Europe

[Visited: January 2012 and before]

It was a very cold morning in Bucharest when I walked past the gigantic Palace of Parliament. I had a kind of déjà vu, as I walked the very same streets a year before. This time, I was very happy with my winter boots which had a firm grip even on the slippery, snowy streets. After the wide streets, I took a narrow one with old, dilapidated houses typical for Bucharest, and arrived at a bigger street which I had to cross to reach Carol Park. At the entrance, I found a zodiac fountain, which had a very wintery look with a thick snow blanket. The air was very cold, below -20C, and a pale sun was just visible through the bare trees of the park.
There was almost no one around, and I took one of the small lanes to the western side of the park. I walked through the thick snow, and stumbled upon several snow-covered statues, and criss-crossed the wintery park, in discovery of fountains, benches, lanes, pavilions, bridges, and frozen streams, until I reached the frozen lake Filaret in the middle of Carol Park. I ignored the signs indicating that it was forbidden to walk on the ice - it simply looked too inviting. The ice did not even make a sound, and walking on the perfect snow cover was a nice experience. When I reached the other side of the lake, I walked the wide lane towards the tall mausoleum on the southern side of Carol Park.
The stairs were all cluttered with snow, which apparently had been used for sleighing. I cautiously climbed the stairs, and reached the tomb of the unknown soldier, on which an eternal flame was burning. A (live!) soldier gestured at me from a distance, and I ignored his calls for not taking pictures. Turning around, I enjoyed the view of Carol Park at my feet, and the semi-circular gallery in which remains of fallen World War I heroes have found their resting place after the 1989 revolution: before, this was a place for communist heroes. The park is named after king Carol I of Romania, and was renamed to Liberty Park under communist rule, but re-renamed again after the revolution. The park was designed by the French Edouard Redont, in the beginning of the 20th century. I walked around the mausoleum, and could barely recognize the tombs on the other side, as they were covered by snow. Walking down the snowy stairs, I made my way down Carol Park again, where the bright sun was now harshly reflected on the cold white snow on the ground. I promised myself to come back in summer one day for a completely different experience.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Carol Park (Romania). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Carol Park.
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Carol Park > Romania > Europe

[Visited: January 2012 and before]

Around the World in 80 Clicks

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