Here we go again! Apologies for such a long time without new content, but sometimes you have to catch up with your professional life and it was a bit turbulent in 2022.

Now, I’m happy to be back with some fresh inspiration and impressions from this year’s travel.

I dedicate this article to all the wonderful people I met at ERAC 2022, our wonderful hosts and the organizing committee, and all those who helped me when technology failed!

As you already know, besides blogging, I am very active in AIESEC Alumni which once more provided a reason to travel after a two-year’s break due to COVID. This time, beautiful Bucharest was already awaiting the AIESEC Alumni European conference and a great study tour. Due to the current situation, we are facing here in Europe, the program focus shifted to Leading for Peace, even though sustainability was still a part of it.

Fitting to the change in program, a guided tour through the Palace of the Parliament (Romanian Palatul Parlamentului) was included. It is an astonishing building with spacious halls and ceilings. From the outside, you get an outstanding impression of the size of the second-largest administrative building in the world since it looks like a whole city district in itself. And believe me, it is enormous. During the one-hour-long tour, we saw less than 10% of the whole building. After taking some pictures on the balcony where usually politicians and VIPs speak to the people of the Romania at the end of our tour we leisurely strolled through the close-by “Parcul Izvor”. I can strongly recommend going there for sunset when the Palace shows itself in the beautiful light of dawn reflecting in bright pink.

The before-mentioned panel on “Leading for Peace” provided us with new personal, but also political thoughts and perspectives. This lead to further reflections and deeper discussions within the group.

Besides fantastic workshops about storytelling and an abundance versus fear mind-set, the whole atmosphere of the conference provided me with even more positive energy which kept me energized for a few more weeks after my return. Another highlight for me was sharing a personal story about my time in school. Receiving very good feedback, even the comment this is a “real leadership story”, helped me enormously to put my personal development into perspective and continue my growth. This was in retrospect one of my most important learnings of the year.

At some point, the conference has to end. And after many wonderful conversations and discussions and revivals, unfortunately, some of us had to depart. The ones who stayed for the voluntary Study Tour typically allow the participants to dive deep into the local customs and life of the host country after the big AIESEC conferences. So, off I went to explore the vibrant city life of Bucharest for two days even if I had to pass on the chance to hike through Transylvania.

And what’s the best way to explore a city?

Exactly! By public transportation and walking! And that is how Monica and her friends, our local tour guides, took us around the city. But beware, all public transportation in Romania’s capital works without cash! So make sure your bank and credit cards are working properly. I will tell you later why that’s so important!

By the way, the metro in Bucharest has some wonderful more or less hidden street art to spot when you travel to the different parts of the city.

Of course, we started with exploring the old town, strolling through the centuries of history the city has to offer. Already during my first visit, I noticed much fold of architectural styles that made up the town. It was clearly oriental-influenced Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings are vying with Neo-Romanian and communist-era architecture. At every corner, it seems, the buildings are telling stories of Bucharest’s rich history, which our guides translated into words.

One stopover was at “Maramorosch”, once the most influential bank in Romania, now a hotel. In Bucharest, everyone loves good coffee and there is no better place to have one in style than in this splendorous display of grandeur and a cosmopolitan lifestyle in the spacious lobby of this hotel. Please note it’s also open to visitors. In one of the rooms behind the lobby, there seems to be a place for fine dining. After our coffee or beverage of choice, we left this Belle Epoque-influenced hotel to continue our tour.

In between the most beautiful buildings, you can sometimes spot some which are shabby and look like ruins. Due to my curious nature, I inquired why some of the houses were in such a disastrous condition. Earthquakes are common in Bucharest and if the structural analysis shows the result that the construction is not stable it’s sometimes not worth renovating an edifice.

In the evening, it was clear to all of us: We just had to check out “Hanu Lui Manuc”.

This is a former inn of a wealthy Armenian merchant and it takes you back in time to the Ottoman empire. By preserving its original and unusual architecture, it allows its visitors to enjoy very good Romanian food and if you are lucky enough traditional Romanian music and dances in a unique atmosphere. It’s just a perfect place to end the evening in a city full of contrasts.

The next day started with a ride on the bus and then the metro to meet our guide and her friends. Sounds easy right? Sure, it is…but not if none of your cards is working! And I could not pay in cash either. Guess what? While unsuccessfully trying again and again suddenly two ticket inspectors appeared out of nowhere. My first thought was…yes… the next station is ours and I might avoid them! But again, my hopes were crushed. Despite showing them that none of my cards were working, I had to pay a fine and became a proud owner of a one-day bus ticket! Such a shame. There was little relief when I realized that I had a partner in crime. I was not the only unlucky one with this problem in our group! Finally, we could laugh about the whole situation!

