Columnist Eleonore af Schaumburg-Lippe writes in her weekly column about life as an expat in Romania. This week she tells how discovering your inner Christopher Columbus can affect you in a very pleasant way.

When first arriving here in Bucharest Romania, a lot of things are going to be new. Just going for a walk can be quite a challenge, but give yourself the pleasure of going for a walk, and see what happens, you will be surprised. The picture above is my father and his wife going for an evening walk in the streets of Bucharest on a warm joyful summer day.

Once I was walking down the street on the pavement, I ended up in this funny situation: in front of me there was a hole in the street, a car blocking me going to the left, and on the right side there was an electric cable, and in front of me a not at all friendly looking stray dog. I remember thinking: haha, Romania, you got me!

So going for a walk down the streets of Bucharest can be kind of a challenge, but let your inner Christopher Columbus out.

First of all think about foot wear when beginning to discover Bucharest. Expect sore feet in the first month. The streets are not smooth and evenly surfaced, so look down, because holes and pavements including small canals for water are not an unusual sight here.

I also once heard the story of a woman who had fallen into one of the holes in the street. Actually it was not a hole- it was a missing manhole cover leading to the sewer channels under Bucharest. The story goes that she stayed there for hours, but she had her phone on her so she could call for help. My fear was ending up in the same situation, just not being able to tell where I was, since Mrs. Romanian Columbus does not always know exactly what the street name is she is walking on.

So when you begin your trip as Columbus, there are five rules. First of all, have a phone on you, a map, walking shoes and then around RON 30, so if you want to stop discovering, you can always take a taxi home. And then, there are the loose electric wires dangling down from the sky. Better to avoid them than find out from 240 volt experience that they are live.

Of course in wintertime, also keep an eye on the sky, nobody wants a large icicle falling on the head. Being able to look up and down at the same time did confuse me when I arrived here during winter, I thought about either buying a bike cycle helmet to avoid icicles or or buying football boot with studs to stop me slipping on the ice, but you will learn to get by.

Now you are ready to discover Bucharest.

I will not tell you where to walk, because then you are not really discovering, are you ?

What I can recommend you is to pack the map away in a bag etc., and then just start walking. Bucharest is like an oasis, especially over the weekend, when there is almost no traffic at all. Discover the prettiest little parks, see beautiful houses, end up in a marketplace where they are selling all kinds of vegetables, homemade cheese, flowers or just enter new neighborhoods, and discover how they are each unique in their own way and, what is really great about Bucharest, is that you can feel safe walking around.

I have walked around in the central town of Bucharest, but have also walked around in Obor, Lipscani, Unirii, Piata Victorei, Floreasca, Dorobanti, Cismigiu and Herestrau Parks, and many other places I just have no idea where.

My best walks have been when I have been walking with a Romanian friend, who could tell me the stories behind what I was seeing. Stories about what life was like during communism, funny stories about tramways getting off track and almost hitting him in the street. Houses come to life when you hear the story behind them, and shops too, when you hear how this place is where youngsters hang out, or how happy they got if they could get an orange or banana, so if it is possible, walk with a Romanian on hand.

On the way, you will meet people on the street selling vegetables or flowers. As an expat here I have noticed that we get a special price. From a distance, I will hear RON 2 lei for a flower, but as a foreign looking girl, the price goes up to RON 5, or even higher. It doesn’t always happen, but try and hear what the price is before you get closer.

What has amazed me, and still does on my walks, is to see the Romanian ladies being able to maneuver the streets of Bucharest on very high heels. I remember in Denmark once I was organizing a galla party on a huge ship- actually it was a ferry rented out for parties- and there was a long stair going from the ship to the ground, the iron stair had holes in it, and when the party finished we found a dozen heals lying on the ground, broken off, while trying to get down the stair. My assumption is that this will never happen in Romania.

In Denmark when platform shoes became popular, the incidence of broken or twisted ankles rose sharply. Again I haven’t heard of that problem here.

Not that I want to recommend you to do your walks in high heels or on platform shoes, that is maybe integrating too much. But what I want to share is the happiness I have felt going for long walks, having no idea where I was and really feeling I was discovering new territory or going with a friend and seeing how the town came to life.

So see you in the streets of Bucharest!

By Eleonore af Schaumburg-Lippe, columnist

Eleonore is Danish, she holds a BA in Organization and Management and specializes in Corporate Communication & Strategic Development. She is also a Market Economist and a Multimedia Designer. She is currently working in Bucharest as the Executive Director of UAPR the Romanian Advertising Association. As a Danish Viking in Romania, with a great passion for ’covrigi’, she has a burning desire to find out how Romanian women can balance on really high stilettos on the bumpy streets of Bucharest. Her weekly columns will give you insights into an expats life in Bucharest written with humor and a big Danish smile.