Bucharest bustles

There were all sorts of reactions when I announced my plans to visit Romania, but the strongest came from one cousin: "It's a former communist country; people there might be difficult to deal with."

But I was determined to stay optimistic. After all, most travel guides say that Romania is a bustling, developed eastern European nation, with great infrastructure and friendly folk.

So, I'm all smiles as my flight lands at Bucharest's Henri Coanda International Airport in the morning and I board a bus for downtown.

The traffic is heavy - it is the rush hour - and I can't help but notice the contrast between smartly dressed men and woman hurrying off to work and more traditionally attired Romanians sitting by the pavements - some selling flowers, but most begging.

It's easy to see that Bucharest is developing at a breakneck speed - there are so many buildings under construction and the roads seem to be under constant repair.

The march of progress can also be seen in the number of travel agencies and insurance companies' signs in front of the ancient European-style buildings lining the roads. In contrast, boutiques selling antiques and artefacts are housed in more modern structures.

Small shops offering homemade pretzels vie for business with the ubiquitous McDonald and KFC outlets. There's a mini supermarket around almost every corner, and once lunchtime comes around, long queues start to form at the pizza and soft drink stands scattered around the squares.

Though getting around Bucharest is easy thanks to the metro, the buses and the trams, I choose to walk and enjoy the sunny, spring afternoon. On my way to the Muzeul National de Istorie (National History Museum), I stop at an ATM and am surprised that I can withdraw Euro. Though Romanians still use the Leu, the country, which joined the EU on January 1, is already preparing for the currency switchover, possibly as early as 2012.

Built in 1900, the National History Museum presents Romania's story from prehistoric times to WWI. In fact, there's even an English-speaking guide, who offers to show me around. But, there's a catch.

"Unfortunately, only the basement is open as the building is closing at the end of the week for a complete renovation," he announces. "But the fabulous gold and jewellery is certainly worth seeing and the scripted stone section, also in the basement, explains the founding of our country."

Admission is free so I head to the basement and admire the life-size copy of Trajan's Column, which was originally built in Rome to celebrate its victory in the Dacian Wars.

The next day, I visit the second largest building in the world - the Palace of the Parliament also known as the House of the People. The eclectic postmodernist-style building took more than 20,000 people and five years to build. It was commissioned by the then-president Nicolae Ceausescu, who was overthrown and executed in 1989 before it was completed.

Public tours are organised in a number of languages, but admission is limited to 30 at a time so many people opt for a tour in a language they don't understand to avoid having to hang around.

The palace is impressive, with long, carpeted hallways, sweeping white marble staircases and high windows covered with rich velvet and brocade. The third floor, the highest level open to visitors, is home to vast, high-ceilinged staterooms decorated with gold leaf, carved wood and delicate pillars. The largest room can easily seat some 1,800 people and is covered with a handmade carpet weighing six tonnes.

In all, the palace has 1,100 rooms spread over 12 storeys and measures a massive 350,000 square metres, excluding the parking area, where Ceausescu was planning to give speeches. English-language tours are held every hour from 11am to 4pm.

But behind all this opulence lies a deep feeling of bitterness. Not only did Ceausescu bankrupt his country, he insisted on leading a life of luxury, while ordinary folk were suffering from food shortages.

After a stroll in a small park, I head to the Museum of the Romanian Peasant to take in the country's folklore. The wealth of exhibits is surprising - the shelves are groaning with traditional clothes, handmade textiles, pots, farming tools, books and religious icons.

Though it's a great place to learn about Romanian culture, you can't help but feel a bit paranoid - the museum officers are watching your every step. So, feeling like an interloper, I descend the steps in search of lunch.

A slice of pizza from Fornetti, Romania's answer to 7-Eleven, gives me the energy to walk to the village museum in the north of the city.

The outdoor Muzeul Satului features hundreds of churches, farms and other building constructed in traditional Romanian style. It's next to the Herastrau Park, the largest open space in Bucharest, where people stroll or sit by the lake as children gambol in the playgrounds and teens amuse themselves on go-karts, roller skates or in the amusement park.

At the park's southern entrance is Arcul de Triumf or the Arch of Triumph. Built in 1936 to commemorate the reunification of Romania in 1918, it is similar to the Parisian landmark of the same name. In fact, much of the city was designed by French architects or locals trained in the French school, which probably explains why Bucharest has long been known as "Little Paris".

Today, as the city marches towards modernity, Bucharest is no longer the little sister of another European capital. It has successfully shaken off its communist past and is now a thriving city. And, with its entry to the European Union, it's now attracting many more tourists, adding to its cosmopolitan charm.