SOME COOL LINKS:  Mostly about Moldova

Moldova.org  good for news and events in and about Moldova.

Clipa.Siderala  works to provide better lives for orphans.

Peter Myers' Blog contains the adventures of a Peace Corps teacher in a nearby village.

Mary Magoulick's Blog a colleague of mine from GC&SU, who is on a Fulbright in Croatia this semester.

SPIA the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia--my graduate alma matter.

 

  

The Moldova "Quasi-Blog" V:

Flag of the Republic of Moldova

The Adventure Continues...and continues...and then continues some more...

 

Links to all of my on-line ramblings and other useful information.

Orhei Vechi

   4 May...Touring Moldova...over the Easter break, in-between wonderful visits in Moldovan homes, I did all the "touristy" things that there are to do in Moldova.  I actually took the plunge and rented a car and DROVE in Moldova (not as bad as I thought it would be).

The most famous historical site is Orheiul Vechi (Or-hay-ule Veck) a cave monastery which is located about an hour's drive north of Chisinau.  The monastery was carved into cliffs high in a bend of the Raut River by monks back in the 1200's and was operational until the 1700's.  During Soviet times, a great deal of archeological work was done in the area and evidence of 1,000 years of life were found.  Today, there is classic Moldovan village house set up for tourists to see and the monastery church is being restored.

Soroca (Sew-rr-o-ca) is a fortress that began construction in the 1300's and is located in the far northeast corner of Moldova overlooking the Nistru River and Ukraine.  The strategic location of the castle on the river made it the site of sieges and battles during the Ottoman conquests of the area.  The design of Soroca is similar to fortresses built in Italy and England at the same time.  The best part of the visit was Domnu Nicolae, the curator of the site.  Irina called him in advance and he made a special effort to be at the castle when we arrived and gave us the most enthusiastic tour I have ever had (in English, even)! 

Soroca is also the site of the largest concentration of Roma people (gypsies) in Moldova. Large and beautiful mansions line the hilltop where the community is centered.  There is a great deal of suspicion about the Roma because of their wealth and supposed magical dark powers--most fortune tellers are Roma.  The mansions of Soroca and the refusal of many Roma to allow their children to complete school fuels these suspicions.

Pretty cool Spring Break, eh?

  

Soroca
We met a bull walking up to the entrance to the monastery.

Church alter in the cave monastery.

Irina and Lee stand on the ledge outside the monks' quarters.

   The fortress at Soroca.

A view inside the fortress and way down at the bottom, you can see Domnu Nicolae giving a tour

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Adventures of Dr. Chris Grant of Mercer University/2006 Fulbright Scholar

 

Moldova Patria Mea means Moldova, my homeland...my guess but my Romanian to English translations are imaginative if not always accurate...

E-mail me: chris_grant1234@yahoo.com or grant_jc@mercer.edu

IM me on Yahoo: chris_grant1234... Yahoo! Avatars

This page was first created on 03/01/05 by Prof. Chris Grant of Mercer University.  Dr. Grant is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Mercer University and is the Assistant Director of Service-Learning at the Mercer Center for Community Engagement.  The site was last updated on 11/10/06.  You may e-mail Prof. Grant by clicking here or you may return to his homepage by clicking here.