The capability to reach us right here in Romania (44WCPD461)

A few weeks ago, I started getting my deliveries from abroad. One moving team I had were speaking a foreign language that seemed vaguely Slavic, so I asked them where they were from. After they told me they were from Romania, I told them I had just visited their country in the spring. They were thrilled when I evocatively described its capital and mountains. The revelation might have slightly made up for the lack of elevator to my third-floor apartment.

The men's national pride came as no surprise to me. Romania is full of history and charm. Hoping to avoid the weekend rush, I headed out of the capital my first weekday in country. I took a short train ride to Sinaia, a foothill town that has been a pilgrimage destination for years. About four centuries ago, the devout were drawn to the monastery (top left). From the church, a short, shady pathway is a perfect place for wedding photos (top right). The pedestrianized road leads uphill to Peles Castle, which turned the village into a royal playground in the 19th century (bottom left). Despite its extravagance, the palace has enough mountain-lodge details that it suits the setting (bottom right). 

 

The refreshing surroundings are replicated in decorative panels in the grand hall, the first in Europe to have electricity (top left). Ironically, the extravagant amount of wood inside detracts from the nature outside, except when it's used for a secret door (top right). Although the castle has extensive pleasure grounds, it also afforded indoor entertainment, with a stained-glass-adorned music room (bottom left) and a theater that includes Klimt-painted borders (bottom right).

 

Eventually, regular people -- well, the richer ones -- wanted the royal treatment, so the village became a resort featuring attractions for the masses, including a casino for balls and other receptions (top left) and Villa Caprita, a party venue owned by a lady-in-waiting of Queen Mary of Romania (top right). Nowadays, the city is a base for tourists of all classes who want to enjoy the nearby ski area. A new gondola was constructed in this century to meet growing demand (bottom left). On the day I was there, it was undergoing repairs, so I used the older cable car instead (bottom right).

 

The scenery on the ride up took away any lingering fears I had of the ski lift's safety record (top left). The slopes are contained with Bucegi National Park, which features a network of well-marked trails (top right). Unfortunately, I lost a lot of time finding the operational public transport, so I didn't get to hike a loop around the summit as I had hoped. Instead, I wandered around the ridges near the cable-car station, gawking at the even higher peaks in the distance (bottom).

I made up for my lack of hiking back in Bucharest, where I spent a lot of time walking around to sights. Tucked away just a short ways from my hosts' apartment was Ceausescu's Palace, which I decided not to tour because when you've seen one dictator's decadence at the expense of his people, you've seen them all (top). Still, in my wanderings, I hit most of the Ceausescu-related stops. From Revolution Square, home to the Memorial of Rebirth, I saw the balcony on the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he gave his last speech before being spirited away in a helicopter (bottom left). Or, according to some spirited debate, perhaps it was from the balcony on the National Museum of Art across the street, which does look quite similar (bottom right). 

There's definitely no mistaking the Palace of Parliament, the second-largest building in the world behind the Pentagon (top left). From that building, the country's spirit animal, Michael Jackson, once gave a speech in which he called the city Budapest instead of Bucharest. Despite the faux pas, he remains beloved, as indicated by a memorial in one of the city's largest parks (top right). It is named, not after the King of Pop, but King Mihai I Park, the last king of Romania (bottom left). Shrines to the country's final ruler have sprung up since his death in 2017 (bottom right).

Romanians are lovers of their own history, of course, but they appear to be Francophiles as well. A replica of the Arc de Triumph sits amid one of the main boulevards downtown (top left). An awning over the entrance to the Enescu Museum, in honor of the country's most notable composer, is art nouveau at its finest (top right). The capital, of course, retains its own urban style, in which modernist materials mix with ivy-encroached edifices (bottom left). And like many European cities, it's embracing street art as part of efforts to combat graffiti (bottom right).

If my visit to the National Village Museum is any indication, the country has long incorporated color into its architecture (top left). The open-air collection of houses and other structures from various regions and time periods is one of the best "museums" I've ever been to (top right). When it's not overrun by student groups, it's a peaceful park to linger in for a picnic or a read. And if you are interested in exploring the culture, you can pop inside the buildings that are open to the public (bottom). 

 

Bibliophile that I am, I was most excited to enter the Carturesti Bookstore, a downtown institution that has transformed its iconic interior into a welcoming temple to tomes (top). I couldn't help but buy a novel by a Romanian-born recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature, Herta Muller. A few blocks away, at Romanian Craft Beer Bar, I also managed to take in a sample of one of my other loves, a Zaganu Rosie Red Ale (bottom left). But if I had to pick the one Romanian item that really fed my soul, I'd have to go with papanasi, a traditional dish of donuts smothered in jam and cream (bottom right). 

The United States won agreement ... in Porto, Portugal (S.Hrg.108-19)

Portugal is famous for wine, but after five days of biking, I was craving some beer instead. So shortly after I was dropped off at my guesthouse in Porto, I headed out to explore the local craft-beer scene. That first night, I visited the most mass-market watering hole, Nortada Brewery, where I downed a thirst-quenching IPA (left). At the more intimate Fabrica Picaria, I enjoyed two happy-hour half-pints: Black Weiss and Golden Brown (right). 

