In 2011 Chisinau International Airport carried 1.045.975 passengers, which is a record number in Airport’s history.

The retrospective analysis of Chisinau International Airport activity during 2011 year shows positive results and business performance.

• Chisinau Airport passenger traffic volumes totaled 1.045.975 based on results of year 2011, which is 11.6% more compared to the previous year.
• In the year 2011, total aircraft movements were 15022, an increase of 9.2% over the 2010 year.
• Cargo traffic at the end of 2011 amounted to 2068 tons, respectively 13.88% more than in 2010.
• Mail traffic in 2011 amounted to 597 tons, with 2.23% more than previous year.
• The maximum number of flights was operated on August 18 (60 flights).
• Peak passenger flow was also recorded on August 18 (4884 persons).
• Peak hours: 15:00 – 17:00 (760 passengers on departure / 527 passengers on arrival -18 August).
• The busiest days: Thursday/Friday.

The most popular destinations are:

1. Moscow – 25.3%
2. Istanbul – 12.2%
3. Antalya – 7.3%
4. Verona – 5.6%
5. Munich – 5.4%
6. Vienna – 4.9%

If we make an analysis of each airline, we notice that in 2011 Air Moldova carried (46.5%) of the passengers, S7 Airlines (10.4%), Turkish Airlines (9.8%), Meridiana (6.5%), Lufthansa (5.4%), Carpatair ( 4.4%) and Austrian Airlines (4%).

Chisinau International Airport is the main gateway of the Republic of Moldova. There 16 airlines that are offering 22 different destinations for the passengers all over the world. 4 national and 12 foreign airlines are operating in Chisinau Intl Airport.

Source: The Travel Guide to Moldova | Travel.md

Chisinau Intl Airport saw growth of physical indicators in September, 2011.

Chisinau Airport passenger traffic volumes totaled to 115344 based on the results of September 2011, which is 10,11% more compared to the same month of the previous year.

Following the results of the first nine months of 2011, total passenger traffic reached 815322, which is 12,78% more compared to the same period of the last year.

Based on September results, the highest growth rate of passenger traffic volumes was recorded on the following destinations: Surgut (+87%), Paris (+80%), London (+49,5%), Vena (+30,82%) and Kiev ( +30%).

The most popular destinations are Moscow (24,18%), Antalya (13,60%), Istanbul (10%), Verona (5,36%), Timisoara (5.1%), Vienna (4,53%) and Frankfurt (4,35%).

Chisinau Intl Airport is the main gateway of the Republic of Moldova. There 17 airlines that are offering 27 different destinations for the passengers all over the world. 4 national and 13 foreign
airlines are operating in Chisinau Intl Airport. In 2010 Chisinau International Airport carried 937030 passengers, which is a record number in Airport’s history.

Source: The Travel Guide to Moldova | Travel.md

On the occasion of 67th anniversary of the Establishment of Moldavian Aviation, the Administration of Chisinau International Airport would like to use this opportunity to extend their most cordial and heartiest congrulations, best wishes and endless happiness.

May success wait upon you and we can assure you that we will always support you while pinnacling to the heights.

By this message we express our appreciation for the noble and exemplary work and achievements of civil aviation staff.

We would like to thank you for being with us from day to day, contributing to the Civil Aviation prosperity.

September 18, 2011

During the event, the guests will have the opportunity to watch a spectacular air show, to attend the aeronautical equipment exhibition, as well as many other surprises.
Time: 08.00 a.m. – 14.00 p.m

Source: The Travel Guide to Moldova | Travel.md

Autumn is the busiest and the most beautiful season in Republic of Moldova, as it is the harvest season.
There are many events in the months of September-October-November, as well as many tourist attractions that look simply amazing during this season. So if you were wondering when to visit Moldova, now is the time, stop hesitating and give it a try!

Upcoming events in Moldova

Here is a list of the most popular upcoming events, but you can check the full calendar here: Upcoming Events in Moldova.

