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Marina outside Stary Mensk
Lonely says this the best restaurent in Minsk but it always full..So who knows????????????Woke up at 5pm, I felt really hung over, after a few too many beers at quiz night. We did not win again; the Dog (my great and wild living friend) was looking up the answers on his mobile phone and we still came third. The driver was a talker who never shut up all the way up to the airport...”Where are you going mate?” “Prague” I told him, which was kind of the truth. I really could not face his questions about Belarus. “Yeah just going on a stag night with team Moston”...I gave him a 2 pound tip and he was happy.
I had to change planes in Prague, the first time I went to Prague was with my old travelling partner Jeff in 1992 and the Airport had really changed since them days, it was now full of hung over gangs of lads with t-shirts, saying things like “Mick’s Stag party” I made my connexion in great time and a smooth flight to Minsk.
Arriving in Minsk I had to buy my Visa before I could enter the country, I presented my documents, my letter of vitiation ($50 from the internet). The 2 guys sit in the booth
Death star..
Where is R2D2 when you need him?
had no record of me; they made a few phone calls, double checked my application form, and then double checked them again. A big queue built up behind me but then they started stamping my form and I knew that I was gonna be ok. I paid my 50 US dollars and I was free to enter, I walked down the stairs to passport control.
At the bottom of the stairs I had to buy health insurance (I already had travel insurance) I told them this but they insisted I had to buy it. It was only 4 Dollars so I wasn’t bothered.
I enter the Arrivals hall and there is my Lovely Wife Marina waiting for me. She is with Alexander (the guy from the net who sorted out my visa invitation and has found us an apartment for $10 a night) The drive from the Airport is very long, I sit in the back of the car and hold hands with Marina, it has been months since I last saw her and I am like a nervous, shy school boy sat next to her in the car. We arrive at our apartment it is a typical Soviet built
Im in a wide open space
A cool guy in a big square...Living life on the edge.
in the middle of many other ones; we are staying on the outskirts of town. Outside of the entrance is a playground with swings and a sandpit. There is a Table tennis table and a few kids are playing ping pong but alas they have no net instead they have only house bricks turned on there sides.
The owner Galina is a very nice woman who speaks absolutely no English, she chats to Marina but I can tell she likes me and during our stay there she treats me like long lost song. Our room is fine but is our fold out Sofa bed is very uncomfortable; I am sleeping on the edge. I don’t mind living life on the Edge but not sleeping on the edge.
We are both hungry so we catch a Mini bus (number 55) to "Stary Mensk" which is recommend by "Lonely Planet" as the best restaurant in Minsk. We found in easily, it is in Victory Square opposite The monument, with its star-topped spire and eternal flame it is Spectacular Monument, the Restaurant is full so we went to “Cafe Gourmand" which turns out to fantastic and is by far the best restaurant in
Ermm this is a cool painting
Soviet Art is the best ever...
the whole of Belarus.
The next day we explored Minsk, on the way to centre we stop at the new Library, wow it is the most amazing building I have ever seen. It looks the Death Star from Star Wars. We walk around the centre exploring the wide Boulevards, I notice how clean and free from advertising the place which is so refreshing, but there is a McDonalds ( which is always packed out) It is a big a day in England in football terms "Man Utd are Playing Chelsea, Chelsea only need one point to clinch the Premiership Title. According to "In your pocket guide" there is an Irish Bar. We search long and hard for this bar but it was no where to be found. So no football, which was just as well because we got stuffed 3-0. That evening we went to the “Beatles Café”. It was far out from centre, and we had to get the metro and a bus to get there but it was worth, it had a massive painting of the Abbey Rd album on the wall and a stage with cardboard cut outs of the Beatles, they were obviously playing Beatles songs
Downtown Minsk
See me walking around im the boy about town that you heard of..See me walking the streets on im on top of the world that you heard of
but they were all had recorded and remixed and they sounded great. It is a shame that is so far out of the centre that not many tourists will get to go in there.
The next day was spent exploring the Great Patriotic war museum which is brilliant and then in the evening we went to watch Dynamo Minsk Playing Dynamo Adaper, it was a cold day and we bought tea and a kebab and took our seats in the stands. Soldiers at the bottom of stand stood and stared at the crowd. (It was not a great place for anyone feeling Paranoid) The stadium was half empty, behind the net was the Dynamo Minsk hooligans, I knew this because they had a big flag saying so (in English). They was singing and chanting and was more interesting watching than the football game. Minsk scored a few minutes before the half time. We decided (wisely) to not stay for the second half because it is too cold.
