Tuesday, 13 October 2026, was a rather special day for us. After spending so much time travelling between my in-laws' house and our place in Chișinău, we had finally decided to move our basic belongings back into the city and spend the next few weeks living in our own house. The renovation work has been a long process, and although there are always things left to organise, improve or finish, we have reached the point where the house is sufficiently comfortable for us to use it properly. It was not exactly a grand moving day involving furniture removal companies and enormous boxes, but it was nevertheless an important little milestone in our return to life in central Chișinău.
A moving day dictated by traffic
On Monday evening, we had already started preparing everything we thought we would need for the following few weeks. Clothes, personal belongings and the usual assortment of things that somehow become necessary whenever you move between two places. Our original plan was quite straightforward: on Tuesday, we would return to my in-laws' house, load everything into the car and drive back to Chișinău without any particular rush. We had more or less worked out what needed to be transported, and I expected the whole operation to be relatively uneventful. Naturally, as so often happens with our plans here in Moldova, something intervened.
Vita discovered that major traffic restrictions were being introduced in the centre of Chișinău in preparation for the following day's celebrations, and we were working on the understanding that some roads might start closing from around 16:00. Wednesday, 14 October, was Hramul Chișinăului, the city's annual celebration, traditionally associated with the Orthodox feast of the Protection of the Mother of God. This year was particularly significant because Chișinău was also marking 590 years since its first documented mention in 1436. As anyone who has experienced major events in the centre knows, closing the principal roads does not make the traffic disappear. It simply sends thousands of vehicles looking for alternative routes, and our street is one of the places that tends to inherit the resulting congestion.
That changed my schedule rather abruptly. Instead of following our original arrangements, I had to return to my in-laws' house, collect as much as I could reasonably fit into the car and make sure I was on the road well before 14:00. Inevitably, we could not bring absolutely everything we had intended, but the priority was to get the essentials into the house before the centre became difficult to access. There was little point in having everything beautifully packed if I subsequently spent hours sitting in traffic a short distance from our front door.
Fortunately, my timing turned out to be rather good. As I drove into Chișinău, I noticed something quite amusing through the rear window: police officers were beginning to close junctions almost immediately behind me. I seemed to be travelling just ahead of the restrictions, passing through while access was still possible and watching the roads close after I had crossed them. It was one of those rare occasions when a last-minute change of plan actually worked in my favour. I managed to reach our house without getting trapped in the disruptions, park the car and unload everything. Mission accomplished, even if the car had not contained quite all the belongings we had originally intended to move.
The pleasure of being back in our own house
Once I had carried everything from the car into the house, I allowed myself a little rest while waiting for Vita to finish work and join me. There was still plenty to do, of course. Moving things into a house is one operation; finding appropriate places for everything is an entirely different one. When Vita arrived, we spent much of the evening sorting through our belongings, putting things away, reorganising the available space and gradually turning what had been a renovation project into a place where we could simply live. Every time we think we have finally finished organising something, another detail appears that needs attention, although I suspect that is perfectly normal after such an extensive period of renovation.
Eventually, after a considerable amount of work, we decided that we had done enough for one day and crossed the street for dinner. Afterwards, we stopped at the nearby supermarket to buy some provisions for the following morning. This might sound completely unremarkable to somebody who has always lived in a convenient urban neighbourhood, but for me it represents one of the greatest advantages of our location. We can leave the house, have dinner, purchase groceries and return home without even thinking about taking the car. No searching for parking, no driving across town, no traffic and no need to organise an expedition simply because we have forgotten something at the supermarket. Everything is within walking distance, and after all the driving we have been doing, that feels like a genuine luxury.
Then came the best part of the entire day: going to bed. I cannot adequately describe how pleasant it was to settle down in our own house, with everything quiet around us and no further obligations for the evening. We had been working, carrying things, driving and organising for most of the day, and I was thoroughly ready for some sleep. What followed was an exceptionally long, peaceful night. No disturbances, no interruptions worth mentioning, just the sort of silence that makes you realise how much you appreciate a comfortable home. We did not wake up until 08:00 the following morning. Eight o'clock! For us, that was almost a record, and a very welcome one.
