One day break out to Iași

8th of March, International Women's Day, but me instead of sitting at home and waiting for the wishes, decided to go visiting Iași, Romanian city very close to Moldovan's border. 

I start early, my goal is to catch the bus at 7 a.m. (from several buses that are supposed to go every day), but I quickly realize that it won't be possible, because I had underestimated the way to Gara de Sud (station) from my place. I'm getting there too late, but still enough to catch the bus at 7:45. I buy the ticket and get into the bus, but Moldovan reality decides to play with me and I soon get to know that the bus is not going to leave as I am the only passenger. The driver takes me to another bus with the promise that it will leave at 8:00. That's fine with me!
 
 

Unfortunately my former driver doesn't share this news with my new driver, that one is still convinced that we leave at 8:45! And of course that what happens. Very late and not in the best mood I get finally to leave Chisinau. In the bus only few passengers, one of them, an older man chooses me to share his opinions about some on-top topics, like what's going in Ucraine etc. So here I am, stucked in the conversation about Ukrainian fascists, that getting payed from the West to destroy this country, about evil European Union that wants to buy out the land of Ukraine and Moldova and turn them into slaves and about good-guy Putin who tries to stop them and rebuild the power of older times. I always don't know what to do in such conversations, that in this part of Europe can occur rather often. Usually I just sit and listen, don't try to argue, play just "a free-listener". And most important - I trully enjoy it. Sometimes some opinions sound just ridiculous, but the best thing is that a lot of what they say is true. Like here when this man mention "the Western help" to Romania, country that came out of communism without any international debt and after 25 years one reaches almost 40% of its economy. 

The journey takes about 4 hours, including the stop at the border. What's funny for me on the Moldovan side, a border guide seeing my Polish passport gets interested and refer to me in English! Big surprise :) He starts asking questions, he even ask me to show another document with the picture like my passport wouldn't convince him that me is me :D I think he just wanted to practise the language a bit, because of course he lets me go without any problems. 

We pass the Romanian border as well and just in this moment the sun comes out! Finally! These grey, foggy days in Chisinau started to depress me. Luckily this kind of weather will remain for the whole day and let me enjoy walking around the city.


Iași is a big city, capital of province Moldova, one of the most important student centers in Romania, mostly because of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University. The city had a really good impression on me, it was light, lively and had a nice atmosphere. 
What's best for the tourist that comes there for short time (like me, for 1 day) is that all the really important sightseeing places are literarlly in one place! It's Stefan Cel Mare boulevard and in reality it all seems even closer than on a map :) 

So that's how I got the chance to see the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Opera, the Church of Three Hierarchs with uniquely decorated facade and at the end of it the biggest attraction of the city - the Palace of Culture. I have to admit that it gives an amazing impression, because it's much bigger than you can imagine just looking at the pictures. It is really huge, several museums are located there. I didn't have time for museum at my short trip so I skipped it. The Palace is in renovation now, the walls are covered, so it's not going to look good on pictures, but still gives a great impression ;)

Next to the Palace you can find a little Saint Nicholas church, a building from the times of Stefan Cel Mare -the great ruler of Moldova, like caption on the wall says. The church is fully renovated and is really pretty, defenitely must see. For me it's special also because of a reason that I managed to attend there the first ortodox baptism in my life. I didn't mean it, but when I looked through the door and saw a naked boy laying on the table I couldn't resist to watch it. Then the pop - ortodox cleric just took the child and put it all to a bowl of holy water! Well, I shouldn't be surprised, I knew how the ortodox baptism should look like, but on live it appeared to be much more shocking than while reading about it ;) 
Especially that the water had to be really cold, the boy started screaming like crazy while all his relatives tried to catch him on a photo with their cameras, smartphones and tablets. 
First thing that came to my mind - my God, it's so barbaric, so cruel, I love it! So I have to become ortodox now :D


My walking around ended up with the wishes and a flower from Radio Iași that gave it to the women on the streets. Pretty good, probably better than if I stayed home and waited for something :)

Then, only the way back to Chisinau waited for me - the last bus leave at 17:30 - good to know, because it's pretty early. The way back last less, it took us only 3 hours, just because of coming to this side no one really cares on the border. 

I will remember Iași as pretty nice place and will try to go back there soon. I realize I've seen almost nothing, this city has a great potential, very interesting history and lots of places to discover. It's defenitely worth to know it better.