A few dozen kilometres from Kishinev lies the open-air archaeological complex of Old Orhei. We arrive in Trebujeni village and ask for accommodation. Behind the bus station, there is a well-trodden path leading straight down to a building called "Pensiunea Popas La Stamate". Naturally, there are no signs – we have to ask. Igor sets the price for a room – MDL 300. We could not have found a better place! We are alone in the guesthouse because the hosts sleep in a summer house. Peace and silence, bathroom right next to our room, and a big garden. We take a bath and go sightseeing. Down below, the sinuous river Raut carved a big, deep, meander-like ravine in the soft shell-limestone soil. One of the most compelling architectural monuments in Old Orhei is the cave monastery. It can be entered through an underground tunnel that begins under the belfry. We come across a monk focused on his prayer. It is the first time we are in the heart of a functioning monastery. From the top of the rock, there is an unbelievable view over the canyon. Just imagine that not so long ago, the only way to reach the monastery was to climb a rope! On leaving, we put our offering in a box provided. We walk back to our hosts, who welcome us with a table full of food: a jug of red wine from their cellar, nuts, butter, sheep cheese, a hot dish made of potatoes and beans, and, last but not least, honey. Everything is home-made! This honey is perhaps the best that we have ever eaten. It smells so good that eating is almost like a sin. The hosts sit down with us, so we can talk about life here and in Poland. We learn that they just opened this guesthouse and that each year the cellar is flooded by the river. She is an anaesthetist and he is a vet, working part-time as a security guard to make ends meet. They have goats, hens, ducks, bees and a big vegetable garden. I do not know how they find enough strength and time to handle it all!

In the morning Igor went to settle the bill. It turned out that the yesterday’s supper and today’s breakfast were free of charge. Moreover, the hosts wish us all the best and we receive from them a bag of apricots and a bottle of home-made wine for the road. Great people! They only charged MDL 30 for a jar of honey that I bought.