Three Days in Bucharest: My Glimpse of Life After Ceaușescu

Day One – First Taste of the City

Bucharest greeted me with the hum of a summer afternoon as I walked the few blocks to the city’s charming Old Town —

…with café terraces spilling onto cobblestoned streets closed to traffic,

Gelato stands on every corner and shops brimming with souvenirs.

I found the famed “world’s most beautiful bookstore, Cărturești Carusel, “housed in a beautifully restored 19th-century building in Bucharest’s Old Town. The bookstore features six floors, a bistro, and a multimedia space, making it a popular destination for both book lovers and those interested in its architectural beauty,” according to the guidebooks.

Day Two – The Shadow of a Dictator

My hotel was a short walk from famed Revolution Square, where Nicolae Ceaușescu made his last public address before fleeing the country in a helicopter, marking the end of his regime. A central monument in the square honors those who died during the revolution and symbolizes Romania’s rebirth after communism. I stood where thousands once gathered to defy that regime, the air heavy with history even on a sunny day. Night brought cooler temperatures and stark beauty.

The square is framed by historical buildings like the former Royal Palace, which now houses the National Museum of Art and the Senate Palace, once the Romanian Communist Party headquarters.

I passed Orthodox churches with golden domes, stumbled onto Stavropoleos Monastery — its stone carvings glowing warm in the fading sunlight.

It’s impossible to visit Bucharest without noticing the Palace of Parliament looming on the horizon.

Its 3000 rooms make it the world’s second-largest administrative building (next to the Pentagon) and also considered the most expensive administrative building ever constructed. I spent the morning inside, and the sheer size was overwhelming —windows framing views of boulevards Ceaușescu built to impress the world.

The extravagance a sharp contrast with 1980s: people queuing for bread, electricity shut off at night, and the Securitate listening to whispered conversations.

Day Three – Escaping to the Mountains

I traded city streets for the train north, heading into the Prahova Valley. The ride was like watching a watercolor come to life.

In Sinaia, the air smelled of pine and mountain rain. The Sinaia Monastery felt like a secret world — quiet courtyards, frescoed walls, and bells echoing off the surrounding peaks.

A short walk uphill brought me to Peleș Castle was like stepping into a fairy tale. Intricate woodwork, stained glass, a beautifully crafted celebration of Romanian culture.

Reflections on Life After Ceaușescu

I met a man who was actually in Revolution Square that December afternoon in 1989, Egmont Puscasu, then a fifteen year old who carried the flag with the central Communist insignia removed. He tells his story because the horror of Ceaușescu’s “reign” is fading with the new generation and, as he poignantly and sadly quoted, “Every revolution is devoured by its children.”

And that’s what I carried home with me: a country still shaped by its past but not defined by it. In three days, I saw the weight of history, the beauty of tradition, and the spirit of a people determined to keep moving forward.