BESSARABIA &BEYOND. A unique escorted tour of Moldova and Bucovina 11 th to 20 th May & 7 th to 16 th September 2017

Transcription

1

2 Bucovina There are few places left in the world, especially in Europe, that can be legitimately referred to as off the beaten track but Moldova is certainly a country that can lay claim to the description. Our in-depth escorted tour of this fascinating country with its rich cultural heritage will explore a wealth of fascinating sites including Medieval fortresses, magnificent wineries, the autonomous territory of Transnistria with its Soviet architecture and crossing into Romania we will admire the superb painted monasteries. Along the way we will admire the beautiful, untouched countryside where traditional ways of life are still very much adhered to and of course enjoy local food and the splendid wines of the region. THE ITINERARY Day 1 London Stansted to Chisinau, Moldova. Fly by scheduled flight. Arrive in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, this evening and on arrival we will transfer to the Radisson Blu Leogrand Hotel, our base for the next six nights. After freshening up we will meet tonight for dinner in the hotel. Day 2 Chisinau, Capriana Monastery & Hincu Monastery. After breakfast in the hotel we will enjoy a walking tour of Chisinau including the Central Cathedral, Parliament building and the Alley of the Classics sculptural complex located in the Stefan cel Mare Park and including busts of Alexander Pushkin and other Romanian literary figures and Moldovan political leaders. Our tour will end at the Alexander Pushkin House and Museum located in the cottage where Pushkin resided in exile between 1820 and 1823 and where he wrote, amongst others, The Prisoner of the Caucasus. Continue to Dolna where we see the Ralli Abore family mansion which contains many 19th century items of furniture and was another house where Pushkin stayed during his exile. After lunch in a local restaurant we will enjoy a scenic drive to the picturesque Codri Forest, part of the oldest nature reserve in Moldova. We will visit the Hincu Monastery, built in 1678 by Mihai Hincu, situated in the heart of the forest, and the 15th century Capriana Monastery which is the residence of the metropolitan bishop and has been the base for many rulers of Moldova including Stefan the Great. Both monasteries were closed during the Soviet rule but were re-opened in the early 1990s. We return to Chisinau this evening and enjoy dinner in a local restaurant. Day 3 Cricova Winery, Orheiul Vechi, Curchi. In recent years Moldova has become renowned for her wines and this morning we will visit one of the most popular cellars at Cricova which produces some of the country s best sparkling wines. We will learn about the production methods, which follows the French system very closely, before exploring the huge cellar network. Situated 80 metres underground and stretching out for a total of 120 kilometres, these cellars are used by both the vineyard and many wine aficionados as a personal vault. After a tasting we will continue our journey to Butuceni where we enjoy lunch in a pension with national Moldovan dishes. This afternoon continue to Orhei Vechi, Moldova s most important historical site. Visit the impressive 13th century Cave Monastery carved into the limestone rock, see the ruins of the Geto Dacian fortress and visit the ethnographic museum. We will return to Chisinau via one of the oldest Moldovan monasteries - Monastery Curchi, which was founded in 1773 and known as one of the most beautiful pieces of Bessarabian architecture. Return to Chisinau for dinner this evening. Day 4 Transnistria. Situated to the east of Chisinau on the Ukrainian border is the state of Transnistria. Officially part of Moldova it is run as an autonomous territory and clings to its Soviet roots. Statues of Lenin overlook the streets and Russian is the official language whilst the hammer and sickle flag flies from the buildings. We will start our day in Tighina seeing the impressive 15th century Ottoman fortress before transferring to Tiraspol, the Bucovina Gura Humorului ROMANIA Iasi Soroca Transnistria MOLDOVA Curchi Orhei Vechi Cricova Chisinau Hincesti Causeni capital of Transnistria. On a city tour we will see the monument of Lenin outside the Presidential Palace and the Second World War tanks as well as the unique and typically Soviet architecture. We will enjoy a Ukrainian lunch before continuing our tour of Tiraspol at the Kvint distillery. Here we will learn about their production and visit the museum before enjoying a tasting of the wine, brandy and vodka made here. Enjoy dinner in Chisinau this evening. Day 5 Manuc Bei & Milestii Mici Winery. After a leisurely breakfast we will journey to The Manuc Bei estate and manor house which is located in Hincesti. Manuc Bei ( ) was a wealthy merchant, diplomat, and inn-keeper during the period of the Ottoman Empire. In 1812 he played a major role in negotiating the signing of the Treaty of Bucharest between the Russian and Ottoman empires. Towards the end of his life, he retired to his estate of Hinceşti where his son later built the manor house which was designed

