I know it is disappointing, but for sure 2010 will be a more optimistic and tremendous year ( I think I heard the same thing about 2009 )

Nevertheless I hope my personal performance bonus will be enough to cover the expenses for the below semlarwhich I just bought and served my colleagues today :

via Chonsa

…and it ended up like this…

…instead of this…

Some details:
- It is a replica build in Poland during 2 years of daily hard work
- It’s all custom, it was used to be a Mercedes 500 SEC from 1988, the car is not aluminum, but some parts are.
- The proportions are the same to the centimeter of the original. The owner was at the showing of the car and measured everything. It only looks smaller on some of the pictures.
- The lights in the original are white also, they turn red when the handbrake is applied. The car is metal with a reinforced floor. During testing someone mentioned that it’s better and stiffer than an original benz.
- The door handles are from a Barchetta and the engine cover form a S400 CDI
- The windows were also custom made, it was hard to make the back and side windows
- They have spent 75.000 euro into this car.

Surprise:

Source: Blabla

The only problem at the Polish customs was that they couldn’t scan my front registration plate:

I suggested them to bring a hair dryer or to use their brains and have a look at the back registration plate – which is usually in Moldova similar to the front one.

It was already 2 AM after passing the Ukrainian-Polish border and I was driving for more than 20 hours with no breaks. Red Bull is perhaps a good energy drink, but the Recaro seats from the Mergedes are definitely not a comfortable bed, so I have decided to spend the night at the closest hotel on my way to Lublin (Poland) – which was a nice hotel at a Shell petrol station – 15 EUR per night including breakfast – what can you expect more after the Ukrainian comedy;)

3. Stage three: Poland-Latvia

I am looking for a famous word, used by Jeremy Clarkson and which would best describe the road from Poland to Latvia…hmm.. astonishing - no way :)… boring – oh yeahh:) !

I was pleasant surprised by very smooth roads in Poland (of course in comparison with the Ukrainian roads), it looks that some of the EU (real EU) funds reached the final destination and passed through the Czech and Polish tunnels (google is full of definitions for the Czech expression of “tunneling”).

Why boring ? because the road maintaining services (whatever you call them po polski) were so fast in cleaning the road and respectively pouring the salt on the road, that I couldn’t even check the dancing skills of the Mercedes in the curves.

Nevertheless driving on icy roads in Poland and seeing so many accidents was quite stressful. Maximum speed around 70 km/h, accident after accident – really difficult to drive.

The first impression about Lithuania is ….empty :). With the Eastern EU enlargement of course the customs between Poland and Lithuania was removed, but when you enter Lithuania you have those empty customs buildings and almost ruined over the past years, which creates the impression that you have arrived in Chernobyl.
Speaking of nuclear power plants, Lithuania agreed to close its only nuclear plant as part of its accession agreement to the European Union. The nuclear plant accounted for 25% of Lithuania’s electricity generating capacity and supplied about 70% of Lithuania’s electrical demand it was closed on 31 December 2009. Now guess what happened?! You don’t need to have two Master’s degrees to figure out which country will have to pay a higher price for electricity. For this reason I support Moldova’s full independence and no rush for EU integration. Go Moldova, become a second Switzerland in Europe ;).

Weather conditions in Lithuania were slightly better, which allowed to increase the speed and reach Riga in a very short period of time.
Riga is as usually is a lovely place to be. I will not refer to too many details, since I have already dedicated several articles to this Swedish metropolis, ohh sorry, Latvian capital city on my blog;).

4. Stage four: Riga – Stockholm

13th of January, 17:30 sharp
Riga – Stockholm
Route operated by Tallink
Ferry name: Romantika

Parking and leaving the car on the deck was not an option for me, but it was the only choice – they don’t allow passengers to take their cars in their cabins ;). I was little bit anxious, since it is a route in the Baltic Sea and I thought the cars may scratch each other during the trip. However the people working on the deck took care of everything – putting some bubble gums in front of each tyre and make sure that the cars don’t make a single move. I was feeling even more comfortable when I saw in front of my car a Mercedes E420 and on the left side a Mercedes CLS 55 AMG :). The only problem was the Golf Mark III from the right side – but I am not racist, so I left it as it is ;).

