One of Bucharest's main tourist attractions is the Palace of the Parliament. It's major draw card is that it's big. Really big. It's the second largest building in the world (after the Pentagon), the world's heaviest building and the world's most expensive administrative building.

The building was conceived and designed by Ceauşescu, the Romanian Dictator. He wanted something suitable to celebrate his awesomeness. Hence the focus on gigantism. Bigger is better, right? Typical man.

The stats are impressive: 1,100 rooms, 480 chandeliers and 200,000 square metres of carpet. But for some reason the stats don't translate to reality. Walking around the building on our guided tour, I was never overwhelmed by its size. Even standing outside looking up at the facade, I wasn't that impressed. I think that Australian Parliament House looks bigger perched up on Capital Hill.

The tour ends on the famous balcony. Originally designed as a place for Ceauşescu to speak to his faithful subjects he never lived to see the balcony's or even the palace's completion. In 1989, Ceauşescu's government was overthrown by a military coup and Ceauşescu was sentenced to death by a kangaroo court. He and his wife were executed right after the trial, Christmas Day, 1989. He was the only communist leader who didn't survive the fall of the iron curtain.

So, when you visit the balcony, which famous person do the tour guides mention? Michael Jackson. Yes, in 1992, Michael Jackson addressed his faithful subjects from the balcony.

More photos on Flickr.