Well, I’m in the final stages of editing now. It’s been more of an emotional rollercoaster than I would have guessed, but that’s mostly my fault. I’ve been riding the highs and lows of the deadline boogie. My flagging organizational skills and my inability to see the big picture while…

The latest flip-flop in the Romanian bird flu issue says that there is indeed bird flu here!  They found it in a factory in Brasov!  Swear to god this time!!!  We are all being warned not to eat any chicken from this factory, but how are you supposed to know…

I happened on a reality TV show a while back that redefined the phrase ‘fresh out of ideas’. The show focused on the lives of a bunch of Americans teaching English in Taiwan. Sweet Jesus…  I don’t think a more tiresome and monotonous group of people exists in nature, yet…

Last fall I was a staunch supporter of Romania’s 2007 entry into the EU, mostly because they could clearly benefit from the resultant stability and I wanted my friends here who are sporting hard-won university degrees and toiling away at shit jobs for 170 euros a month to have the…

[NOTE: Though this post does not lack for entertainment value, for updated practical information on Moldova’s wine offerings, you’d be better served by reading my Moldovan Wine guide.] I know all you winos have been on the edge of your desk chairs waiting for this one, breathless with anticipation to…

Transdnistria (A.K.A. ‘Transdniestr’, A.K.A. TransD, A.K.A. ‘Cyrillicgobbltigook-cyrillicgobbltigook’) was a memorably surreal experience.  I’m not gonna lie to you, it was by far the dodgiest trip I have ever taken.  In forty countries I have never felt so watched and on the brink of being in irreparable trouble during every waking…

With the notable exception of Monaco, I have never seen a higher concentration of luxury cars than in Chisinau, Moldova.  BMWs reign supreme, followed closely by Mercedes with American SUVs making a strong showing.  The Russian Lada, formerly the unofficial national car of Moldova, is a distant fourth or fifth…

Chisinau (ki-shi-no), the capitol of Moldova, ascended to the top of my list of all time favourite cities within 24 hours of my arrival.  Strangely, there are very few items of tourist appeal to indulge in here (even less now as they have closed one museum and merged two others),…

Without the benefit of TV or radio, I nevertheless enjoyed the entire range of emotions from last night’s Eufa Cup semi-final game between Steaua Bucharest (Romania) and Boro Middlesbrough (England). That’s soccer for my fellow Americans.  I was sitting in my apartment quietly enjoying a dignified Kvint cognac from Transdnistria…

I am delighted to report that I have completed my road research!  Even though I’ve had the luxury of breaking the research up and retreating to my apartment between trips, my time on the road was nothing short of cruel.  The horrendous weather in February and March took all the…