Must See Moldova - Chisinau

Chisinau is a surprisingly green city on the banks of the Bac (Byk) River. It's the transport hub of the country, but its tree-lined streets resemble a provincial town in Romania rather than a capital city. Though severely damaged during WWII, a wealth of stately buildings and cathedrals survive.

Mixed in with these are the stark, grey boxy buildings from the Stalinist era, offset by a number of bars and cafes sprouting up around the city and trying hard to swim against the prevailing economic current. Once in the surrounding rural areas, however, the extent of the poverty becomes obvious.

With the exception of the statues of the famous writers Alexander Pushkin (who spent his exiled years in Chisinau) and Mihai Eminescu, nearly every other piece of upright masonry in the city is a war monument of some sort. Inside the Stefan cel Mare Park, which dominates the western flank of Blvd Stefan cel Mare, is the statue of Stefan cel Mare. Needless to say, the medieval warrior-prince is still something of a hero in Moldova.