Getting arrested abroad is something you should always avoid. It all took place last summer, while staying in Tiraspol for a couple of days. But with a piece of registration paper that we had to bring to the police office the day after, we were sent off again as if everything was cool. My friend was quick to find out however that not all is what it seems. Like a true tourist he took a picture of the coat of arms positioned on top of the entrance gate into Transnistria.
For this time we got away…. So, continuing our journey, passing through the city Bender we then crossed a bridge. I spotted several defensive trenches and one armoured vehicle pointing its mounted gun towards the direction of Bender.
After crossing the bridge, we continued our journey with our driver into the city of Tiraspol. Not knowing it yet, we were passing a large Russian military base. I would find out days later…. Anyway, one day me and my friend decided to head back to the bridge at Bender to have a better look at the Russian soldiers.
They were friendly, asking for souvenirs from The Netherlands but due to the language barrier I figured there was no point of standing there for too long. After a quick swim in the river underneath, me and my friend headed back towards Tiraspol. On our way, we took the usual touristy snapshots , had a stare at the Sheriff stadium from the outside, and continued our way walking back to Tiraspol.
The day was getting to an end so we were on our way back to our host. Then, on the left I spotted a wall painting of what appears to be a soldier. I realised I had seen that picture before in a newspaper , so I did not hesitate to pull out my camera.
