MOLDOVA

Location - Eastern Europe (former Soviet Republic); Capital - Chisinau; Population - 3.5 million; Currency - Moldovan Leu

Around Easter I flew to Romania and pressed on by train to Chisinau, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Moldova - April 2012.

20 Moldovan Lei (Lei being the plural of Leu)

An Easter egg adorns Cathedral Park in front of Chisinau's Orthodox Cathedral

More decorative eggs - and a human teddy bear - lead to the Arc de Triomphe. Behind the Arc is Government House - Chisinau

The Arc de Triomphe, also known as the Holy Gates, was built in 1841 - Chisinau

A flower market flanks the edge of Cathedral Park - Chisinau

On Easter Sunday market stalls were selling cakes, sweets, chocolate and clothes - Chisinau

The jars on the tables are filled with honey - Chisinau

A statue of Stefan cel Mare, Prince of Moldavia in the 15th century, welcomes people to Stefan cel Mare Park - Chisinau

Both Stefan cel Mare and Cathedral Park are popular with strollers and families. They even have free WiFi - Chisinau

The National Theatre is on the main shoopping street B-dul Stefan cel Mare - Chisinau

I'm not sure if this bar, also on B-dul Stefan cel Mare, is a permanent fixture - Chisinau

Outside the theatre is the nearest thing Moldova has to a tourist market - Chisinau

There's a few roadside bars and cafés on B-dul Stefan cel Mare, all good places to relax and people watch - Chisinau

This statue is on the corner of Tolstoi Street; I can't understand the Cyrillic sign so I'm not sure who it commemorates - Chisinau

Walking along Str Banulescu Bodoni - Chisinau

A Soviet memorial stands next to the Turist Hotel - Chisinau

Pushkin Museum is where Russian poet Alexander Pushkin lived for a few years - Chisinau

The Monastery of St Teodor Tiron - Chisinau

Malldova is a fancy shopping mall near Chisinau Hostel - Chisinau

A very drunken night gets under way in the kitchen of Chisinau Hostel - Chisinau

With Nataly and Brett in a Chisinau café down the road from the hostel

Valea Trandafirilor Park, south of the centre, has a couple of boating lakes hidden amongst the trees - Chisinau

Another park and another statue - Chisinau

The Beer House is a pub on B-dul Negruzzi that brews its own beer - Chisinau

The Victory Memorial Park is worth a visit - Chisinau

The Victory Memorial Park is dedicated to Soviet soldiers who fought in World War II - Chisinau

An eternal flame burns in the centre of the pyramid - Chisinau

A war cemetery (not visible) lies behind the Park - Chisinau

The memorial also commemorates soldiers who died in Moldova's fight for independence in 1991 - Chisinau

Victory Memorial Park - Chisinau

A Soviet monument in the Park - Chisinau

This statue is outside Chisinau Hotel - Chisinau

Valea Morilor Park is having a facelift. A more attractive choice are the lakes at Valea Trandafirilor Park in the south of the city (below) - Chisinau

Thetall building on the left is the Presidential Palace; the right building is Parliament House. Photos aren't invited and police kept watch nearby so these nondescript photos were taken quickly! Chisinau

The edge of Chisinau's central market features plenty of pavement hawkers - Chisinau

A distant view of the cave monastery at Orheiul Vechi

The monastery hangs on to a cliff-face overlooking the Raut River - Orheiul Vechi

It's possible to enter the cave complex which lies beneath the monastery. Unfortunately I went on a Monday when the monastery is closed - Orheiul Vechi

A cross commands a bird's-eye view from the cliffs at Orheiul Vechi

Plenty of horse and carts ply the towns and villages of Moldova - Orheiul Vechi

There's various museum pieces dotted around displaying village life.
I'm not sure if the well is a museum relic or still in use - Orheiul Vechi

Never mind the monastery, the whole village seemed to be closed, and a biting wind blew through its one and only road - Orheiul Vechi

Milestii Mici has the largest wine cellars in Europe and is also in the Guinness Book of Records for housing the largest collection in the world (around two million bottles)

A water fountain (or should that be wine fountain?) greets visitors to Milestii Mici

Looks good enough to drink - Milestii Mici

And of course there's a white wine fountain too - Milestii Mici

Buy your red and white wines at the Milestii Mici shop

Driving through the natural limestone cellars of Milestii Mici. The cellars stretch for 250km, with 120km currently in use

The limestone cellars are perfect for maintaining a humidity and temperature ideal for wine storage - Milestii Mici

The tour itself felt amateurish. I'm told that tours of Cricova, a winery also close to Chisinau, is more professional - Milestii Mici

These must have been bottled a while back: cobwebs grow on a wine collection - Milestii Mici

There's a very plush area for a spot of wine tasting and musical entertainment - Milestii Mici

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LINKS

www.autogara.md - Bus timetable information

www.moldova.org

www.romaniaandmoldova.com - Romania and Moldova travel guide

www.travel.md - Travel guide to Moldova

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