Orheiul Vechi is an Eastern Orthodox monastery complex carved into a massive limestone cliff that overlooks the meandering Raut River. It is one of the most visited places in Moldova, but you won’t see many tourists there.

The monastery, which dates back to the 13th century, has an incredible setting and for us was more impressive than the monastery itself. Although saying that, it was interesting enough visiting inside the small cave church, plus we had the opportunity to meet a couple of the monks and a group of young Moldovan ladies who were visiting from Soroca, Moldova’s.

After so many centuries of struggle, it is perhaps unsurprising that those who achieve a measure of economic success want to flaunt it. So on a Sorocan hilltop, amid the broken sidewalks and barely paved roads that reflect Molodva’s status as the poorest country in Europe.