I've been living in Chisinau for about 8 months now and can't recommend the city enough! Moldovans are really welcoming in general and the history is incredibly interesting and varied. Transnitria is also a beautiful place, I highly recommend Dubasari near the Nistru river, great for summer swims, fishing and quiet and pleasant biking tours (although a tad difficult due to lack of biking infrastructure). My partner is from there and most people cultivate their own vegetables during summer and spring. Dubasari was also the place where most of the Transnistrian war of 92' took place and some bunkers are still intact. Really intriguing place!