Hello, people of Budapest!

Which apparently is what Michael Jackson said to a crowd filling a public square. In Bucharest. I've made sure not to mix up the names myself.

Bucharest is absolutely fantastic. It's hot as hell, the streets are full of people, and it's loud and noisy, but I really like it. I visited the Parliament today, which is the second largest building in the world, and is obulently turned out in the best of everything from Romania - marble, wood, silk, etc. It was built under Nicolae Ceausescu, the communist dictator, as a kind of meglomaniacal plan to transform Bucharest into the ideal communist city. It's actually not even finished yet, and the fact that construction continues is astounding. The Parliament is such a symbol of the repressive communist regime, but the people of Bucharest seem determined to turn it into a national monument - it's opulent enough to warrant that.

Ceausescu's plan razed a lot of the old city and involved a lot of concrete and a ceremonial boulevard exactly one meter wider than the Champs Elysses. The best part, though? It was called "Project Bucharest." Gotta love it.

The Funky Chicken Hostel has also lived up to all of my expectations (basically based on the name). It's really chill, in a great location, and the people are tons of fun. I think we're going out again tonight, which should be fun, considering the headache I woke up with this morning. I've definitely gone out on this trip more than I have in London for the past few months...madness. It's all been worth it, though. The fact that alcohol is generally the cheapest beverage helps a lot, as well. :P

I'm off to join my tour tomorrow, which I'm actually fairly ashamed of. I could totally have done Romania by myself, and for a lot cheaper. I feel like a wuss, somehow, after meeting all this hardcore backpackers. I feel like a dilettante. (And now I feel like a nerd for using that word. :P ) At least it means I might actually meet and hang out with people for more than one night for the next week. This can be good or bad. We shall see. Rest assured that I will pass judgement if the tour members suck. But then again, that didn't really prevent me from enjoying the last tour, so we shall see. It only takes one cool person...

Anyway, that is enough from me. Internet is cheap here, so expect to hear from me more often. And I'll try and post some pictures. I can't believe it's all winding down!

= :)