Comrat (Gagauzia): The Lenin Statue

Was passing through Gagauzia (a small, semi-autonomous, Russian cultural part of Moldova) and stopped off at the capital of the region, Comrat (population of just over 20,000), where, at first, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a statue of Lenin.

A few of the guys from our Polish tour bus were busy taking shots of the statue from many different angles, and one of them ironically commented that it was a good idea to do this, as such statues were becoming increasingly rare to find:

Chisinau (Moldova): The Orthodox Church in the City Centre

While in the centre of Chisinau, I had a look inside the Orthodox church there, and luckily got a couple of reasonable mobile shots:

One of the benefits of living in and exploring Eastern Europe is that you have easy access to the sublime beauty of Eastern Orthodox (and Eastern Rite Catholic) churches:

Not exactly sure what the structure outside the church is below:

But would guess, rightly or wrongly, that the one below may be where the bell is rung:

Chisinau (Moldova): Dinner on the High Street

The High Street in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, was bristling and frenetic, but we managed to get a nice meal at what seemed to be a Russian cafe (the women serving there were Russian speakers and very friendly):

The meal was washed down with a Moldovan beer named after the capital city:

Whilst not being the best beer I've ever had, it also wasn't the worst, thus, it was much appreciated on a hot summer's day.

But there was a little bit of a surprise when I visited the toilet:

Being British, I'm not really used to the 'hole in the ground' kind of toilet.

Varna (Bulgaria): Sampling the Atmosphere

Just a few pictures to sample the atmosphere of Varna here, starting with the Cathedral of the Assumption above.

And the rose petal drink which was genuinely refreshing in temperatures of 35-40 celsius:

And walking down to the beach, we ran into these wonderful Classical musicians:

At the beach itself, people were just relaxing having the occasional drink:

And with the expanse of the Black Sea in the background, a group of men were keeping cool by playing water-polo:

But perhaps the expanse of the Black Sea was the most impressive feature of all:

Constanta (Romania): 4th Century Christian Funeral Monument

One of the highlights of my visit to Constanta was coming across the 4th century Christian funeral monument (above) on a street near the Main Square (not in a museum).

The notice below explains that the monument was dedicated to a 4th century Syrian woman called Paula:

While the picture below shows more clearly how this wonderful monument is just positioned on the street rather than in a museum:

Entering Constanta (Romania)

Just capturing the atmosphere of entering Constanta here:

As Constanta is a massive Black Sea port, it was no surprise to see a group of (female) naval cadets:

And then wow!  The Main Square:

With the incredible Carol Mosque building at the other end:

And, of course, the central building isn't bad:

Near which there are ancient Roman ruins just casually lying about:

Some well worth closer inspection:

Varna (Bulgaria): Peruvian Musicians on the Streets

Just back from a frenetic, week-long trip to Varna (Bulgaria); Rumania; and Moldova.  Was waiting for the coach to Varna Airport to take me back to Warsaw, when I heard these Peruvian musicians playing on the streets of Varna: