Chisinau, Moldova

Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, a former Soviet republic in the southeastern corner of Europe. I was curious as to how life is in this lesser known part of Europe.

My first experience with Chisinau was similar to that in Bucharest--stray dogs. In fact, I almost did not enter CouchSurfer Serghei’s apartment due to several barking dogs in the driveway.

Chisinau contradicts the image of Moldova. Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe, but one would never guess so when strolling through the center of Chisinau. There, every street is lined with trees. The main strip, Blvd. Stefan de Mare, is lined with grand neoclassical and Soviet-style buildings, including Government House, Parliament House, Presidential Palace, Opera & Ballet Theatre and its Arc de Triomphe. Luxury cars, such as Mercedes and BMW, are all over the city.

I visited Chisinau on National Language Day, a public holiday to celebrate the Romanian language. A huge stage with performances was set up in front of Government House, across from the Arc de Triomphe and Cathedral Park. Vendors nearby were selling popcorn, crepes, doner kebab and pastries. There were so many people that I felt the entire country was there!

Bucharest, Romania

Bucharest, the capital of Romania, is famous for its Communist-era block buildings and stray dogs. I saw plenty of both, but was surprised at the diversity of the city’s architecture.

The most famous building is the Palace of Parliament, the world’s second largest building in surface area after the Pentagon. I joined a tour of the building, which only covered less than 3% of it! This gargantuan structure was built starting in the 1984 in a neo-classical style with Romanian features. Inside, gigantic halls with ornate chandeliers, colorful carpets and decorous curtains adorned the area. The palace also has a great view of Boulevard Unirii, Bucharest’s “Champs Elysees”, with small fountains lining the middle of the avenue.

Another highlight was my visit to the Village Museum, an open-air place with churches and homes from different areas of Romania. There were homes with straw roofs and those with wooden roofs. There were wooden churches and windmills. The complex also contained a good number of farm buildings: stables, mills, crushers.