March 2025. Chisinau. Well, Mrs RM has finally published her first (excellent) blog post on the Moldovan trip (here), typically for a woman it’s all about trainspotting. She was still planning the night train to Bucharest when I left her for a third and last night of craft beer check-ins. It started disappointingly, Keller Holz… Continue reading CRAFT BAZA, CHISINAU
Tag: Moldova
“Can you eat the flower ?”. Wine tasting at Castel Mimi
March 2025. Castel Mimi. Moldova. One thing I should add about these Moldovan excursions; they weren’t cheap. Not surprising, as you’re basically hiring a private taxi for the day, and the vehicles weren’t shoddy Ladas. So it’s important you get your VFM from 50p pints and 10p donuts. Our fellow tourists (from Kazakhstan) had forgot… Continue reading “Can you eat the flower ?”. Wine tasting at Castel Mimi
BACK IN THE USSR – A TIRASPOL UNTAPPD CHECK-IN
March 2025. Tiraspol. Transnistria/Moldova. The highpoint of our tour to breakaway state Transinistria now, as we reach the “capital” Tiraspol, home to the team that won in Real Madrid and more flags than you can possibly imagine. And more Lenin. And more tanks. Our estimable guide Lily had a dilemma. The couple from Kazakhstan had… Continue reading BACK IN THE USSR – A TIRASPOL UNTAPPD CHECK-IN
I SHOPPED THE SHERIFF (TRANSNISTRIA)
March 2025. Bender. Transnistria/Moldova. Yes, dangerously close to the Ukrainian border. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised us not to travel to Transnistria, a breakaway Moldovan territory without consular assistance or valid insurance, but Mrs RM insisted. “It’ll be fine !” said our guide Lily, who then seemed to mislay her passport at the border,… Continue reading I SHOPPED THE SHERIFF (TRANSNISTRIA)
FRIDAY NIGHT IN CHISINAU
March 2025. Chisinau. Moldova. I was back at our Chisinau hotel from my Tomato Gose expedition by half five, by which time Mrs RM had decided that the plate of walnuts (a Moldovan speciality) and bread sticks that accompanied wine tasting wasn’t sufficient for tea. The Art-Rustique Boutique Hotel (name picked by random computer generation)… Continue reading FRIDAY NIGHT IN CHISINAU
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GAGARIN. WINE TASTING AT CRICOVA.
March 2025. Cricova, Moldova. I really didn’t want to do the wine tasting, but Mrs RM said she couldn’t really count Moldova as ticked without a winery; it would be like ticking a pub with a half rather than a pint. Cricova isn’t the biggest winery in Moldova, but we drove through a mile of… Continue reading IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GAGARIN. WINE TASTING AT CRICOVA.
OLD ORHEI
March 2025. Old Orhei. Moldova. It’s generally accepted that the main activities in Moldova are craft beer bars, wine tasting, and monasteries. Let’s get the 2nd and 3rd of those ticked. Our guide Vasili had a nice looking car to take us to Old Orhei’s little collection of museums and monasteries. Well, it was a… Continue reading OLD ORHEI
PINK BOOTS AND YELLOW SNOW. LITRA & FRIENDS, CHISINAU
March 2025. Chișinău. Moldova. Chisinau had looked quite promising based on Untappd check-ins; though once you leave the capital there’s very slim pickings. I left Mrs RM to talk to ChatGPT while I nipped out to, a) get some Moldovan lei. A machine gives me a single 1,000 lei note (£42.88) & when I b)… Continue reading PINK BOOTS AND YELLOW SNOW. LITRA & FRIENDS, CHISINAU
MOLDOVA HAS FALLEN
March 2025. Moldova. I’m not sure she’s actually found the little pin badge to stick in the wall chart yet, but Mrs RM has completed Europe. Well, all apart from Belarus, and she’s not going there; it’s more dangerous than Maidenhead. I guess it’s a bit like claiming to have finished the GBG without having… Continue reading MOLDOVA HAS FALLEN
retiredmartin 