OT

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

Hope you don't mind my off-topic post. I'm leaving for Moldova on Tuesday. Any of you have any advice, suggestions about things to see, or funny stories? I'll be there for nine days, mostly working, with some travel time here and there.

Thanks!

Comments

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Local red semi-dry vines Rosu de Purkari and especially Purpuriu de Purkari are strongly recommended.

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

Perfect, that's exactly the kind of information I was looking for!

[welgar.livejournal.com]

I have the same question as I'll go there on Tuesday as well (from Moscow). Maybe, we'll even be doing same things.

AFAIK, Moldova is not all Russian-speaking: some people will prefer to speak Romanian (which is really different from Slavonic languages) instead. Hopefully, they will also speak English.

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

Perhaps so! I'll be going as part of the OSCE- will you? I arrive on Wednesday.

Moldova was my first introduction, really, to my long-time love affair with the various, wonderful places of the former Soviet Union. I've been following events there since 1999 (after doing some research for a course), so I'm aware of a lot of the ongoing problems, including even the use of the word "Transdniestria" (which really upset my Russian prof the other day ;) ).

[welgar.livejournal.com]

I see. I'll go there to help CDPP and will probably be an observer as well.

[silentreverie.livejournal.com]

Schedule in a lot of time to go through customs. They don't see tourists often and when my dad and I went [3 years ago] it took us four hours to get across the border. :)

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Ive been there two years ago. Wasn't bad. Not many people younger than 30 speak any Russian there, though. In Chisinau there's more Russian-speakers than in smaller towns, but still Romanian is the language there. It's easy, though - sounds like a mixture of Italian and Russian :)

Drum bun! (have a good trip, in Romanian)

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

Oh boy, just what I need :) I had it bad enough trying to get all the Spanish out of my head when I studied Italian in college. Now I get to combine Italian and Russian? ;)

I've actually heard it spoken. Pretty neat language.

Will post a detailed summary when I return!