“You only get one chance to make a first impression”. I have no idea who said or wrote that, and I suppose it is a truism.
How has that worked for me on my first visit to Moldova, and to Chişinău? The answer is about as positive as it gets. It started with a good night’s sleep in my hotel – the TA Collection. Quiet, comfortable and good ventilation. That is all I ask!
Next came a lovely hotel breakfast – a buffet and nothing fancy, but a few things stand out. The coffee was excellent. So was the bread. The cucumber was as good as I have tasted anywhere.
Stage 3 was a wander around the city centre without any particular objective other than to orientate myself in a new place. It was wonderful. I was blessed with beautiful October weather and it showed off the city centre to the maximum.
It is an interesting mixture of Soviet, post Soviet and various other influences. People watching was fun, as was listening for which languages they were speaking. I heard more Russian than I expected, and almost no English or EU languages. I cannot tell Moldovan (which seems to have been abolished by the government anyway) from “pure” Romanian and I did see a handful of cars with Romanian plates.
The parks were beautiful in the autumn colours, sounds and smells. The coffee and croissants were great (vitally important wherever I am).
Stage 4 will be to taste some local wine.
©️ iain taylor, 2025
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