• 11 September 2011 – The Republican Pottery Fair „Iurceni-2011” – This is an annual fair that delights all visitors with amazing pottery and ceramic products, for the kitchen and for the garden back at home.
• 22-25 September 2011 – Ethno Jazz Festival 2011 – The 10-th edition of the popular Jazz music festival which takes place every year in Chisinau, many foreign artists come to Moldova each year.
• 7-9 October 2011 – Moldova National Wine Day 2011 – This is by far the most important travel event in Moldova, with thousands of tourists coming to Moldova in the month of October, around the days of the Wine Festival. Tourists will benefit from a FREE VISA during 1-14 of October.
• 14 October 2011 – Chisinau City Day 2011 – The next week after the festival of wine, the capital of Moldova celebrates its birthday. More celebrations, more wine, more everything!

Tourist attractions to check out

You can basically visit any of the many Moldova’s tourist attractions, but these are the ones that we recommend the most during the Fall season:

• Capriana Monastery and Hincu Monastery, you can visit both of them because they are very close to each other and are on the same road to Nisporeni.
• Chateau Vartely Winery and Old Orhei Historical and Archaeological Complex, both of which are in Orhei, so it is a good idea to visit both of them on the same day, totally worth it. We recommend going to Old Orhei Complex first, work out a good appetite, and then taste the excellent Moldavian food at the Chateau Vartely Restaurant. Grab a bottle (or two) of wine while you are there, you will not regret it for sure.

Where to stay in Moldova this autumn

Here are a couple of Chisinau hotels that we recommend this Autumn, though you can always check here the full list of Moldova hotels.

• For a tight budget: (from 40 EUR) and Art Rustic Hotel (from 55 EUR).
• More expensive hotels: Weekend Boutique Hotel (from 99 EUR) and Prezident Hotel (from 130 EUR).

Don’t forget to take plenty of photos here in Moldova, so that you can brag about them later to all of your friends and relatives :)

Source: The Travel Guide to Moldova | Travel.md

In order to better understand and explore your own country and attractions, it is always better to do this in the company of foreign travelers. You might see some things from a different perspective and notice things that would have went unnoticed.

This was the case of the past two days (21/22 Aug 2011) that we have spent on the road with Kevin Richberg, an american traveler on a quest. A quest to “see 30 places in the world suggested to him by a person who cared enough to pop a postcard in the mail”.

During the two days we have visited the following attractions in Moldova, which you will be able to see below:

• Day 1:
  • Mileştii Mici Winery
  • Old Orhei Archaeological Complex
  • Chateau Vartely Winery
• Day 2:
  • Ţipova Monastery
  • Saharna Monastery
  • Soroca Thanksgiving Candle
  • Soroca Fortress

Day 1

Mileştii Mici Winery

The day started with an excursion at the world-famous Mileştii Mici Wine Cellars.

In 2007 Mileştii Mici wine cellars were noted in Guinness World Records 2007 Yearbook, for having the largest (2 million) wine collections in the world.

The excursion is done in a car, with occasional stops, so you are driving underground through the wine cellars, which itself is an interesting experience.

Be ready to pay from 300 to 2.000 EUR for just one of the bottles in this photo. Yes, I know.

The Guinness World Records Certificate hangs quietly between the wine racks. Nothing to brag about.

Before entering the wine tasting hall, you see this on the wall. Pretty.

There are a few tasting halls for different group-sizes.

A guestbook lays on the table, as tourists take their time scribbling their names in it.

“To take wine into your mouth is to savor a droplet of the river of human history.”

The excursion and wine-tasting took us about 75 minutes in total, by 11:30 AM we were on our way to the next destination.

Old Orhei

This time we haven’t brought the camera with us, as we’ve covered this attraction in a photo report from last week, and you can find it here: Discovering the Old Orhei Historical and Archaeological Complex.

Kevin however was able to shoot a great deal of video footage here, in the rocky monastery and in the caves, so we will update this report after the videos will be processed and published.

