Wrapping Up and Farewells

Despite the earlier rain, when we reached Bucharest again, the skies were perfectly clear.  We were well clear of the mountains and driving through farm land, but you could see massive rows of smokestacks in the distance, in the direction we were traveling.  We learned these were parts of Romania's remaining oil refineries.  At the beginning of World War II, Romania was the largest producer and refiner of oil in the world, and I wrote how the Nazis grew dependent on that.  The oil refineries were concentrated around the city of Pioesti, north of Bucharest, and in 1943 the United States launched Operational Tidal Wave.  The plan comprised the sending of over 175 B-24 bombers from their base in Tripoli, Libya, and having them fly in complete radio silence at extremely low level, and then bomb the oil fields.  They would then attempt to make the return trip, or ditch their planes in neutral Turkey.  All kinds of things went wrong, and while some of the bombers did make it through, the damage was quickly repaired and, in fact, output at the refineries actually increased shortly afterwards.  Neither Katherine nor I had ever heard of this, so I read quite a bit more.  Evidently the raid, deemed "Bloody Sunday," is today taught as an example of a mission gone wrong, and it is often cited as one of the biggest failures of the war.  At least 53 bombers were lost and upwards of 700 U.S. servicemen.  I enjoyed hearing this new chapter of history for me, as we drew closer to Bucharest, for we were soon driving through the exurbs, with their IKEAs and malls.     

I'd been openly voicing the hope that I could see Bucharest in the sunlight, as I had such dour recollections of it from our initial couple of days.  Well, fate obliged and indeed the city was attractive in the sunlight, and certainly had a much more cosmopolitan feel to it.  As a Sunday, too, there were lots of people filling the parks, and large areas of the downtown -- which weren't already closed to cars -- had been cordoned off for various outdoor activities.  We got some very nice views of the historic buildings that survived, but many of which still require a lot of TLC.  It almost seemed like a different city than the one we'd left exactly a week earlier.

Across From Our Hotel

The Press Building (a gift from Moscow in the 1950s') / Monument in Front is to the 1989 Revolution

Romania's Arc de Triomphe (1/3 scale of the one in Paris)

Upon arriving back at our original hotel, our guide assured us we would have a "disco-free" room, and we heard the same from the front desk clerk, as we were handed our keycards.  As before, the room was very nice, but it would be several hours before we knew if we were indeed in a "bass-free room."  I'll spare you any suspense and let you know that our room was exceedingly quiet all night.

Katherine was tired and elected to pack her things and rest before our farewell dinner celebration, whereas I elected to do some exploring on foot.  The outdoor cafes and bars were packed with people, including many groups of English tourists, which made me think back to what Kevin had said about weekend jaunts.  It was an exceedingly pleasant afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed my jaunt.

Our Hotel in Bucharest

Church Physically Moved by Ceausescu, so He Wouldn't Have To See It

National Bank Buiding

I, too, packed upon my return, and we met our group in the lobby before we made the short walk to our farewell dinner site.  The Romanian ladies had already told us they were impressed with the place chosen for the meal, as it is evidently quite famous.  Hanul Manuc, or Manuc's Inn, and is the oldest operating restaurant in Bucharest, dating back to 1808.  It was opened by a wealthy Ottoman trader as a Khan, or waystation for traders and merchants. It became famous early in its existence, as it is where the peace treaty ending the Russo-Turkish war was signed in 1812.

We had a private room in the main building, which allowed us to share memories and break into groups to say farewells.  People did not linger too late into the evening, though, as so many people had very early wake-up calls, to make their flights back to the States.

Site of our Farewell Dinner

Before the Festivities Began