Moldova’s largest manmade green area is Taul Park, which sprawls over 49 hectares, or 120 acres. Russian financier Ivan Pommer hired famed Odessa landscape architect Hippolyte Vladislav–Padalko to create the park around Pommer’s mansion. Completed after three years of work in 1904, the park includes 150 species of trees, shrubs, vines and flowers, including more than 100 exotic varieties. The imports include Japanese cherry trees and Douglas firs from Canada. There is no entrance fee to the park. You can explore it to your heart’s content, walking along an astounding 12 ½ kilometers of trails. Many visitors say the park’s most enchanting feature is the lake in its center. Its grounds include a number of historic buildings.
Taul Park – Moldova’s largest
Duruitoarea Veche Stone Age Cave
Over the eons the Duruitoarea River in northern Moldova carved out a deep gorge in the underlying limestone. In places where limestone and water combine, there are often caves, and this area has a famous one. The Duruitoarea Veche Cave was a Stone Age people’s settlement, archaeologists say. Evidence of early human life was found in its three sections, whose total length is 49 meters, or about 150 feet. Excitement swept through the area when someone made an exciting discovery near the cave years ago. It was the partial skeleton of a female mammoth with tusks three meters – or nine feet – long.
Balti, the northern capital
With a population of 125,000, Balti is Moldova’s second-largest city. Its homes, public buildings, churches and schools are a mix of architectural styles, including early 19th Century Romanian, Soviet and neo-Romanian. Balti’s streets are quieter than Chisinau’s bustling thoroughfares.
But it isn’t boring, and it offers a few mysteries. For example, why is a tank sitting in the main square, and why does the city have two airports instead of one? To clear up those conundrums, you’ll have to come see the city yourself.
Suta de Movile (Valley of the Hundred Hills)
Although it is called the Valley of the Hundred Hills, the rolling landscape near Braniste actually contains more than 3,000 undulations. It is such an unusual formation that you are unlikely to see anything like it elsewhere.
Legend has it that the mounds are the graves of Getae, an ancient tribal people who lived along the lower Danube River and nearby plains. The story goes that the tribe posted sentinels on the hills to warn of enemies’ approach.
Those who say the legend is untrue contend that only God could have created such a stunning, geologically symmetric arrangement.
Mount Balanesti
If you like climbing, but don’t want a grueling or death-defying excursion, you will enjoy ascending Mount Balanesti, at 429 meters – or 1,400 feet – Moldova’s highest peak. The trek will start at the village that carries the mountain’s name and wind through a peaceful landscape of wheat and corn fields. When you reach the top, you will find a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside. Because the climb is only moderately taxing, when you return, you will feel energized, not exhausted.
Decanter Wineshop & Cafe
Decanter Wineshop & Café is a modern sanctuary of good wines, seductive gastronomic experiences, and warm and sincere discussions. The wine shop is located in a XIX century historic building, in proximity to “Muzeul Zemstvei,” which used to be an orphanage.
Giurgiulesti’s
Giurgiulesti is Moldova’s southernmost village, so it would make sense that its inhabitants have no use for the cold. Lending truth to that assumption are the village’s colorful traditions about chasing away winter and ushering in spring. The day before the Christmas fasting season starts, villagers gather at the community’s biggest intersection, light a bonfire and jump over it, shouting, “Uliliga!” — “Go away, winter!” Then they whistle to scare the cold into not returning again until next year. Another delightful Giurgiulesti ritual is Chase Aways the Fleas Day. On the first day of spring, women take the carpets in their homes outside, clean them, and yell, “Flea out, spring in.” Not only is this supposed to help chase the cold out of the house, but it’s also supposed to help farmers get ready for the growing season.
A good time to see a barrage of village traditions is during Mardi Gras, 41 days before the Orthodox Church celebrates Easter.
Bread Museum
Moldova’s traditional bread says a lot about our culinary habits and holiday rituals. A good place to learn the ins and outs of bread is Valeni village, home of the Bread Museum. Your schooling will include which types of festive breads are served on various holidays, and what rituals each type pertains to. Among the festive breads are bagels, hoopoe, pigeons, 12 types of braided wedding bread, and eight braided breads served at Christmas, Mardi Gras, Great Sunday and other holidays.
The celebratory-breads section is just a small part of the museum’s exhibits. A lot of braided breads have colorful names — plocon, bridal hoopoe, groom braided bread, father-in-law braided bread, mother-in-law hoopoe bread, and priest braided bread for the wedding.
Lake Beleu
Beleu, Moldova’s largest lake, is on UNESCO’s list of global habitats that should be preserved for their biodiversity. Part of the Prutul de Jos reserve in southern Moldova’s Cahul district, the lake is at its most captivating when its white and yellow water lilies are flourishing. You can see them up close on a boat ride, which you can line up at the Bread Museum in Valeni village.
Another attraction is pelicans, which flock in by the thousands looking for food. A tip for pelican watchers: Stay overnight in a tent on the lakeshore so you can get good views of the birds at sunrise. After they eat, many fly to the Danube for more feasting, returning late at night.