​It’s the last quiet weekend before the holiday madness begins and all that entails: traffic jams, crowds everywhere, big expenses, too many or too few events, Christmas parties, hangovers and unnecessary (or unnecessary) Secret Santa gifts.

The list could be longer, but I said let’s not fuel too much anxiety. So, it’s a good idea to make the most of this weekend because next week you will most likely have family visits and dinners planned.

It won’t be too hot outside, but the sun will show up from time to time, so thick clothes are of course recommended. After the whole Bucharest has photographed Casa Mița Biciclista in Christmas clothes, you can surprise your Instagram with some photos from two other specialized cafes, very beautifully decorated during this period.

One in Kotrocheny, that’s what it’s called Coffee and stories are back (Dr. Petre Jerescu 26) and this cafe, which has only been open for two years, near Romnicanu Park. It quickly became one of the favorite places not only of “tourists” from other neighborhoods, but also of residents.

Apart from the good coffee you can drink here, the big plus is the spacious terrace and the fact that it is a pet and child friendly place. At the end of November, it was very beautifully decorated to welcome the winter holiday season.

Another cafe that’s causing an Instagram sensation with how it’s decorated for the holidays is this one Boiler x Guido (Calea Victoriei 143). For the second year, people from enRose have been “dressing up” the cafe for the holiday.

“For us, this is a manifesto, a way to imagine the city we want, Bucharest, where the streets project you into history. When you walk down Calea Victoria, you can be anywhere, you can feel like you are in London or on a cosmopolitan boulevard that could be anywhere in the world.

This year, the decoration is made of natural fir with natural elements (cones, eucalyptus, ilex, ruscus, asparagus and bleached branches) and red and white balls. The aesthetic palette of white, green and red brings us back to the memory of well-known winters, when even in the city we are surrounded by nature, snow and winter-ready vegetation,” enRose writes.

The cafe’s monumental door with sliding details, decorated for Christmas, has become one of the frames in which all those passing through the road to victory pose.

Check out this Instagram post

A post shared by BoilerXGuido (@boilerxguido)

For an unforgettable brunch, you can stop by (by reservation) this weekend Soro.lume (Fluierului 33). It was announced on the Facebook page that something special is being prepared here for Sunday, December 17:

“We are waiting for you from 1:00 p.m. to celebrate together the last day of service before the holiday. Mihai Josip Toader prepares a menu that includes four dishes inspired by Christmas dishes from Romania: Drob de Crăciun from Bukovina, Zămă de porc cu pita warm from Transylvania, Pomana porcului la Olteni, Poale-n brau from Moldova. Menu price: 250 lei.

Since mid-November, POINT (Eremia Grigorescu 10) has changed its menu so it’s worth a visit if you want to try something new. In addition, you can also stop at the plays that are shown here on Saturday and Sunday – “Family Stories” and “A Thousand Reasons”.

Also this weekend Fr Watercolor (Poland 40) Viskri 32 – The White Barn and the Blue House have been created, where there is a shop with handicrafts from Viskri, Mesendorf, Sashiz, Buneshti, Mediasha and other villages and towns of Haferland and the Transylvanian Hills.

You can try them on the site or buy them as a gift. The Slow Food Viscri community, the De Matei winery and part of the Viscri 32 team will also be present to talk leisurely about each ingredient, object and preparation.

Since it’s cold outside, if you want to meet your friends for a board game, we have the perfect place. The place to find not only the most popular board games, but also all kinds of rarities or oddities, is Snakes and Wizards (Ilary Chandy 5):

“The idea of ​​opening such an establishment arose quite naturally, because, in my opinion, board games are one of the most pleasant ways to spend free time with friends or family,” says Bohdan Panoiu, the owner.

The board game offering here is impressive, with over 750 titles, and one of the largest public game libraries in the country. In addition, there is an area dedicated to table football, with professional Bonzini and Roberto Sport tables (officially recognized by the International Table Football Federation).

It is also the place where the Table Football Academy periodically organizes championships.

Snakes and Wizards / Facebook page

event

During this period, most of the events moved to Christmas fairs around the city, but there were still a few that were as interesting as possible even for those who don’t necessarily want to taste Christmas treats.

For example, the exhibition opened on December 13 “The Universe of Salvador Dali”, the largest exhibition event in Romania dedicated to the famous Spanish artist. It can be visited at ARCUB – Cultural Center of the Municipality of Bucharest, at the Gabroveni Inn.

For 5 months, 170 works and art objects of Salvador Dali are exhibited here. They are part of the most important private collection of Dali works owned by Beniamino Levy. Ticket price 75 – 85 lei.

