Treasure Hunting Part 1

They are out there...small, less heralded treasure sites you may never have heard of and most likely have not visited, unless you took the recommendation of a trusted friend and made the effort.  As a restless traveler myself, I can attest to the need to see the big sights, and by the time you get those taken in, you are too tired to go off the beaten track. So we stand in an endless line to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, gather in a gaggle to see the Mona Lisa or the real statue of David, and fight the crowds to shop at Camden Market and watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham. It seems that popular destinations are popular for a reason. They are  usually magnificent and we can all share the same memories. Not a bad thing but it is not the whole picture. There are gems out there that can stand alone without the hype and without the pricey hotel, congested streets, and souvenir stands.

Now, I do not pretend to know everything or to have seen everything. Not even close.  But I have been lucky enough to visit a few places less travelled and I am so glad I did. True, there were some places I wish I had not visited, for whatever reasons, but I won't send you there... only to the interesting locales where the regional culture is preserved and celebrated and there are unexpected pleasures. They are not backwaters, just not on the conventional travel paths.  I confess here that I am rather Eurocentric, but not exclusively. We will start there.  Are you ready?

I was actually mocked when I suggested this destination to a tour leader who liked Italy best. He took high school kids on "language" trips to Italy and/or Spain because they had studied a little Latin or Spanish. I assure you that two or three years of Latin does not prepare a 16 year old to converse with the locals. Not that they would have to, as they all travelled in groups of about 20 kids on a bus, staying together throughout (the rules)... no wandering off to explore. I digress... I suggested that he look into taking the kids to Trier, in Germany, near France. He snorted and said, "What would the school board say if I said we wanted to see Germany?...".  Maybe it was a sneer. Regardless, I was dismissed.  Too bad for him, but let me explain myself.

Basilica of Constantine in Trier

Trier is situated in southwestern Germany on the Moselle River, just a few miles from Luxembourg and France.  It is Germany's oldest city. First settled in 2000 BC by an Assyrian prince, it flourished as a trade center, thanks in part to its location on the Moselle, near the Rhine and Saone rivers, with access to the North and all the way to the Mediterranean. In 16 BC, the Roman Emperor Augustus established the city as Roman.  By the third century, Diocletian had made Trier a Roman Imperial Residence and Capital of the Western Roman Empire.  At about the same time, Constantinople, now Istanbul, was  established as the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire by the Emperor Constantine.  Rome was on the ropes at that point, and the powers moved to safer territories, Trier and Constantinople.  Trier was called at various times, the "Second Rome" and "Rome before Rome was built".  Pretty impressive for a small town.  Constantine and his mother, Helena, now Ste. Helena, actively engaged in urban development to enhance the lush and rolling hills with impressive Roman edifices.  Constantine was also busy building in Constantinople and in Rome and Helena was gathering Christian artifacts.  The original Old St Peter's Basilica in Rome was built by Constantine and about the same time, he commissioned the Cathedral of St Peter in Trier, begun about 310 AD. Helena is said to have guided the placement of the bricks.  It is the oldest cathedral in Germany. The foundation persists from the early days but the cathedral has been rebuilt and enlarged through the ages. It reportedly holds the tunic that Jesus was wearing when he was crucified, displayed only on special occasions.  We thank Helena for her strivings that gave us this tunic.

The efforts of Constantine and his saintly mom have left Trier with the largest assembly of Roman buildings and relics north of Rome.  The Porta Nigra or Black Gate is the largest Roman gate north of the Alps.The Basilica of Constantine, or Aula Palatine, contains the largest extant hall in the world.  There are Roman Baths (Kaiserthermen) and the Barbara Baths, an amphitheater that could hold 20,000 spectators, and a history museum that has stunning mosaics and artifacts.  


To shut down the yawns at the thought of endless Roman artifacts, remember that Trier is Germany's oldest wine growing region, and under all of those magnificent and old buildings are magnificent and old wine cellars.  The dominant grape is Riesling but others grow there as well.  Along the Moselle and in town, you will find the stubes and heurigen that serve local wine and fare to keep you going and wanting to go back. Food is good, lovely onion tarts (flammekuche), zweibelkuchen, and wursts. 


Just so you don't think that I am driven by history and wine... Trier is a lively and modern city of about 100,000 people.. not too large or small. The land rises up from the river basins, providing great terrain for vineyards and photos.  Karl Marx was born there and his home is another attraction.  It is a short ride to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.  It is close to the Maginot line in northern France, with its almost forgotten forts and monuments. Check out the historical city of Metz.  Trier is not far from the wonderful city of Strasbourg, on the Rhine, seat of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, as well as the gateway to the Route de Vins of Alsace and an almost unknown German concentration camp, Le Struthof,  now a national memorial in the beautiful Vosges mountains across the Rhine from the Black Forest.  


