1936 On the Continent

admitted that from the touring point of view Roumania is not well known abroad and, for the present, Roumania is a country for the tourist who prefers the thrill of discovery to a precise, prearranged itinerary. “Blazing the trail” for other tourists in Roumania is a most pleasant task, full of surprises in the way of beautiful scenery and romantic adventures.
    This applies to the country as a whole, but, naturally, not to the capital and the large provincial cities. Bucarest, for instance, is a city where the foreign traveller will not find himself “at sea.” Bucarest, though its general aspect is that of a vast, sprawling village, is nevertheless modern in all respects that concern the foreign visitor. There are a number of magnificent hotels where the accommodation is just as luxurious and the service almost as perfect as in similar hotels elsewhere. The food is, of course, excellent at these establishments, but it is not less so at practically any hotel or restaurant in any part of the country. Roumania being an agricultural country, first-class food is available everywhere at prices that are infinitesimal as compared with English prices. Roumanian cuisine is mainly modelled on French cuisine, except that fowl predominates for the meat course.
A Warning
    The one thing the foreign traveller should beware of is what is called “café Marghiloman,” which is black coffee with a dash of some potent spirit. The waiter at the better class restaurants will always ask, at the end of a meal, whether you wish to have “café turceasca” or “café Marghiloman,” and you are advised to choose the former, which is plain Turkish coffee.
    The question of tips in Roumania is a very thorny one. “Baksheesh” is expected by every member of the hotel staff, as well as by waiters at restaurants and cafés and anyone else who serves you in any way. However, thisshould not deter you from visiting Roumania, for the total cost of your stay in the country, including all tips, will come to little more than half the amount you would have to pay for a similar period in any other country.
    Social customs in Roumania present little difficulty, for the rules of courtesy are practically the same as in England, except that hand-kissing and hat-raising are indulged in to a very considerable extent. If a man is introduced to a lady—whether young or old—he must kiss her hand. The method of salutation in the street is by raising your hat with a flourish both to men and women.
    The taxi drivers of Bucarest are rather peculiar. The vast majority of them belong to a religious sect, and one of the practices of this sect is responsible for the fact that you hardly ever meet a taxi driver in Bucarest who has any need to shave—they all look clean shaven without actually being so.
“High Life”
    Smart restaurants and night clubs abound in Bucarest. “High life” in Bucarest is an imitation of the same thing in Paris. If you are a woman you may quite safely copy any particularly smart model you see on a Roumanian lady walking along the Calea Victoriei, the principal thoroughfare of the Roumanian capital, in the early evening. You may be quite sure that the model concerned is “the latest from Paris.”
    Incidentally, you will see more beautiful women to the square yard in Bucarest than in practically any other European capital. They are all heavily made up, but their beauty is unmistakable.
    Do not be surprised if you see well-dressed men made up just as heavily as the women. Such men are not necessarily perverts, for it is a recognised custom in Roumania for men to make up.
    Apart from cafés and night clubs there are many opportunities for amusement in Bucarest. The cabarets—where you can also eat and drink—are quite good and may safely be compared with the variety theatres of England and France.
    Speaking of drink, wines, champagnes, beers and liqueurs are both excellent and inexpensive in Roumania.The principal and most popular drink is wine, and you can obtain a bottle of the best Transylvanian wine anywhere for the equivalent of
one shilling
, or 40 lei. (The pound stands at around 800 lei.) An endless variety of liqueurs, representing every imaginable flavour, can be bought at prices that can hardly be expressed in English currency.
    Shopping in Bucarest is no complicated matter. You can buy anything you fancy in the smart shops of the Calea Victoriei. Beauty parlours abound in Bucarest and lady tourists can obtain any