23 July 2012

Bibliophily and Oases of Calm in... (Bucharest - 4754 km)

(Bucharest, 18.07.2012 - 23.07.2012) With a population of more than two million inhabitants, Bucharest is a very dynamic, but at the same time exhausting city, especially these summer days, when the temperatures are dropping rarely below 35° C = 95° F. This makes it all the more important to discover city oases of calm. Voilà!

The Romanian Academy Library has amassed a huge encyclopedic library - over seven million books, nearly 50,000 titles of periodicals, and 4,500,000 microfilms and microfiches. Just pay an entrance fee of less than one Dollar, get a reader's pass, wait for half an hour, and research each and any Czernowitzer or Bukovinian newspaper or magazine before and/or after WW1!

After more than a 20 year wait, the new National Library of Romania opened for public in April 2012. No, it's not the Romanian headquaters of Samsung, it's the National Library of Romania! Romania Insider: "The library has seven floors above ground and two below, a 30 meter atrium, glass elevators and glass ceilings and LED lit floors. Work started on the building, originally planned as a library, during Ceausescu’s regime, but construction came to a halt after the 1989 revolution. The building then stood half finished until 2009 when Aedeficia Carpati won the tender for its completion."

The new National Library of Romania was raised on the premises of the first Institute of Legal Medicine built in Bucharest and directed by Professor Mina Minovci from Brăila. It was erected in 1892 and demolished in under the regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1985.

Carturesti Bookstore with the Garden Cafe Verona, named for the Romanian painter Paul Verona, is the place to be and to relax in town. Bookstore Guide: "Carturesti bookstore in Bucharest is one of the most popular among young people. It is not only a bookstore, it is also a tearoom and a project space. They host over 300 cultural events (from concerts, book launches to exhibitions and other events) per year. It has a wide assortment of books - as well as custom made stationery. In the same building the bookstore has a teahouse where you can enjoy browsing through the books as you drink your tea, accompanied by music in the background. If you should have some questions, the helpful staff is always there for you. This is what the spirit of the bookstore is - or put it more commercially it's branding."

Have you got the right lecture for this sunny afternoon? If so, then let's go to the Pescariu Sports & Spa. The entrance fee (US$ 37.00) is somehow higher than for the Romanian Academy Library, but believe me, it's well-invested. In the middle of the left heart, designed in the air by an Italian aerobatic squadron, you'll discover the SkyTower Bucharest in course of construction!

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