nataly.cojuhari@gmail.com
Categories:
Gender: Female
Accreditations: Tourist Guide Certificate Nr01952 issued by Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova
I visited Moldova in October 2012 and Natalia, my guide throughout the week, showed me the highlights of this delightful country. On the first day we had a tour of Chisinau and a visit to the Cricova winery with its extensive underground cellars – followed by a tasting of some of their wines. The wines were very good – clean, balanced and well-made with structure & true varietal character. Natalia also took me to the Moldovan Wine Festival in Chisinau – an excellent outdoors event staged at the Moldexpo exhibition centre. This festival includes local produce as well as wines – so I had the opportunity to try local delicacies as well more excellent Moldovan wine. On Day 3 we visited Tipova to see one of the oldest cave monasteries in the country and then on to the Orheiul Vechi to see a 13th century cave monastery and a museum with exhibits depicting the traditional ways of life in 19th century Moldova. On Day 4 we went to Soroca and Pokrovka to visit a medieval fortress; the Candle of Gratitude monument and the Romany district that features in Tony Hawkes’ book “Playing the Moldovans at Tennis” (which I read when I got back to the UK). On Day 5 – and one of the highlights for me – we visited Gagauzia – which is just a wonderful name. Gagauzia is an autonomous region of Moldova. We visited the capital Comrat and explored the markets there and then went to the village of Besalma to visit the excellent Cioban National Gagauzian History and Ethnography Museum. Day 6 – and sadly my last – we went to Tiraspol, the capital of Transdniestr a self-proclaimed independent republic that has its own currency – a fascinating day as guide books lead you to believe you are stepping back into a 1950’s era Soviet land but Tiraspol is in fact a modern, friendly city – but they do speak Russian and use the Cyrillic alphabet. Throughout my visit to Moldova Natalia was the perfect guide – friendly without being invasive; informative and enthusiastic about Moldova but pragmatic enough to let you know what you are seeing and why and to make it even easier Natalia has flawless English. Not just fluent – but able to understand and converse using everyday nuances and idioms. Natalia gave me plenty of recommendations for dinner in the evenings and walking around Chisinau is perfectly safe and is quite a friendly city. I went to Moldova knowing next to nothing about it and came away very fond of the place. Natalia made the holiday interesting and fun – with little things like having lunch at a Russian Orthodox Old-Believers restaurant; taking me to see the statue of Baron von Munchausen in Tiraspol; naming the old Russian cars that I’d never seen before and pointing out the crows that leave the city at dawn to return to roost at sunset (which I found particularly fascinating). For anyone wanting to visit a charming, friendly country that is making its way in the world but not yet a major tourist attraction – then come to Moldova with Ways who know how to look after you and will show you the real Moldova so that while you won’t come away feeling like a native – you will come away with a genuine & lasting fondness for it. I had booked a return visit for May 2020 but that was postponed as a result of the pandemic. I am now hoping that Natalia will have some availability in 2022, as a return visit is long overdue.
My wife and I visited Moldova in September 2021 and Natalia was our guide. She was fantastic! She showed us the highlights of this delightful country. We visited many different wineries, from Cricova to Arconi to Molesti Meci. We visited Orheiul Vechi to see a 13th century cave monastery and a museum with exhibits depicting the traditional ways of life in 19th century Moldova. We visited Gagauzia is an autonomous region of Moldova. We visited Cioban National Gagauzian History and Ethnography Museum and got to enjoy an ethnic festival. We also went to Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria a self-proclaimed independent republic that is not recognized by is a frozen conflict zone. Natalia took us to see the statue of Baron von Munchausen in Tiraspol. I had read the stories but being in the actual place was different and amazing. Natalia was the perfect guide. She was knowledgeable about the country and its history. She was willing to have open discussions about how things work. We all learned things. She was friendly and very aware of our moods. When we wanted to talk, she talked. When we were tired and wanted quiet, she was quiet. I am not sure how many languages Natalia is fluent in, but you should have no problems conversing with her. We are hoping for a return visit with her as our guide.
As a travel writer, I have visited 124 countries and have had several good guides - but I can write with great confidence that Natalia is top-notch and one of the best guides I have ever had. She has a deep knowledge of her country's history and culture and her engaging narrations both educate and entertain. The many stories she told me during our walking tour of Chisinau inspired me to write a book: Moldova: Hostage to History. Natalia leaves you in no doubt that she enjoys her work. I highly recommend her.
We visited Moldova in September 2021 for a "Wine and Gastronomy"-Tour and Natalia was our guide. Natalia is by far the best guide I ever had. We have spent several days together and I have not found a subject, she does not know about. She loves her country and she loves the people. She is more than just a guide, since she is REALLY interested in what she does. When realising about a special interest of ours, she came back the next day and told us that she was investigating on the subject in more depth (in her spare time) and gave us deeper insights of the issue. We visited many different wineries. From the very big ones like Cricova or Milestii Mici to more Boutique-like estates like Asconi or Atu. I would also like to point out Comrat Wines in Gaugazia, making excellent products as well as Chateau Vartely and of course Purcari (where we had the best "Sarmale" ever). When visiting Transnistria we had a private tour at the Cognac-Distillery Kvint in Tiraspol. An absolute must with wonderful Cognacs from 10 to 40 Years old. We had the chance to try most of the local food specialities and we liked them a lot. Not only does Natalia know a lot about her country, she also has an excellent network and knows the people we visited more than friends then as a tour-guide. Not only is she a very good guide, no she is perfect. Not only did we stop when entering Transnistria, no she played the anthem of the "country" to get us a real feeling of the place. When we entered Gaugazia, we also heard their anthem, which immediately put us in the mood for this part of the country. Next to an extended city tour of Chisinau (and also of Tiraspol), we also visited a lot historical and cultural places like Orheiul Vechi, the Museum of History and Ethnography of Gaguaz People, Gazgauz Sofrasi, Monastery “Capriana”, the carpet place in Clisova Noua, where we learned a lot about old national carpets (and patterns) and handicrafts articles, Tighina fortress and we walked a couple of hundred steps up to the Monument “Candle of Gratitude (with wonderful views). Since Soroca Fortress was under construction we had a speech of a historian, who informed us about all we needed to know. All in all, it was one of the best vacations I ever had and Natalie played one of the key roles. Thank you very much and we are looking forward to coming back on day.