Moldova

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History weighs heavy on the minds of most Moldovans. Tossed and torn between competing superpowers over the last century, they still have a great reverence for Stefan the Great – a fifteenth-century king who fought more than 36 battles in his reign against invading armies from Poland, Hungary and the Ottoman Empire (and is said to have only lost two). His face adorns all banknotes and his recently restored statue – which makes him look unnervingly like Jean Rothschild in Terry Gilliam’s aborted version of ‘Don Quixote’ – stands imposingly at the entrance to the central park named, like the main high street, in his honour.

If anything is likely to get Moldova noticed by the West, it will be its wine. The Cricova vineyard is the biggest of dozens of producers that are scattered throughout Moldova’s flat and demure countryside. The wine, while not spectacular, is quaffable, and the cellars, said to be the biggest in the world with over 120 kilometres of vaults, can easily be reached in a day trip from Chisinau. The current Communist government heavily promotes its yearly wine festival, for which all visa restrictions are lifted in order to attract the cream of Europe’s oenophiles.

Watching ancient trams hurtle down the main drag of the city passing exquisite baroque buildings that wouldn’t look out of place in Vienna or Prague, it’s hard to imagine Moldova falling victim to the hordes of budget airline weekenders that clog up Tallinn or Riga. For the foreseeable future you’ll find yourself as one of the very few to have sampled the eccentric delights of Russian speaking taxi drivers (officially the cheapest and most incompetent on earth), ‘Vitanta’ beer and locals who are as surprised as they are delighted to meet you and practise their English. It’s an infectiously fun mixture of Soviet hip and old-school European charm – and you can have it all to yourself.

Austrian Airlines flies daily from London to Chisinau, from £350 return if booked seven days in advance (www.aua.com). Flight transfers, hotels and tours can be arranged through Glemus (www.logisticsmoldova.com). All visitors need a visa which can be bought at Chisinau airport for US $60.

Rob Crossan
Time Out London Issue 1841: February 15-22 2006

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