Bottling At Kvint

 After the fortress at Tighina, we went to the Kvint distillery in Tiraspol.  Here are some pictures of the bottling process.  They were doing the bottling as we went through this time.  It was interesting (if loud) to watch.  A lot more handwork than usual.

Making A Branch

Both the branch and the peacock got some work done this time.  The branch is coming down in a new direction, so it's interesting to work on.

Back To Pegas

 Pegas for dinner is usually a good time.  This time was no different.  We had their pear brie, which is always excellent.  I had mushroom soup, which is obviously freshly made, and Andreas had the rabbit pasta.  I think that might be his favorite dish, period.  I had a steak and a skewer of mushrooms, topping everything off with a cappucino.  

The steak was slightly tough, but it was huge and more than enough for two meals.  I do wish, though, that they'd offer sauces or marinades for their meats.

Greening Up

I've got the right half under control and am greening it up now.  Even putting some green on the lamp post.

The Other Pattern

I've started the other pattern in the upper right.  Yay progress!

Egg Collecting

 Well, now that I have several, I suppose I'm a painted and beaded and dyed egg collector.  These ones are wooden and about the size of goose eggs. All completely hand painted, too!

One Small Table, Ten People

 On Orthodox Easter Sunday, we went to visit Liuba and Erin out in Zubresti.  Easter is the biggest holiday in the Orthodox tradition, bigger than Christmas.  The celebration actually starts at midnight, with a continuous church service from then until dawn.  People then go home for a couple of hours, break the fast they've been keeping since Friday morning, and bring their food to  the church to get blessed.  After that, it's feasting time.

We had ten people around this very small table.  As you can see, it's piled with food.  I'm not sure exactly how Liuba managed to fit everything on it.  All food served on Easter Sunday is col.  The food served on Monday is hot.  Easter goes on for three days.

Everything tasted wonderful, from the chicken aspic to the smoked sausages.  All eggs were boiled and dyed red.  We were each given one in the memory of a dead relative.  Then, we had "wars" to see whose egg shell was strongest.  Mine lasted a couple of rounds.  Lots of liquor was served, including vodka, homemade champagne, and homemade white and red wines.  There was also a homemade walnut liqueur that was ... interesting.

 About halfway through the feast, we had dessert - ice cream with homemade raspberry preserves on it.  This was not the end of the meal, however.  We also had cherry crepe tortes and bonbons.  We also had more food, including beaten meat (the Moldovan equivalent of a cold chicken fried pork steak) and terrine.  We sat at that table for seven hours.  It was an awesome experience and I want to thank Liuba again for her hospitality.