Chateau Vartely

We have arrived at the Chateau Vartely Winery in Orhei at about 3:15 PM, so it was not possible to get a tour of the production facilities, so we took a few photos of the territory and went straight to their tasting wine cellar.

The people at Chateau Vartely are so confident in their wine that they even have a special room with great wine from all over the world, for comparison tasting. You don’t have to go to Argentina, Chile or South Africa in order to compare them with any wine produced by Chateau Vartely, which is an excellent idea.

After checking the tasting cellars, we went to their main restaurant and have ordered polenta with pork, goat cheese and sour cream, which is a national Moldavian dish (mămăligă cu tocăniţă din porc, brînză de oi şi smîntînă).

Day 2

We started our second day much earlier, as we had to cover over 400 km across Moldova, and we even ended up skipping Japca Monastery.

Ţipova Monastery

First destination of the day was Ţipova Monastery, which wasn’t very easy to reach. At the moment the road is heavily deteriorated and is expecting some repairs. It took us 25 minutes to drive the last 15 km, which you will have to drive again on the way back.

Ţipova monastery was built into these rocks, with a cross on top of the hill overseeing the Nistru (Dniester) river.

Unfortunately the local monks have decided to alter the natural aspect of the monastery and started patching it up with building blocks and installing windows, which greatly affects the overall feeling of the monastery.

Saharna Monastery

Saharna Monastery isn’t far from Ţipova, but there is no direct road connection between the two, so you have to take a big detour via Rezina town.
Quick advice: DO NOT go to Saharna Monastery via Saharna Noua village, just trust us on this one. Go on the detour via Rezina.

You would have to climb 250-350 steps in order to be able to enjoy this view. According to a legend, in the mini-temple built on this hill you can see the footprint of St. Maria. Some of the stairs are steep, so take some water with you.

Same mistake as in Ţipova Monastery: the monks are interfering with history that is over 500 years old by building around the rocks. The windows don’t have a place near ancient ruins.

Saharna left a much better overall impression than Ţipova did, but that is just me. You don’t have to listen to me.

The Thanksgiving Candle in Soroca

If you decide to go to Soroca Fortress, there is no reason not to visit the Thanksgiving Candle, which was built in 2004 based on the idea of the classical writer of Moldavian literature, Ion Druta.

It is 29.5 meters tall and you have to walk over 600 steps in order to reach it, as it is built on top of one of the many Soroca hills.

This is the view that you get to enjoy if you manage to climb all the stairs. Totally worth it.

Soroca Fortress

In another 4-5 km from the Thanksgiving Candle you will find the Soroca Fortress, which is right on the bank of Nistru (Dniester) river.

You can capture some beautiful shots from the top of the fortress, the small stone windows and holes can create very original frames around your photos.

Trip Conclusion

The exploration of Soroca Fortress was the end of our trip. We have managed to cover the 3 Moldova postcards that Kevin has received for the 30 Postcards Project, so we were happy with the results we got during these 2 days.

It was an interesting experience for all of us, it was important for us to communicate and understand Kevin’s opinions, what an american would find exciting or not.
We have also seen some of the difficulties that a tourist might face in certain locations, if it was easy to overcome the language barrier or not (it was).

Special Thanks

We would like to take this moment to give special thanks to the Prezident Hotel in Chisinau, who provided great deal of support for the 30 Postcards Project

Tell us what you think

And now it is very important for us to know what you think about this travel report. Do you think that we haven’t covered some aspects of these attractions? Do you think that we have missed something important, or that we were able to capture the beauty of all these destinations? Your comments are highly valued (please comment below).

Source: The Travel Guide to Moldova | Travel.md

Old Orhei Historical and Archaeological Complex is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Republic of Moldova. It is an unique natural mini-wonder located just ~60 kilometers from Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.

So on a hot and bright summer Sunday (14th of August 2011) I have decided to take a quick trip there, hoping to get at least a couple of good HDR photos of the complex and the surrounding areas.

