05 June 2023

Four Meetings and Two Travelers in Chișinău (3,070 km)

(2023-06-01/05) In Romania, International Children's Day is celebrated on June 1. This is followed by a bridge day to the weekend and this one is extended by Whit Monday. This is a XXXL weekend, too long for my taste, I’m going go to Chișinău, the capital of Moldova.


In the picturesque morbid old town I meet Gulliver, another traveler in Chișinău. Four other meetings characterize this tenth stage of the trip:

1. Farmers' Market in Șipote, just before the Moldovan border. I'd rather spare you the harsh pictures about the handling of the animals.


2. EU Summit in Chișinău, attended - in defiance of Putin - by the entire EU leadership, 45 European heads of state and government, and Volodymyr Selenskyj. Emmanuel Macron walks with his Moldovan colleague Maia Sandu through the completely cordoned off and ghostlike city center; supposedly they have more in common than a purely professional relationship...!?


3. After standing in line in front of the post office to collect their small pension, pensioners can then queue up to buy subsidized bread for the equivalent of 15 nickels. The official inflation rate in Moldova for 2022 was 28.7%, in my opinion, prices have doubled in one year.


4. Two markets in Chișinău, first the Central Market, then the Talcioc, i. e. the flea market. Here hang in peaceful coexistence Soviet medals and Iron Crosses with swastika side by side.


And where is Judaism? I was already in Chișinău last year. Check out my post:

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Enjoying the ride! Thx

Leah Snider said...

Fascinating as always, Edgar. This is a step back in time. The huge mural is rather creepy, but I love the stately look of some of these buildings. You are right again in asking, "Where is Judaism?" No signs here to my eye.

Where next?????????????? Safe ride as you continue onward.

Sincerely,
Leah