One Sunday in June

Sunday morning, after a leisurely breakfast, I decided to go to the market to get some food for the week. I walked past the headquarters for the Popular Christian Democratic Party, right across the street from my house.

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I walk a few blocks down my quiet street (Nicolai Iorga) then through the park in the center of the city.

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At the fountain in the center of the park, children rent battery-powered cars to drive.

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Brides always come to get their pictures taken in front of Stefan Cel Mare ("The Great"), one of the first kings of Moldova.

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Then I cross Stefan Cel Mare Blvd., Chisinau's main street, and walk past the Orthodox cathedral.

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Continuing down Stefan Cel Mare I pass many kiosks where you can buy magazines, Coke, ice cream.

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Just outside the market are lines of women trying to sell clothes.

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There are plenty of places to exchange my dollars for Moldovan lei (13.65 lei to the dollar) or a wide range of other currencies. Most of them are open on Sundays though the banks are closed.

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As I enter the market I find racks of fresh bread.

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Many of the booths sell imported fruit and other products Americans don't see at farmers markets. Most of the prices are marked and are not negotiated.

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Other booths sell the produce of local farmers ...

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.. and local fishermen

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I can also buy carbonated water either "with syrup" or without, if I don't mind drinking from a glass that doesn't seem to be washed very thoroughly.

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With my arms full of groceries, I decide that it is too far to walk home. One alternative is to take the trolley bus for 6 cents.

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But I choose to spend an extra dime and take the mini-bus. It follows the same route as the trolley bus but will stop whenever a passenger wants to get on or off.

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After I put away my groceries, I watched a bit of a World Cup soccer match (called "futbol" here). I missed many of the subtelties of the match both because my understanding of soccer is rudimentary and because I had trouble following the commentary in Romanian.

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Then I went for a short bike ride to a lake not far from the center of the city.

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Some people swim at a beach, though the teenagers prefer the concrete wharf so they can dive into the water.

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Others go fishing, with rods or with nets for very small fish.

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