When trying to enter the metro, my credit cards failed to work again and I couldn’t enter it. Thanks again to all the lovely people around me who helped and supported me in this troubling situation. That did not feel at all like traveling like a local!

Anyway, the first attraction of the day was on the menu: a former socialistic flat that has been preserved and turned into a museum. It is located in a typical slab construction and with all the original interior it gave off very old-fashioned vibes. Everything was very alien to me until at least I recognized the lace doilies in the living room and the many crystal glassed bowls which were quite typical decorations back in these times also in the west. While the group visited the other rooms of the flat which were one for officers and very modern in those days, I took some time to figure out why my cards were not working. Well, everything was ok so far, great! There was a system outage back in Germany and the lady from the service had no idea when the problem was supposed to be solved. Awesome way to first-hand experience the brave new digitalized world!  

At least, the next learning was that I could rely on my friends in times of crisis.

We continued our stroll through different areas of the city learning again more about the different districts. After a while, we all needed a break. At Ceai La Metoc, a tea house hidden behind lush greens which probably would have prevented me from discovering this beautiful place on my own, we refueled our bodies, and souls within this green oasis in the middle of the city. On top of that refreshing and calming atmosphere, my cards started working again.

The last station was Obor market, which was very fitting since we all developed quite some appetite from all the walking and exploring. But stop, we first had to earn our food and rest! All of us got different cards with tasks to buy the different ingredients for our lunch. Walking through the market stands full of fresh fruits, vegetables, bread, and honey reminded us of our empty stomachs. Everything looked so deliciously fresh and it smelled fantastic. And it did not help when we discovered all kinds of cheese and sausages from across the country. After a while, we ticked off every product and ingredient on our list. Done! Off to the nearby grill station to have some “mici”, a special kind of sausage, freshly from the grill, a cold drink, and our delicious haul from the market! It was amazing, no journey should be without a visit to a local market! We chatted, laughed, and enjoyed this delicious meal and each other’s company.

And while the mood slowly reached the top we had to bid our first farewell.

We split into smaller groups and I headed back to the city center with some friends and our guide and her friends. We again passed by the Palatul Parlamentului and took some pictures of it in the dusk.

In the meantime, it darkened and the fountains close to Piata Unirii are wonderfully illuminated. After so much walking and exploring we were still a bit hungry and on the search for an evening snack, we discovered that there are many, many restaurants at the Bulevardul Ion C. Brătianu where Bucharest’s vivid nightlife takes place. It’s close to the Dâmbovița and the view of the water is very beautiful.

Afterward, it was finally time to go back to the hotel.

The next day was when I had to say my goodbyes to the rest of the group who were heading towards Transilvania. I stayed one more night before I also had to go back home. There was a feeling of sadness because this amazing journey was coming to an end and everyone just went on. But, there was no reason to be sad but to be grateful for all the wonderful conversations with old and new friends and to be back in one of Europe’s most wonderful cities. So, I decided to visit a part of the city that I didn’t explore yet and that once more showcased a different aspect of the city. It was the nearby Parcul Regele Mihai I (Herăstrău) with a huge lake and wonderful nature to enjoy. I took a very good long stroll and sat down to observe the calm water of the lake while processing my many impressions of the last days. All along the park were a lot of restaurants, but it seemed too early to have a snack so I decided to go back to the hotel. I checked where the next supermarket would be to buy some local souvenirs to enjoy a bit more of Romania at home. The weather kind of changed and from the wonderful mild summer, there was heavy rain. Just hurrying back to the hotel for a change and after a small break, I went to a nearby local restaurant to say goodbye to the wonderful Romanian food.

Some notes at the end of my article: it was a bit different from the previous ones because I didn’t plan everything on my own. The hotel was very good, but in terms of sustainability and waste management improvements can be made and since I booked a package you won’t find any further information about my accommodation in this case. Every journey comes to an end and I decided to take it easy since my flight was in the early morning which meant I had to get up in the middle of my much-appreciated sleep.

But let me be honest, I did what seems to be a charming reminder of a return to Romania as I did in 2017 as well: I kept some of my remaining Lei as a lucky charm. See you next time Romania, it was a pleasure 🙂