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Feeling a bit adventerous, Margaret and I decided to spend a few days "off the beaten path" in Moldova, a tiny country to the Northeast of Romania. We'd heard that Moldova had great wine and some of the biggest vineyards in Europe, so we thought we might be able to organize a winery tour. We caught an overnight bus from Bucharest at 10 pm, and ended up in Chisinau (Moldova's capital) at about 6 am the next day. It was still dark outside and there were some sketchy characters hanging around the bus station. To make matters worse, we didnt have a great map of the city, we hadn't booked an accomodation, and we didn't know which bus station we were in (there are three in the city). We also had no Moldovan money. I looked around for a money exchanger, and saw one in the distance, near the opening of a market. I ascended the steps to the building, only to find out it was closed, and then something hit me in the back. Turning around, I saw that I'd been hit with a headless pig carcass slung over the shoulder of a crusty old man who must have worked at the market. There were dead pigs everywhere, and even a pile of heads in the corner for good measure. I decided this wasn't the place to change money over.
We walked through the city with our backpacks for an hour looking for a cafe so we could get a cup of coffee. We found a Mcdonald's (of course), and eventually Margaret used her excellent navigational skills to find our way to the only hostel in the city.
We spent the next few days exploring Chisinau by way of public transportation, which consists of an archaic collection of mini buses and cable-cars, one of which malfunctioned while we were riding it. It stopped for five minutes in the middle of a bridge and we watched sparks fly. At least it was only 20 cents a ride!
For a former Soviet satellite state that was completely destroyed during WWII, we found Chisinau to be quite a charming city. It has alot of green space, with pretty parks and tree-lined streets, as well as pleasant architecture (besides the occasional Soviet-era monolith). The wine is dangerously cheap, averaging around $3 a bottle, and the food was great! I sampled Borscht for the first time since I was a kid, and it tasted exactly like Suzanna (our family's Russian friend) used to make it. Though we never went on a winery tour (it was 40 euro for a 3 hour tour) Moldova was a really great time, and I recommend it for those who want to experience one of the last untouched parts of Europe.
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