening it daily at 10:00, 12:30 (5 RON per ticket, even on weekends!), 15:00, 17:30 and 20:00 (8 RON) Also have a look at the photo-exhibition at the entrance to the cinema hall about impressions from the 70ies to 90ies. The cinema “Studio” is located on Bd. Magheru Nr. 29, across the street from McDonalds, close to Pţ. Romana.

Flower shop

Here are the Top Five shops in Bucharest regarding popularity or rather level of extension (in my opinion – please leave a comment with your own personal Top Five list or continue mine until the Top Ten):

Mini Market

5. Mom-and-Pop grocery stores
4. Pharmacies
3. Flower shops
2. Amanet (pawnshop)

And the winner is:

1. Fornetti
- our all beloved puff pastry producer.

I argue that what is the bocadillo for Spain, the sandwich for GB, the Wurstsemmel for Austria and the onigiri for Japan, that’s puff pastry and strudel for Romania! The little, cheap, very tasty and highly caloric snack for in between the meals.

Big Three: Fornetti, Amanet, Pharmacy

You can find all these different kinds of shops in amazing quantities all over the city.

The last picture is supposed to underline the above said.

シティコンパスは、ルーマニアでの滞在が有益で快適になるように企業や個人をアシストする会社です。
ルーマニアへの引っ越し、住宅探し、在留資格の手続きに関するご相談に日本語で応じています。

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ご連絡をお待ちしています。

Eメール：office [at] CityCompass.ro
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Chinese Grocery Store

Are you looking for a place where to buy Chinese/Japanese foodstuff in Bucharest and have so far only found dried layers of seaweed (nori), Japanese horseradish (wasabi) and soy sauce in the shelves of the big supermarket chains? If the answer is yes, I have good news for you (if the answer is no, please have a look at the last sentence of this post!):

I discovered a decent little Chinese grocery store (no Japanese products though) in Colentina. If you head north-east from Obor on Şoseaua Colentina, it’s after Strada Sportului on the right side, directly on Şoseaua Colentina. If you take tramway nr. 21, get off at “Sportului”. The shop is right in front of the tramway station, you can’t miss it! It’s open from 8:30 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 18:00 from Mondays to Fridays, on Saturdays they close already at 15:00.

I know, it’s quite a ride out there, but maybe you want to combine it with a visit to the famous Chinese market “Dragonul Roşu” (I will write more about it in one of my next posts).

By the way, if you know any shops selling Japanese products or Tofu in Bucharest, I would be grateful for a comment!

Bus sign

If you are taking a bus on Piaţa Dorobanţilor going to the city center, make sure you are waiting at an actual bus stop! The other day I walked by a lady waiting on the sidewalk near the sign “BUS” painted on the street… unfortunately it’s not a bus stop any more.

Abandoned bus stop

After a few seconds of consideration I decided to walk back and inform her about the changed circuit of the public transportation in this area. She was quite grateful for the information I gave her. After giving her directions where the bus is halting now, I decided to take pictures of the scenery. Just a few minutes later others were waiting at the same place in hope for a bus to arrive. I have to admit that I decided not to continue my volunteer job and rather put some info on this site.
Before, the buses made a half circle to the right at Piaţa Dorobanţilor and stopped at the rightmost point of this circuit. Now they just keep going straight on Calea Dorobanţilor and stop right in the middle of the piaţa, in front of the mini-park.

A wonderful recommendation from CityCompass Friend Natalie S.:

If you are looking for a cute, little, friendly place in the centre to stop off for Breakfast or Lunch, I would more than recommend “Violetta’s Vintage Kitchen”.

Located near the Intercontinental Hotel (on the corner of Strada Batiste, the road that runs along the back of Intercontinental, and Strada J L Calderon), it is easy to get to and has such a good Karma that you leave feeling ready to tackle the rest of the day and all the dramas that it may entail!

The dishes are completely authentic, home-cooked food, with a different menu for every day. It reminds me of going to my Grandmother’s and in fact Violetta told me that many of her recipes were passed down to her from several generations back. Wonderful!

With its cozy indoor space, lovely, private outdoor terrace through the back and the speedy service, carried out with a smile, it is sure to become one of my regular places to eat.

http://www.violetas.ro/

After 7 years in South East Asia my husband and I arrived in Bucharest a little over 1 year ago.

Already when we agreed to our new assignment we decided that our private goal would be to see as much of Europe as possible.

So the obvious Christmas gift that year was a GPS.

We both love reading maps and always want to know exactly where we are on the map when we do our road trips. But we figured that with a GPS and a map in our hand we would be ready for exploring.

The great thing with the GPS is that if you have remembered to program in your home address you can always hit “Home” and it will take you there. One way or the other!

Since the accuracy in Romania can be a little off you might sometimes be in a situation where the car on the screen looks like it is driving on a field and the stubborn voice on the GPS keeps telling you “turn around”,…again, and again, and again…

Other than that it’s a great way to just turn whatever way you want and see the most fantastic places just around the corner. Places you never would have found if you didn’t feel comfortable getting completely lost.

Last spring we did exactly that. We started taking small roads somewhere west of Otopeni and did a loop north from there. It was fantastic!
Small farm villages all along the way….dirt roads, cobble stone roads and roads that just disappeared!
The trip took place on a Sunday. It looked like people were enjoying themselves and took time to sit and chat with their friends and family along the road on small benches that were outside of every house.
Chickens, cats and dogs were all around them. The fruit trees were in bloom.

I remember telling my husband that I thought it looked like it did when my now 90 year old father was a young boy growing up in the countryside in Sweden.

One thing to keep in mind is that this is only approximately 30 min north of the city.

After several hours of driving it was time to head back home before it got dark. We hit “Home” on our GPS and that’s where it took us.

Of course it’s helpful to still keep an eye on the map not to get too far out of the way.

Together, I think they are an excellent tool to get out there and explore even if you don’t know the name of every village on the road signs and precisely where you are.

Good Travels,

Solveig Johnson

Bucharest Angel