Chisinau

A busy place in central City Sunday, along with parks and grounds of the Opera House
Fountains in the city's park are busy--and littered -- and a venue for go-cart rides for kids
Advertising on central city buildings

The young woman sent to meet me is a native of Chisinau so should have been reliable to give a good account of her home town. "There are some nice places," she told me, "but there's nothing old or historical, nothing special." Hmmm.

Drew had warned me that I probably would not have to charge my camera battery and there had been some unkind joking about how the name (It's pronounced Quiche-in-now, like get me an egg and bacon dish right away!) sounded not unlike a German death camps.

It turns out to be a pleasant, leafy city full of young people in uncomfortably tight clothes; families with happy kids and fountains. A huge crowd was assembled in front of the Opera House dancing and singing along with a band set up on an outdoor stage. The poster advertised a "Lollipop concert."

Chisinau was wiped out in World War II as the Romanian and Russian armies had at each other. That's why there's nothing old and the "new" stuff put up is mostly that awful, huge Soviet style building, but capitalism has taken the edge off that. A McDonald's emporium, huge ads, a little train decorated with Disney signs offering tours.