European Union Forums

[Andrewz]

I live in the Republic of Moldova. This is a quite complex country from many point of views. Yes, it has solid problems in its economy development, but, this is exactly what an EU citizen needs to have an unforgettable and maybe surprising rest.

[M.Helen]

I didn't hear of such a country, where about is it anyway?

[clearman]

My dear I supposed you are American.
In Eastern part of Europe, Moldova was part of the Romanian kingdom. After WW2 Stalin took over and made it a Soviet Republic. Today Moldova is a sovereign state. The people are very warm and friendly, the girls are the most beautiful on Earth and the Moldavian’s wines are excellent. It is a very religious country (Orthodox Christianity) too… where the authorities didn’t approve the “gay festival”. Nice country! I love it!

[M.Helen]

Yeah, I found here some information in the internet. It's interesting, I see they have a lot of wine-producers, I like wine. Maybe should travel to Moldova... And you clearman how do you know all that, you live there or maybe in Romania or Ukraine?

[clearman]

I'm traveling in Balkans, Romania and Hungary every year and I saw these beauties. Believe me, Helen, there is Heaven! I’m proud with my Romanian origin. As Italian, I love beautiful women and good wines and Moldova is one of the best choice for me. Don't worry,... the Moldovans ( Romanian and Russian speakers) love Americans, but dislike their foreign policy.....because there Putin rules. Ciao!

[Steven]

If your budget is performing good, try exotic destinatons, everybody enjoys them

[Terry]

brother you said it, Moldova is an exotic place...

[Karl.in.eu]

Going to Moldova on your own, with no one to guide you is an extreme sport, or a test of your luck. It may turn good or not that ...

[Terry]

Do you consider Moldova so dangerous? I think having an amount of, let's say 1,000 euros, will be more than enough for you to live there for 2 months.

[Big_Becka]

I heard that travelling in Trans-Dneister is not recommended, but otherwise it seems OK. 'Lonely Planet' say that you must visit Moldova before it becomes 'Pepsi-fied,' like the rest of Eastern Europe

FCO have information on safety: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and ... 47.tomcat1

My cousin tells me they have real live wild bears too

[Andrewz]

No people! You are wrong. I live in Moldova. Our forests and nature is rich enough, but Becka, I have to inform you there is not even one bear in the entire country! Bears prefer a colder climate. I don't know exactly, maybe bears indeed had been living here in the past, but definitely not now!

[Big_Becka]

No Bears? And lots of beautiful women scratching my eyes out?! I am not so sure I want to visit now...

[Andrewz]

No bears, maybe only in zoos!
Becka, despite the fact Moldova is poor and all, it looks very modern, I should say. Many associate Moldova with India or Asian countries. Believe me, it's not even far from that. I recommend you to visit Chisinau (the capital), you're gonna like it. We can agree to meet when you come here. Really.
See some pictures of Chisinau

[Hakan G]

One guy from Moldova visited our hotel recently. It seems their economy is getting better. They had quite a spike in the conversion rates of their national currency versus major players as EUR, USD. This country has some potential you know..

[Andrewz]

you are right Hakan, we did have something unusual happening in our economy recent days, but it all seems to get back to what we had earlier.

[Big_Becka]

Andy, you are doing a very good job of selling Moldova - you should work for the Tourist Office Perhaps I will make a detour and visit

Mmmmm, that river looks good enough to jump in, when it's hot... British rivers always seem to have a shopping trolley in them what are these buildings?

You know, Moldova isn't in my guide book for Europe So you need to give everyone some more information (especially since not all of us are interested in the beautiful women ) Like: what fun things are there to do? Any festivals or popular sports? What do local people do in their spare time? Do you need to learn cyrillic alphabet? When is the best time of year to visit?

[Andrewz]

Hi Becka!
You can't even imagine how glad I am you got interested in Moldova. You see, our country is so small and unpopular that sometimes, when a Moldovan is abroad and asked where he is from, he doesn't know what to say, because not many people heard of such a country. Especially it refers to Americans. I've even found an American game, called "Where is Moldova?". It sounds very sad and offensive to know that you live "nowhere".
I believe our country is poorly promoted, and needs a little PR.

