Saturday January 18.
The guests gathered in the lobby of the Radisson Blu hotel to wait for the bus to take us to the National Theatre for a celebration of 30 years of Margarita of Romania Royal Foundation. This was followed by a superb lunch at the Carul cu Bere, a 19th century pub in Bucharest's Old Town. We ate well. I sat with Princess Helen and her husband, Alex Nixon, and others. Connivial conversation and lots of laughs. Helen was happy to share photos of her daughter Karina, who lives in northern England.
Alex recommended the Romanian beer so I ordered a glass ... and the food was fabulous, an enticing array of Romanian cheeses, ham, sausages, vegetables and bread ... oh, and the desserts. Several of us decided to skip the bus and walk back to the hotel ... burn a few calories.
After getting back to the hotel, I decided to relax with a visit to the pool and the hot tub ... no, not the inside hot tub, but the one outside with the massaging fountains.
Then it was back to the hotel for the change to a Black tie or cocktail dress. The first event was a concert at the Romanian Athenaeum, which was televised live on Romanian TV, followed by a buffet dinner at the State Dining Room in the Royal Palace.
I was last in Bucharest in October 2011, when I attended King Michael's 90th birthday celebrations. Great progress has been made in redeveloping historic and spectacular architectural buildings. The Old Town area has more stores, restaurants, and apartments, and far fewer abandoned buildings than in 2011. Bucharest has a lively cafe scene to rival Paris—well, perhaps not in mid-January.
I thank Her Majesty and HRH Prince Radu for their kind invitation. It is a delight and an honor to see the soft power of the Royal Family. The Romanian government recognizes their titles and position in Romanian history. Her Majesty is one of the most popular people in Romania.
Not only was the concert carried live, but it was repeated a few hours after the original transmission.
The music selections were terrific. After the concert, we walked to the Palace -- Swedish royal journalist Roger Lundgren and I walked with Stéphane Bern, having a lively chat about the breaking news from Sandringham
Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and his wife attended the gala concert and the buffet dinner at the Royal Palace.
The Royal Palace is now an art museum. The buffet dinner was held in the State Dining Room. A military band played a variety of American tunes, and an Orthodox choir wowed us with its performance.
The throne room was also open, so I saw it for the first time. The throne is gone, but still ... all that history!
Then it was back to the hotel for a nightcap, as I joined other guests, including Crown Prince Leka and Nelly Miriciou, the great Romanian opera singer. We all walked back to the hotel (a few minutes walk), and the first thing all the women did as we walked in was to kick off our shoes.
On Sunday, I got up early for breakfast and was joined by two other guests, historian David Horbury and Canon Peter Galloway, before returning to the room to close the bags and check out. Stéphane Bern and I were on the same flight to Paris. He lives in Paris. I had one connection to make to Washington, D.C.
Valentina Nafornita, a Moldovan opera singer who performed at the concert the night before, joined Stéphane Bern and me in the Royal Household's car for the ride to the airport. Many thanks to Stéphane, who helped me with my bags!
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| Athaeneum |
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| Crown Prince Leka and Roger Lundgren |
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| Princess Sophie gave a speech at the start of the concert |
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| HM Margareta and Sir Clive Alderton |
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| HM Margareta and Sir Clive Alderson, the Prince of Wales' Private Secretary |
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| In the throne room |
