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the Degree Confluence Project
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Moldova

5.6 km (3.5 miles) ESE of Gribova, Drochia, Moldova
Approx. altitude: 225 m (738 ft)
([?] maps: Google MapQuest OpenStreetMap ConfluenceNavigator)
Antipode: 48°S 152°W

Accuracy: 10 m (32 ft)
Quality: good

Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

#2: from the confluence in direction of drochia #3: from the confluence to the north #4: blurry gps pic #5: racing between the cornfields (on the way back) #6: our driver and car (250m from the confluence) #7: the visitors

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  48°N 28°E  

#1: the confluence, distance 90 m

(visited by Philipp Funovits and Anna Steiner)

11-Aug-2004 -- This was the third confluence we visited this Summer. We expected no difficulties, as the topography of Moldavia is rather benevolent: most of it is farmland, soft hills or outright flat. We started our Journey in Chisinau, and took the Bus to Drochia, a small village about ten kilometers from the confluence, and famous for its orthodox cathedral. From there we could have taken another bus bringing us within 3 kilometers distance. But the Schedule for the local bus was rather unfortunate: we would have missed the last bus back to Chisinau. Since we wanted to go back on the same day, we took a taxi. Most Moldavians speak just Russian next to Romanian, some of them know French, English language skills are not at all common. Our knowledge of both, Russian and Romanian is rudimentary, so we were prepared for a lengthy and perhaps rather frustrating discussion. Usually it took some time to explain what we were after. We were always met with curiosity, and had to answer a lot of questions. Not so this time: We showed the driver our map, the confluence marked with a circle, and our gps device. He nodded (once), we negotiated a price, and went off. In Moldavia, still many of the cars don't operate with gasoline, but liquid petroleum gas. Our taxi was one of them, about thirty years old Lada, running on propane. Our driver was of an astonishing stone faced coolness: he stopped for nothing and no one. When the gps indicated it, he left the tarmac road and raced at 70 km/h down the muddy tracks we had to use from then on. He would never even slow down, no matter what blocked the road, the occasional cattle herd or horse cart had to leave the track, fast. When finally the mud track leading in direction of the confluence ended, we started to walk the last couple of hundred meters. But ten minutes after our departure from the car, our driver picked us up again: he had found a detour, and another track leading in the right direction, and the race continued at the same insane speed as before. At the end the engine of the tortured antique Lada died off a few times, which of course didn't seem to concern our driver the least bit. In the end we had just walk the last 250 meters. The confluence is at the side of one of the huge corn fields which dominate the area.


 All pictures
#1: the confluence, distance 90 m
#2: from the confluence in direction of drochia
#3: from the confluence to the north
#4: blurry gps pic
#5: racing between the cornfields (on the way back)
#6: our driver and car (250m from the confluence)
#7: the visitors
ALL: All pictures on one page