Moldova - Transnistria

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The country that does not exist was another of our planned trip highlights. This is my first time to go to an area of dispute, but I was not at all nervous. I honestly had no idea what to expect! We had a great guide and driver, and our group was pretty cool.

We had to make sure to bring our passports, but were quickly through the border control point where Russian soldiers man the offices. The ride was about an hour from Chisinau to the east near the Ukrainian border (yeah, I did not tell my dad until I was back in Dubai). The official name is the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic and is called Transnistria mainly because it straddles or is along the Dniester River. Transnistria maintains more of a Soviet allegiance and has good ties with Russia. While they are only recognized by a few other breakaway states, they have their own president, currency, economy, army, etc - but they do not have a representative in the Moldovan government.

Our first stop was the second city of Bender, with about 100,000 people. We visited a little mausoleum / cemetery near the entrance to the city where we explored a bit as it was still early morning. Then we went across the street to change money and use the bathrooms. I just changed about $20 USD, which suited me just fine. We got back on our little bus and drove about around Bender, noting the interesting Soviet architecture, a couple of the tanks snarkily pointed toward Moldova, and lots of green space.

Tighina Fortress

Our first real tourist visit today was the very impressive Tighina Fortress, located on the west bank of the Dneister River. Originally a customs location to cross the river, the fortress was built in the 15th century by Stephen the Great (he pops up a lot in the history of this area!). Originally built of wood, it was taken over in 1538 by Turkish sultan Suleman the Magnificent and reconstructed using stone. What I found interesting was that the walkup to the fortress had 'scrolls' on either side with the history of the fortress - the strategic location, building and enhancement of, sieges, etc.

I got some nice photo shoots with Perry and Bernardo, including at a reconstructed well. We entered the fortress, being almost entirely alone. The walkway within the courtyard had really cool benches that look like the base of cannonballs with large wheels on either side. We then went inside the small one room museum exhibit, which had displays of how they cooked or examples of the battles, including one with the Swedes. It was small, but well shown. Then we went back outside and up the stairs to walk along the wall around the main courtyard. We even got to climb one of the towers to overlook the surrounding area. It was such an interesting place, and weird to see it so empty when it looked like it was ready to be full of people.

Tiraspol

After this, we continued on to the capital of Tiraspol. Here we started out our walking tour at the memorial park, which had graves and memorial plaques of those who had died in various wars or small skirmishes. There was a tank in the middle and a chapel off to the side. A couple joined us briefly to hear the discussion of the park in English. After this we walked past one of the many green spaces (park) where there was a statue of Catherine the Great and then across the street to the park to celebrate their independence. These were nice, but I loved the small carriage shaped coffee kiosks and bus stops. There was a surprising amount of green space here too - many parks along the main street and people were actively utilizing them. Natalia says she usually brings a group each year on their memorial day as there are many parades and things to do along this thorofare.

We then went to our lunch spot for the day - a Soviet themed restaurant. The owner came as we arrived and was very friendly! The interior and exterior had nostalgic examples of items from the times of the Soviets, such as cars, refrigerators, typewriting machines, old TV's, etc. It was quite interesting and we had the whole back room to ourselves. I got a chicken Kiev and a beer, which were both delicious, though my food came so so so much later than everyone else (family curse). Otherwise, it was a great experience and I highly recommend to eat here if in the area.

Then it was time to leave, crossing back through the border control, dropping off the only guy in our group at the airport, and continuing on to our hotel. The next day was a free day. Natalia and Igor would pick us up from the hotel for our afternoon train ride back to Romania. I did nothing all morning - it was amazing. I went with one girl to a local Georgian restaurant - we were the only ones there, but it was delicious food! Then it was time to head to the train - the guys on the train were nice, but a bit strange and we were all a bit more exhausted this time and went to bed earlier than on the way up. All in all - a great trip to a unique destination!

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Moldova
Now is the time to go as things could change and we may not get there. In and out is a good idea.