Taking a ferry over the Baltic Sea to Sweden I would strongly recommend. Especially I would recommend the ferry Romantika, which is the newest ferry on this route. The tickets are not very expensive, considering the distance, money you save on petrol and in which comfort you are traveling: 50 EUR for the car place and 30 EUR for a bed in a 2 place cabin.

The problem is that the tickets for the cars are completely oversold, so it is difficult to find a spare place for the car during a short period of time.

The ferry reached Stockholm just in time – 9:30, sometimes you are really impressed by this Swiss exactness, oh sorry Swedish :).

The only last complication was when the Swedish customs stopped me for a short admiring of the car:
“Wau, first Moldovan car in Sweden”

Officer:
Did you drink on the ferry, Sir ?

Ion:
I wish, No, Sir

Officer:
Please breathe in the pipe.

Ion:
But, I said No (sometimes Swedes are not so naive as you expect

Officer:
Welcome and have a nice vacation in Sweden!

Ion:
I wish again Sir, since my vacation ended 1 day before coming back to Stockholm

Happy End!

Route: Moldova > EU (to be read in the whole post as Eroded Ukraine) > Pooland > Lithiumania > Latvia > Baltic sea > Swengland.

3 means of transportation :
1. Car (if you can call a Mergedes E220 a car).
2. Homo sapient (Ion during navigation problems in Lvov (EU) and the customs between EU and Pooland)
3. Romantika ferry between Riga and Stockholm.

3 types of fuel:
1. ‘95-’98 year petrol for the Mergedes.
2. 3 Red bulls for the Homo sapient.
3. 40% Alchohol preferably for all the cruisers on Romantika ferry.

Leaving all the jokes on a side I would never recommend this route to anybody, especially during the winter and more dangerously driving alone. But when you were born in the United Kingdom of Moldova, where the only flights organized by the local rural state-owned international transglobal air company is to Pyongyang and Havana, then of course the only way going to Sweden is by car (bicycle was not an option).

First difficult decision – shall a take a viking ship or a Swiss knife:

However considering unnecessary ice-skating capabilities of the XC90 I opted for the Swiss knife:

1. Stage one: Moldova – Ukraine

Besides all the criticism, the roads in Moldova were in really good conditions and if you are not satisfied with their quality have a look at your lovely neighbour. I mean driving in the Western Ukraine it is a suicide for your car. You cannot even call it “driving” – it is just a game of picking and selecting the small wholes out of the big ones.

Traffic signs are missing, or I believe somebody stolen them and build him/herself a fence at home.

Entering EU (sort of) [EU=Eroded Ukraine]:

Average speed in EU (not the real EU) [ignore the hidden advertisement of Lukoil]:

Building a new highway according to the EU standards:

Ukrainian understanding of cleaning the roads during the winter:

Besides all the bad road conditions, it is a country of nice sights…

…and hospitable people: like the ones which helped with the navigation in Lvov (my igo 8 has a map of Lvov from 18th century) or like the ones in the stage two:

2. Stage two: Ukraine-Poland

I was approaching the border between Ukraine and Poland, more exactly the Rava-Ruska customs – one of the busiest customs in Europe – make sure you avoid this customs or you risk to stay in the queue for 2-3 days unless you have some shiny papers or a comprehensive reason! The colour of your passport or the number of stars on the front cover will not provide you any priority!

Stepped out the car and tried to exchange a word in Russian-Ukrainian-Czech-Polish with the poor people which were staying in the cars in front of me. I guess poor was not the appropriate word for this case. I mean how can you stay so calm and live with the idea, that it is normal to stay in the queue for 2-3 days?! And this doesn’t have any connection with the fact that Ukraine will have elections on Sunday or with the fact that Ukrainian custom authorities want to retain some foreigners in the country in order to increase the diversity and number of different nationalities in the country.

Tried to fall asleep for 30 minutes in the car and hoping that the queue of several km will be a queue of several meters. Was too cold to fall asleep so I have decided to go for a short walk to the nearest custom officer. Put my glasses on and prepared a comprehensive speech in order to pass the customs asap.

Ion:
Dear Colleague, I am studying duty law in Sweden and if you let me to pass the customs without waiting in the queue I can manage to catch the ferry from Riga to Stockholm on 13th of January, be in time on the exam which I have on 14th of January and by passing the exam I will finish successfully the university and I will serve with honour the customs authorities in Sweden like you.

