321–330 of 427 posts
Central Asia still remains largely untouristed. I loved this article from the New York Times concerning a boy who taught himself Russian and then went to Kazakhstan with his father to immerse himself. The Foreign Language That Changed My Teenage Son’s Life https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/17/magazine/russian-language...
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These are often described as vodkas in practice, even if they technically aren't. Applies to other eastern Europe products too. For example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C3%B3dka_%C5%BBo%C5%82%C4%85... is fruit/herb based, but is commonly known as vodka and even was labelled as such.
This is only true in those parts of Eastern Europe were "vodka" retained its (old) colloquial use from Polish. So... Poland and maybe some parts of Ukraine, Slovakia etc.. If there are parts of Moldova where these drinks would be called "vodka", I haven't been to them yet :-). The local generic term for an alcoholic drink is different, but "vodka" is specifically used only for things that say "vodka" on the label pre…
Neither has the taste nor smell any resemblance with vodka, usually much higher quality drink compared to standard vodka (ie from plums you smell and taste plums very intensively, and its 100% from just the fruit, no marketing tricks). Also usually around 50-57% alcohol content compared to 38-40% of usual vodka. Each drink has their own name based on fruit its distilled from, plums are easiest and most common to make due to generous fermenting window and high sugar content of the fruit.
The tradition to make it at home is pretty strong for those who have gardens/houses with such trees, and those home products are of much higher taste quality than anything you can buy in any shop (once western world discover this I expect prices will skyrocket and move it into 'artisanal' category, how can anybody be satisfied with just good quality bland vodka is beyond me). It means given person collected fruits, let them ferment for very precise time for given fruit in vats, and then took it to local certified distillery, no blinding self-made moonshine which is a tool of desperate and very poor.
People go to Chisinău, and that’s kinda it, and it’s really not representative of Moldova as a whole. You cross the border from Romania, and you’re immediately struck by the road turning to cobbles, and the modern street lamps turning into gas lamps. Ox carts bearing peasants in home-sewn clothes trundle by under their burden of hay. A rusted old lada serves as a roadside goose coop. Wattle and daub houses stoop by t…
I'm not sure what year you visited, but none of these are common. At least that's my experience of living there for 25 years and having been in most parts of Moldova.
I've been to Moldova this year during my 15-countries 2-week solo road trip. To be honest it was hard to find interesting (for me) places to visit there. I found Old Orhei, which they try to make a big tourist attraction, to be kinda boring, same for Stephen the Great Central Park, but really liked brutal building of Chișinău State Circus and Romanița Collective Housing. I've skipped Mileștii Mici Winery, as it didn'…
Since Moldova is in balkans, the food is something unique: there is "zeama", there is "soleanca" and the list can continue. These are foods that you don't find anywhere so quickly.
Also: Moldova has one of the biggest wine cellars from Europe(Milestii Mici). And also: the wine is something you MUST try.
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I have a Russian friend who is adamant that I would really enjoy and have a great time in Russia. IIRC he tells me to go to St Pete more than Moscow. But I cannot imagine doing that as an American. It kind of makes me wonder if he's messing with me but he hates Russia and Putin and I don't know why he would. I feel like I would be so unsafe. I'm a very "American" looking person and I only know a handful of Russian wo…
It's a shame. I'd love to visit St. Petersburg, but the window of history where I could do that in relative ease and safety is closed. Many years ago a friend went to Syria in its brief window of peace, and visited some of the incredibly well preserved Roman sites. I hope they're still OK.
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Using two passports is not always the solution. As a dual citizen of two countries, I also have two passports. A couple of years ago I travelled to Malta with the passport from the country I currently live in. One week later I flew over to Israel, where I used the passport of my birth country. I was extensively interrogated at the border, because apparently the system flagged me to the border officer as there was no…
Were you using the second passport to leave Malta , or to enter Israel ?
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> If someone in the security apparatus decides that you should be taken hostage, tortured and beaten to death to show off to your government, they will do it and there will be no way for your consulate to help you. Nah, just don't break their laws, it's pretty simple. European friends of mine visited Iran a few years ago, they even had some hookups with Tinder. I was very surprised at the time, their description felt…
> Nah, just don't break their laws, it's pretty simple. Merely opening this link [1] would send you into trouble irrespective of whether you are local or a tourist. This is the chatbot of an opposition media in exile, FYI. There is for sure a law under which you will be prosecuted. [1] https://t.me/nextamail_bot
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Old Soviet style communities get hot water from central plants, mainly used for heating but also for showers, so when winter is over, they shutdown the heating plants for the season and no hot water at all. Some places in Northern China hook into muni hot water for showers in the winter but use solar hot water in the summer, when hot showers can be a bit less satisfying (in my experience anyways).
It is so incorrect, it is boderline idiotic urban legend. post-Soviet cities have hot water year around; same heating plants used for winter heating, are used for hot water in summer time, albeit at lower power. Also waste heat from power plants used for the same purpose.
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These are often described as vodkas in practice, even if they technically aren't. Applies to other eastern Europe products too. For example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C3%B3dka_%C5%BBo%C5%82%C4%85... is fruit/herb based, but is commonly known as vodka and even was labelled as such.
I am a Croat and no, we dont describe them as Vodka, nor are we aware that people call them Vodka. The beverage you linked is not rakija, and it’s not even similar. Rakija is made from grapes, Vodka from potatoes. We don’t have enough potatoes to throw away
Is it different just in Croatia, or am I otherwise misinformed?