Wine with friends in Moldova, October 4-16, 2006
Meeting a monk in Orheiul Vechi
Pages: 1 - Chisinau | 2 - Orheiul Vechi | 3 - Anenii Noi
Orheiul Vechi was one of the most spectacular places where I've ever been. It's an almost thousand years old cave monastery about 60 km north from Chisinau. The monastery itself was interesting but the real treat was the location. The pictures below show it better than any words.
I went to Orheiul Vechi together with erte, a Lithuanian guy whom I had met in Chisinau. We spent the first night camping by the river, and on the second day asked the monk in the cave church if we could stay in the monastery. He welcomed us there and we had an unforgettable evening first cooking dinner outside on the stone terrace in moonlight, and after that listening to the monk's apocalyptic visions of the future inside the church. We slept on the church floor and woke up to the chants and prayers of the morning ceremony.
 On the way to Orhei by Serj's bike. 800x600 (94 kB) 1600x1200 (336 kB) |
 Strange vehicle by the roadside. 800x533 (85 kB) 1600x1067 (305 kB) |
 We got a dog for the weekend: Sejo. 800x533 (71 kB) 1600x1066 (262 kB) |
 The morning revealed where we had set up the tent in the darkness. 800x600 (78 kB) 1600x1200 (294 kB) |
 A view over the whole site: natural design! 800x533 (64 kB) 1600x1067 (234 kB) |
 Erte behind the spiky bushes. 800x600 (85 kB) 1600x1200 (293 kB) |
 Side view of the monastery. 600x800 (70 kB) 1200x1600 (257 kB) |
 Monks' living quarters hundreds of years ago. 800x600 (81 kB) 1600x1200 (279 kB) |
 Meditating on the pier. 800x533 (49 kB) 1600x1067 (181 kB) |
 Ancient writing, before the cyrillic alphabet. 800x600 (107 kB) 1600x1200 (407 kB) |
 Bicycles in Butuceni village. 800x533 (95 kB) 1600x1067 (309 kB) |
 The sun and the moon protecting a well. 800x600 (75 kB) 1600x1200 (251 kB) |
 A village house from where we bought wine. 800x600 (77 kB) 1600x1200 (257 kB) |
 Decoration in yet another house. 800x600 (103 kB) 1600x1200 (325 kB) |
 Chatting with the monk on the monastery terrace. 800x600 (76 kB) 1600x1200 (250 kB) |
 Cooking in candlelight — with special candles. 800x600 (46 kB) 1600x1200 (152 kB) |
 A view from the sleeping bag in the morning. 800x600 (58 kB) 1600x1200 (193 kB) |
 A shepherd walking along the river. 600x800 (75 kB) 1200x1600 (293 kB) |
 Higher up on the plateau. 800x600 (61 kB) 1600x1200 (242 kB) |
 Awesome scenery. 800x600 (70 kB) 1600x1200 (266 kB) |
 Goats having fun. 800x533 (80 kB) 1600x1067 (278 kB) |
 Another village on the way back home. 800x533 (65 kB) 1600x1067 (232 kB) |
 Buying wine in Ivancea. 800x600 (129 kB) 1600x1200 (440 kB) |
 Gifts for our host back in Chisinau. 800x600 (79 kB) 1600x1200 (269 kB) |
Pages: 1 - Chisinau | 2 - Orheiul Vechi | 3 - Anenii Noi
Copyright Arto Teräs <ajt@iki.fi>, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. (Unless otherwise mentioned in individual photos or other content.)
Last update 2007-05-09.