Custom officer:
oh really ?! yes, no problems. Let’s go to your car and let’s try driving the opposite lane of the highway

Driving on the opposite way is the only solution to avoid the queue, however is a little bit dangerous, because those who passed the Polish-Ukrainian customs are driving very fast towards you. OK, I turned on the beam of the car and trying to scary out all the others on the highway with the fact that a nerd from Moldova is a kamikaze. I have no words how to describe what I was seeing on the right side – an immense queue, it was so *********** long, that it took me at least several minutes to drive at the speed of 100km/h the entire queue.
With the help of the Ukrainian custom officer I have passed the entire Ukrainian bureaucracy very quickly. I was even a little bit embarrassed for passing so fast and that everybody was treating me like a diplomat. I still have voice of the office in my head: “Please allow this student to pass asap, he is in a hurry to catch the ferry” :).

Polish check was somewhere more demanding and I had to respect the queue of some 50 cars and 2 hours of waiting – Welcome to EU (real EU):

Continue to part II.

This post is dedicated to the Facebook groups Every time I go to IKEA I steal the little wooden pencils! and Vrem IKEA la Durlesti

The article is written after my first purchase at IKEA Stockholm, Kugens Kurva (biggest IKEA store in the world, kind of…they haven’t seen yet the Stejaurul factory outlet in Chişinău ).

IKEA is seen by many as the happiest place on Earth. I have even applied for a happy job in Älmhult (living room of Mr. Ingvar Kamprad). After being recruited as a supply planner and seeing my happy salary I have decided to leave immediately – I guess I am not mature enough to understand that happiness is not only about salary

IKEA is said to have been derived from I-Kill-Y(e)A due to the furniture’s ability to cause heart arrest in people who like popcorn. IKEA makes and sell flat-pack furniture but due to restrictions in the law in many nations are unable to deliver. Many people get around this by driving Volvo station wagons to IKEA and filling them to the brim with gaudy plastic tat made by Lars Larsson and Per Persson and as well Fredrick Fredricksson.

Three geeks getting excited over an IKEA catalog

Nevertheless what better way to spend Saturdays then by carrying a wardrobe through a car park or enjoying a meal of meatballs. IKEA is also a great place to spot the elusive argumentative couple, who can usually be found arguing over lamp shades and the right to bear arms. It has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that the reason for 50% of modern marriages ending in divorce is because those people try to go to IKEA together for a relaxing afternoon.

IKEA self-assembly furniture is made of balsa wood and comes with a small metal key. Instructions are usually of the standard “insert flange A into sprocket ZB-5001C” type. Unfortunately, the instructions are written in Japanese (not English or Swedish, contrary to popular belief), translated to Bulgarian, THEN Swedish, then German, Portuguese and finally Esperanto before being translated into English eaten by a grue. Fun stuff :).

Many Swedes have been banned from IKEA and taken to court for not returning the pencils that are given at the start to help fill in order forms. This created a new sport, which has not been officially named yet, where the participants run into IKEA and attempt to escape without either being caught or purchasing the popular KRAPP piece of furniture.

All of the items featured in IKEA are made with product specifications such as: they are 5 cm too big to fit into a car boot, they are missing at least one vital construction piece, the person who wrote the instructions thought it would be funny to include pictures of other instruction manuals.

IKEA was founded by the Swede Ingvar Kamprad, despite the chronic lack of style in design so typical of the Swedes. The only thing that mattered was supply chain management, namely persuading people to buy stuff directly from a warehouse.

Some tips about your shopping at IKEA:

# Having decided on which of the billions of items sold by IKEA it is that you wish to buy, you will need to visit your local store, which is probably at least 80 Swedish miles away -~800KM.

# Take a pair of binoculars with you, because your item will be on the top shelf of a 70 meters high metal rack.

# Once you have located it, spend another hour attempting to locate a member of staff. They will tell you that, very shortly, a man will come with a ladder and get it down for you. The man will never come :).

