Because climate in Scandinavian peninsula is affected by Gulf Stream, places in Siberia and North America wich has the same latitude have much colder climate.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
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Because climate in Scandinavian peninsula is affected by Gulf Stream, places in Siberia and North America wich has the same latitude have much colder climate.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
The bus number 323 Minsk-Dudutki starts from Autostation "Восточный" near the hypermarket "Gippo" ул.Ванеева, 34 in the morning 9-40 and afternoon 12-55. The museum doesn't work in monday.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
Russian Embassy is situated on the street Гвардейская, 5a go to Nemiga by metro, then walk to the bus station in the direction of "Дворец спорта" then you should go by bus #1 or #69 past the monument "Stella - "Minsk a Hero City" http://cdn3.abyrvalg.net/abr/files/f...uczoth_bs.jpeg,
Right after Stella there is your bus stop (Гвардейская) quit and cross the road to the perpendicular street, then go down this street straight forward until you see at the right hand a two level building with a russian flag. Before in this building was a kindergarten were I spent my young years )
"If you want to imagine what was Minsk at bygone times and to feel the atmosphere in which ourancestors lived, you should visit the Traetskaye Pradnestse (the Trinity Suburb), which is the restored medieval center of Minsk."
The first paragraph of a souvenir photo book given to me by my friend Irina. She moved after she graduated college. Lovely area.
"Let the restored area of the Traetskaye Pradmestse remind us of this town, which was lost. Lost but not forgotten."
Last sentence of the English portion. (Written in Belorussian, Russian, English and German)
I can recommend a Belarusian cultural event "The Show on The Grass"
Крамбамбуля і J-Морс разам зграюць “Канцэрт на траве”. : Будзьма разам!
If you need a translation I will post it later
Thank you so much for the information Whiteknight!
Today I have visited the Troetskoe Predmestie (Trinity Suburb), War memorial at "Hero City", done some shopping and been to the Russian Embassy. Yesterday I went to the Botanical Gardens, the childrens' railway and an large public park, and just strolled around a bit - photos later!
Today at the Russian Embassy things did not go well. As Whiteknight mentioned, the consular section is located in an old school, on a residential street. My plan was to go there and pick up the application form, and maybe ask questions. I assumed that in an embassy, people would speak English.
It took a while to find the building, it's not visible from the street. When I found it, it was quite thoroughly protected. A CCTV camera, a little gatekeepers kiosk and a locked gate. Not very inviting...
Somebody shouted from the intercom "Yes, what do you want?!" in Russian. I replied in my bad Russian... "I am a tourist, I want a visa for Russia."The person then read something from a script, of which I only understood... "You need............embassy of the Russian Federation......."
I tried to say that I didn't understand, but the intercom was off. I felt very stupid and got completely tongue-tied. I should have asked for somebody who speaks English.. There is a difference in the etiquette of how and when to switch to English, in this part of the world. Because they didn't offer, I assumed they couldn't speak it, or didn't want to. I left the embassy really frustrated and disappointed.
I had a nagging suspicion that what the person might have said was something like "you can't apply for a visa here, you have to apply at the Russian embassy in your country of residence". Andrei the guide had said something along those lines, but he didn't know for sure. But why then, do they even have a visa section in Minsk in the first place? Belarussians probably don't need a visa to visit Russia. So who is this consular section serving... ? And why does it even matter where you apply!
I will call them on the telephone tomorrow and ask. But if this is correct, then I simply won't be able to go to Russia. Unbelievable, I am just so gutted! So disappointed! I got a visa for the USSR in a country that was not my own (Finland). No problem whatsoever and it took one day for me and 40 other kids in the same group. Why does modern Russia have to be worse than in those days!!?
The guide book definitely did not mention this, I DID read the section about visas. It's completely normal to get a visa in a third country, I've done it several times. But for some reason, it doesn't work for Russia. I thought Russia had become more relaxed about stuff like this - but it seems that a trip to Russia needs careful planning, from home - not somewhere you can expect to just pop in for a visit. What an awful shame!Quote:
Originally Posted by visatorussia.com
I really liked Ukraine and I like Belarus a lot - but it's not the same as Russia.... I want to go there.
