Chisinau Underground

Our hostel in Chisinau was awesome. It was behind a shopping centre called 'Mall Dova' for starters - that immediately established some element of coolness. It was really chilled out and had an eclectic mix of guests: the American snorer who didn't know why he was travelling, the round Italian guy who could cook up a mean pasta pesto whilst shouting down the phone to his friends, some snuff sniffing Swiss Germans who hailed from the yodeling areas of the Alps, a pair of Bulgarians on a two week dash through the area and a load of tall Dutch guys who, true to form, could speak near perfect English. Many more came and went, but these were the core people who stuck in my head.

Chisinau, to be honest doesn't have much to boast about. We went to the same flea markets everyday and fiddled with the same Soviet badges and memorabilia. Outside Chisinau, though, Moldova has claim to some of the largest wineries in Europe. True story. After booking a night train for the next evening we made plans to visit one of these vineyards the next day.