3 – 6 June 2018
In the early Sunday morning I took the bus to Moldova. The border security took an hour, but that’s something I’m getting used to. From the bus I was watching the landscape. The nature was beautiful with hills and green plains. Here and there were some villages with several houses that looked either unfinished or abandoned. This could be because people are either leaving the countryside to settle in the cities, or because the people are actually leaving the country. There was some overcast and a bit of rain. After the rolling plains we drove through some sort of forest and suddenly we were entering Moldova’s capital Chisinau. It was quite a sudden change from forest to city, since you would normally first enter the suburbs. I noticed that the bus was taking me to a stop that was not exactly close to the center. The rain had stopped and it had gotten hot and humid. I checked my maps and discovered that my place was about an hour away by foot. It was 1:15 pm and at 2 pm I would meet someone who would give me the keys to my next apartment. I didn’t have internet to notify the person I would be later, so I had just one option: beat Google maps in a race against time. With my backpack on my back and my other bag slung over my shoulder I started walking alongside the highway. I ignored the route Google maps had suggested me, because it didn’t seem the fastest to me (although they must have had a reason to suggest that route instead of mine). On the map I saw that there should be crossroads a bit farther away, where I should be able to turn left and walk towards the center. As I was walking I didn’t see any crossroads, but instead there was an overpass. So I needed to find another way to cross the highway, and then get on the other road. Luckily for me I found a pedestrian crossing, so apparently this wasn’t a highway but the cars were driving really fast nevertheless. I just hoped the cars would stop for me, and luckily they did. After I got on the other side, I crossed some train tracks and climbed to the top of the overpass to continue to the center. Google maps didn’t know about this shortcut and so I won the bet and got to the place in time. However, it was boiling hot and I had made the mistake of wearing my long pants today. So when I finally arrived at the place, I was soaked in sweat.
The place I am staying is someone’s apartment, but the owner, a Canadian currently living and working in Chisinau, was currently away on a trip to Bucharest. He offered me to stay at his place and in exchange I would be looking after his cat Nash and the plants. We had a video call earlier that week during which he got to know the person who would be looking after his place. He also gave me the instructions for watering the plants and feeding the cat. When I arrived at his place I got greeted by a friend of his, who gave me the keys to the apartment. She’s a very friendly woman and after she gave me the keys she offered to have some lunch at La Placinta; a nearby restaurant that serves Moldovan food. First I took a quick cold shower and got dressed with some fresh clothes and then we went to the restaurant. Since I don’t know anything about Moldova or Chisinau, I asked her to tell me some things about her country. Meanwhile we had some învârtita, which is a Moldovan layered pie. I had mine with meat, while she had hers with cottage cheese. They were both delicious. I also tried one of the wines that Moldova is well-known for. Every time I arrive in a new country, I always ask my host to learn me some basics of the local language. These basics include words like “hello”, “thank you”, “please”, “cheers” and “bye”. I ask them to pronounce the words clearly and slowly and then I write them down on my phone in the way they sound to me. This way I can always (well, most of the time at least) remember their pronunciation. In Moldova they speak two languages: Romanian and Russian. For a long time Moldova was part of Romania until it became independent. The currency in Moldova is Lei. Since the country is the poorest in Europe, the prices are some of the lowest in Europe. Because I had to look after someone’s apartment, I stayed in Chisinau for four days. Chisinau is rather small for a capital and there isn’t that much to see or to do. Which made it a perfect place to take a break from being on the move all the time.
On the first day I visited the National History Museum, to learn a bit more about the country. Unfortunately the museum basically just showed a lot of historical items and not that much background information. After this visit I went to one of the parks, Valea Morilor, which was quite nice. It was a large park with a lake in the middle. The rest of the day I walked around the city. Some of the city’s highlights include the Triumphal Arch, the bell tower and the “Nativity of the Lord” Orthodox cathedral, which are all located in the Cathedral Park. Across the road there’s Central Park, where you can find a statue of Stefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great) and a large fountain, that was under renovation when I got there. In the city center you can find many buildings with a nice architecture, be it either classical or modern. I also found out that I was living only one block away from the parliament and right next to the Hungarian embassy. Which might explain the guards in front of my apartment. And I though they were there as a courtesy of my host to keep me safe. That night I met with a local guy and we had some ice cream and coffee at a restaurant in Cathedral Park, while we talked about Moldova and the differences between our countries.
The following day I went on a trip to Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei), which is a very nice area north of Chisinau. During high season, most of the country’s tourists visit that place. In the bus on the way to Old Orhei I met Pete, a guy from Bristol, England who was also traveling alone. So we stayed together during this excursion and explored the area together. Old Orhei is a valley with a river that is surrounded by a steep, rocky slope. Inside this rock wall you can find an old carved out monastery. On top of the slope there’s another monastery that you can visit. If you’re feeling adventurous enough, you can also walk down the slope at a certain spot. After you find your way down an almost invisible track, you can walk across the meadow to some other carved out spaces in the rocks. The scenery is beautiful and it is very peaceful. Aside from some cows who were gazing at us, we were alone. On the river we saw some people fishing, using traditional fishing nets. In the area there are a few settlements, like Trebujeni and Butuceny. We saw a police officer sitting on a chair next to his car, not doing much. I wondered what a cop would do all day in such a remote area, besides maybe rescuing a cat trapped in a tree. Once Pete and I got back in Chisinau I recommended him to visit La Placinta, and so we went there together for dinner. That night my host also came back home, so after dinner I went back home to meet and have a drink with my host David.
The following day I just stayed at home and worked on my blog. David showed me some of his project that he had been working on. He is a freelance documentarian and currently he is filming the people of Moldova, especially during protests and public gatherings. He conducts interviews with the locals and by doing so he strives to create a clear image for the rest of the world about the Moldovan people and their current situation. Once he finishes the documentary, he will sell it to broadcasters. He has already done this with quite some projects in the past. It was interesting to see some of his rough cuts and raw footage and it reminded me of when I used to make my own videos (although on a much smaller scale). During the late afternoon, David and I went to have some dinner at – you’ll never guess. . . – La Placinta. After dinner I had to take the bus to Bucharest, which would take me nine hours. I made a reservation earlier that day, so all I had to do was show up at the right spot at the right time. . . Right? I waited and waited, but no bus. So I decided to call the driver to ask him where he was, after which he simply said: “Ah, all right. I’ll come in a few minutes.” And he hang up. I guess those things work slightly different in this country. After 115 minutes he finally showed up and the trip to Bulgaria began. . .
Dawn Under 