Thursday. Aug 20. Bucharest (Romania)

REST DAY.

Nice to have a day to draw a breath after 6 days of cycling with a few memorable ones in the middle.

Last evening I got the washing done at EasyWash about 4 km away.

Heavy rain overnight and early this morning made it just right to have a Rest Day fixed for today.

Overcast all day, with rain again between 12 and 2. But never chilly. I walked down the city, got wet but started drying as soon as rain ceased to fall.

This morning I had a few jobs to do on the bike- clean up, replace rear brake blocks and adjust front brakes. Last Monday on the descent in the rain burned some brake rubber.

Afternoon I walked down the city, a city centre demolished and reconstructed on a grand Parisian design by Ceaucescau...long straight boulevards, fountains and all converging on the Palace of Parliament.  For this purpose of course vast neighbourhoods in a living city had to be demolished. Even came across a bit of 'excitement' as I walked up this fountain lined boulevard.

I had been in the Palace of Parliament before but couldn’t recall one single item of that visit. So I decided to go again (and jotted down some data as we went along).

This palace incredibly was only started in 1983 and declared finished in 1997 (Ceaucescue had become history in 1989). Actually some rooms below ground are still in construction. There are over 1100 rooms in total; vertically 84 metres above ground and 100 metres below. 2800 crystal chandeliers with the one in the theatre weighing 5 tonnes; vast carpets in the region of 36m by 30m and the one in the French Room weighing 3 tonnes; long galleries of 150 m length; curtains on the half-landing weighing 150 kg. Our guide, Francis, who had been to Ireland for  6 weeks (and only had 1 rainy day!) was sufficiently detail in his info and understanding re photos. During our 1 hour Standard tour we had seen only 5% of the rooms. I was glad I had revisited this place.

All rested now in our hotel in Bucharest and ready for the off again tomorrow morning (come hail or shine). Another Irishman is joining us for this section to Istanbul; haven’t met him yet. More of that tomorrow.

Thank God for a lovely day.