Sadly, I’m far busier these days than I’d like to be, so I haven’t been able to write about the topics that are on my mind.
Today, however, I thought I’d translate a news story from this part of the world just as a reminder that sometimes the big stories are informed by the little ones.
Everything between the lines is my translation.
He Heard Some Sounds in the Cellar
A tragic story out of Tiraspol. One man snuck into his friend’s cellar in order to taste his homemade wine but became intoxicated by carbon dioxide. The property owner tried to save him but also was overwhelmed by the fumes.
A 56-year-old man asked the owner of a vacation home, which had a cellar, if he could taste some of his homemade wine. But the property owner refused. Nonetheless, the man could not pass up a chance to taste the wine, so when the property owner stepped away for a minute to talk to someone else, he snuck into the cellar.
He then passed out and began to suffocate. The property owner, aged 52, heard noises coming from the cellar so he rushed downstairs. But when he too began to suffocate but managed to call the fire and rescue service.
The Tiraspol press reports that the emergency responders had to wear breathing gear in order to pull the two men out of the cellar. Unfortunately, the man who wanted to taste the homemade wine was dead, but the property owner was taken to the hospital.
On a side note, there is a huge sign down in the Central Market which I have regrettably not yet photographed that says, “It is illegal to sell alcoholic beverages”.
Nonetheless, there are a small group of people who whisper “homemade wine” to you as you pass by, more than willing to sell some of that delicious drink that, sadly, cost one man in Tiraspol his life.
Welcome to Moldova, kids!
All Things Romania 