I thought Romania was going to be a bit dark, somewhat run-down, and a little on the post Communist side. And then we walked through the Cismigiu Gardens. Now, parts of Bucharest ARE run-down and you can there’s evidence of the Communist block going on around the city- but this garden is like a breath of fresh air. We had to walk through it to get from our hostel to the old town. Not that either of us minded, at all. Even late at night, we debated walking around the park, but then saw how many people were still enjoying the gardens in the evening that it made more sense to walk through! There was also a folk festival going on throughout the weekend. Sometimes when we would walk through it would simply be little shops set up with traditional crafts, one time, it was a lively beer garden, and during our last stroll through, there were some traditional dances on stage, and off (if you count the gypsies on the sidewalk).
