thetrainfamilyIn 2019, we embarked on a unique train journey to Transnistria, a breakaway state that is officially recognized as part of Moldova but claims its independence. Our journey began in Odessa, Ukraine, where we boarded a train that would take us across the border into this unrecognized state.
Transnistria’s history is fraught with political tensions and conflict. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the region declared independence from Moldova in 1990. This move led to a short-lived war with Moldova, but Transnistria emerged victorious and has since maintained its de facto independence, despite lacking recognition from most countries in the world.
Tiraspol
The city of Tiraspol, the capital of the breakaway state, felt like a time capsule from the Cold War era. We saw massive statues of Lenin and other Soviet leaders, and the Transnistrian flag, which resembles the flag of the former Soviet Union, was flying everywhere.
Excerpt from our travel journal
We started our first day in Tiraspol by going to the “Sherif” supermarket and then to October Street. We saw the Palace of Culture and went to various computer equipment stores since we had forgotten our Chromecast in Odessa. However, we didn’t find one. We continued to a souvenir shop where we bought a lot of magnets, flags, and postcards. We had lunch in a park where Vilhelm slept in his stroller in the shade. A TV crew from the local TV station approached Simon and asked him something. He replied with “I don’t speak Russian”. Then they came to me and asked the same thing, to which I replied the same as Simon, and the TV reporter said, “It’s not normal”. They filmed us for a bit and then left. We crossed the road and saw the equestrian statue, a school, the parliament building with Lenin in front, 2 museums, an area in memory of the Transnistria War, a small chapel, and a T-34 tank.
People
We stayed in an apartment we had rented on Airbnb. The lady who owned the apartment was very kind and was ready to greet us when we arrived. We only met nice people during our stay in Tiraspol. My husband had his watch repaired by a watchmaker. He wouldn’t take any money for it and instead told us to buy candy for our kids with the money. When we coincidentally met him the next day, he asked how the watch was doing. I went into a store and bought some clothes. The saleswoman was so excited that we were tourists that she gave me a hug and a 50 ruble discount, as well as candy for our kids!