If there was some dodgy underhand way of fixing this, I'd use that, but ultimately a visa needs to be issued by an embassy and if they won't do it, then I am stuffed.
I wasn't going to fly on this trip, but the overland route back to Sweden without entering Russia is basically not interesting for me. The Baltic states or Poland are the options. I guess I'd choose Poland because I haven't actually been there.
My visa for .by is valid until 24 July however.
Sad to hear that. But no wonder in it unfortunately. Generally staff in Russian Embassies are complete assholes and snobs. All they do is telling to fvck off to everyone including their own compatriots. The roots of this phenomena go to iron curtan times and so called Soviet "blat".
To my mind you have 3 variations at least. The 1-st is based on the fact that there is no controlled border between Belarus and Russia. So you can go to Russia for some time, then return to cross a border with EU from permitted (by your visa) country. 2-nd do the same but cross the border of Russia with some trouble, for example to give a bribe to the custom officer or get a violation in your passport. 3-rd try to get the visa from Minsk, or from Kiev or from anywhere. I can help you with communication to the Embassy. Also I think that you should try to ask some touristic agency to do the visa for you. They usually got many advantages and "blat" in various embassies, it's their work at last, but nobody knows how much they can ask for the service, In addition you can apply in Sweden or UK embassy, and ask to explain what's wrong with Russian visa and maybe to do some assistance with Russian embassy. If you liked the first two variants be aware that there very seldom can be a passport control of public transport on the road police post near to Moscow. So if you trap in it you should be ready to say farewell to some amount of money. The amount of money depends on how bravely you assure them that you have not any cash money but those you have in a wallet )). About "The Show on the Grass" it was denied for unknown time by government... The pressure of culture is continuing... it's very sad.
I checked the page for the festival that you mentioned. Why was it denied? I suppose if somebody wants to be an idiot bureaucrat they can say that the location is unsuitable or something. There were some comments there which seemed a bit political (I just ran it in Google translate) - perhaps they simply won't allow it because they don't like the people behind the event. That's a shame either way.
Yes, the thought of going to Russia anyway occurred to me too... However, without a visa I probably couldn't stay in a hotel, and I couldn't cross the border to Finland as I wanted. I am almost certain you have to show a passport at a hotel in Russia. I'd have to go back to Belarus and then to Poland or the Baltics. Plus, I could be banned from entering Russia again, which I wouldn't want to risk.
I hate the idea of giving bribes and even if I was going to try it, I would have no idea what to do!
I've been calling the RU embassy on 3 different numbers I found online but they are not responding on either number.
How strange. Don't know what to make of this. So I still don't know for sure what the situation is.
The idea of going to a travel agency is really good. I'd have to find one that speaks English but it shouldn't be impossible.
Today I will go to Dudutki Village!
EDIT - Oh dear, this is getting curiouser and curiouser, as Alice said....
I decided to call MY OWN friendly embassy instead - they are after me to register with them anyway, and they answer the phone...
On the other end of the phone I got a Belarussian woman who worked there but spoke fantastic Swedish.
She really wanted to help and managed to call somebody who was actually the Russian consul. He told her that for Swedish citizens, there is no problem getting a Russian visa in Minsk, and I should print out the application from the website of the Russian consulate, and submit to the consular section. She said that if I had any further problems, I should either call her back from outside the embassy, or tell them that "Igor Yurievitch says it's fine".
Interesting. Compare with the comment from the site above! Two completely conflicting versions.
Unfortunately Beurocracy and Idiotism are the most remarkable features of Belarusian governmentQuote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
Good luck and have a nice day, Hanna!Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
Hehe.... But don't forget they are rather good at renovating buildings and keeping the streets clean though! And the traffic lights for crossing the streets are 110% great.Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteKnight
I would not be a rude guest and start criticising....
Also, check my edit update on the Russian visa situation!
And I am not sure I can make Dudutki today... I might miss the bus.
