Moldova has been enjoyable.
Some ramblings, in no particular order:
Fuel. We filled our tanks to the brim at a cost of £0.88/l. Wow!
Bus stops. These support what seems to be a very comprehensive bus service. People clearly use public transport a great deal. We saw all manner of buses from small vans in rural areas to large coaches in cities, which - rather elegantly - used pantographs to connect to overhead power wires. Within this context, bus stops are clearly a big deal. Many older ones are adorned in ceramic tiles forming highly complex patterns; newer ones are brightly painted and clearly lovingly maintained. Nearly all have the year of build displayed. To UK eyes, it's an odd but charming thing to cherish.
Rubbish. There's lots of it, but it's not as bad as Montenegro. Many rural villages seem to have an area set aside that's just, well, an open tip. Rubbish is also clearly burned on a grand scale seemingly as a matter of formal routine.
Tourism. There isn't much at all in terms of formal tourism marketing or outreach. It was difficult to find much info in advance and, once here, things weren't particularly accessible on the ground, either. English isn't a priority and tourism doesn't appear to be viewed as much of a money-spinner. It would appear from a quick Google search that Moldova is, in fact, the least-touristed country in Europe.
Roads. Bad! Lots are in very poor repair and the ones that aren't are a mixed bag. Sometimes progress is relatively untrammeled, other times it's a riot of fast and sometimes hair-raising driving. We didn't encounter aggression or intolerance, but some of the manoeuvres we witnessed were just nuts. People would appear to be happy to hurt themselves in crashes without first being whipped up into a fizz here.
Natural history. The countryside is rolling, and sometimes very steeply so. There's no particularly high ground anywhere. Most of the countryside we saw was heavily arable, but there were also some decent woodlands and tracts of unmanaged scrub. Flora and fauna is diverse, rich and interesting.
People. Stoic and expressionless. Almost everyone we encountered simply nothinged us. At no time did we ever feel in any way under threat or scrutiny. Some people were obviously interested in the truck, but apart from the young couple already mentioned, no one made any attempt to approach us. Smiling doesn't seem to be allowed.
Domestic pets and welfare. Not a massive priority, it would seem. We saw lots of stray cats and dogs and more than a few roadside casualties. It's a bit like Romania in this regard.
Shooting. It doesn't seem to be a thing. After routinely encountering countless hunters and shooting platforms throughout most of Europe and Scandinavia, it was nice to see that blasting wildlife to bits doesn't seem to be a recreational pursuit here. Again, a bit like Romania. (A paradox writ large apropos the aforementioned cats and dogs.)
Civic pride. In spite of the aforementioned dumps, there's lots of evidence that, at the local level at least, many people are making an effort with their personal and public spaces. The UK is more skanky at street level. At national level, there are signs everywhere urging pride in the country and reminding citizens of an aspiration to join the EU in 2030. I imagine a certain murderous president not too far away is none too happy with this idea.
Wells. There are loads, everywhere. Some are even adorned with structures that make them look like giant pails and jugs etc. Fresh water on tap, though not literally. Lower the supplied shiny galvanised bucket, fill, recover the bucket, slake and enjoy!
Walnuts. There are walnut trees everywhere, even alongside roads and tracks through urban areas. They are very encroachy, and often create a constrictive tunnel of vegetation that simply can't be avoided in larger vehicles. Sometimes, we found branches that were pretty sturdy and put up a bit of a fight as I eased the truck through them. We were OK but I will need to break out the T-Cut on our return to polish scrawks off the fibreglass. This is not a good place to bring a truck with unprotected windows or a £5000 paint job. Ours has neither of these things.
Overnighting spots. As long as due respect is demonstrated, there's a de-facto culture that allows you to drive and camp pretty much anywhere. We'd sort of sussed this out anyway, but it was confirmed by the young couple we met at the monastery.
Camping cars. In all the time we were in the country we only saw two panel van conversions and no motorhomes whatsoever. There were certainly no overlanding trucks.
Summing up. We were expecting something very similar to (and almost an extension of) Romania but we we were wholly wrong. Moldova has a strong and individual identity. It's pretty cool.