Do schedule a date during the Moldova wine festival
Chișinău is a great place to start a former Eastern Bloc tour.
It’s a charming city. But the first weekend in October, which coincides with the end of the grape harvest, is its annual wine festival. More than 100 wineries – of the estimated 200 in this small country – participate and offer tastings.
Turns out, Moldova has the highest vineyard area per capita in the world. It ranks in the top 20 wine producers globally and is the 14th largest exporter worldwide.
Who knew? We were given two free bottles at the airport and found another complimentary bottle in our hotel room.
I can’t say I’ve ever noticed Moldovan wine before this.
Chișinău’s huge central square is closed off for blocks with rows of white tents, a large music stage with traditional music, a big area of booths traditional foods, an adjacent crafts market in the park, and lots of very happy locals. Many carry and share recycled soda bottles full of yellow “new wine,” or recently produced wine.
We found the wine to be very good, the food to be even better. There was a wide variety of delicious grilled meats; plăcinte, or pastries with a variety of fillings like cheese, potatoes, cabbage, meat, cherries or pumpkin; Mămăligă, a corn-based polenta, usually served with fresh or salted cow’s or sheep’s cheese (brânză), sour cream, and pork roast; eamă, a traditional homemade chicken soup also popular in Romania and served with chilis and sour cream; and Sarmale, stuffed cabbage rolls of fresh or fermented (like sauerkraut) cabbage leaves or grape leaves filled with a mixture of rice, vegetables, and minced pork or beef.
Moldova also has the world’s largest wine cellar in the world, Cricova.
It has 120 miles of underground labyrinthine roadways of which 34 miles are currently in use. You’re whisked past storage caves in a tram train to the cold depths that keep wine in ideal conditions.
Entering the massive labyrinthine Cricova wine cellar.
It’s listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the biggest wine collection in the world and world luminaries and infamous leaders such as Vladimir Putin keep their collections there.
Do hit Romania’s Transylvania region
Is the region gorgeous? Beyond. Is the Dracula connection a bit corny? Absolutely.
But with a good guide, it’s a heck of a lot of fun.
Peles Castle, Bran Castle, and scenes around Brasov in Transylvania.
The entire region we traversed is packed with castles, medieval bastions, and old-world villages set amid forested mountains.
Clifftop Bran Castle, built in 1377, only bears a resemblance to the common depictions of Bram Stoker’s fictional home of Dracula. Stoker never actually saw it in person. But there is some evidence Vlad the Impaler, who many think Dracula was based on, may have visited the castle in the mid 1400s. Vlad, the son of Vlad Dracul and ruler of a nearby region, is known for monstrously killing tens of thousands by impaling them with long wooden poles from their derrieres through to their mouths. This didn’t immediately kill a lot of them.
He then lined them up for miles along roadways to show his strength. Myths include that he dipped his bread in their blood or otherwise drank it for strength.
An example of the horrid wooden stakes that Vlad the Impaler (Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, 15th century, who is often surmised to have been the inspiration for Dracula) used to impale thousands.
It’s easy to picture Vlad in this foreboding and imposing medieval castle. And as I said, a guide with a great sense of humor made it a lot of fun, especially when it came to a display of medieval torture devices.
Another beautiful castle with a magnificent mountain backdrop worth a visit is the Peles Castle, Romanian King Carol’s summer residence built in 1875 and completely furnished.
The region really does seem to live in another time and has an aura about it. Brasov’s old town fortifications, its Black Church, and the region’s fortified churches preserved since the Middle Ages are like time travel.
The fortified churches of Transylvania weren’t just places of worship — they were multi-purpose community strongholds. About half, 150, remain, including UNESCO World Heritage Site Prejmer Fortified Church (Tartlau), near Brașov. Hundreds lived, worked and worshipped within its walls starting in the early 13th Century, while also thwarting invaders. It was captured only once in 1611.
Though we also spent time in Bucharest and enjoyed its historic Old Town area, we’d recommend prioritizing Transylvania.
Do eat the Romanian lard
Our Romanian guide, when he realized how much we wanted to experience the real culture and food, brought to us a real regional delicacy one evening. It’s not typically found on menus, however, but at local farm markets and roadside stands.
He was so proud to present a large sample of pork lard, often referred to as “salo.”
Salo, or pork lard, is a proudly held delicacy. There are many regional jokes about being able to survive solely on lard. These are some varieties, as well as other delicacies and crafts available in Romania and Hungary.
Adam, being a bacon connoisseur, was immediately intrigued. I was already feeling the hearty food of the region in my waistband and was queasy about eating pure fat.
Commonly eaten across Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the lard is usually salt or brine cured. The East Slavic, Hungarian and Romanian varieties may be cured with paprika or other seasonings. In Ukraine, they’re absolutely crazy about salo, and even have a museum dedicated to it. There are many jokes about how lard crazy they are: How do you say “I love you” in Ukrainian? “Here, have some salo.”
Our new friend explained that his gift was a combination of several different varieties, some chewy, some greasy/fatty, some fried. Slabs of fat are cut into pieces and it can be consumed without any preparation. Because of this, it is used by shepherds, hunters, backpackers, and other travelers, and was issued as WWII rations to German and Hungarian soldiers.
Adam was delighted with it. I’ll leave it at that.
Do take a Soviet-era overnight train
Don’t feel skittish about a Sovie-era train
To get from Brasov in the Romanian area of Transylvania to Budapest, we decided to take an overnight train.
We’ve enjoyed many overnight train journeys in Europe and Africa so felt we knew what to expect.
