This "Country" is the Last Stronghold of the Soviet Union (Transnistria)

What do you think of Transnistria? 🤔 Do unrecognised countries also fascinate you? 😲 Support this channel and become a member to get access to these perks: youtube.com/channel/UCnrHlFu6ZueDosGPt9R3nHw/join

That's so odd seeing your home country from this perspective. Seeing streets of Tiraspol from the eyes of the tourists. Same places I used to walk by when living there for a year. Myself being from the northern part of the country, the small town of Camenca. Things that are so normal to you and so new and weird for the foreigners. Thank you for this video, for shading some light upon my home :)

Thank you guys for a good feedback about my small country, I really was surprised to see my house on the video (Karl Marx Street) 🙂 Have a great travel trip in the future!

Although Americans tend to be historically western Eurocentric, we are not very knowledgeable about eastern Europe. Your travels have improved my knowledge about that area of the world a lot. I've paid more attention to world affairs than the average American, and I had never even heard of Transnistria before watching this video. Thanks for what you do... Also, it's nice to have a view of Russian citizens, such as yourselves. Our predominant view of Russians is that of your politicians and bureaucrats. It's nice to see Russians revealed as just nice, interesting, polite people engaged with the rest of the world.

I love Transnistria and have visited several times. It is unfortunate you did not show it in the summer when all the plants are in bloom. I think what is just as important as what you showed is what people do not see. The streets are clean, no graphite, people are so friendly and it is safe for the children to play outside like it used to be in the USA. It is rare to see a policeman and can go 2 weeks without ever seeing one. When you do they are probably directing traffic for an event and not carrying a weapon or dressed like a navy seal. Young people are polite and well behaved and not wearing their pants down halfway to their knees showing their underwear. It is like stepping back into a Norman Rockwell painting but it is real. You can walk anywhere there at any time day or night and be safe. I love your analogy of the ants in the jar. Why are we in the United States constantly at war? We shake the jar.

I’m very grateful to have stumbled upon your channel. You are both extremely charming and likeable and your videos are fascinating. I’ve never even heard of Transnistria. Thank you so much for taking us to places we would never be able to see ourselves.

This is the second unrecognized country I've been introduced to in the last week. I had never even known these situations exist. I watch 3 traveling couples, but you are the most down-to-earth and informative ones! Your videos are top quality filming and editing! I hope you have great holidays!

The main wealth here in Transnistria is people. Kind, hardworking, not discouraged by problems. I am proud to have been born and raised here. Thanks to the authors for the story about this land. If you come again - I advise you not to stop only in Tiraspol - there are a lot of beautiful and interesting things in different parts of the small republic.

Cool video Matt and Julia, its great to see this little isolated 'country' actually seems to function quite well and the people are friendly and kind. Best wishes from New Zealand and Merry Christmas !

Fascinating! I've seen other videos of Transnistria but they have seemed depressing and sad. Yours showed a place better than many other countries I've seen! Thanks for your perspective.

I love the conversations you have about where you are filming…Fabby vlog again thank you…have a good weekend…Louise x

It's really so cool to be able to see these parts of the world. Thanks for sharing this with everyone. Bless your travels.

First off, I do want to say that I throughly enjoy watching your trips across a parts of the world that I spent a fair amount of time back in the mid-90s and I do understand that you’ve got to censor yourselves on what you say or you won’t be able to continue this videos, but…. As for ‘everyone’ being part of the old SU, the vast, vast majority didn’t want to be together - the majority didn’t have a choice, they were forced to be together. During the Russian Civil war from 1917 to the 1920’s, look at all the ethnicities/regions/countries that tried to go on their own and to be free from Russia - some succeed but many failed. Only Poland, which had to defeat the Soviets at the very gates of Warsaw, the Finns (who had to fight 3! wars against the Soviets) and the Baltics succeeded in the 1920s. Ukraine failed in 1918, Georgia failed, Armenia failed, Turkmenistan failed, Moldavia failed, Caucasus failed, Azerbaijan failed, the list goes on and on. I have little doubt that there are many regions in Russia today, where the people are not ethnic Russian, would leap at the chance to be independent and free. It’s this same ‘nostalgia’, mainly by Russians, for the past that’s causing the war in Ukraine today. I don’t hear anyone in Warsaw or Helsinki or Yerevan saying, man I wish we were still part of Russia/Soviet Union….. Peace.

Excellent editing and production! Thanks for another video.

Another stunning video guys. Thank you, guys, for the effort and hard work it takes to put out a video. As Always, we love you guys dearly. Sending you much love❤❤❤ from Richmond, Va. Harriet, Jim and Yuki

This is fascinating. I love you guyses content, but the lack of acknowledgement of Russia's invasion of Ukraine – which is just a few miles away from Tiraspol!! – is weird. It's like you are helping Kremlin propaganda distort reality by pretending that this huge, horrible thing is not happening. I don't know if you are worried about upsetting (or putting at risk) Julia's family in Russia, or if you are worried that being straight will damage your ability to travel, or will turn away some of your viewers, or if you are, indeed, siding with Kremlin in its genocidal war against Ukraine and, frankly, against its own people (I hope not). I would love to keep watching your videos, so I would love it if you could clarify this.

Really interesting video. Who knew this "country" existed! I also enjoy watching you sample (with envy) the local cuisine from all the places you visit. Merry Christmas!

It is a bit like stepping into another world, it seems! Such an interesting video, it's a shame the locals were a bit camera-shy, but I'm sure you had great conversations regardless. 🥰 Some years ago I knew a romanian lady, she always made that chocolate salami, it was great! Very sweet and very filling, I could never eat much of it, but it was sooooo yummy 😍 I hope you're both having a really nice advent time, big hugs! 🤗🎄

hi, guys. thank you so much for the work you are doing, in sharing your experiences places which are not so known or visited in eastern europe. i am originally from Chisinau, and i greatly appreciate it. nevertheless, in the context of current international events, i want to say some things, regarding your words about the soviet family. soviet union expanded so much as result of 2WW not cause the eastern front was fighting together against nazi germany. at least in case of moldova, the territory was taken forcefully from romania. it wasn't at all a democratic choice of the people. and i suppose it was similar in case of other countries/nationalities. and judging by the speed of soviet union fall, everyone was just expecting the moment to declare itself independent, because noone wanted to be in it. individual citizens of the soviet union might have acted like family and lots of the people who lived there and are still alive romanticize the good life they've had back then. but no family member ever goes to another family and kidnaps a member from it. no family ever steals food from other family members and let's them starve. no family member takes another to a concentration camp. and no family member ever tries to erase the history and national identity of another family member. would be good to be aware of such sensitive historical and cultural matters before romanticizing the past. i am sure you didn't mean it in a bad way, and i hope i didn't destroy the good vibes of this comment section. transnistria is such a sensitive topic for moldova's internal affairs (and since we want to integrate in european union, also external affairs), and it was artificially created by kremlin to keep moldova dependent, and to keep it from developing on its own.

This was fascinating! I have never heard of this country, like most people. Thank you for sharing this amazing country with us. Awesome job on the video Matt & Julia.