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

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Natalia is an excellent guide, full of interesting information about the places we went, recommended a very good hotel, a good van and driver. She is everything else you want/expect from a tour guide, and she was also a hard-working, intelligent and caring member of our team. Without her skills, flexibility and perseverance, our trip would not have been as successful as it was. She really cares about her clients, and has the willingness and ability to make whatever needs to happen, happen. She was great!

Dear Sirs! Upon a recent visit to Chisinau in Moldova, i required the assistance of a local guide, as my knowledge of the country was very limited. My guide was a young lady by the name of Ms. Natalia Cojuhari, i wish to place on record that her skills as a guide were quite unparalleled. 

The qualities that i look for in a guide, local knowledge, helpfulness, and a person’s overall ability to ensure the group they are responsible for, find out as much about the area they are visiting as possible. I believe that Ms. Cojuhari fulfilled all these requirements, along with her overall friendly demeanor, i believe makes her a first class tour guide.

Natalia, a very knowledgeable guide, has beaten my expectations by far!!! I am a frequent traveller, always trying to find good guides. But up till now Natalia is my absolute favorite. It's the information she gave us in between you never can expect from a normal tour guide. Everything was well organized. One can feel that she loves her job. She has wide-ranging skills. Thank you!