Minsk
Belarus is like no other place I've visited. As soon as I arrived it just felt different. It's not the old Soviet architecture it's more the people. There's a feeling of calmness everywhere you go. There's no raised voices nor running around, just plenty of smiles. The place is as clean as a whistle and jay-walking completely out of the question. In all the time I was there I didn't hear one other native English speaker.
A full collection of photos from the trip are on Flikr
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| The Opera Theater |
Guinness
I was afraid that I'd find it difficult to find a Guinness in Minsk but I needn't have worried. There was a plentiful supply there for those who want to go looking for it. Before I set off I'd done a of research and contacted the Clever Irish Bar and had been assured it was well stocked with Guinness. Indeed it was and on arrival I had a very warm welcome from Stanislav who handles the PR for the bar and his friends.
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| Sharing a Guinness with Stanislav who picks out Yerevan, Arminia, as my next destination. |
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| Whiskey, football scarves and ............ women's underwear? |
I found that there was plenty to do in both Minsk in the time I was there. I mainly walked between the sights with just the occasional use of the metro. There's lots of the usual churches and Soviet style buildings but perhaps what I was most taken by were the sculptures.
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| I may not be a circus fan but I liked this sculpture. |
I used both the Bradt guide and my hobby of Geocaching to dictate my route. The best geocache I found was Bennies Belarus Box which took me to the Island of Tears and then St. Maria Magdalena Church.
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| Island of Teats, a moving memorial to those that lost their lives in Afghanistan |
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| Mary Magdelene church |
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| National Library of Belarus |
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| Brest Fortress |
Getting There and Around
Belarus is a fascinating country to visit, quite unlike any other European country I've ever been to. It is however one of the few countries that people from the UK still require a visa to visit. This is normally relatively straightforward, unless like me you make a number of administrative mistakes and end up having to pay twice. Eventually I get it right. I used Prime Tour in Minsk to help with the arrangements and also relied heavily on the well-written Bradt guide to Belarus.
Flights directly to Minsk are quite pricey so I choose to fly with a budget airline to Kanaus in Lithuania and on my return via Katowice in Poland. To get to Minsk from Lithuania I was forced to travel by bus after being informed that the train was fully booked.
Within Belarus I traveled by train from Minsk to Brest sharing the journey with some delightful Belorussians. Finally I travel from Brest to Katowice on a Russian sleeper train inspired by reading an interesting article in 'hidden europe' magazine.
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| The Moscow to Nice train - my overnight accommodation on the way out of Belarus. |
So much of this country is quirky from the point of view of an outsider. At midnight, in Brest Station, whilst killing time for my train to Poland in the ornate waiting room with its giant golden chandeliers I met a few different sides of human nature. I'd already visited the currency exchange to change my remaining Rubles into Euros when I remembered I needed a pee. I was accosted on exiting the toilet by the attendant who berated me for not being able to hand over the full fee and short changing her by 100 rubles ( about 0.4p). When I wandered outside to find the right platform I obviously turned the wrong way and bumped into an official who asked to see my ticket. He led me away as if for further questioning but was in fact very kindly walking me a fair way to where I should have been, the International Departure Lounge. He shook my hand and wished me a pleasant journey.
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| Saint Nicholas church Brest |
Accommodation
In Minsk I stayed three nights in the 40 Let Pobyedi (40th Anniversary of Victory Day) Hotel. It's at the lower end of the price range of Minsk hotels but was perfectly adequate for me. You sit and eat your breakfast watching the military personnel arriving for work at their offices opposite. There a lot of saluting going on.
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| 40 Let Pobyedi Hotel in Minsk |
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| Pyat Kolets Hotel in Brest - handy for a game. |
Once again another trip goes by without me truly sampling the local cuisine. I thought one night I was inside a Belorussian restaurant only to find it more of a German bierkeller. My favorite food of the trip was had in the excellent Jules Verne restaurant in Brest where they served some delicious Indian cuisine. The Times Cafe in Brest served up a sumptuous breakfast.
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| The potato pancake on this tasty breakfast was the closest I got the Belarus cuisine |
As a somewhat nervous independent traveler with few linguistic skills, I left feeling a sense of achievement and having had an adventure in a country that uses the Cyrillic alphabet and not much English is spoken. At no time however did it feel unsafe, in fact quite the opposite.