Now, in regards to your questions.
That's not a river, it's a lake. Yeah, it looks beautiful and all, but experts don't recommend to swim in it, it's not so clean as it appears. One of those buildings (where you see the sign "Jumbo") is one of the numerous malls we have. Other buildings on the picture are simply blocks of flats where people live.
Interesting things to do? There are plenty of them. Actually you can do whatever you want, I think our city is as modern as almost any European cities. Yes, we have a lot of festivals, different concerts (dedicate to many events) spent in the center of the city.
Sports? Well this chapter is less developed. Still, you can watch a football game on a nice stadium


...or play tennis, bowling etc.

You don't need to learn Cyrillic alphabet because our state language is Romanian. Many speak Russian here.
To me, our city, particularly, and country, generally, look beautiful during the summertime. You're gonna love our nature and people.
Still, wintertime is not an exceptions. A lot of concerts, festivals etc. are spent namely between 25 December and 15 January. A nice winter atmosphere you'll find here!

[Big_Becka]

I think the board game is terrible! Americans do seem to have particularly poor foreign geography, though - I get so tired of American colleagues asking me if Wales/Scotland are in London!!!

It is true that Moldova has a PR problem. Most people my age or older learned about the USSR in school, and still call it "Former Soviet Union." I didn't know the names of most of the member states until the last five years or so. Of course, once you mention 'Soviet' this brings back bad memories...

By the way, if Moldova is to be taken seriously, it doesn't help that there are google-ads on this forum advertising "100s of Russian Women!!!" and "Moldovan/Ukranian Brides want to meet YOU!!!"

Anyway, I think these misconceptions are changing: Prague, Tallinn and Croatia have all become very desirable destinations (though we've pretty much ruined Prague - let this be a lesson to you not to serve Brits cheap drink!) Moldova even got a mention in the last Michael Palin programme ;-P : http://palinstravels.co.uk/book-4254

So... I like the look of Chisinau. You are talking a lot about how the city is as modern as most western cities (though I hope not too much like other cities, or I might as well stay in London! ) I have heard there is a good night-life and that Chisinau has more parks than any other European city.

It would be nice to see some countryside too. I have seen photographs of little villages with white-washed cottages and hillside vineyards and roads with no cars on! (there were guys riding around on horses!) I have read that some of the coutryside is very much like Tuscany used to be. This would be an ideal location for an artists' or writers' retreat. Moldova could even reinvent itself as an eco-tourism destination.

Anyone got a few million euros to invest?

[Andrewz]

I think the board game is terrible! Americans do seem to have particularly poor foreign geography, though - I get so tired of American colleagues asking me if Wales/Scotland are in London!!!

Now that is funny indeed, Becka
I'm glad and even a bit surprised you found time for informing yourself by reading interesting information about Moldova. You must be a smart girl. I liked Michael Palin's article, but I think it's a little bit old. I didn't see the date it was writen at, but the author mentioned "when Romania joins EU...", which means it was not earlier than in 2006 (since Romania joined EU in 2007), and probably in September (because the author mentioned the National Language Day which is on August 31). For 2 years our capital has changed a lot. So many new buildings/entertainment centers/clubs/markets/institutions were opened that people got tired of hearing everyday of them.
The night life here is pretty good. I think there are about 60 night clubs, out of which 20-25 are much European like and the "People club", when it was opened, was considered to be the best in Europe. See some pictures:



But, I should tell you that prices in these clubs prices are not less than in EU. There is a place where 50 grams of vodka costs 100$. Nevertheless, the youth seems not to be worrying about that. Still, there are places where time-enjoying is pretty cheap. By the way, we have hundreds of restaurants/bars/cafes, all of them are nice and most restaurants are in national Moldovan style. Many foreigners take it as exotic, they like it. I once met a guy from Ireland, and he was surprised to meet our people. He said he expected to see a nation similar to Indians/Asians, but what he saw is normal European people.
Also, toursits like our countrysides. They look special in their way. See the picture