A Trip to Moldova

I entered this country from the Romanian border at Albita. A friend had accompanied me from Iasi in his Oltcit. We crossed the bridge over the river Prut that separates the two states on a Moldovan bus packed with people and goods coming from Turkey. At the Moldovan customs the bus occupants were held for long checks while I, obviously by paying, was able to get the visa. From here there are no means of transport to reach the capital Chisinau so I hitchhiked. It was terribly cold so I warmed up in the little hut housing a young soldier on guard. After about an hour in which only a tractor had crossed the border, an old Dacia passed by whose driver agreed to take me to the city. In the car I discovered that my benefactor was the Secretary of the largest opposition party, Romania Mare, which claims the annexation of Moldova to Romania.

The road to Chisinau is wide because they explained to me that it was built by the Soviets for military vehicles in case of an attack from the West; all around it was snow. In Chisinau the political Secretary gave me a car and driver so I could comfortably see the city. In the evening he even provided me with a friend with whom I went to a restaurant where, however, there was almost nothing to eat. Overnight in a hostel for local students because the hotels were luxurious and cost an arm and a leg. The room where I slept was damp, the walls mouldy, the bathroom very spartan and it rained in from the roof; this was what Moldova offered at a rock-bottom price. The next morning, still wandering around this city that offers nothing special except those anonymous Stalinist-style blocks.

From the headquarters of the Romania Mare party, in another car, with a driver and a journalist, I returned to Romania. To reach the border we crossed bleak villages with roads of mud mixed with snow and people living in total misery. At the Ungheni border, which on entry is reserved only for national transit, I found an indescribable queue of dilapidated cars loaded with goods, but being with an important journalist from the country I managed to pass everyone, reaching Iasi in Romania in a short time. A few years later I re-entered Moldovan territory travelling through on a Ukrainian train that passes through the north of the country because, after the break-up of the Soviet Union, the railway lines don't respect the new borders. Returning a few years later to Moldova, crossing the usual Albita border, this time with my Fiat Punto.

Bypassing Chisinau I headed to Tighina, a city split in two by the border with the ghost state of Transnistria, a country recognised by no one which mints its own currency, has its own government and sealed borders. Between the Moldovan and Transnistrian borders, Russian interposition forces keep watch. After a brief visit (see the relevant tour) I hurriedly returned to Moldova since our entry permit was for a few hours. From the Tighina border I bypassed Chisinau and re-entered Romania at Albita. In 2017 I went by bus from Romania to Orhei and Chisinau to set up exhibitions. I should say that Moldova is not an interesting country but in reality seeing this world completely different from ours has a certain charm.