Romania - Eastern Europe - page 558

EXPLORING IA! I
Ia @ i's heart is Pia $ a Unirii, overlooked by both the beautiful Hotel Traian and the
monstrous Hotel Unirea, the two buildings forming a binary representation of how
modernization has afflicted many parts of Romania. Centered on a statue of Prince
Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Pai $ a Unirii is surrounded by restaurants, shops, and bars.
B-dul ! tefan cel Mare @ i Sfânt links Pia $ a Unirii with the Palace of Culture (reviewed
below), about 1km ( 1 ⁄ 2 mile) away. Along this boulevard, you'll find the difficult-to-
miss Metropolitan Cathedral, across from the city's Central Park, a remarkably peace-
ful place filled with busts of Romanian writers. Music often fills the evening air,
making the park a lovely place to visit; this is where locals come to relax, lovers meet
to swoon, and friends gather before taking in a show at the National Theater
(designed by Viennese duo Helmer and Fellner), on the other end of the park.
Heading northwest from Pia $ a Unirii, Str. Alexandru L â pu @ neanu passes by Pia $ a
Mihai Eminescu, from where B-dul Carol I continues into the heart of the energetic
University District, alive with scholarly pursuits. On Pia $ a Mihai Eminescu is the
Student Cultural House and a little park with the Voievodes Statuary, representations
of eight great Moldavian leaders, including Drago @ , the first prince (who ruled from
1352-53), and mighty ! tefan cel Mare, considered one of the Romania's all-time
greatest leaders (he ruled for almost 50 years, 1457-1504).
A bit farther along B-dul Carol I, you can veer down tree-sheltered Str. Vasile Pogor,
where you can visit Cas â Pogor ( & 0232/31-2830; Tues-Sun 10am-5pm), which
houses the Pogor House Literary Museum, a tribute to the nation's writing frater-
nity, members of which assembled here for gatherings of Pogor's celebrated literary
society during the latter part of the 19th century. Consider stopping for lunch at the
popular restaurant here (see “Where to Dine,” above).
Heading farther north along B-dul Carol I, you'll pass the large building of Alexan-
dru Ioan Cuza University, on your left, and eventually reach Copou Park, a lovely
19th-century garden, famous for a linden tree under which love-torn Eminescu would
Eminescu, Romania's 19th-Century Eminem
One of the best films to come out of Romania in recent years is Eminescu vs.
Eminem, a clever exploration of youth culture in relation to the nation's most
highly revered poet, Mihai Eminescu. Many young Romanians, even in this
popular-culture era, adore Eminescu and will go to any lengths to convince
you of his talent and great genius; one student told me that an autopsy found
Eminescu's brain to be heavier than average. But like many great geniuses,
Eminescu was greatly troubled by affairs of the heart. While married, he fell
head-over-heels with Veronica Micle, whose husband was an important cler-
gyman. Brokenhearted by his love, Eminescu was convinced that Veronica was
in fact too good for him and that he could never make her happy with his lim-
ited financial means; even when both their spouses had died, he refused to
ask for Veronica's hand in marriage. True to the tragic romance of their ill-
fated love, Veronica committed suicide shortly after Eminescu's death.