 

Throughout the next couple of days I hit a bunch of beer spots. At Armazem, I enjoyed a Colina IPA from Duque Brewery (top left). The low-key bottle shop is right around the corner from Letraria, which has a lovely, leafy garden, where I had a flight of pilsner, weiss, red ale, IPA, dark Belgian, and stout (top right). However, the hottest ticket in town was definitely Catraio Beer Shop, where I fashioned my own flight: a berliner weisse from Sori Brewing, a maibock from Post Scriptum Brewery, a juicy IPA from Letra, and an amber ale from Sovina Brewery (bottom left). The offerings at Carmo Craft Beer House weren't so extensive -- I had Lindinha Lucas Brewery's IPA -- but the view of Carmo Cathedral across the street was exquisite (bottom right).

The cathedral is bedazzled with a Porto trademark, azuelos. The blue tiles can be found on many famous buildings, including Sao Bento Station (top left). It's easy to see why the train hub is a source of pride for Porto residents (top right). But if they're going to brag about the azuelos, locals point you to the Church of Saint Ildefonso (bottom left) and the Chapel of Souls (bottom right).

But really, everywhere you look in Porto, you find awe-inspiring architecture, including some tongue-in-cheek public art (top left). The city and country have gone to great lengths to preserve the facades, which include elaborate insignia shields (top right) and intricate geometric patterns (bottom left). Even the more modern structures are chock-full of color (bottom right).

Wandering around town feels like you are walking through a movie set. Not surprisingly, the winding stairs and shelves of the Livraria Lello inspired J.K. Rowling's descriptions of Hogwarts (top left). As a result, the city has become the destination of choice for Potter-themed stag and hen parties (top right). The more classy set can enjoy champagne or coffee at Majestic Cafe, which could easily fool you into thinking you were in Paris (bottom left). But then blocks away, there's a general-goods store that seems to be from Main Street U.S.A. (bottom right).

Porto pulls its street props straight out of central casting as well. The traditional trams are beautiful both outside (top left) and inside (top right). They get pretty packed by sightseers taking the riverside line to the coast. Luckily, I beat the rush, so the lighthouse seawall was sparsely touristed (middle left). The banks by the marina, however, were full of net-mending fisherman recovering from their morning outings (middle right) and coffee-drinking youths recovering from the night before (bottom). 

I suspect the post-partiers go downriver to escape the crowds in the central old city, which is known for its cotton-candy houses clinging above the river (top). They are stunning close-up, but I preferred to take in the whole waterfront from the Luis Bridge, whose two levels provide great views of both the downtown Ribeira district (bottom left) and as well as Vila Nova de Gaia city on the opposite bank (bottom right). 

That area, not actually part of Porto municipality, is home to the port houses whose cellars attract wine aficionados. Tourists are enticed in by the rabelos anchored outside the port producers, which number in the double digits (top). Not knowing how to choose, I went on the recommendation of my guesthouse owner, who pointed me to Calem due to its small museum (middle left), which is free as part of an entertaining and informative tour (middle right). The tour concludes with a tasting of three ports: white, 10-year tawny, and late bottled vintage (bottom left). At Ramos Pinto, I was too late for a tour, but it still offered reasonably priced flights. I opted for one that had the same three types as Calem, plus a 20-year tawny and a collector's reserve (bottom right). 

With the amount of free-flowing alcohol, it's no surprise that the Portuguese offer filling food to soak it all up. I couldn't pass up a snack of fresh-from-the-oven Pasteis de Nata from Manteigaria (top left), even though one of the tasty tarts, authentically prepared at a bakery around the corner, was included with each breakfast at Sao Luis Guesthouse (top right). Also a short walk from the guesthouse was Casa Guedes, a working-class institution that serves delicious pork-knuckle sandwiches from a busy lunch counter (bottom left). Before my port tastings, I headed to Brasao, so I could build a good base with the local specialty francesinha, which I tried to wash down with Sovina's IPA but couldn't fully finish (bottom right). 

Luckily, hilly Porto gives you many opportunities to walk off the calories. Unfortunately, many of those strolls take you past gelato stands that are hard to pass up (top left). I did manage to resist the gourmet food-hall dishes at Mercado Beira Rio (top right) and the raw market-stall offerings at Mercado de Sao Sebastiao (middle top left). The fish stands are adjacent to the city's main cathedral, whose entrance is guarded by a statue of Vimara Peres, the first ruler of Portugal (middle top right). The church is one of the main tourist sites in Porto, along with Clerigos Tower (middle bottom left). I skipped waiting in the two-hour line to climb to the top, opting to gaze upon it and the Town Hall's bell tower instead (middle bottom right). To be sure, the best part of my walking was finding a back street with nary a tourist in sight (bottom).