Welcome to White Russia

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In February of this year the government of Belarus introduced an option to visit the country without the requirement of a visa in advance. It's understood the initiative may be expanded in the near future, nevertheless the current offer is a good fit for my itinerary this time around. There are restrictions on the visa on arrival; it's only valid for flights in to Minsk airport, and can't be accessed from a land crossing at this stage. Immigration will accept visitors for a maximum five day stay, with the only requirement the purchase of compulsory medical insurance at the airport at a cost of a few dollars. How good is that, I have the opportunity to visit Belarus without jumping through bureaucratic hoops of applying through the embassy! As soon as I arrived at the gorgeous Trinity hostel in central Minsk, it became clear other travellers are taking advantage of the offer of a quick visit to the country. There's talk of expanding the visa free period to a maximum of ten days, and if the government were to make the offer available for land crossings, the country could greatly increase tourist numbers in to the future.

The journal continues from Tbilisi at the conclusion of a wonderful trip to Georgia, where I boarded a flight to Minsk including a stopover in Kiev. The final requirement for the visa on arrival requires visitors not enter the country direct from Russia, as they share the same border control forms although they are separate countries. The airport in Minsk is a whopping fifty kilometres from the city, and a mix up with the hostel meant I had to book a taxi from the airport, and of course get ripped off accordingly on the fare. The cheeky driver advised he had a meter, and when I asked that he produce it he just rustled around in the car cabin. But he magically produced a print out on arrival at the hostel, with a punched in amount a third above the exorbitant price quoted at the airport. I used the trusty technique of "I don't have any more money" and only produced the airport quote. Anyways, commuting is the most tedious part of travelling, and after arriving at Trinity hostel I was delighted to settle in to a new country.

I headed out on the first evening, and a nice looking bar by the water soon caught my eye. As soon as I entered I noticed the friendly disposition of the staff members; it was a revelation after my recent trip to Ukraine where the locals can be cold, distant, and detached. Wow, people are smiling at me and making me feel at home, this is incredible! After I got back to the hostel the staff informed me an American couple were keen to do a castle tour outside the capital next morning, and I was keen to tag along as it brings the expense down appreciably. We headed off in the morning under the leadership of Kseniya, a staff leader from Trinity hostel. Our first destination is Mir Castle, approximately 100 kilometres out of Minsk. It's a beautiful castle by the lake, with a museum included in the castle building. Our guide gave us two hours to explore the castle, museum, and surrounding grounds. At the end of the visit we enjoyed an excellent lunch at a cafe close to the entrance gate. After lunch we drove to Nesvizh castle for an afternoon visit. Once again it's a huge complex with an equally impressive museum and wonderful grounds. We enjoyed two hours exploring the castle, and arrived back in Minsk in the evening at the conclusion of a wonderful day in great company.

The next morning I woke up to explore Minsk for the first time. I headed out with my trusty maps app, starting my day with a visit to the enormous Independence Square. Belarus has a population of ten million, with a million people living in the capital. Despite the small population Minsk is designed on a grand and impressive scale. The city features huge boulevards, plenty of parks, buildings set back from the road, and a sense of grandeur and space that's unique. Independence Square is one of the largest in Europe, and a wonderful attraction to stroll around on a sunny day. The Red Church is a feature of the square, and there are several government buildings lining Independence Avenue, the main road of Minsk. I enjoyed exploring the city, and felt a good vibe almost immediately. The parks are beautiful and spacious, and there's lots of elegant architecture; despite the ever present Soviet era concrete buildings still such a feature of Eastern European cities.

The next day I headed to the Great Patriotic War museum in the morning. It's a magnificent structure, and the building and grounds are only three years old. The museum is excellent and informative, with English information offered throughout the complex. The people of Belarus suffered terribly during the Nazi occupation years of 1941-1944 before liberation by Soviet forces, and it's a sobering experience paying a visit. Nevertheless the locals are justifiably proud of the museum and it's beautiful grounds. After my visit I walked around the complex taking photos from various angles, and enjoyed a walk through the lovely museum park. It's one of the most impressive museums I've visited for some time. I continued exploring the city in the afternoon, and was fortunate to meet up with an Instagram friend in the evening. She's a local from Minsk, and showed me plenty of the trendy areas as we walked the city for a few hours after dark. I had a terrific time in the company of my kind and gracious host, learning a lot about the city and the people thanks to her highly proficient English language skills.

Travel is always personal and every experience on the road is unique, but for me Belarus proved to be a pleasant surprise. I felt a little rushed with the visa restrictions, as the five day limit includes the day you fly out, so realistically there are only four days to explore. Unfortunately I didn't have time to visit the beautiful cities of Brest or Grodno on this occasion, but the photos I've seen look gorgeous. Belarus has a rich and vibrant history, good food, and advanced infrastructure in place to support the inevitable increase in tourism. Hopefully the restrictions on visiting the country will be further relaxed by the government shortly. In my humble opinion when I think of Belarus as a travel destination, basically all of you should be here now!

" I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." Confucious

It's home time, so until next time I'm signing off for now

Tom

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Comments

[Thomas]

Belarus
I want to visit the country next summer as well and hope that I don't need a visa, if I enter from Warsaw coming by train. Thomas

[D MJ Binkley]

Tourist growth in the country
Sounds like they are heading in the right direction. Sounds like this leg of the trip fell into place. The war museum looks good. I'm glad Belarus was a pleasant surprise for you.