Chișinău celebrates 590 years
Wednesday was City Day, and after spending part of the morning continuing our cleaning and organisational activities, we decided to go out and enjoy the celebrations. The annual Hramul Chișinăului is an important occasion for the city, combining religious traditions with concerts, cultural performances, markets and the inevitable abundance of Moldovan food. The celebrations in 2026 also marked 590 years since Chișinău's earliest known documentary reference. The official programme included religious services at the Metropolitan Cathedral, performances by orchestras and local artists, traditional music and activities throughout the city centre. With our house so conveniently located, attending the celebrations required nothing more complicated than getting dressed and walking there.
Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. It was one of those distinctly unpleasant autumn days: gloomy skies, low temperatures and a cold wind that made walking around considerably less attractive than it might have been under better conditions. Nevertheless, we made our way towards the event area to see what was happening. As usual, there were numerous stalls offering food, including a splendid assortment of roasted meat, pork and other traditional dishes. Moldova certainly knows how to satisfy a committed carnivore, and events of this kind always seem to provide plenty of opportunities to eat something substantial. The smells and general atmosphere were tempting, even if the weather was doing its best to discourage people from spending too long outdoors.
A large stage had been installed along the main street for the various cultural and musical performances scheduled throughout the day. The official programme was quite extensive, ranging from traditional and orchestral music to more contemporary performances, and the celebrations were intended to continue well into the evening. Further along, the Orthodox church was also holding religious activities associated with the occasion, reflecting the fact that City Day in Chișinău is not merely a civic anniversary but also a religious and cultural celebration. The city had clearly invested considerable effort in preparing everything, and I imagine the atmosphere would have been far more pleasant with a little sunshine and less wind.
We walked around for a while, observed the preparations and festivities and considered whether it was worth remaining there for longer. Eventually, common sense prevailed. Neither of us particularly fancied standing outside in the cold simply for the sake of saying we had attended the celebrations, especially when we still had a comfortable house nearby and plenty of things to do. It was a pity, because the programme promised a lively day, but the weather was genuinely unpleasant. Fortunately, living in the centre meant that returning home was just as easy as going out. No complicated arrangements, no struggle to find the car and no attempt to escape the traffic restrictions. We simply walked back.
A bottle of Muscat and a quiet evening
Back home, I decided that the appropriate response to such a cold and disappointing afternoon was to open my wine of the day. This time, my selection was a Bostavan Muscat 2025, a Moldovan semi-sweet white wine, described on the label as Vin Alb Demidulce. Bostavan is one of the country's established wine producers, and Muscat is a particularly recognisable family of aromatic white grape varieties. It seemed an entirely appropriate choice for the occasion: a Moldovan wine, in our home in Moldova, on the day when the capital was celebrating its history and traditions. We might not have remained outside for the concerts, but at least I could continue the celebrations in my own rather more comfortable way.
Meanwhile, Vita continued doing what Vita does whenever there are things to organise: she kept organising. Cleaning, moving items around, finding better places for things and generally behaving as though the entire house still required considerable attention. From my perspective, everything was already perfectly acceptable. We had our belongings, the house was comfortable, the essential facilities were working and there was no urgent reason why every last object needed to find its definitive position that very evening. Evidently, our definitions of a sufficiently organised house are not quite identical. I was perfectly content to sit down and enjoy my glass of wine while she continued making improvements. I suspect she could have found another several hours of work even if we had already finished everything on the original list.
And that, in many ways, was the most important part of these two days. We had managed to move back into the city, avoid the worst of the traffic restrictions, spend an exceptionally peaceful night in our own house and enjoy at least a little of Chișinău's celebrations. The weather had been disappointing and the house still needed organising, but neither of those things mattered very much. After all the work involved in renovating the property and all the journeys back and forth, being able to spend an ordinary evening at home was more satisfying than it might sound. Sometimes the real reward for months of effort is not some spectacular moment, but the ability to do absolutely nothing particularly important.
And because it was Wednesday evening, there was one final item on the programme: Slow Horses. What an excellent television series. After a long Tuesday, an unusually restful night, another morning of household activities, a cold walk through the City Day celebrations and a very agreeable glass of Moldovan wine, settling down to watch Slow Horses felt like exactly the right way to finish the day. No more moving boxes, no more driving and, at least as far as I was concerned, no more organising anything until the following morning.
Then it was bedtime again. A quiet house, a comfortable bed and the pleasure of knowing that we were finally spending our days in the place where we actually wanted to be. Chișinău had celebrated its 590 years of documented history, while we had celebrated something rather more modest but personally important: another small step towards having our normal life back. And, I must say, that was quite enough for me.
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