:) Actually I'm proud that you liked Belarus, and my depressive thoughts are mostly connected with the current situation and with the obvious mistakes of the leadership that were the reason of it. My personal disgust of Lukashenko I'm trying not to show ;) . Yeah I advice you go to Dudutki by a morning bus, by the way, tomorrow there will be an exhibition of basket weavers, I think it will be interestingQuote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
Looking forward to hearing about it over a glass of wine, lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by WhiteKnight
On the visa situation: I spoke with a woman who organises invitations to people who want to visit Russia; business or tourist.
She thought that perhaps I can only apply in Minsk if I am a permanent resident. So that's version 3 of what the rule is....
Oh, there is one other option actually. As an EU citizen, I am guaranteed to be able to apply at a Russian embassy in any EU country. Looking at the map, VILNIUS is not that far from Minsk. There is not a lot of extra trouble to go there, I think. Lithuania is the Baltic state that I have never been to, so it's somewhat interesting. To get the Russian visa, it's worth it. Does anyone know how long it might take to get to Vilnius from Minsk?
Congrats! You started to discover how the stuff worked in the former USSR. But if you forget the Sesame's name (=Igor Yurievitch) the magic door will not open for you as you'll still be just one among the crowd who needs something. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
She didn't get the surname though... and also, why is there a consul for a city that has an embassy? Normally consuls are in cities that don't have an embassy, I think. I am not completely convinced about this yet. I mean, they didn't even let me through the gate at the consulate!Quote:
Originally Posted by Crocodile
The other problem is, I can't hold down a serious conversation; nobody's going to take anything I say in Russian very seriously since it'll be riddled with grammatical errors.
Anyway, I will have some copies of the application form printed out, and keep calling the RU embassy.
I can't find the REAL homepage of the Russian embassy in Belarus, all I am getting is search optimised sites selling invitations, that have names purporting to be the real embassy, but are not, for example russianembassy.biz etc.
Oops, here it is, in Russian only. ПОСОЛЬСТВО РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ В РЕСПУБЛИКЕ БЕЛАРУСЬ THANK YOU YANDEX!!! I got only spam and junk from google.
That's right, and technically you're not supposed to know who that is. Typically, it's a current decision-maker at that level, tomorrow it can be someone else.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
Huh? Normally? Are you still asking questions? Clear your mind from questions and enter the world of Zen! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
That's because the magic door to riches opens only to those who know the current password (Sesame).Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
Use your weakness to your strength, my young padawan learner. The next time you approach that evil speaker-phone by the magic door speak only English with confidence (and don't speak Russian at all, don't even show them you know Russian) and you'll be taken seriously. Don't ask for someone who speaks English, but openly say in clear and confident English: "Good morning! I'm a Swedish tourist and I'm here to obtain the visa." And if they say anything in return (whatever) finish them with the calm and confident "Igor Yurievich said I can apply here and I have my application filled in". That will work. Be tough and may the Force be with you! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
Thank you oh wise Master Crocodile!Quote:
Originally Posted by Crocodile
That sounds like a strategy that would work!
EDIT: The truth about applying for Russian visas in CIS countries:
Finally I found a number for the embassy that worked. AND I managed to get myself connected with someone who spoke English. The address for the visa section is different from the place I went to, I think. Perhaps they changed the address or something. I spoke with a really nice man who told me that EU citizens can apply for a Russian visa in Minsk. However this does not apply for non-European nationalities. Hence the confusion; a lot of the info online is targeted at Americans.
He also gave me the name of a tourist company in Minsk that can sort everything out for me. It takes 5 days to get the visa (maybe there is a fast track service).
For a 30 day tourist visa, an insurance, an invitation and the visa application form is all that's needed. A business visa offers more flexibility, but if I plan my trip properly it might not be needed.
Hurrah!:yahoo:http://planetsmilies.net/flag-smiley-5259.gif
Visa update:
After an exchange of 8 emails between me and a helpful girl called Alexandra at a visa support company, and lots of phonecalls from her to some Russian ministry, we have established that it takes 6 days to get a Russian visa invitation (business) for an application in Minsk. After I have the invitation, it has to be submitted to the Russian embassy in Minsk, together with the other forms. Not sure if I should stay in Minsk and wait this out, or go somewhere else in the country and come back to Minsk later...
