It is time to reevaluate a little bit the Moldovan capital. I managed to see much more after these last days. New general impressions: very green, leafy, some interesting communist architecture, but otherwise a very unspectacular city, with either communist neighborhoods, often crumbling, or old one-storey houses with no decorations or other interesting features. Garbage everywhere, often in a very dry, dusty place, different from the more "humid" garbage that appears everywhere in chaotic Bucharest. Comparisons with Bucharest are not very accurate: Bucharest is chaotic, loud, full of architectural contrasts, dogs, all the types of people, old and new, new constructions everywhere, brand new metro and buses, extremely crowded, traffic jams at every hour, always in redefinition, contemptful and balkanic, French-inspired and communist at the same time. Its people rather arrogant and proud, playful, sophisticated or extremely ignorant. Chisinau is green, empty, with grand avenues with no cars, some lost dogs, oriental markets, poverty an luxury, dry grass, architecturally dull and inspiring, monotonous but peaceful, abounding in nightlife and flashy youth.
At a museum, one nicely dressed old lady captured the attention of Marianna, a wonderful girl from Greece, intellectually curious and extremely funny, one of my favorite people in this group. She wanted to take pictures of the lady and thanked her in Russian and this is how we started speaking. Carlos from Spain approcahed as well and I started translating from Romanian. She was 76, but looked like 56... She retired from being a teacher and started working in several museums. At one point, she asked me if I speak Russian and I said that I am from Romania and I didn't study it. She leaned towards me and whispered "I have to know it. It's the enemy's tongue ( "limba dusmanului") ... She added that she was born in 1931 and remembers it all...
This left me speachless. Marianna thanked her again, said Spasiva, and I told her to say also Multumesc. Then I explained it to her...
DEZV: Dacia Romana- Tropaeum Traiani
....
Returning from the beer hunt, Marianna started taking pictures of a party near the lake. People were dancing in the hora. I asked M if she wants to go dance and we did. Soon, a man came with home-mae wine and all of our group joined the hora, were served with wine and food. It was a woman, Ana's birthday, and she was delighted to have all these foreigners around. She said " Wow! Tonight we're going to appear on Discovery channel!"
One man , probably her husband, said to us " We have nothing to lose, we are just gaining friends!". He waked where we were from. When i mentioned Poland, he said " Bravo! Bravo to them , bravo to Romania for making it to Europe! Here, we are just lagging behind". His daughter (?) added " For us, it's Transnistria that is holding us back ! Those Russians!!!"
....
The situation here is very complex. You cannot say anything about Moldovans, about their relationship to the past, to their neighbours, about the Russian- Romanian conflict. There are so many layers...
To be continued:
Sosirea lui Radu
Meeting the Chisinau elites
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