The next day went to the Train Station to catch our Train to Brest; we have made a booking for Hotel Intourist. The 5-hour train journey was fine except for the wooden
seats. I have a numb bum by the time we reach Brest. We checked in to our hotel, and we ask a taxi driver to take us to nice restaurant as we were both staving. He takes us far out in to the countryside. We make our order, and the waiter brings my beer but it is warm, Marina complains on my behalf. The Waiter takes my beer away, I sit waiting for a new beer for 10 minutes but still no new beer appears. I am gagging for a nice cold beer. Marina Complains again, the waiter brings back my beer and its cold because he had put in the fridge.....I drink it one... I want to order another one, but can’t be bothered, it is too much effort. We eat a very average meal and our taxi is waiting outside for us.
In the Morning we took a taxi to the Hero Fortress (the only reason to visit Brest) it is amazing place. When the Germans invaded Russian in 1941, the Soldiers in the Fortress fought the might of the Nazi Army for 0ne month. Check out the photos of fantastic monuments. We visited the Museum and then
Back in the USSR
Best Beatle cafe in the World..ever
walked back towards to Hotel, it starting raining; so we popped in the Railway Museum, which had some cool trains from the Soviet days. We neared the hotel and we was gonna go and explore the centre but we were both tired from all the walking and we went back to our room and both had an afternoon nap. I was starting to feel a little poorly. In the early evening we walked to centre and explore the sights there was not much to see except a statue of Lenin. We went to see a Russian Horror Movie (I can remember the name of it) it started really good, but it was not scary. I think they either ran out of money or ideas at the end cos it went very silly. We found an Internet café that served the best chips in Belarus, we had double helpings.
The next day I felt really bad, Marina went to the big Department store and bought some ham and bread for our 9 hour Journey to Vitebsk (it is very close to the Russian border) We had a four berth compartment which we shared with 2 girls, I slept for a few
Who is this Dancing Fool
Outside Hotel intourist in Brest
hours I had developed a high temperature, we went to the dining wagon, I drank a cup of chopped lemons in a cup of hot water. I ordered some Silanka (soup) but I couldn’t eat it. At just after 11pm went finally arrived at Vitebsk and I felt terrible we got a cab to our hotel but a party of students had arrived and there was no room available, she gave Marina another address and we drove there but alas this full up too. We then went to a Brand new 4 star hotel called Hotel Luchesa, it only cost 40 euros at night and smelt of paint, and it seemed very empty. Our room was great, it was all decorated in Green, the New Order song “Everything gone green” came to mind. It had mini bar, TV, big double bed, Fantastic Bathroom. I opened a bottle of Vodka, after a few glasses I felt a lot better.
The next day we got a bus to the Great patriotic war monument, which is another typical great Soviet work of art. Then we walked to Marc Chagnall museum, he was a great surrealist artist check out website http://www.artelino.com/articles/marc_chagall.asp I could not
really see what all the fuss was about.
Then we had a meal in a nice Cellar Restaurant, we then a got bus to a cinema and bought tickets for the evening showing of “The Brothers Grimm” then we went back to our hotel and chilled out for awhile. It is good movie and I did not make any difference that is all in Russian and I did not understand a word of it.
The next day we caught a bus back to Minsk and back to back to Gloyna’s flat, the kids was outside still playing Table tennis with bricks as nets. She was pleased to see us and it felt we were returning home.
That evening we went to “Cafe Gourmand”; I have been so looking forward to eating here again so much. I made a great choice but sadly Marina made a poor choice and her meal was not so good, oh well shit happens.
Our last day together was spent shopping, well Marina went shopping and I hung around for a bit then I went to the Internet café. I bought a Table tennis set (with a net) for the kids in the park.
In
Oi Big Head
See this Monument before you did..Its that good.. the evening went to see Mission Impossible 3, before the movie started I remembered I had to buy 1000 Marlboro lights for Coggzy. (My chain smoking chum)
We had half an hour to kill before the movie started, so I went looking for an ATM machine, I found one pretty quick, and then I went to the shop.
This is where I had a bit of trouble, as the shop assistant did not speak any English, I tried my best in Russian, I was sweating like mad, and I big queue started behind. In the end I some how managed to get my message across and bought the cigs and then dashed back to the Cinema, Marina was so surprised to see that I had manage to buy them. Mission Impossible 3 was a good to movie to watch in Russian, plenty of action and not much plot.
By the time we got to Galina’s flat it was about 10pm and it was dark and the children had stopped playing ping pong, I was gutted, I wanted to give them the bats and ball and net, I left them at her flat, I hope that Gloyna gave it to them
You are here
Cool Train Mueseum the next day.
At the Airport I decided to buy another 1000 Marlboro lights for Cogzy, I was taking a really chance because Belarus is not an EU country I am only allowed to bring 400 cigs.
I was nervous going customs but I made it.
I phone up Cogzy, he was in Old loom waiting for big game to start. Man Utd last home against Charlton. I got a cab there and I made just as game kicked off.
Bought myself a pint and watch United hammer Charlton…Come on you Reds
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the dog
non-member comment
out on the edge
looks like your having a good time "edgeman" the man with 2 lives,who fits a lot in this short life