The meeting place for our food tour wasn't too far from where we're staying, but I was worried that if we walked there, my back would give out on me during the tour. So my sweet husband called for an Uber. We were on our way in five minutes! And I think it cost us $2.50, a bargain! Our guide, Lala met us right on time and we were joined by another couple, Savannah and Gordon. We walked through some back streets of Bucharest in neighborhoods called Mahalas, and Lala explained about the history of the city--why there are gorgeous buildings right next to ugly block "communist-style" ones. There are also LOTS of beautiful old buildings/former homes that have fallen into decay due to communism. Since there are no clear owners, the houses end up in court battles that can last 20+ years. Meanwhile, the houses sit empty. Such a shame! At our first stop, we sampled typical appetizers and beer. We were in an old bourgeois style home that's been turned into a restaurant, definitely with "charm." Along the way to our next stop, we picked up a pretzel from a street vendor, very tasty. We had a drink at Share Cafe (Heineken for me, wine for Rich), it's an older large home that's been turned into a restaurant. The owner's family lived there during the reign of Nicolae Ceaușescu, who was responsible for tearing down many historical buildings to build larger roads. He wanted to destroy a church that was near their home, and they cut their own home in half in order to move the church to their property. Amazing!! We caught a tram that took us to the local market. It's kind of a combination of stalls that sell all kinds of goods with an open air market selling fresh produce. There's also an inside place that sells fresh meat and cheese. We sampled numerous types of cheeses, as well as salamis. Lala led us back outside to a place that only sells mici (a sausage) and beer. Reminded me of a German beer garden. Mici is served with a spicy mustard and small loaf of bread. Very good. We enjoyed chatting with our new friends and as it turns out, Savannah is teaching English in Regensberg, Germany, which is a stop we will be making on our Viking River Cruise in September! We made plans to have her show us around once we dock, how cool is that? Small world!! We said our goodbyes and went over to a GIANT Carrefour, which is a European grocery store chain. Bought some stuff and caught the metro back. Fun day in Bucharest!