Blogs from Belarus, Europe - page 9

"You know, some tourists come to Minsk because it's supposed to be the most 'Soviet' city. Can you believe that?" - Natalia, a Belarusian "(mumble)" - me So, this place is supposed to be "Soviet"? Let's see.... Hammers and sickles, stars, and other Soviet emblems still prominently and non-ironically displayed? Check. Minsk's relationship with Lenin is complicated. Плошча Леніна/Площадь Ленина (Lenin Square) was renamed Плошча Незалежнасці/Площадь Независимости (Independence Square), and for a while its associated subway station was also ostensibly renamed to Independence Square, except no one ever changed the signage on the subway. Residents of Minsk protested the confusion and demanded that the signage be updated. Instead, it was decided to rename the subway station back to Lenin Square, though the place where it's located is still called Independen... read more

Oh, Belarus. Are you as difficult and strange as you seem, or am I sabotaging myself with my own paranoia? The first noteworthy thing I learn about Belarus is that more people speak English here than in Kaliningrad. As in, I met two. The uniformed дзяўчына (girl; she was quite young) at passport control cheerfully helps me fill out my migration card, and I'm admitted into Belarus with pretty much no fuss at all. Nice. I had arranged to stay with a private apartment-rental service in the city, rather than a hotel, and they'd efficiently processed my visa invitation as well. So far so good. Until... a few days ago I got an email that the current occupant of the "luxury" apartment I'd reserved back in May wanted to stay an extra night, so they were ... read more

After a difficult time getting visas organized we headed into Belarus for five nights. Diana has a good friend living their also so we planned three nights in Minsk before going to visit Ilona and her family in the country side. First, border security takes around two hours to pass by the time they check everything and it is a good sign of the things to come. You will see military presence all over the city in Minsk and can be said that the people are afraid to do anything wrong since ‘they are been watch’ all the time. This can be noticed with the large antenna looking thing above a building that was a gift from Russia that is able to listen into phone calls. Whilst on the government, Diana had a nice little incident ... read more

Now I have the time to write a little about Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Several months ago I started learning the Byelorussian language, and now stopped for a while. I have been to Minsk twice, first in June 2009, and then in November 2009. I like this city very much and it is perhaps in my top five of the cities I have seen. My general impression from staying there is a feeling of complete comfort, and it is difficult to explain this. It is not too huge, and it has many wide streets and green areas which make the city look spacious. Its centre is very harmonic, to my mind. I have in mind to go to Belarus for several weeks sooner or later and visit its major attractions, because the country is perhaps ... read more

Come to Belarus! Part of the axis of evil? The Last Dictatorship in Europe?? The Only Surviving Remnant of the Soviet Union???" "Where?" Indeed, when I first heard that to reach Europe from Russia, I would have to get a transit visa through a country called Belarus, quickly I decided that A; Because I had never heard of the place, it would make more sense to divert north from Moscow to St Petersburg and come out by the Baltic sea, and explore Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania instead, countries which had at least, had something enough to put them on the map, and B: that because I was already paying out hundreds in Visa costs already, I might as well save myself the money and skip this country. As it happened, after Russia, I felt something ... read more