Description of a city

Few times in my life I have been so astounded with a place. It is actually hard to explain the reasons why I found it so enchanting. My senses were puzzled with all different kinds of stimulus, some strident, others delightful, but most of them new for me. I’m talking about Bucharest, the capital of Rumania, a city of vivid and bewildering colours.
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the architecture. It looked more like a film scenario than a real setting; the scenario of a pretty bizarre film. Palace-like houses were located side to side with humble little shacks, plenty of spectacular old mansions that were abandoned, byzantine institutional buildings in every neighborhood… The decadence of all of these singular constructions was haunting, it was so impressive and unpretentious at the same time, that I couldn’t but fall in love with the city. Nicolae Ceaușescu, the ruthless president of Rumania during most of the communist period, wanted to create a replica of Paris in Bucharest, and the fascinating thing is that he achieved it only in certain parts of the city, which are weirdly integrated within the less flamboyant ones. Not without reason, it is called the little Paris of the East.
A detail that I liked too is how unspoilt by tourism it is. Despite its growing popularity, it is safe to say that it retains a purity and authenticity which is quite rare in western European capitals.  It is, though, spoiled by other factors, like noise and overpopulation. It is an utterly rowdy place, which some people find enervating. The same thing happens with the general decay and neglect of some areas. For me, both aspects were riveting!
There is a lot of culture in the streets too, whether it is concerts or theatre, plus a restless nightlife, so there isn’t much time to get bored there. The locals form a melting pot of features, having the country such a privileged location between the Mediterranean and the Germanic region. Therefore, you feel like you are in the middle of many cultures, all of them blended together into this cosmopolitan city, doubtlessly one of a kind.