Moldova Moldova is a small, landlocked country, between Romania and Ukraine, in South East Europe.
I have been there several times - my wife is from that part of the world, and this web page serves as a link between the various pages of photographs and panoramas I have taken on my visits there.
Photos from my first visit to Moldova.
Photos from my second visit to Moldova.
Panoramic photographs taken in various parts of Moldova, including the capital of Chisinau / Kishinev, and the amazing gorge at Orheil Vechi.
Moldova is a small and poor country, and used to be part of the Soviet Union. It is now trying to look more to the west, and the European Union - though Russia is definitely not happy with this, and is throwing it's weight around in various ways. (Such as massive increases in gas prices, and bans on the import of the excellent Moldovan wines whenever someone in the Moldovan government makes pro western noises).
Russia also strongly supports the tiny breakaway hard-line communist 'republic' of Transdneistr, which is not internationally recognised, where the main industry appears to be selling ancient soviet military hardware to dodgy regimes.
The capital, Chisinau, (or Kishinev in Russian, which is still the name of the airport) is an attractive city. The main street, (Stefan cel Mare, Stefan the Great), is wide and lined with attractive double rows of trees. There are several large and beautiful rambling parks in and near the centre.
As mentioned, the local wines are excellent, and considered the best from the former Soviet Union. Somewhat surprisingly, a new micro brewery has appeared in Chisinau, and it makes some of the nicest beer I have ever tasted! (Previously all you could get was imported stuff, or bland cooking lager).
Pretty much everyone speaks Russian and Romanian - English is less widely spoken,
though you can get by in the centre of Chisinau, (with a bit of effort!).
The capital is a pleasant place, but lacks any major tourist attractions. However the
small Pushkin Museum is run by
enthusiastic (and English speaking) staff, and is well worth a visit. The great Russian
poet Pushkin spent several years living here, and they have a large collection of his
items.
The Pushkin Museum, Chisinau. |
There's not a lot of crime in Chisinau compared with many places, though as you will be
considerably more wealthy than almost all the locals, you need to be sensible. The taxi
drivers, like taxi drivers everywhere, will treat visitors as some sort of personal get
rich quick scheme.
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Tree lined avenue, central Chisinau. |
Orheil Vechi, Moldova |
The tourist highlight of the country is undoubtedly Orheil Vechi. It's difficult to get to
by public transport, but truly spectacular. It's set is a large S-shaped gorge, which has
produced sweeping views and spectacular cliffs. There are prehistoric caves visible in the
sides of the gorge, and a monastery built into the central cliff, whenre monks used to
sleep a few metres from a sheer drop.
Maybe they felt closer to God if they might meet him at any minute...
It's a great place for panoramic photography, and an essential visit for any photographer.
There are tours available of many of the wine centres in Moldova, such as Crikova with
huge tunnel systems where wine is stored underground. I have not tried these - they tend
to be tied to the wine companies, and are generally not considered good value. If you like
good wine though, your opinion may differ!
If you want an enjoyable introduction to Moldova, I strongly recommend 'Playing Tennis against the Moldovans', by Tony Hawks, and extremely funny book by Tony Hawkes, which describes his adventures trying to play the Moldovan national football team at tennis.
I would advise against visiting Transdniestria - the border guards are spectacularly corrupt, and there are various visa scams to separate the visitor from their cash. I did get some nice views over the river Dneistr though, from Tipova!
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