The route was as follows: Chisinau > Stauceni > Pascani > Peresecina > Ivancea > Branesti > Trebujeni/Butuceni (final destination).
The road conditions are rather good and can be considered very good according to Moldavian road standards, so you can easily take your car there without being afraid of losing some tires along the way.

Passing some beautiful landscapes in Ivancea, we have arrived to our destination in about 30 minutes.

We are really close to our destination, you can see the Monastery high on the hills.

Quick tip: before going straight to the complex and the monastery, stop for a few moments to look at the Trebujeni village. The nature is magnificent.

We have arrived at a small parking area, there were more people than I expected for that time of the day. After leaving the car, now afoot, we braced ourselves for the journey ahead of us.

Tourists taking pictures at the famous cross on top of the hill.

Had to wait for a couple of minutes before the crowd dispersed. Totally worth it :)

Beautiful

Careful now, we don’t want to fall, do we?

The monastery sits quietly on top of the hill, surrounded by natural fortifications on both sides.

A little smaller than I was expecting, but the place is very clean and tidy.

Yes, I have resisted the temptation to ring the bell. Thank you for asking.

Quick tip #2: Remember the belfry (bell tower) a few photos back? Go around it and you will find a door that leads below, into the hill. A small church-shop is there: candles, icons, etc. You also get to go outside through the rocks and look down on the Raut river, the photo shows what you will see on the right, a few meters from the small exit.

After this we have returned to our car and took a quick drive to see the small hotels not far from there. There is a 4-room boarding house called La Popas (avg. $30/room bed & breakfast). Another 100 meters and you will stumble into the Butuceni Boarding House, 5 rooms with rates starting at 70EUR/room (they have a swimming pool outside).

On our way back home, our last stop for the day was the Trebujeni village, which is roughly 3 kilometers from Butuceni, basically on the opposite side from the Butuceni Monastery.

The landscape is the same, but also a little different. Here you can find large caves that go deep into the hills.

The view from inside a cave, a natural window if you like.

It took us about 3 hours to explore and take these photos. We probably could have spent more time, but the sun was much too hot (around 30 degrees Celsius).

Aside from the two tips given above, I shall add tip #3: take plenty of liquids with you, especially if you take this trip during a hot summer day.

So what do you think about Old Orhei, would YOU like to visit this magnificent mini-wonder of nature?

Source: The Travel Guide to Moldova | Travel.md

Petru Vutcărău, Mediator Between the EU and East Neighbouring Countries

“Who should be concerned with the Republic of Moldova?” A question frequently and openly asked in the West when one proposed reports on the small country between Romania and Ukraine, on other issues than politics or the conflict between East and West on one hand, or wine and brandy trade on the other. People and their concerns, their sensitivity to intellectual or entertainment issues and are too thin topics to be taken into consideration for daily coverage by the western EU media. Why wonder then when a foreigner in the Republic of Moldova is regarded somewhat suspiciously and is asked nearly straightforwardly which of the luggage he carries could be of financial advantage for the country and its people. For what else should you expect from the abroad, when in your country, every euro and every dollar is cause for grief? At a close look, however, other things come up. The surprise comes when you come across the sea of green in the capital city, Chisinau; when you realize that responsibility is reflected in the unexpected tidiness on the streets and even in the blocks of flats in the second row. Love for Moldova and its capital covers many other aspects and causes you brief moments of reverie before falling back into the depression of the shortcomings in everyday life.

“Who should be concerned with Moldova?” We come again to this subject, which must necessarily be addressed if you want to understand this country and its people at least to some extent. Without the regular grants coming from abroad, the survival in this small state would be even more difficult to take than it is already anyway. The writer Constantin Cheianu describes situations of immigration out of financial reasons. In the play “In Container”, he makes so that the destinies of such immigrants meet somewhere in Belgium, reflecting thus a Moldovan reality that almost every family is facing. It is good to finally know what is going on, and it’s good for those outside the country as well to understand, but in a theatre biennial in Chisinau, is this not like taking owls to Athens? You see the Moldovan audience in the Chekhov Theatre, looking at the drastic staging by Romanian director Cristian Ban, as a tragic comedy, between some urinals and the congestion in a shabby hotel. In the end, the audience applauded in deep understanding of their situation – a situation that came to be presented like that, and of the few foreign visitors – within a festival theatre! Almost every family placed the bitter experience of emigration on the hope for a better tomorrow: “Only together can we make the world a better place”, was the slogan of the Biennale Director, Petru Vutcărău.

