
Russian visa: to win the battle!!
Russia, here we come! After more than one month fight for our visas we almost lost our hope. But Russian embassy in Ukraine is much nicer than in Moldova and… we won our small battle.
Russia, here we come! After more than one month fight for our visas we almost lost our hope. But Russian embassy in Ukraine is much nicer than in Moldova and… we won our small battle.
After being cheated by “babushka” we decided to go through our list of hostels which we found online. For a while we thought none of them is existing!
While checking out the industrial neighborhood of Odessa we found this place. Shabby stones, old roasted stakes, dirty water and happy people having fun.
Just short visit to Odessa (to take care about some official papers) and lovely place just at the sea. The Alboth Family first time really swimming in the Black Sea!
Tiny border crossing between Moldova and Ukraine (this time not through Transnistria) and first stop at Dniester Liman. And then we met friendly party people with too good cognac. Was a hard morning with… cows.
At the beginning I couldn’t get used to funny Moldovan bank-notes which looks for me like Monopoly money. Now after almost a month, when I know them very well, we are leaving.
At the end of Moldovan world, after long long awful roads (“Drum in lucru” – means road during renovation but we didn’t see any renovation!) – in small Lalova village we found a lovely place: to stay for night or to eat.
In Saharna, less than 100 km north from Chisinau you can find something for your soul and something for your eyes.
Because all good tourists should check it out: Tipova Monastery – Easter Europe’s largest cave monastery.
That was a day when Hanna was repeating all the time: “GAGA GAGA”. So our destination was clear: Gagauzia, another autonomous region of Moldova, when Christian Turks are living.
Fairy place (like the picture photoshoped by Tom, heh – the original one you find inside the post): cave monastery Orheiul Vechi. The room was filled with the smell of garlic. And we met a real monk.
I feel so happy to be on the trip! And more and more often I’m wondering why not all the parents are packing baby to their car and leaving to discover the world together?
In old shabby Soviet block there is living a family. With no warm water except winter but with warmest hospitality we met until now. Welcome to Crasnoe, tiny town in Transnistria.
The town (like all Transnistria) is lead by Sheriff Smirnov, on the streets a lot of Renault Espace cars (so we felt very welcome) and… smiling faces: after 3 years I came back to Tiraspol.
The most what Hanna liked was jewelery and golden teeth. We liked the most smiling eyes and real family feelings. Warm soup, freshly baked cake and sweet cherries to take with us. Not much time is needed to get through social structures: from talking with kids to drinking with the “king”.
Today Hanna is 10 months old! Last weeks were a crazy fast change of life with her. And I’m not talking about different countries or climates – but discovering the world.
Neighborhood of Parcul Valea Morilor in Chisinau. Shopping bread in the morning, visiting hospital, having police meeting, fighting with embassies. We are living a Chisinau life.
And again we crossed UE-not UE border. Again without a problem, again a bit excited. Hello Moldova.