Moldova > Driving in the wine cellar

Everything in the Cosmos Hotel is large and dilapidated. The breakfast room on the first floor is also large and uninviting. The buffet itself is fine, but the presentation leaves something to be desired. Around nine o’clock, we drive out of the city. About fifty kilometers north of Chisinau lies the Curchi Monastery. As we arrive, we can already see the red-and-white church reflected in the water in front of it. What a beautiful sight. The monastery exudes calm. A serene silence reigns over the grounds. The cathedral is beautifully decorated inside. The paintings look so fresh that it seems as if they were just completed.

Moldova - The colorful Curchi Monastery just outside Chisinau

The adjacent second church is also lovely, though decorated much more simply. During the Russian period, the monastery served as a psychiatric hospital. Since 1999, it has been a functioning monastery again. From Curchi, we drive to nearby Old Orhei. Near the village of Butuceni lies the Orthodox Orhei Vechi Monastery. This cave monastery is one of the most beautiful in Moldova. As we enter Butuceni, it is not immediately clear where we should go. This is odd, as large signs announce the monastery from the highway. We drive into the village. Butuceni is located on a peninsula of the Raut River. The road through the village is unpaved. We can hardly believe we are on the right track. We decide to drive back to the beginning of the village. The Lonely Planet says we must cross a bridge and then walk uphill for about fifteen minutes. Could it be on the other side of the river, above the hills? When we ask for directions, everyone confirms our route with "da," even if it points in contradictory directions. "Da" seems simply the easiest answer. At an abandoned ticket office, we find a narrow bridge. Construction workers say "da" when asked if it leads to the monastery. We cross the bridge. Left, right, or steep uphill? What is the correct path? We walk along the river for a bit, passing a herd of goats and some wild horses, but it still seems wrong. Back to the workers. Using a translation app with the Russian word for "monastery" works better. We must go through the village we previously drove through. Eventually, we see a church of the monastery atop the hill. We walk toward it. The church is beautiful, but we are looking for the rock church. Several people are searching. Two Russian girls ask us if we have found anything on the other side of the monastery.

Moldova - The small monastery of Orhei Vechi is carved from the rocks

The monastery entrance turns out to be on the side of the hill. Through a dark niche, we enter the small cave. We can barely make out the steps. A monk reads a book in the dim light and greets us with a nod. The small space is beautifully decorated. "Would you like to see the other room?" the monk asks in good English. "Go ahead, open the door," he says, pointing into a dark opening. There are three steps, he warns. In the adjacent cave are small chambers carved from the chalk rock. Back in the small church, the door to the balcony is open. The balcony is a stone ledge on the rock, about two meters wide. Below lies the Raut River; above us is the monastery. What a beautiful setting. We thank the monk and leave a donation for the monastery. It is now around noon. We head toward the underground wine cellars of Milestii Mici. These wine cellars are located in a cave system and are among the largest in Europe. Because the cellars are so extensive, there is an entire road network underground. You can only visit them by car. The Milestii Mici cellars are just south of the capital. The road to them is partly unpaved. We drive carefully over the gravel and sand, yet are still faster than a regular car. On some stretches, the gravel has turned into washboard, requiring us to slow down; otherwise, the car would drift. Just before two o’clock, we arrive at the winery. The Lonely Planet advises booking in advance. From the Netherlands, we tried to reserve but received no response. At the reception, they say there is no space today, only tomorrow. When we explain that we tried to reserve by email, they ask for our name. To our surprise and great relief, we are on the list. The tour of the wine cellars starts at three o’clock. Our car must have space for a guide. Since we only have two seats, we add an extra seat on the center console. Shifting is a bit tricky, but it will suffice for the drive through the caves. While we wait, two Polish Land Rovers arrive; they are also taking the tour and face the same seating problem.

Moldova - A selfdrive tour through the Milestii Mici wine cellars

At exactly three o’clock, Dorina arrives. She gets into the lead car and tells the others to follow. She stops along the way to provide explanations. In total, six cars join the tour. The extra seat is ultimately unnecessary. We follow her and drive into the wine cellars. There is an extensive street system underground. The streets are named after well-known wines. Alongside the streets are large wooden and iron wine barrels. It is amusing to drive through the cellars like this. Along the way, Dorina stops to explain about the cellars. She tells us there are two million bottles of wine stored here, a Guinness World Record. She also mentions that the cave complex spans 200 kilometers, though only 50 kilometers are in use. At a second stop, Dorina shows the stored bottles. Thousands of bottles have been aging here for years; many are already covered in a thick layer of dust. Labels indicate some bottles have been here for over thirty years. The route ends with a tasting. We are the only ones who booked just the tour without tasting. We drive to the exit on our own. What a remarkable experience. At the end of the afternoon, we return to Chisinau. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the city park is a landmark. Since the church closes at six, we drive into the center. Though beautiful inside, it resembles many other Orthodox churches and monasteries we have visited in the past few days. We return the car to the hotel and walk into the city center. At a terrace, we order a beer and decide to have dinner there as well.