Back in the USSR

About Tour

Constitutionally, the USSR was a federation of constituent Union Republics, which were either unitary states, or federations, who signed the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR in December 1922, and existed till 1991. 

The Soviet Union became the first country to adopt a command economy, whereby production and distribution of goods were centralized and directed by the government. 

Until its dissolution in late 1991, the way the Soviet economy operated remained essentially unchanged. The economy was formally directed by central planning, carried out by Gosplan and organized in five-year plans. 

The education system was highly centralized and universally accessible to all citizens. 

Health care was to be controlled by the state and would be provided to its citizens free of charge, a revolutionary concept at the time.  

As the most widely spoken of the Soviet Union's many languages, Russian de facto functioned as an official language, as the "language of interethnic communication", but only assumed the de jure status as the official national language in 1990. 

Being Communist, the Soviet Union was officially atheist. Nevertheless, many citizens engaged in religious practices, some secretly. 

The culture of the Soviet Union passed through several stages during the USSR's existence. During the first decade following the revolution, there was relative freedom and artists experimented with several different styles to find a distinctive Soviet style of art. Lenin wanted art to be accessible to the Russian people. On the other hand, hundreds of intellectuals, writers, and artists were exiled or executed, and their work banned. 

 

1 st Day

Back in the USSR

Included highlights:

Today we invite you to discover Transnistria – the old USSR is still alive and well in this autonomous region. It is a breakaway territory within the internationally recognized borders of Moldova. The country’s national coat of arms still includes the traditional hammer and sickle and the Lenin statue hasn’t yet been pulled down. This communist state is called “the last remaining Stalinist dictatorship in Europe”. 

First stop – at Bender Fortress. In 1713, the fortress, the town, and the neighboring village Varniţa were the site of skirmishes (kalabalik) between Charles XII of Sweden, who had taken refuge there with the Cossack Hetman Ivan Mazepa after his defeat in the Battle of Poltava. 

City tour of Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria and traditional ukrainian lunch.

 

Optional highlights:

On the way back to Chisinau, stop to Noul Neamt for a tour of the monastery. 

Kvint could be added as optional for groups minimum 5 people. 

Included meals:
  • Lunch

What People Say

More reviews ›

This trip has exceeded my expectations due mostly to your thoughtful guidance and warmth. 

Thank you for sharing yout knowledge and passion about your wonderful country and for treating us like family. 

Dear Victoria!

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and taste of the Romanian and Moldavian wines. I was amazed by the diversity of the wines and the regions they come from. The trip to Romania and travel to Moldova was both fun and educational. Not only did I learn about the wines, but about the countries as well. Romania and the Republic of Moldova are defiantly countries that more people should experience. The services provided were outstanding. 

The little extra's they added to the tour made all the difference and our tour guide Victoria was the best! The highlight for me was the Vinia Winery from Iasi. The trip by horse cart to the vineyard, picking out own grapes, making our own juice, enjoying the tranquility of the land and listening to the gypsy band was an experience of a lifetime. 

Victoria, Just a short note to say thank you very much for everything on Sunday. Despite the long and tiring journey caused by the road closure in Ukraine, we thoroughly enjoyed our day, and learned so much about Moldova, Transnistria and Ukraine. We particularly enjoyed discovering Tiraspol, as it's such an unusual place and gave us a glimpse of how life was under the former Soviet regime. Because British history is relatively simple, with few invasions and no changes of borders, we struggle to understand the complexities of European history. 

We were very impressed with your understanding - and with your excellent English language skills in explaining it all to us. It certainly brought to life our visit to your country. I hope your journey back home was a little easier than the one to Odessa. Please give our thanks to our driver on the day - I'm afraid we do not recall his name but we appreciated all he did to negotiate the way through the border crossings for us and to get us to Odessa as quickly as he did despite the obstacles. Good luck for future success in your career. If you are ever in England and are able to visit our area, do not hesitate to give us a call. We could show you the historic city of Winchester and the busy port and waterside areas of Portsmouth, which I'm sure you would find interesting. Thanks again for everything.