I am not sure, and I would recommend anyone who needs a Russian visa to get it on their own country, to avoid the hassle that I've been through. The amount of time I've spent on simply FINDING OUT what the rules are, is unbelievable... and I am still nowhere near actually having the visa.
I put Moscow, St Petersburg, Samara, Kazan and Murmansk as my planned cities for visiting. It's probably not feasible to visit all of those though, and I think with the business visa it doesn't matter if you go to the places you said you were going to visit.
What to do next in Belarus??!
I have seen most of the main sights in Minsk now, and done the errands that I needed to do. But I have to stay a bit longer, because of the Russian visa situation.
I am playing with the idea of going to a "sanatorium"... I read the Belintourist info and got seduced by the pictures of holiday resorts and spas in the pine forest by a beautiful lake... just the kind of thing I was dreaming about during my endless London commute and late evenings in the office... I have never been to a spa in my life, actually.
But are my Russian skills up for this... ? And would I be the only foreigner? That would be weird... According to the broschures, people from Germany, Baltics, Poland and Scandinavia go to sanatoriums in Belarus.. But I must say I have only met one person who who has ever been in a sanatorium, and she went somewhere in Russia, not in Belarus. Judging from the pictures, these places are not luxurious, but they are spotlessly clean (like everything else in Belarus.... ) and in a reasonably good repair. I am not sick in any particular way, but there are a few things I wouldn't mind getting some treatment for.. Not sure whether this is a very cool idea, or very crazy, and whether I will be able to find a nice place that has a vacancy. If anyone has any experience of this, please give me some advice!
Another option is to use the extra time to cram Russian - as it turns out, I have not been able improve my skills in Russian as much as I had hoped (although I HAVE improved.. )
Москва... как много в этом звукеQuote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
Для сердца русского слилось!
Как много в нем отозвалось!
(с) А.С. Пушкин
Я хотел бы жить и умереть в Париже,
Если б не было такой земли — Москва.
(с) В.В. Маяковский
В общем, в Москву - обязательно!!
Well, I actually don't have a very good impression of Moscow at the moment.
I suppose it's a matter of personal taste but the things I have learnt from this forum and from upmarket magazines etc shows a picture that is not very attractive to me..
Too many cars, too crowded, corruption, lots of disgustingly rich people being superficial, arrogant and throwing money around them. Lots of really poor people, possibly dishonest/dangerous. Extremely commercial and very generally very expensive and flashy.
Of course, the history, culture and architecture etc interest me, and some nice people from this forum live there. But those other things are quite offputting.
И москвичей в Москве всё меньше и меньше. Скоро они станут реликтами.
Любимый город становится чужим.
Народ, с какой нахрен коррупцией она может столкнуться в Москве? Запугали девчонку. Я последний раз давал взятку (пузырь водки) оценщику машины в 1993 году!Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
Hanna... Croc is right about this last part... at least from my experiences in Salvador at the Embassy. There they have supposedly only Spanish speaking guards at the entrances and only wanted to let my husband in as he had the appointment. I showed them my US Passport and my husband explained in Spanish that I was his wife. They did not seem to care at all. My embassy and they would not let me in. Hubby went in without me and I went around to the American entrance side and stormed in and explained the situation. They said to go back and just tell them in English to let you in. Went back over and just glared at the guards and said, "Let me in, NOW." and showed them my passport again. They let me in without a blink of an eye. Really stupid the games they play.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crocodile
They also had a big scandal a few years ago with the officers making you pay cash when you applied for your Visa and then pocketing the money and marking your application that you had not paid so you had to pay the fee again when you picked up the Visa. Most of the locals going to the U.S. never complained because they never knew that they were getting ripped off. They all thought there were 2 fees. It wasn't until some of the more educated folks started to complain that they figured out the scam.
So be strong!
Hi, Hanna. This is the link to the belarussian propaganda animation :) Budzma Belarusians! : Будзьма разам!
