Any Travels

The very word Belarus should inspire visions of beauty and kindness, if it does not, then most likely you have not been there. Belarus has retained its mystery, it has remained virtually closed and unexplored since the fall of Communism. Belarus is little known, little understood, and even less traveled. It is one of the few countries in the former Soviet Union where Lenin still stands and the Soviet symbol, the sickle and hammer, can be found in abundance. It is the only country that still uses the KGB. Powerful forces in Belarus are guiding it forward and forcing it backward at the same time.

Despite, or perhaps because of, this, Belarus has become an intriguing place to travel. Belarus is filled with beautiful forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife. In many places the history seems alive, and can almost be felt. Reminders of war, suffering, oppression and survival can be seen throughout the country. Churches, fortresses, and many other aspects of Belarusian culture have kept their traditional feel. Traditional crafts, dances, and opera have survived Soviet Imperialism and give travelers a sense of the inspiring culture that is native to Belarus. Its capital Minsk is worth a visit and has quite a lot to offer compared to cities such as Gomel.

Traveling to Belarus is not easy, in fact if you lack determination, go somewhere else, but if you are looking for an adventure that you will never forget, then Belarus is the place for you.

Belarusian publishing has had a notable impact on the region: Belarusian bibles were some of the first books to be printed in Eastern Europe, and the 17th century Belarusian poet, Symeon of Polatsk, introduced the Baroque style of literature to Russia. Modern Belarusian literature was born in the 19th century - Jakub Kolas is considered the classical pioneer, while Natalla Arseneva, author of Beneath the Blue Sky, is known as a paragon of 20th century literature. Local writers were stifled by the Soviet occupation, but the literary scene is now undergoing a revival.

The country has a strong musical tradition and many 12th century Orthodox hymns and sermons had their origins in Belarus. Belarusian folk music is well known; don't miss a performance if you get the opportunity. Modern folk music originated from ritualistic ceremonies or church music, and became highly developed from the 16th century onwards. Belarusian classical music is a 20th century phenomenon, though this hasn't stopped the Minsk opera and ballet companies from earning international reputations.

Belarus, like Ukraine, has always been a crossing point between Latin and Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Around 70% of Belarusians are Eastern Orthodox, but a sizeable Roman Catholic population (which dominates the clergy) has resulted from centuries of Polish rule. There's also a scattering of Protestants (a remnant of the once-large German population), Muslims (mainly Tatars) and Jews, although many of these are emigrating.

Belarusian is an Eastern Slavonic language, related to Russian and Ukrainian. It's usually written in Cyrillic, but there's a rarely-used Roman Belarusian alphabet. Under Soviet rule, 80% of Belarusian children were taught exclusively in Russian, and Russian was the official language of all business and government transactions. In 1990, Belarusian was made the country's official language. Street names are now changing, and education is shifting its emphasis back to Belarusian history and literature. However, Russian is still the most widely-spoken language.

The Belarusians love their mushrooms, and gathering them is something of a local ritual. Many main dishes use fungus in one way or another - in a rich sauce, in a creamy filling, or by itself. Popular dishes include hrybi v smtane (mushrooms with sour cream), hribnoy sup (mushroom and barley soup) and kotleta pokrestyansky (pork cutlet with mushroom sauce). Other important ingredients are garlic, fish and caraway. Kvas is a favoured drink made from malt flour, sugar, mint and fruit.

The first point for a...
The first point for a foreigner to visit is the capital of Belarus undoubtedly. History of Minsk began in 1067. A remote settlement in the beginning, it flourished as a commercial center in the medieval ages, suffered from numerous wars, invasions and demolitions. Each time it arose from ruins and continued developing its own way. Nowadays Minsk is a cosmopolitan city, home for about two million people. Unfortunately only a small ancient part of the city is left to give visitors a possibility to see how Minsk used to look hundreds of years ago. Take a stroll from the main square Nezalezhnasty along Skariny avenue, and you will get an overall idea about the city's modern architecture. If you turn to the left nearby the Circus, walk by the Svislotch river' bank for ten minutes, you will come to a picturesque quarter perched on the right embankment of the river. There are lots of cafes and shops scattered amongst the 17th century buildings. Honestly, this is my favorite part of Minsk, although it is not the only place where you can spend some time in a warm relaxing atmosphere.