If anyone had asked me what I expected Romania to be like I would probably say cheap and kind of dangerous. Honestly, I had no clue of what I was going to find there. Let me just start by saying that before I made some Romanian friends, all I knew about Romania were things I heard people say (and they were not really good things). But the reality could not have been any more different than what I imagined (well, except for the cheap part).
Romania is a beautiful country with warm people and great food, all for a very affordable price! Bucharest, the capital of Romania and my 1st stop, is a cosmopolitan city with a lot of bars and clubs (open every day of the week), touristic sights (including their own Arch de Triomphe and the Palace of Parliment), shopping malls and much more.
On my first day in Bucharest, my friend to me to a restaurant called "La Placinte". This restaurant is specialized in Moldovan food and although the place and the options might seem a bit simple at first, it is definitely worth trying! The food is really tasty and they offer a lot of small portions so it is easy to try more than one or two dishes (the deserts are huge though, leave some space for them).
Nevertheless, the restaurant I was the most impressed with was Lounge 18, which is located on the (guess what?) 18th floor of a building! This place was a little bit difficult to find but going there is a must. Their food not only looks amazing, it tastes fantastic as well. The service was also very good and you can also enjoy the view of Bucharest while eating. How can it get any better? They also have a ''terrace'' area where you can go and see the city from more angles. The entire experience was incredible. Oh, and the price was incredible as well.. for a restaurant that seems to be very fancy, I had 3 courses and a cocktail for just about 25 euros!
Something else that surprised me about Romania was how safe I felt. I was there with a friend and we were two girls walking around in the evening, without any issues whatsoever. Of course, everyone must be careful when they are in a place they don't know but during the entire holiday we felt relaxed and safe.
After experiencing this amazing country, I feel that it is generally stereotyped and misunderstood. If you have a chance to go to Romania, take it! If you have ever been to Bucharest or somewhere else in Romania, let me know about your experience! Do you agree with me?