Moldova is the perfect antidote to a world where tourists are increasingly shunned, taxed and pushed through sterile resorts.
Whenever I think of Moldova , I am reminded of a message sent by a photographer friend, when he came here a couple of years ago: “Less than a minute after crossing into Moldova I witnessed three horses-and-carts, and a goat on a string. My mobile informed me I was in a ‘Zone D’ worldwide destination, it felt like Zone Z.”
Well now I’m here, in Moldova’s quaint, crumbly, airy little capital of Chisinau, which is famous for… not much. Its main river, the Byk, is more of a rusty stream at the end of someone’s garden. Parts of it, even near the centre, feel like you could be in deep countryside: horses in yards, more goats on strings. Incredibly, 70 per cent of it was destroyed during 20th-century wars.
And the food is not “versions of lard”, it is a vivid and tasty collision between Balkan and Slavic, Russian and Turkish, plus a spicy genius all its own. The richly complex cuisine speaks of Moldova’s intricate history: swapped between empires, conquered by everyone – and they all brought their own recipes.
To be frank, it’s less dramatic than I’d hoped. The border guards yawn, the sunlit queue is three minutes long, and then we are in the time-warped Soviet Union, passing the mighty Bendery Fortress – once Ottoman, then Swedish, then Russian, a pivotal place of military history. It’s a good spot for spectacular views, outdoor movies, or a summer swim in a grand bend of the Dniester .
Last stop, best stop. It’s a humble homestead down by the banks of the Dniester owned by a notably amiable couple called Sergiu and Emilia – and their diverse progeny.
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