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Moldova
Moldova was one of the states that emerged from the collapsed USSR and is located between Romania and Ukraine. Landlocked, it is however separated only by a narrow strip of the Ukraine from the Black Sea. The capital, Chisinau is a pleasant if unremarkable town on the River Bic (or Byk) a tributary of the country’s principal river the Dneister. Pushkin lived in the town while writing Eugene Onegin. There are some handsome medieval monasteries in Chisinau itself and in the countryside which boasts rolling hills and dense forests. One remarkable feature is the enormous Emil Racovita cave complex that stretches for vast distances and includes several underground lakes. For millennia, however, the regions main claim to fame has been its vineyards and wines. Highly valued by both Greeks and Romans, its wines are now, sadly for the West, primarily exported to Russia but should be enjoyed by any visitor. The Milestii Mici collection is the largest wine cellar in the world, containing at least 1.5 million bottles and there are innumerable tiny family holdings where grapes have been cultivated and wines made for centuries.
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