3 Vineyards, Cricova Capriana Monastery, Chisinau Manuc Bey lasi by famed architect Alexander Bernardazzi in the style of a French chateau, now a museum with more than 20,000 artefacts which we will explore with our guide. After our visit we continue to the Milesti Mici Winery which is renowned as having the largest cellar in the world with nearly 200 kilometres of caves situated 80 metres underground. There are now over one million bottles stored here and we will explore the cellars and have a tasting whilst enjoying lunch at the vineyard. Return to the hotel this afternoon and enjoy some free time before meeting for dinner this evening. Day 6 Causeni, Purcari & Et Cetera Winery. Our tour today takes us to Causeni where we will visit the 17th century Assumption of our Lady church. The church preserves the only Medieval fresco in Moldova, designed by Walachian painters in a late Byzantine-Romanian style whilst the interiors feature religious scenes and iconography in vibrant reds, gold and blues. Later this morning we continue our appreciation of the local wines with a visit to the Purcari Winery. Here a unique micro-climate, the location of the vineyards on the south-western and south-eastern slopes, proximity to the Black sea and closeness to the Nistru River offer ideal conditions for the creation of high quality wines. Enjoy a tour of the cellars, the oldest in Moldova, unchanged since 1827, and a tasting before continuing to the nearby Et Cetera Winery where we will enjoy lunch. This small family run vineyard offers a different perspective of wine production with a mix of well-known and local grape varieties. We will learn about the family s production techniques and enjoy a tasting before returning to Chisnau this evening. Day 7 Soroca & Gura Humorului, Romania. After an early breakfast we will leave Chisinau and head north towards Soroca near the Ukrainian border. We will visit a Medieval fortress which played an important and key role in defensive battle against the Turks and was one of the stone belt of fortresses built to protect Moldova. Also visit the Candle of Gratitude monument situated on the outskirts of the city. We will enjoy a traditional Russian lunch in the village of Pokrovka before crossing the border into Romania and continuing by road to Gura Humorului. In the early evening we will arrive at the Best Western Bucovina Hotel for a two night stay. Enjoy dinner at the hotel. Day 8 Bucovina. Today we will explore the Bucovina region famed for the large number of painted monasteries which are listed by UNESCO World Heritage. Our first call is perhaps the most famous, the Voronet Monastery which is also known as the Sistine Chapel of the East, due to its interior and exterior wall paintings. Built in 1487 to celebrate victory over the Turks it offers an abundance of frescoes featuring biblical scenes in an intense shade of blue commonly known as Voronet blue. We will continue to the 16th century Moldovita Monastery. The predominantly gold and deep blue paintings on the exterior walls were completed in 1537 with the large and vivid Siege of Constantinople one of the highlights of the frescoes. We will stop for lunch before continuing our journey to Sucevita, the heart of Bucovina. We will visit Sucevita Monastery, built between 1582 and 1584 with heavily buttressed defensive towers giving an appearance of a fortress. This was the last of the painted churches of Bucovina to be built and amongst the images we see a magnificent depiction of the Ladder to Paradise. Return to the hotel this evening for dinner. Day 9 Iasi & Chisinau, Moldova. After breakfast we will start our journey back to Moldova stopping at Iasi, the most important political, economic and cultural centre of the province of Moldavia as well as one of the oldest cities in Romania. We will visit the Monastery of the Three Hierarchs, constructed between 1637 and 1639 in honour of three saints. In 1640 it was here that Prince Vasile Lupu set up the first printing press in Moldovia and also the Vasilian College. The church is renowned for the extraordinary decoration and lacery in the stone which adorns the façade. After our visit we enjoy lunch before continuing our journey back to Chisinau where we will check into the Radisson Blu Leogrand Hotel for an overnight stay. We enjoy a Moldovan dinner tonight in a local restaurant. Day 10 Chisinau to London Stansted. After breakfast we will check-out of the hotel and transfer to the airport for our return scheduled flight to London Stansted. PRICES PER PERSON Based on double occupancy Twin: 2295 Single: 2595 Price Includes: Economy class scheduled air travel, seven nights hotel accommodation in Chisinau and two nights accommodation in Bucovina on a bed and breakfast basis, lunch and dinner daily, transfers, all excursions, all gratuities, English speaking guide throughout, Noble Caledonia Tour Manager. Not Included: Travel Insurance, visas. +44 (0)

4 Orheiul Vechi Orheiul Vechi 2 Chester Close, Belgravia, London, SW1X 7BE +44 (0) info@noble-caledonia.co.uk All special offers are subject to availability. Our current booking conditions apply to all reservations and are available on request. Itinerary and hotels quoted subject to change but accommodation will be of the same standard as hotels listed. Cover image: Orheiul Vechi _K

5

6

7