But the situation in Romania is also presented to stage. “Romania. Kissing Me!” by Bogdan Georgescu, highlights, under the direction of David Schwartz, the situation in the neighbouring country. The audience receives, by means scenography and original music, olfactory interspersed with various flavours, local answers to the question “what do others really know about us?” (Germany and the New Plays from Europe Festival at least caught the bait. In the 2010 edition of the festival, this part of Romanian will be presented in Wiesbaden. Well done!)

The Romanian director (for the export) Radu Afrim, already confirmed in Europe, winner of the Culture Prize Europe 2009 awarded by KulturForum Europe, was preparing to present a production of theBraila Theatre, “A tricky Thing, the Soul” by Dimitre Dinev. “The tales of Austrian origin Bulgarian are by no means depressing social reports, but a furious blend of Slavic soul and German spirit”, Carsten Hueck enthusiastically describes it on the Deutschlandradio.

Probably for budget reasons, the festival had unfortunately little to offer from its own country. A must see, nevertheless is the version after Bertolt Brecht of the “The Good Person of Szechwan”, a powerful work of director Boris Focsa and theatre company in Chisinau. The premiere of the “Morning Star”, a Romanian poetry masterpiece by Mihai Eminescu, enchanted the visitors of the festival, this time on the stage of the Puppet Theatre. Tallinn company, and the Mytischi Puppet Theatre in Moscow, especially, which melted in a “Cherry Orchard”, exactly in a Chekhov year, realism and puppet theatre elements, showed that puppet theatre is not for children only.

The Biennale of the “Eugene Ionesco” Theatre touched in 2010 the “Gypsy issue” in a highly successful manner. A brass band, from the Zece Prăjini village, with muddy streets, proudly presented the talent it he can best make use of, namely voice. Just like “Dhoad”, a band from Radjastan, India, the home country of the Gypsies, for whom music is the export message of an ethnic minority in the entire world. Not eventually, I could watch a flamenco band from Malaga, on a more commercial tone. BITEI evolves as a festival with educational ambitions. This approach becomes even more obvious with the participation of the Roman Viktiuk Theatre from Moscow, for the first time present in this festival, in an artistic act mimed and supported by exceptional bodily expression and reformulated songs and ballads.

In Moldova, 40% of the population is of Russian origin. Therefore, the second language spoken is Russian, and the festival stressed out this aspect. In a monodrama, we finally get to see the director’s and of the Festival’s and “Eugene Ionesco” Theatre’s Artistic Director, Petru Vutcărău. An outstanding one-woman-show in which the director enables the dramatic skills of actress Antonina Dobroliubova, indicating to her wide gestures on a coloured stage light. (Olga Khokhlowa, from the Russian nobility, dancer with the famous company “Ballet Russes”, presents in a confession, retrospectively and full of pathos, her relationship with Picasso, whom she, his only legitimate wife, survives, in the view of the author Brian McAvera). It is a production from Sakhalin, the island Russian part of Japan on times of war. This leads to an invitation for participation to the MODE Theatre in Tokyo, whose director, Osama Matsumoto, created an internationally acclaimed Kafka.

In Russian context, Vutcărău marked with the presence of the Ukrainian director Romanian Viktyuk and two of his superproductions the culminating point in the BITEI festival: four young men are fighting over putting up the sails and sinking in mattresses, in the eternal Shakespearean love story “Romeo and Juliet”. With what ease and dedication manage the four young British cadets of the Naval Academy to translate this play into our own and their own reality, playing their luck like schoolboys – the heroes come close and fall in love with “an intensity that can be experienced only by very young people”, according to director Viktyuk, which pays a tribute to the love between the two people, staged with extraordinary sensitivity, and based on the immense power of the actors, especially that of Igor Nevedrov (Juliet). The actors are called on stage repeatedly. The masculine charisma and persuasive presentation of the lovers is pure poetry. Jean Cocteau, how you would have loved it!