Some importants facts about IKEA:

# The royal residence of the Swedish king has only furniture from IKEA.

# Where else can you get meals for 15 SEK in Sweden (25 MLD)? At least at IKEA Korvkiosk.

# IKEA names the furniture after the child labourer who designed and constructed it.

# Apple is suing IKEA over the Apple iKea

Now I guess you are curious, what item I bought from IKEA :

p.s. I have some official videos from IKEA:

Från: Ion Ciorici [mailto:ion@minister.com]
Skickat: den 14 juni 2009 10:49
Till: Bokning HTL
Ämne:

Hello,

Thank you in advance for your kind answer,
Ion Ciorici.

The answers which I recived within the next 24 hours, were simply delicious:).

Dear Mr. Ciorici,
thank you for your email.
I think you mean Switzerland when you write of cows and Alps. We are in Sweden – the big, lovely country in northern Europe. We do not have violet cows, cheese or chocolate, but Stockholm is a beautiful city to spend the holidays. And the surroundings are beautiful too – with the archipelago and breathtaking scenery.
Please let us know if you are interested to come to Sweden and which date you would be interested to stay in Stockholm and we will send you an offer.
Best regards from Stockholm, SWEDEN

**********************

Dear Mr. Ciorici,
I think there is a littel mistake Stockholm is in Sweden not in Switzerland. Alltought we can offer you the room but we need the date of arrivial and departure.
For any questions we will be glad to assist you.
Kind regards!

**********************

Dear Ciorici,
Thank you very much for your inquiry and your interest shown in the Grand Hotel. In order to offer any rates I do need the exact dates due to our rates can change daily.
Concerning the supporting program I think you interchange the countries Sweden and Switzerland – we do have any Alps or Violet cows around.
Kind regards,

**********************

Dear Sir,
thank you for your kind E-Mail.
Before sending you an offer for your inquiry I would kindly let you know that the atraction – Alps and violet cows and normally the good chocolate – are in Switzerland.

Plese confirm that you have planed to visit Sweden in Northern Europe and not Switzerland.
Wishing you a nice day we beg to remain
With kind regards from Stockholm, Sweden (Northern Europe)

**********************

Dear Mr Ciorici
Thank you for your email.
We are sorry, but please check if you really like to stay with us. In Sweden there are no violet cows, there is no cheese and no Alps.
Please get back to us if you really like to stay in Stockholm and not in Switzerland.
Kind regards

**********************

Dear Mr. Ciorici!
If you like to come to Sweden and stay in our hotel we would be pleased to welcome you.
But if you like to see violet cows and Alps you have to travel a few thousand miles more, then you are in Switzerland (small rich country).
Switzerland = Central Europe (next to Germany, Italy, ..)
Sweden = Northern Europe (big country far away from US)
Best regards

Though the route is changed to accommodate various ports of call, the race typically departs Europe in September or October, and in recent years has had either 9 or 10 legs, with in-port races at many of the stopover cities. The current race started in Alicante, Spain, on October 11, 2008. The route for the 2008-2009 race has been altered from previous years to include stopovers in the Middle East and Asia for the first time. Below are the pictures from Stockholm stopover:

“The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again.”
/George Santayana/

A quick question…How often you are waiting for credits of a movie or to see who are the authors of the movie, documentary…I guess, not so often. However considering the situation in my country, trust me, you should be quite brave to create such a documentary and make sure you don’t bring any offence to our dearest MR. President . Of course, the documentary doesn’t bring any political connotation, but still I was quite curious who is behind this creation…

Bingo! Chiril Lucinschi member of the Democratic Party from Moldova and son of Moldova’s second president

I was thinking why Denmark was chosen as an example and why is so much emphasis on physical education, sports halls etc.. but seeing the end of the documentary and that the idea of the documentary belongs to Chiril, everything makes sense.

Chiril indeed finished physics education in Denmark…My next question why Chiril deleted from his profile on Facebook the details about his studies from Denmark (which were available on Facebook before the elections) … to many questions for an amateur detective …anyway nice movie, great initiative!

Source: clip.md

Breathe Freely is the slogan of an unknown and perhaps one of the most beautiful places in the world (of course according to my excellence ) which is called simply – Sigulda.

I have been already 5 times this year to Latvia and all the time I am there I feel like I belong there – for real , it is the place where I find myself. I become speechless all the time I visit new places in this country and I am no wondering why the local authorities are not doing a big effort in promoting the beauty surrounding them – indeed they just want to preserve the places for them and me .

