When we reached the Romanian border, a Romanian Border Guard (that just autocorrected to Border Collie, but it was definitely a border guard), popped into the cabin and took our passports. Within a few minutes, he was back with our passports and all was well.
We crossed the border and I said farewell to the family I'd shared with as they were heading to their grandmother's house close to Ungheni.
A young, spritely Moldavian Border Guard appeared at the door, 'Passport?' she quipped.
Without a thought, I handed her my passport.
A few minutes later, the train started doing a dance - backwards, forwards, shimmy, crash, crunch, bleep, ding-a-ling. Various overall-clad men covered in dirt hurried in and out of the train, wielding bits of metal. I watched on agog, all whilst gently fretting that the spritely Moldavian Border Guard had disappeared with my precious passport.
The train did the Hokey Kokey for what felt like a couple of hours. It was a feat of engineering and a sight to behold. I like trains but I think this journey is an enthusiast's dream - you cross a border, the train does a dance, and there's a bar.
I booked myself into a long walking tour on arrival, to give a bit of context to the city which is always useful. The guide was very knowledgeable and proud of her city. She also had a very cute little dog who came on the tour and did many cute things, from posing for photos to chasing pine cones.
Moldova became independent in 1991, gaining independence from the Soviet Union, of which there are still signs, juxtaposed with modern buildings, a number of abandoned buildings. It's a fascinating mish-mash of styles. The city has also been helped by other governments at times, such as by the Turkish government after the 2009 Revolution which resulted in there being no President for two years. I confess I don't remember this - I think it's easy to get consumed with our own lives and not think about complex political situations in nearby places. I learnt a lot today.
I also decided that I could drive a trolley bus, as they have overhead cables, so it would be impossible for me to get lost. Although I haven't put this to the test, I'm sure I could find a way to get lost, but that would result in a terrible tangle of cables.
We visited two cathedrals on our tour - one the Orthodox cathedral where pilgrims hurriedly moved between icons, kissing them, then lighting candles.
We also visited the Roman Catholic cathedral where I was intrigued by a stained glass window dedicated to the four gospel writers - Matthew, Mark, Luke and - who knew - Joanne! Well that turns my recent in-depth study module of John's gospel on its head!
The Pope was sitting on bench outside and we had a short chat. I had Afternoon Tea with the Archbishop of Canterbury a couple of weeks ago, so I couldn't not have a quick catch-up with the Pope.
The walking tour also introduced us to to the delicious local speciality called Plăcinte - a rolled up pancake with lots of filling options. I chose potato & onion and it was yummy.
We ended the walking tour in the Coffee Museum where a coffee expert who allegedly had a TV show on the subject told us about the history of coffee in Moldova.
I had a little time, so took myself for a wander through some of the multitude of green parks. Chisinau is one of the greenest cities in the world, with many green havens dotted around including lakes and accompanying wildlife.
I popped into the souvenir shop next to the Tourist Information centre to purchase my mandatory souvenirs. I Google translated 'thimble' - the lady shook her head aggressively. She definitely didn't have any - then she beckoned that I should follow her over to a basket of thimbles.
There was a little cafe in the shop which looked very inviting for a cool Coca Cola and a spot of blogging in my final hours here. Plus I thought they'd have a nice toilet - the one at the station was devoid of a seat & most of a door.
'Could I sit up there for a while?' I gently questioned.
'No. Closed.'
This made me wonder what the other customers were doing there. I'm not sure what I'd done to upset her but there wasn't the opportunity to find out.
I carried on walking till I reached the station. I walked twelve kilometres today. Chisinau station is a complete place of mystery. There are almost no trains, which is bizarre as it is the capital city of the country. The building is a huge, gothic-style sprawl adorned with, oddly, fish tanks of aggressive looking fish, and musical instruments. Inside the lighting is dull, as though someone has forgotten to pay the electricity bill. I sat in the 'waiting area' literally alone, whilst various troubled cleaners hurried through every few minutes.
Soon I was back on the train, making up my little train bed for the night. The train is just finishing the mandatory dance, then hopefully my passport will come back to me & I can have a peaceful sleep.
Goodnight faithful readers.
No comments:
Post a Comment