However, this play is not the only gift offered by director Vutcarau to the audience and the celebrated director. The spectacular production of theatre in Moscow, staged by Viktyuk is awaited with excitement by the 1,200 spectators at the Chisinau Opera.

Jean Genet, the French poet who was imprisoned for his work, wrote on the “Maids” in 1947: “They are monsters, like ourselves, when they dreams of one or another”… How would have Moscow responded in the ‘80s to Viktzuk’s construction presenting on stage deletion and heteronomy, addiction, love, hatred and humiliation?

As for the parallelism between the actual and the apparent, between the imaginary and reality, the director went with Genet’s postulate according to which such roles should only be performed by men. “An actress can get into such a role, but unreality would not be quite as radical, as she has no reason to play or show that she is a woman.”

Who then should be surprised that the director put forward a personal and outstanding version of this text? The protagonists are male, perfect appearances, dressed in samurai skirts, with slippers and feathers over their underwear, in opulent furs and painted faces to replace unreal masks – everything to bring into light, most dramatically, the abysses of the feminine soul. Viktyuk turns the maids into male characters in motion. He assigned solos, grace and fake accent to each performer, which gives a much higher intensity to the scenes than id played by shrieked voiced ladies. The audience feels awkward at hearing the men-women singing some ‘80s popbeat, although the current version includes newer music. Viktyuk marked each line, each word of the songwriter in the androgynous song of Dalida “Je suis malade”, either by movement, gesture, word, dance, or with the perfect representation of the female body by a man. But hold on! This is not about cross-dressing, but about the love of the director for the outraging poet, expressed in the actors’ gestures, through every tone and light effect, making this performance into a timeless work of art.

I remember the old Jean Marais, who showed all his love for Jean Cocteau in a performance, when he jumped with his motorcycle on stage and said everything in one sentence: “I am Jean Cocteau!”

I feel the same closeness to the author and when I hear the legendary Genet saying the speakers: “I noticed that some roles should be played by women.” But this time it is Roman Viktyuk speaking. The applause and standing ovation lasted over 20 minutes. They are like a liberating cry over the curtain of the performance, over Chisinau and over what is left unsaid about the BITEI festival. We hugged, me, Roman, Peter and a lot of the visitors. “Only together can we make the world a better place”. At that time I strongly believed in the message the festival’s director, Petru Vutcărău, and in the role of the BITEI, “Eugene Ionesco” Biennial Theatre in Chisinau / Moldova.

If the new BITEI Festival – despite the low budget – presented itself to participants, guests and especially foreign visitors at a good level, the next edition will certainly be visited by better theatres and more art lovers outside Republic Moldova. The foreign cultural journalists would have many to report on what is happening in Chisinau, even outside the festival, so that, in its tenth edition, the festival is more popular, gather a wider audience and brings money into the country.

(Photo: Florin Tabirta)

Source: The Travel Guide to Moldova | Travel.md

Help us promote Moldova and all the beauty of it by sending us your photos taken in Moldova.

You can do so by sending them to our e-mail: info@travel.md.
Please include a title for the photo, the date when it was taken and of course the location. You can also provide a link to the author’s website, as credit will also be given to the photographer.

Photos will appear on the Moldova Photos page for all the world to see!

Source: The Travel Guide to Moldova | Travel.md

The best price for the weekends at the “Nobil Luxury Boutique Hotel” – starting from 250 Euro/per night a room for 2 persons.

The weekend program includes:

*Breakfast for 2 persons in the «View Café & Restaurant»
*Compliment from the hotel
*Fitness center services with ultramodern equipment
*Visit to “Nobil SPA” wet zone
*Late check out

The price is valid on weekends: Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Source: The Travel Guide to Moldova | Travel.md