The Curchi Monastery is one of the most important monuments of Bessarabian architecture situated in the Vatici valley on a bank of the Vatic River between rich hills covered with forests. It is an architectural ensemble dating mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. It consists of five...
Monastery Capriana is one of the most picturesque and attended Moldavian monasteries. It is situated in a forest area, only 40km northwest of Chisinau. It was established in 1429 by great Moldovan Ruler Stefan the Great and for a long period of time it was the headquarters of Moldova’s...
The dusty road brought us to Codrii Reserve – the most popular and oldest reserve in the country. It was founded in 1971 and it consists out of three functional zones: strictly defended zone (area in 720 hectares), buffer zone (4357 hectares), and transitional zone (2 km around the buffer...
The Conacul Manuc Bey is located in the city of Hincești in the west-central part of the Republic of Moldova. The mansion (entrance 80 UAH), is a French chateau, with a winter garden, watchtowers, and a park. It also includes the house of the judicial officers, the house of the countess...
We crossed smoothly through the little deserted border crossing Vynohradivka (2 beers tip + 64 EUR highway fee valid for 30 days for cars over 3,5 t) into the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia – a stretch of land made up of three towns and 27 villages. Since we have arrived at...
Where the mighty Danube River meets the Black Sea, it has created a massive delta land, Europe’s largest wetland area. It is still surprisingly wild and relatively undestroyed. The 580 000 hectare delta is home to massive amounts of waterbirds of all kinds, most notably pelicans of two...
Akkerman (or Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi) Fortress is one of the largest medieval castles in Ukraine (entrance 80 UAH). It is located in the city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi on the Dniester estuary, 18 km from the Black Sea and 81 km from Odesa. The fortress was built on the remains of the Greek...
After busy Odessa, we went to Sanzhiika beach. It is sheltered near a small resort town of the same name, which is located around 40 km from Odessa. Sanzhiika enjoys the special attention of tourists who prefer serene rest at the most affordable prices (camp 40 UAH / person, truck 50 UAH...
Odesa, the Ukrainian port on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea, lives on its reputation as an infamous city. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, a den of iniquity attracted adventurers seeking wealth and pleasures. Much like storied Shanghai and New Orleans, it was a haven for...
We spent few hours on safari (250 UAH) in Askania-Nova. It is one of the oldest and largest biosphere reserves in Europe, located in a remote part of the Kherson steppe. Nowadays, this unique island of primordial nature, where live many rare animal species and exotic plants, is recognized...