There is a person you cannot miss in Moldova. For starters, he is on every single bill you will use here. And he is still today an important part of the Moldovan identity as a whole. His name: Stefan cel Mare. Here is his story:
You might have noticed, I mention Stefan building monasteries, in the middle of the song. Well, it turns out (narrative alert!) some of those are the ones I visited in Bucovina (see Bucovina blog post Here). Their paint is fading but the symbol Stefan cel Mare's in today's Republic of Moldova is going strong. His extremely long reign and political flair gave stability to the Kingdom of Moldova for the centuries to come, and as a reward, Steeve gets his face on the Lei, the local currency. Or, in this picture, on my tenor ukulele.
Stefan on my tenor Uke
History, eh? Great stuff. But shouldn't I share a bit of every day Moldovan culture with you as well? Like, for example a TV show? That would be a great idea! The fact that a ukulele-playing backpacker traveling through Europe and writing songs was the guest, has here nothing to do with it. I just thought you might enjoy a fun Moldovan chat/cooking show.
Last musical moments in Chisinau. Before the road leads me further East still.