Putting the video that Whiteknight is referring to here, so anyone can enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDvx3...layer_embedded
Belarus has really won my heart as a perfectly sized European country with great nature, nice culture, wonderful people, plus clean, good-looking, good value and safe. For better or worse, Russian is the language in use apart from a few exceptions, therefore perfect for a student of Russian. The politics are complicated, sad and rather unique - best left to the Belarussian people I think, whereas a tourist can enjoy all the great aspects of this country!
I've seen an ads that circus starts working 3.06.11
Thanks for that information!
I have decided to go to a sanatorium... (in Belarus, as I still have no Russia visa... )
After I return, my invitation to Russia should be done, and hopefully I can get the visa quickly, but I will need to return to Minsk to go to the RU embassy. In hindsight, I think I choose the wrong visa, I should have gone with the most basic tourist visa which you can get quicker, and simply accepted the limitations.
The place I am going to:
http://telegraf.by/assets_c/2010/07/...6x249-8521.jpgQuote:
Санаторий МВД "Белая Русь" расположен практически на самом берегу озера Нарочь, площадью более 80 кв.км., шириной 10 км., прозрачность 5-7 м. Самые глубокие впадины озера достигают 25 м., озеро слабопроточное, вода пресная. Множество ручьев впадают в него в северной и южной части, вытекает одна река Нарочанка, впадающая в реку Вилия. Основная подпитка происходит за счет родников. В озере обитает около 20 видов рыб. В окрестностях озера Нарочь произрастает 800 видов растений: 32 охраняемых, 27 видов занесены в Красную книгу.
Санаторий МВД nокружен сплошной полосой хвойного леса. С верхних этажей спального корпуса открывается живописная панорама озера Нарочь.
Санаторий Белая Русь один из лучших санаториев Беларуси.
Lake Naroch is famous for its beauty in Belarus, and it is in a nature reserve. This place has a beach, two very large swimming pools, a gym and lots of spa-type and health-improving treatments. I have never been to a spa, and I have never had any such treatments, so will be a completely new experience for me...
In order to go to a "sanatorium" (in Belarus at least) you have to first do a full medical examination; something else that I had never done. This is so the staff at the resort will know how best to help improve the health of the guest. I went today, and did EKG, chest röntgen, cardiology, gynecology, etc, etc! I have to go back later and take some blood samples and speak with a doctor. Believe it or not, I have never actually done a full health check-up for preventative reasons. The standards of gynecology in Belarus seem to be much higher than in the UK!
This medical centre was supposed to be English speaking... But it was not... So I managed all of this in Russian! I even had a discussion about a particular health issue with the gynecologist, and understood what she was saying and recommending. If you remember, ONE MONTH ago, I was super-pleased because I was able to ask for toothpaste in a shop. So I have improved!
@Rockzmom if you are reading this; I remember that you have been suffering from some health problems... This would be such a great thing to do for you! You probably need it more than I do and it's a pity you are so far away, otherwise this would be very affordable and a really nice thing to do for you!
Apparently it is quite normal for people to be sent to sanatoriums by their work, and then they only pay a very small part of the price.. which is low to start with. As a foreigner I am having to pay the market price (if there is one...), but it is still cheap. Apparently this place belongs to the Belarussian ministry of interior affairs. However others can visit too.
It was built in 1988 but has since been renovated.
http://www.tury.ru/img.php?hid=97486&pid=354544&v=n
http://lite.soiuz.ru/files/images/belaya_rus_18.jpg
Simple speaking it's a Police Ministry. I guess the magority of people who spend their vacations in this sanatorium are Belorussian Police officers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
_____________
I used to go to a Belarussian lake with my uncle and my dad almost every summer in my school years. We had a wonderful time living in tents and fishing there. These are the lakes I used to hike around most often:
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Вымно
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Лосвидо_(озеро)
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/946...3b65fd81xl.jpg
Oh my word, I am a crazy person! :shock:Quote:
Originally Posted by Basil77
I can't believe I booked myself on a resort for the police force of the "Last Dictatorship of Europe"....
