Moldavia
For travellers, Moldavia gets more interesting the further north you go,
and the difficulty of some journeys can, perversely, add to the attraction
of your final destination. This is particularly true of the jewels in the
Moldavian crown, the painted monasteries of southern Bucovina.
Secluded in valleys near the Ukrainian border, their medieval frescoes of
redemption and damnation blaze in polychromatic splendour – Voronet and
Sucevita boast peerless examples of the Last Judgement and the Ladder of
Virtue, while Moldovita is famous for its fresco of the Siege of Constantinople.
The unpainted Putna Monastery, final resting place of Stephen the Great,
draws visitors interested in Romanian history. Though all are more or less
accessible from Bucovina’s regional capital, Suceava, many visitors opt for
ONT tours from Bucharest, although it’s far less expensive to make your own
way to Suceava and book a tour there (see p.296).
As in Wallachia, most towns and cities in Moldavia have been marred by
hideous concrete apartment blocks and factories. Only Iasi holds any great
appeal – with numerous churches and monasteries retained from its heyday as
the Moldavian capital, it has a charm that puts Bucharest to shame. In contrast
to the new-town developments, the countryside looks fantastic, with picturesque
villages dwarfed by the flanks of the Carpathians. Just over halfway to
Suceava, Neamt county contains the eclectic Neculai Popa Museum, as well
as Moldavia’s largest convents – Agapia and Varatec – and the weirdly shaped
Ceahlau massif, a paradise for hikers and climbers. Backwaters such as
Ghimes in the Magyar-speaking Cs?ng? region are worth investigating if
you’re interested in rural life, and there are also numerous local festivals (see
box, p.301). The main festivals are at Ilisesti (July), Durau (August), Iasi
(October) and Odobesti (November).
Moldavia’s complex history is best understood in relation to the cities of
Iasi and Suceava, the former capitals of the region, and you’ll find more
details under the individual city accounts. Moldavia used to be twice its
present size, having at various times included Bessarabia (the land beyond
the River Prut) and Northern Bucovina (on the edge of the Carpathians).
Both territories were annexed by Stalin in 1940, severing cultural and
family ties; these have been revived since the fall of communism, especially
between Moldavia and the former Bessarabia (now the sovereign Republic
of Moldova).
Motorists heading along the DN2 into northern Moldavia should note
that although the road is designated on maps as Euro-route 85, it’s actually a
country road where horse-drawn wagons without lights are a major hazard
at night.

Galati
GALATI, 32km north of Braila by road and rail, grew up as a port at the
confluence of the River Danube with Moldavia’s inland waterways, the Siret
and the Prut. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Jonathan Harker and Godalming come
here to catch a steamer up the Siret and Bistrita rivers, heading for Dracula’s
castle at the B?rgau Pass. Galati swelled to its present size during the 1960s,
when Romania’s largest steelworks were constructed here. For Gheorghiu-
Dej and Ceausescu, this enterprise was the prerequisite for Romania’s
emergence as a fully industrialized nation, and a symbolic and concrete assertion
of independence from the Warsaw Pact, which preferred Romania to remain a
largely agricultural country. Although virtually bankrupt, the steelworks were
bought by Mittal Steel in 2001, a deal that is supposed to have secured British
backing for Romania’s accession to the EU.
Galati is a fair-sized city, with plenty of shops, hotels and restaurants, most
found along the main avenue, Str. Brailei, but you’ll probably pass through
only to make a bus or maxitaxi connection to Tulcea. The city was badly
bombed in 1944 and largely rebuilt as a series of numbingly identical
apartment buildings. Nevertheless, there’s an area of attractive nineteenthand
early twentieth-century buildings along Str. Domneasca, between the
centre and the train station. These include the Prefectura (a very grand
Mauresque pile), the theatre (a very grand Neoclassical pile across the road),
the neo-Br?ncovenesc university building, and, a block south at Str. A.I. Cuza
80, the Casa Cuza Voda, once home to independent Romania’s first ruler,
Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
Practicalities
Buses to or from Tulcea call not in Galati proper, but at the ferry slip in the village
of I.C. Bratianu across the Danube. Regular ferries shuttle both foot passengers
(?0.30) and cars (?3.50, including the driver) across to Galati, a fifteen-minute
ride. The final ferry sails around 10pm, well after the arrival of the last bus from
Tulcea. From the small terminal on the Galati side, 3km south of town, take a taxi
into the centre (going the other way, ask the driver to take you to the debarcader
or trecere bac). Alternatively, you can turn right for a very pleasant walk through a
riverside park, with a wide cycling/rollerblading track and modern sculptures.
Galati’s train station – adjacent to the bus station – lies 1km northeast of the
town centre on Str. Garii. Maxitaxis to Braila (much faster and more frequent
than trains) are to be found south of the centre; take local maxitaxi #19 to the
last stop. Buses to northern Moldavia also pick up at the Autogara Dunarea, by
the Dunarea Stadium (behind the McDonald’s), from where maxitaxis to Tecuci
leave every ten minutes. For car rental, contact Autonom at Str. Brailei 134
(T0236/477 377, 0788/903 359, Egalati@autonom.ro).