But that is another story.  Back to Trier... why not consider it as a worthy destination, for school kids, adults, anyone curious about history and life.  I certainly was more comfortable there with my son than I was knowing he was haunting pizza parlors in Naples in a cluster of American kids.  Travel should not be a mad dash but a gentle and reflective opportunity to take in a different place.

Let's Talk About Moldova and Meet Mamaliga....

First of all, when I mention Moldova, I generally get a blank look, like, did you just make that up? Actually, that was my reaction about 18 months age, before our youngest joined the Peace Corps and went there. Then I had to learn something new, including where to find it on a map. Born out of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Moldova is a struggling nation, struggling to create a national identity, to feed itself, and to move forward. As a Scandinavian friend said when I mentioned the place, "the really Old Europe".  I had heard of Albania, Myanmar,  Lesotho, even Macedonia, but not Moldova. Bessarabia, Moldavia,  Romania all came to mind and all were linked to the place.  But now I know a little bit about Moldova, and I think when I named this blog "Closer to the Bone", Moldova was smoldering in my mind, as it is a place where people do live closer to the bone than we might be able to imagine.

As part of the Soviet Union, Moldova had access, in the 1970's and '80's to an influx of economic development funds and plans. With the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Moldova was cut loose and cut off. The struggle began. Moldova was not without its strengths. The nation has fertile soil, a mild climate, and a hard working population. It is known for its wine production, not so much in the USA but in Russia and points east. Hubby and I were in B'ton Best Buy looking for a SmartPen and the fellow who helped us was from Poland. In the course of our conversation, he claimed that Moldova has the best wine in the world, better than Georgian wine, better than Armenian wine.  He ran down a mental list and France was about number 10 in terms of wonderful wines.  I accept his knowledge. I cannot argue with it.  According to our youngest, who has been there two years, the wine is great. Every house has a wine cellar and production of hundreds of liters of house wine. And then there are the wineries...Cricova, Purcari, Milestii Mici and more. Milestii Mici Winery has the world's largest wine collection, with over 2 million bottles and a cellar that runs for 250 kilometers. Who would have thought that?  Most production goes to the Russian Confederation, not the most dependable of consumers, but there you go. A lot of it is consumed right there in Moldova, which can boast the highest alcohol consumption in the world.

More to the point is the fact that Moldova struggles to gain a toehold in the modern world. Economic growth has been essentially negative and young people leave to go as guest workers to Italy, Belgium, Spain, England and the rest of Europe to make money to send home. Close to 40% of families rely on this source of money and it represents about 25% of the nation's annual budget. This influx helps families make improvements but still outhouses and wells are common outside of the cities and people cultivate their plots of land to have food to survive through the year. The gardening is not the hobbyist type. It is serious and important. Fruits and vegetables are preserved in many ways, including pickled watermelon and tomatoes.  Corn is grown to feed pigs, fowl, sheep, and people. Cheese is made in the home from the milk of cows and sheep.  Despite the poverty, there is culture and history and faith. The faith is Orthodox Christianity, having resisted the Ottoman onslaught. The history is proud and living, with Stephan the Great who ruled from 1457 to 1504 as a national hero. The culture is predominantly aligned with that of Romania but with strong Russian influences, thanks to the long association with Russia. The Romanian language is used with local tweaks, as Moldova was part of, dominated, and was lost to that nation. Now Moldovans use the Latin alphabet, the Orthodox calendar, and two languages, Russian and Moldovanesti, which is a dialect of Romanian. Our youngest, the Peace Corps Volunteer in Moldova, has learned Romanian/Moldovanesti and can hear the differences in dialects at this point, rather like hearing a southern accent against a yankee twang. In some communities, Russian predominates, all adding to the struggle to develop a true national identity in a country that has seen many invasions.  Union with Romania is a topic of conversation but only that, to date. And right now, Romania has its own issues.

So, maybe it is time to meet MamaLiga, the national dish of Moldova. You may already be familiar with a close, indeed, almost identical dish called polenta.  Cornmeal, of a finer sort than polenta, is boiled to thick consistency, then sliced, sauced, or just accompanying other dishes.  It is common in Romania as well, another link to that culture. Mamaliga is a staple in both countries, cheap and satisfying, a real peasant dish that has taken on the role of comfort food to the people of Moldova. Moldovan cuisine may also reflect the past Turkish and Slavic influences in its stuffed cabbage rolls, but mamaliga is the national dish.  Poftim, or  "that's that", as they say.

Just a final curious note: Romanian, and I include Moldevanesti here, is a romance language like Italian, French, or Spanish.  So a feast is a "masa" which is also a table.  To dance and to sing is "sa danseze si sa cante".  And they dance the hora, like many other eastern cultures. Here is a shout-out to crossroads and the marvelous infusions they produce. May the paths meet peacefully and with prosperity in Moldova.