Do you think it's for the "KGB" also?
I went strictly on the facilities, this sanatorium has a fantastic location, and top facilities, particularly for people who love swimming, like I do.
Yes... Belarus has no coast, but plenty of lakes.... and lots of forest. Very much like Scandinavia, but the summer is hotter and sunnier, and there are no mosquitos (I hope!!!!)Quote:
I used to go to a Belarussian lake with my uncle and my dad almost every summer in my school years. We had a wonderful time living in tents and fishing there. These are the lakes I used to hike around most often:
I love hiking too, I hope there will be somebody at this place who wants to go hiking with me.
PS - The status of my Belarus registration is that it is not properly/honestly done. How creepy to be surrounded by policemen when you know you've done something illegal!
No, KGB is a different organization. Simple speaking: police deals with criminals, KGB deals with spies and such. BTW, do you have something against the KGB? Then you must hate me, my dad used to be a KGB colonel in Soviet times. Soviet KGB had 9 departmens and the really nasty one was only one of them: the 5th wich dealt with political dissidents. My dad worked in the 4th one - counterintelligence, his job was to secure atomic fuel production.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
I'm afraid I have to dissapoint you: mosquitos are quite common in Belarus, especially in swampy areas, but less common than in Northern Russia, at least from my experience.Quote:
and there are no mosquitos (I hope!!!!)
Thank you for explaining.
No, no I personally have nothing against the KGB. For example I doubt they were worse than the CIA, at least in modern times. It's just, you know, they have a negative image... Thanks to Hollywood, largely. Like I mentioned before, I saw almost only the "sunny" side of the USSR when it still existed - the negative things that I know of are based on "revelations" in the 1990s and Hollywood films with nasty Russians.
I am sure your father is a very nice person, since he has raised very nice son! :)
That's why Ulof Palme was killed - for showing Swedes the good side of USSR. The next step arranged by CIA to fix that was a provocation with subs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
Thank you very much for the compliment, but not is but was. I lost him a couple of years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanna
You might make a fun of me if I say that, but as much as I dislike the Communism, I have nothing against the ordinary people who worked in that system and protected that system after the Civil War was over. Most of them were born into that system and had no means to change it even if they disliked it themselves. It was just their job where they could apply and further develop their skills. And the KGB employed many of those with the analytical skills.Quote:
Originally Posted by Basil77
Hey Hanna!
I've just created an account here, and I read all your "blog". I must say "hurray!". What a brave girl you are! Congratulations for everything, and I'm sure you're having a great time there.
I'm brazilian and until now I've only been to Moscow (n the east), but I most certainly intend to visit some places you've been, like Ukraine, Romania, and others you haven't, like Hungary, Bulgary, etc.
We keep waiting for your posts =)
Thank you Fabricio! Glad you enjoyed!
I will upload more photos later... I have tons of cool photos from Minsk.
Just in case anyone is wondering how I am doing at the sanatorium, or what a sanatorium is like...
Doing very well, this is a totally unique experience - not available anywhere else in Europe.
Feeling very relaxed and have been swimming, working out, dancing, had massage and some very funky treatments of various kinds, individually adapted based on a phys examination. ( I am not seriously ill in any way; it's more preventitive and for minor stuff).
If anyone reading this is interested in a more detailed report, just say!
(All my problems with booking, paying, room type etc are solved --- but instead of picking a room and paying in under 15 minutes, I spent more like 15 hours messing around...)
Lots of Russians are staying in this place - I am sharing a table with a couple from Murmansk and a woman from Minsk. Lots of single women are staying too, so I got some company - only problem is my limited ability to communicate... Feeling stupid that people are trying to be nice and helpful and I am have to ask them to repeat, or don't understand what they are saying sometimes. There are also a lot of single gentlemen of a certain age... definitely looking for company... Fabulous weather!
Any news, Hanna? =)
В самом деле, где Hanna?
Hi! I am still at the sanatorium! It's very nice here, and this is definitely something I'd consider doing again... Either with some company, or alone again when I can speak Russian better.