Sigulda is really the place, where the beauty of nature becomes an integral part of the city. I was really amazed by all the things you can do in Sigtuna. Besides visiting the Bird festival, or maybe Opera festival, Gauja National Park, Gutmanis Cave, Krimulda, Sigulda Castle, Turaida Castle you can do any type of sport activities starting with most borring ones to Bungee jumping, bobsledding the vertical wind tunnel Aerodium, or the rope course (the kind of emotion one can experience only in Sigulda).

It is quite difficult to convince my colleagues about the beauty of this place or of this country. Anyway why trying to convince people, which were hanging around only in Stureplan . Nevertheless the photos taken there are really surprising them :

Riga

Jūrmala

Sigulda

…and of course at the end a picture with the photographer :

Prior to arriving in Hong Kong, I was expecting hustle, bustle and the kind of traffic-induced pollution so often found in South-East Asian cities. I anticipated anxiety and confusion; those feelings that so often come hand in hand with visiting an unfamiliar country – the very definition of culture shock itself. However, it was almost immediately clear that this place was different. It wasn’t due to a lack of crowds or traffic though – it just, well, it felt like home. Now, I’ve traveled around quite a bit and it’s rare that I don’t feel any kind of disorientation when visiting a new city. But what was one of the first things I saw upon my arrival? Double-decker buses!

If it’s your first time to go to Hong Kong, you might also be wondering what to expect – perhaps you envisage myriad Jackie Chan Statues and a sprawling packed city full of pollution and noodles? Stereotypes from home can easily invade your perceptions even if you try vehemently to resist. Thankfully, after spending some time in Hong Kong I can tell you this is not the case. Hong Kong is in fact one of the cleanest, most modern cities in the world and despite its relatively small size, there is a surprising lot for visitors to do.

Like many tourists, one of my first stops was the highest point on Hong Kong Island – the place best known as Victoria Peak. Although you can go up The Peak by one of the many distinctive red taxis or even by bus, the most exciting way to get there is by the infamous peak tram. You can’t stay in Hong Kong for long without hearing about the Peak Tram. To fill you in on a bit of history, the tram line was built way back in 1888 by Phineas Kyrie and William Kerfoot Hughes. When they’d first proposed the idea in 1885, everyone had thought that they’d gone insane, but conversely, the tram turned out to be an astounding success and it’s now one of the most memorable landmarks in Hong Kong.

Going up such a steep slope, and believe me – it is steep; the sky scrapers of the city begin to turn on unusual angles as you begin the ascent and your back presses hard against the wooden seats. It’s not the most comfortable of rides that is for sure – and there is no business class I’m afraid, even if you do wave your money around at the ticket office!

Being pulled up the mountain by a thick steel cable, I noticed that some people began to feel a little unsafe during the ride. However, I felt secure with the knowledge that there have been no accidents during all its years of operation – quite a boast considering how long it has been running and probably making it one of the safest ways to travel in the world.

Up on the peak, I was stunned by the panoramic views and noticed that it’s a bit cooler than down in the city. Someone told me that it’s usually about 5 degrees cooler on the peak than down below, which is probably why it has been a popular place to come ever since the British arrived in Hong Kong in the mid-nineteenth century. British company bosses used to build summer houses up on the peak to get away from the intense summer heat and humidity. Now, a modern complex has developed – a galleria shopping mall, entertainment (including a great waxworks museum), restaurants, in fact, it is one of the best places in Hong Kong to visit. I stayed there until it was dark and watched the nightly light show unfold down in the city below.

Unfortunately, my visit to Hong Kong was a short one and I felt like I left all too soon. I didn’t even make it onto one of the infamous Star Ferries during my stay, but still managed to make some panoramas :

1st of April – should be April Fool’s Day – a day invented to honour Dr. April Fools (according to uncyclopedia), but not this year. This year seems to be the year of every other day full of lies and only April Fool’s Day is the only day of the year where absolutely everything you see or hear is true .

