Page 65 - Eastern Europe

Downtown
Providing Fascinating Travel Experiences
If you are absolutely looking for a cheap destination, as exotic as possi- ble, totally untouched by the invasion of tourists, unusual landscapes, and which arouses curiosity, Moldova, a small country located between Romania and Ukraine, is made for you.
Few tourists
Everyone has their definition of what tourism is. For our part, we believe that Moldova is a hidden treasure. Chisinau is "the place to be" for those who want a change of scenery and discover something new without being taken for a pigeon. There is no tourism... There is therefore no tourist trap... The country is not known, it is unfairly forgotten... With good restaurants, nice bars and electric nightclubs.
Great prices
Some examples: a pint is worth 20 lei (or $1.20), a meal 70 lei ($4.00), admission to a museum 15 lei (90 cents) and a taxi into town 30 lei ($1.55). An American tourist can't complain about it. Anyone who has already paid $9.00 for a coke in Stockholm will understand!
An exotic heritage
A careful and open look will find futuristic and unusual architecture in these dilapidated buildings. The Soviets were crazy about grandeur. Imagine it was all brand new at one time ... every wall, every window, every ornament with a "red star" ... Realize this and it will all make sense. For example, in the capital there is a monumental circus built in 1982 under the Brezhnev era. You have to see it to believe it. Even the bus stops in the countryside bear traces of the "socialist man". Some, made entirely of mosaics representing working scenes, are not found any- where else. Everything is contrast. A magnificent century-old Orthodox church wedged between a former collective farm and an ultra-modern shopping center. The whole of the 20th century can be summed up in one photo in Moldova.
A diverse landscape & culture
Its dense and rich forests, its vines, its lakes, its fields, its wine cellars among the largest in the world (that of Milesti Micii is more than 155 miles long, a record)... Villages full of colors and surprises, such as ornate wells or wrought iron gates ... And monasteries, many Orthodox mon- asteries across the country ... Believers will find inner peace by going to commune with the old monks of the cave monastery of Orheiul Vechi and disbelievers will gorge themselves on wine as they watch the sun setting over the Dniester River.
A Rich History
A small pilgrimage is required. Moldova is the heir to old civilizations, such as the Scythians from the steppes of Central Asia, the Thracians, the Geto-Dacians, the Magyars, the Romans, the Daco-Romans, the Saxons, the Russian Empire and more recently f rom the Soviet Union. Regardless, with a Romanian culture and a strong Russian influence, the country has had an unusual trajectory that makes it deeply endear- ing and exciting.
Why Moldova?
For prices and other details visit www.holidayswithdowntown.com 65