I have TONS of photos both of the sanatorium and of Minsk. If anyone has any tips on how to share without spending a day messing around with uploads, then please let me know.... I am not very experienced with photo sharing online.
I would STRONGLY recommend anyone who lives on the European continent and studies Russian to consider a holiday like this. It's a completely unbeatable "immersion" experience and (in Belarus) so cheap that you will feel guilty about it! You can easily travel by train to Minsk and catch a bus anywhere in the country. Or fly or drive your own car. Remember this tip when it is time to pick a holiday, although it is not recommended for people under 30. Anyone from outside the ex USSR area is a bit of a novelty in Belarus, so you could expect lots of interest and attention from people.
Also it would be good for your health and an interesting insight into "normal" life in this part of the world. (This is not a cool, chic or glamorous thing to do, more a really down-to-earth normal holiday, for normal people.) Those staying at this place are regular people from Russia, Belarus and the Baltic States (all Russian speaking, no English speakers). There is practically no boozing and the evening dances end at 11 and the bar closes at 12, so no serious nightlife worth mentioning.
I've been to excursions to some churches and old manor houses in North Western Belarus. It seems a lot of people in that area speak Polish as their first language. Also, many are Catholics and not Orthodox. People in this part of the world are MUCH more religious than I was aware of. The churches have pretty unusual stories, not only the usual architectural and religious history, but also stories about how they were used during the war (resistance activities) and what the church was used for during the Soviet time (cinema, factory etc). Plenty of drama and it is nice to see these buildings used for their real purpose again. It's clear that faith is important for many here; unlike most of Western Europe.
There is a town near the sanatorium, called "Narach". It's a sweet town and it feels a bit like it's in it's own time bubble - ca 1985! Feels really strange!
I am completely convinced that Russians / Belarussians are among the nicest people in Europe. You simply would NEVER get treated as well as I have if you turned up in most other European countries not speaking the language properly. Several groups of people in this sanatorium have taken upon themselves to include me in their activities and generally help me out. Scandinavians would definitely not be this nice towards strangers, and neither in my experience, would Germans or French. (My other favourite people in Europe are the Spanish - they are warm and nice people!)
It must be said that there are one or two staff members who are a bit frosty, but I have noticed that they treat everyone the same and it's got nothing to do with me being a foreigner. Most of the staff members have been super nice and helpful towards me though... I am blown away by the friendliness and sweetness of people in general.
I had an interesting experience speaking Russian with Polish man who was staying at this place. He could not speak English but his Russian was (for me) very slow and clear and he said that he understood the difficulties with learning Russian. I was able to understand almost everything he said and we spoke about lots of different things. As it turned out, he was looking for more than conversation despite being married (against my principles, with married men..) Nevertheless it was really nice hanging out with him.
I also had a flirt with an incredibly good looking tall man Belarussian guy who worked in the communications department at the police in Minsk. As it turned out, he too was married... and I got irritated that he took so long admitting that, so now I am avoiding him. Cute or not, I am NOT that type of woman...
I made good friends with Belarussian woman from Polotsk and a lovely Russian couple from Murmansk and I will definitely visit them there at some point in the future - going to Murmansk is considered a funky and interesting thing to do in Northern Scandinavia, so it would not be hard for me to jump on a tour there once I have settled back in, in Sweden.
Yes, I get angry just thinking about those subs... it was just so devious, and against a completely innocent country like Sweden. And much worse has been done against other countries. As for Olof Palme; they never found out who killed him. There was a main suspect for a while, he was an alcoholic and he always maintained that he was innocent. He was acquitted in a trial and died from drinking a few years ago. Palme was not particularly pro Soviet but there were many others in his government who were. However Palme really disliked the USA; he was an aristocrat but became a socialist after a trip there because he was so shocked at what he saw in terms of injustices there, and their foreign policy. I don't particularly suspect the US of this, but I certainly wouldn't rule it out either. They've done much worse things.Quote:
Originally Posted by Basil77
I've always thought postsoviet countries are mostly atheist, but it turns there are even more atheist!