On Saturday at 19:00 at Sala Radio București there will be an extraordinary performance concert Cuban artist Mariali Pachecoa jazz pianist with an incomparable performance style.

Mariali Pacheco is the heroine of performances that fill the stage and hall to capacity, being one of the most valuable pianists in the world, whether she performs modern jazz or Bach.

Acclaimed worldwide, she has a career that marks a series of firsts – the first woman to win a solo piano competition at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival, the first officially recognized jazz artist.

“Artist Bösendorfer”, after the name of the famous piano, and the manner of his playing is characterized as “great art, unique style, charming execution”. Ticket price from 81 lei.

Also on Saturday, in Green hours (Calea Victoriei 120) Corinna Sirgi (voice) and Toma Dimitriou (piano) sing. It will be a themed concert called “Winter Evening”. The price of the ticket is 70 lei.

It was opened on December 6 Art Safari Christmas editionwith a puppet theater, carols and art workshops for the whole family.

The Palace of Dacia-Romania in Lipskan has turned into the house of Santa Claus and from December 6 to 22 hosts the largest cultural event dedicated to the whole family.

Exhibitions of games and vintage toys from the Moș Guerilă era from the Toy Museum, animation shows with puppets of the Teatrul Șăndărică brand, the magic of winter recreated by the “Ion Creangă” theater, performances from the Children’s Comic Opera, Cantus Mundi carol concerts – Madrigal Choir, as well as creative workshops for children – these are just some of the Art Safari Christmas Edition experiences.

All children under 14 years of age have free admission to exhibitions.

Theater and cinema

The musical is played at the palace on Saturday “Oh my”, recognized as “show of 2018” in Romania. It has an exceptional cast that includes well-known names loved by Romanian audiences such as: Loredana, Horia Brenciu, Cornel Ilieu, Adrian Nur, Anka Tsurcasiu, Silviu Mircescu and Rodica Stefan.

Artists will dance and sing along with the audience to music inspired by the famous group ABBA, in a story about love and family, full of energy, fun and color.

Directed by Rezvan Yoan Dinke, the show is spectacular, with spectacular choreography, dream sets and no fewer than 200 costumes for 17 set pieces. The cheapest ticket costs 140 lei.

As far as big screen premieres go, we have three new movies this weekend: a Romanian, a critically acclaimed Japanese animation, and a Hollywood blockbuster.

“Dream”, directed by Catalin Căzescu (Short Circuit, Weekend Millionaires) and written by Gabriel Gheorghe (The Pit), hit the big screens on December 12.

The film tells the story of a series of events, the main character of which is a provincial actor Alex (Vlad Logigan), who has different dreams and aspirations than his girlfriend Carmen (Georgiana Saizescu), who is also an actress.

Avoiding success in the theater, where he is ignored by a prominent director (George Ivascu) who pays more attention to a famous actor (Adi Nartea), he accepts the director’s (Magda Catone) offer to stage a play in maximum security. penitentiary under the watchful eye of the young guardian Diana (Gloria Gaytan).

Alex’s life gets complicated: while he is working on a performance inspired by “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (a famous play by William Shakespeare) with a group of prisoners (Fane Meres – Serhii Niculescu Mizil, Botisor – Vlad Darius Kretsan – NOSFE +, Flute – Silviu Mircescu, Fundula – Stefan Lupu, Blandu – Mircea Dremberianu, Gutuye – Nikodim Ungurianu), his girlfriend sees herself closer to the success she dreams of in her career, and their relationship changes.

Alex continues to meet with the inmates, but they have an ulterior motive: they are doing everything they can to get into the prison’s theater festival, having learned that every stage has an escape hatch.

10 years after announcing his retirement, Hayao Miyazaki, director of such classics as Ghostbusters and Princess Mononoke, returns to the big screen with “The boy and the heron / The boy and the heron”.

The co-founder of Japan’s Studio Ghibli led an original anime production to the top spot at the U.S. box office for the first time ever with $12.8 million in its opening weekend.

The most anticipated anime of the year is actually the only foreign film that managed to reach the top spot in the US sales chart this year. The Golden Globe nominations were announced earlier this week, with The Boy and the Heron among the favorites for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Score.

Based on the quirky character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most famous children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time. “Outside” tells the wonderful story of how the greatest inventor, wizard and chocolate maker became the beloved Willy Wonka character as we know him today.

Starring Timothée Chalamet, the film introduces the audience to a young Willy Wonka, full of ideas and determined to change the world, bit by bit, but all of them delicious, proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky – You’ll meet Willy Wonka, all maybe.