I lived in Moldova for 18 years until I graduated from high-school and given that I had only seen Romania (our neighboring country) and hadn’t traveled due to lack of finances to other places, I had little idea of how life might be like elsewhere.

Moldova has excellent weather (all 4 seasons with hot summers and cold snowy winters), amazing local food & wine (biggest underground wine cellar in the world), doesn’t have mountains & beaches, but it has simple picturesque sights, a few small waterfalls, some lakes, etc. Roads are quite bad, many people put loads of emphasis on how they look, what they drive, owning an apart/house, but at the same time they value family and are also very welcoming and kind. The saddest part about Moldova is the massive emigration which lead to as much as half of the population leaving abroad, mainly due to the corrupt government (which means lack of good jobs, opportunities, etc). It is also the poorest country in Europe and 3rd fastest shrinking country in the world according to the UN so hurry up and meet a Moldovan 🙂

I would definitely recommend visiting Moldova (best would be between April and October); July and August are a big too hot for me (35-40 C), but there are also many events during that time. For wine lovers, a good time to visit are Wine days which take place during the first weekend of October each year. In the summer, you will enjoy great local fruits and veggies as well as lower prices than what you’re used to in other European countries as a tourist. Don’t miss out:

1. Taking a tour at Cricova & Milestii Mici underground wine cellars
2. Asconi winery for the great food, wine and humble attitude
3. The archeological and historical complex Old Orhei (stay overnight at an eco-resort in Butuceni to try local good: placinte, sarmale, mamaliga cu branza, etc.).
4. A walk in Chisinau central park (near Stefan cel Mare main st)

I won’t list advantages or disadvantages of living in Moldova as I suppose most folks are looking at Moldova as a place to visit, rather than to move by I will start doing that with all the other places I have lived in.