Yes, I am now in Moldova and it is not a lie I came to vote and again it’s not a lie. Actually I am voting for the first time in my life and I am convinced that I will vote for a CHANGE – a better or worse CHANGE – time will show. The most important thing is that I have the CHANCE to vote for a CHANGE and I will not miss this CHANCE.

Besides voting, I am glad to be home close to dearest people with really good people from Sverige. I don’t know how many foreigners write Master’s thesis about Moldova, but I am really glad and proud that Johan and Hedvig (alias Johanna or Hedvin or Victoria ) decide to explore this country and I hope that they really had a great time and experience in Moldova – especially at the Central market in Chisinau and hopefully this is not their last time in Moldova.

I will let pictures to speak as usually :

Most beautiful country in the world

Country of contrasts

Johan & Hedvig admiring the history

Most expensive story

Proud house owner

Checking wind/temperature

Mănăstirea Hâncu

Hedvig’s first try to let the surrounding villages (-/+ 20km) that some Swedes came to visit the monastery

An important message from Her Excellence – Princess of Sweden

Amici

Very friendly and hospitable priest

The trip was of course very peaceful, except one small cross-cultural issue

In the end some photos with the local star

Next article will be written from Hong Kong, so be prepared for some spicy words ;).

P.S. some thousands fo photos from this trip are HERE.

Why not joining the ARMY*? Army is cool and is like a big parade ! If you join the army and become a Scout Trooper, you get paid, you get a cool gun and of course you don’t pay tax!

You get free training, free food, free accommodation, and a free funeral (how encouraging) for the entire period of your service, and a military pension afterwards (if you don’t die).

You can then spend the rest of your life with two cats and talking about the huge sacrifice you made to your country. You also get to tell civilians that you know more than they possibly can about the complexities of defence policy. You can also make fun of the Navy because they are a bunch of pansies who have it so much easier than you, (because the Navy is for pansies)

So how about to become a Scout Trooper :

As you can I was trying to avoid taxes as well in Denmark and Norway

*The term ARMY is a backwards acronym for Yes. My. Retarded. Ass. or Aren’t Ready to be Marines Yet. This term ARMY is also known as the ASSKICKERS – a large collection of brave men (but not brave enough), women and others who defend any country from such hazards as “armies” which are evil organizations of trained killers which exist in foreign countries.

First of all, everything you need (and don’t need) to know about The Glorious Nation of Latvia is to add all the time everywhere possible an “s”, especially at the end of the words and trust me, you will be fluently in Latvian

It is not a secret that Latvia is located near Stoneya and Lithiumania and the people of Latvian ethnicity are currently enjoying the countless benefits of the marvelous European Union – in other words, being able to eat french fries after years of suppression and persecution, also the ability to warp to Great Britain, Ireland, Spain and other EU countries such as Uzbekistan.

Referring to financial crisis, I guess the only survivors will be the Latvian banks, known as the world’s largest exporters of virtual credit cards, which are only useful for purchasing imaginary power to operate the virtual memory of PC’s .

Anyway no more bull**iting and below are some pictures :

…a here is the evidence of the crisis:

more pics HERE

two beers or not: Todd & Ian

Candidates for “Meet the Fockers – 3″

waiting for bonuses

My team

As the gasses erupt from 3000 meters-deep towards the surface, through the underground layers of clay and water, they push up underground salty water and mud, so that they overflow through the mouths of the volcanoes, while the gas emerges as bubbles. The mud dries off at the surface, creating a relatively solid conical structure, resembling a real volcano. The mud expelled by them is cold, as it comes from inside the Earth’s continental crust layers, and not from the mantle.

The reservation is unique in Romania. Elsewhere in Europe, similar phenomena can be observed in Italy (northern Apennines and Sicily), Ukraine (in the Kerch Peninsula), as well as Azerbaijan.

The mud volcanoes create a strange lunar landscape, due to the absence of vegetation around the cones. Vegetation is scarce because the soil is very salty, an environmental condition in which few plants can survive.

Fram (”Forward”) is a ship that was used in expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup, Oscar Wisting, and Roald Amundsen between 1893 and 1912. Fram was probably the strongest wooden ship ever built. It was designed by the Norwegian shipwright Colin Archer for Fridtjof Nansen’s 1893 Arctic expedition in which Fram was supposed to freeze into the Arctic ice sheet and float with it over the North Pole.