Minsk

This is the third entry about our trip to northeastern Europe; see "Copenhagen" below to start from the beginning. Click here to see the picture album from our time in Minsk.

After having a great time in Vilnius, we crossed the border into Belarus and drove to Minsk, where Anya's parents live.

The border between Lithuania and Belarus is more than just political; it's a major cultural boundary as well - after crossing it you're in the Russian world. The comfortable Roman alphabet is replaced by Cyrillic. Orthodox iconography appears in place of familiar Catholic and Protestant styles. The Soviet hammer & sickle (so quickly replaced elsewhere with the staid blue & gold EU flag) - is still prominently displayed, less out of pride than an out of an acceptance of history. And although things have definitely changed since then, the weight of that history is still apparent.

Minsk is the capitol and, with about 2 million people, the largest city in Belarus. It was one of 12 Soviet "hero cities" in WWII, and its main boulevards are filled with monuments to the USSR's victory. Anya grew up in the city's center, but her parents have since moved to a small village just outside Minsk.

We spent the majority of our visit hanging out at their house. We had a fun but relaxing stay: eating, drinking, playing with the newborn puppies, enjoying the beautiful weather, and visiting the banya ("banya" is the Russian word for "sauna". Russian saunas are similar to American saunas except: a) they're more popular, b) they're much hotter, c) they're usually enjoyed with beer and salted fish, and d) they come with veniks. Check out the pictures to see what I mean).

Compared with my first visit there 4 years ago, Belarus seems to be prospering: there are far fewer dilapidated old Soviet-model cars, major road and subway improvements have been made, and previously-stalled construction on many new houses in the village has been completed.

From a traveler's perspective, Belarus is an interesting and different place. It's an order of magnitude more foreign than anywhere you'll find in Western Europe. It would be difficult to get by on your own in there without speaking at least some Russian and learning to read the Cyrillic alphabet. If you're planning to go there, however, I know of some great people to stay with...