But then our travel consultant for this trip, the amazing Sally Chambers of Baltic Holidays, gently warned us that a sleeper train between some of the cities on our itinerary could be “a fascinating experience.”
Wait … what?
We were not quite looking for a fascinating experience this far into a pretty tiring trip. Our goal was a safe and reasonably comfortable night as we traveled between cities.
But Sally was right … the experience was fascinating in the best way and we were glad we listened to her.
The train we boarded late in the evening in Brasov was old and worn and appeared to be an authentic relic from the Soviet era. It was clean but it appeared the train cabins had not been updated since before the Wall fell in Berlin.
Our private cabin was just large enough to stand up and turn around. Two bunk beds were bolted to one wall and we had a private bathroom that had a showerhead positioned over the toilet, making most of the space.
As we settled in, we wondered if this decision was a big mistake.
But instead we had a blast.
We had the foresight to bring some wine. Our data connections on our phones were strong, which meant streaming Netflix was not a problem.
A friendly conductor offered to make us coffee, which we think was not normally done, but he recognized us as fish out of water.
And the beds turned out to be surprisingly comfortable, the ride smooth and trouble-free.
We had a relaxing and pleasant night and after about 8 hours of travel arrived feeling reasonably refreshed in beautiful Budapest.
As we experienced many times in our travels, even if you are dog tired late in a trip, the “fascinating” route is usually the best.
Do hit Hungarian thermal springs, spas and unlimited beer
Hungary is renowned for its thermal springs, more than 1,300 overall and more than 100 in Budapest alone, causing it to be called “Spa City.”
The Romans are thought to have started the spa culture, and it’s still going strong.
Spas exist in absolutely gorgeous and immense facilities with football field-size pools and smaller areas. Széchenyi and St. Gellért are two of the most beautiful, but our favorite was the Thermal Beer Spa. There you pay $60-$100 U.S. for sessions in wooden tubs first filled with dry beer ingredients, which are said to moisturize your skin, and then thermal water.
In our private room, we each enjoyed a tub with a Hungarian beer tap between us. The unlimited icy beer combined with the hot spa was heaven.
Do do Slovakia
Lonely Planet recommends Slovakia as one of the best places to visit this year.
Scenes around Bratislava, including the old town fortifications, a whimsical statue of Hans Christian Andersen, and the Holocaust Memorial in Rybne Square, honoring the about 105,000 murdered Slovak Jews. It’s inscribed with “Zachor” (Hebrew for “Remember”) and “Pamätaj” (Slovak for “Remember”).
The Slivovitz plum brandy is a draw for sure. So are Bratislava’s original city gate dating to the Middle Ages, its churches, and castles.
We spent most of our time in the city’s Old Town pedestrian area, experiencing the city, and visiting with local friends. But Lonely Planet expounds on the day trips to mountainous areas known for adventurous hikers.
I don’t think you can go wrong.
Do go to the Polish salt mines
When someone suggested visiting a Polish salt mine, I was a hard no. I mean, does it sound interesting up front?
I was so entirely wrong.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine, about a half hour outside of Krakow, is astounding.
Excavated from the 13th century continuously until 1996 when the price of salt became too low to sustain it, it reaches a depth of 1,073 feet and extends via horizontal passages and chambers for more than 178 miles. Along its 2.2-mile visitors’ route, it has an underground lake, exhibits on salt mine history, and rock salt statues carved by miners over the centuries.
Scenes within the Wieliczka Salt Mine, including the stunning St. Kinga’s chapel.
The most awe-inspiring part for me was the enormous St. Kinga’s chapel. It must be seen because words just can’t do it justice.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the climb down, down, down, down its wooden stairs, is well worth it.
Its history includes that horses that were either lowered into the mines to work, or born inside, never saw the light of day again.
Also several thousand Jews from concentration camps were made to work there during Nazi occupation.
Sadly, concentration camps are a clearly important reason to visit Poland. We did so this trip at Auschwitz and Birkenau. It’s not fun; it’s somewhat traumatizing, not to ever diminish the occupants’ trauma. But they are places that must be learned about and never forgotten.
A few more Not to Miss
Do eat anything that ladies who look like these ones serve you, especially the ones in Orheiul Vechi, the archaeological and cultural complex about 50 km north of Chișinău. It’s one of the most famous destinations in Moldova.
Do stay in the Buda Castle District, an UNESCO World Heritage Site in Budapest. Be sure to make a reservation for the White Raven Sky Bar and Lounge atop the Hilton Budapest, an excellent location and facility for a home base, and an incredible view.
Do hit the Harry Houdini Museum. It’s not Houdini’s original family home, but it is chock full of super cool memorabilia, and you get a fun magic show at the end.
Do give Krakow its due. So often overshadowed by its sad past, the city is vibrant. Do like the characters in Netflix’s hit series “Emily in Paris” suggested and absorb the rich culture, architecture and food, especially the cabbage rolls in Trzy Rybki, located in the swanky Hotel Stary, both of which we can’t recommend enough. Krakow also abounds, of course, in pirogi, and in street carts filled with obwarzanek krakowski, a braided ring-shaped bread that is boiled and sprinkled with salt and sesame or poppy seedsbefore being baked. It is a popular snack in Krakow, and has a protected geographical indication.
Do admire the stunning stained glass in St. Mary’s Basilica in Krakow. The entire region is populated with spectacular cathedrals, but the windows created by artist Stanisław Wyspiański at the turn of the last century made in an expressive, modernist style, in bold colors, and symbolic composition, bridge Gothic tradition with Art Nouveau innovation. It’s not often I use the words “awe-inspiring” but it works here.
