I went to Belarus for a weekend

Border from Lithuania to Belarus

We went by bus. We had to wait at the border because both countries were checking everyone's documents. On the Lithuanian side, you had to get out, stand in line, approach a booth, and show your passport, then cross to the other side of the border.

We entered the building on the Belarusian side. There, we went to the counter in a row and had to explain when we were traveling to Belarus, for what purpose, and to tell the address where we will be staying. Everyone's belongings were then checked through airport-style baggage scanners.

I heard a woman and a man talking about exchange rates, so I asked the man what was a good rate and where was the best place to exchange money. He said to wait for Minsk and go to the train station.

There is a bank at the border, but the exchange rate there is poor.

Towards Minsk

The road and nature are the same as in Lithuania. There are garbage cans on the roadside every couple of hundred meters. The first thing that reminded us that we are not in Lithuania were the blue residential houses.

We stopped to drop off passengers in Ashmenis. As we drove further, we saw one Soviet building, but the main ones, such as the city library, the health center and the municipal building, were modern from the outside.

We reached the suburbs of Minsk, the traffic intensified. Newly built apartment buildings decorated the view.

We drove quite a distance to the station - you could feel that Minsk is huge.

First day

We got off at the bus station, which is next to the train station. We went there to exchange euros for Belarusian rubles. The first observation is that the streets of the capital are tidy and full of Belarusian flags. If this were the case in Lithuania, you would think that a celebration was taking place, but no.

We wanted to eat. So the choice of place occupied our minds. We decided to go to Vasiliki because it had many reviews. When we got to the place, there was a whole queue outside. We thought fuck it, we're hungry - we're going elsewhere. Next was Chaikana Tashkent. We came inside, there were few people, we flipped through the menu and realized from the prices that it was a tourist trap. We decided it was better to wait in line.

We came back to Vasilikis, there was no longer a queue. Hmm, apparently 5 minutes is a lot of time here. We sat down, they brought menus. The prices are similar to ours, maybe a little less, but what do you want when this place has the highest ratings.

I ordered dumplings, beer and fried bread with cheese. The fried bread was good - enough cheese, not overcooked and a solid amount of garlic. It went very well with beer, which was also refreshing.

The main course is a different story.

The dumplings were overcooked, you couldn't peel them off the plate, and they tasted like someone took an orange packet of Užkalnis dumplings, boiled them, and then dried them. Gross.

I don't really like drinking alcohol, so I decide to go smoke some hookah. We found a place nearby - Yarkal'yan. With hookah places, it is like a coinflip - either really good or really bad. Luckily this time was good.

We arrived at the bar, then a young babe escorted us to a table and brought a menu. We ordered a hookah, as well as tea (can't go without it). The hookah master arrived at our table and explained everything. There were board games.

The sun was already setting. People gathered around nightlife areas. And we walked through the streets and tried to get lost between the buildings and the old town.

Subway 2033

It got dark - we decided that it was enough for today. Our apartment was 12 km from the center.

Minsk has the oldest subway in Europe, so you can't get past it.

The backpack did not cause any problems. We went to the counter to buy a token for our ride. I asked the woman how much the token cost, and she gave a crooked look, and, without saying a word, pointed to an old piece of paper with a pen. Rude, I thought.

You can ride the metro all day, until you get out of the metro, with a token that cost 0.3 euro cents. The system on which side to wait was clear - there are also English signs everywhere.

We were going very fast so we covered 12 km in less than 10 minutes including stops. Athens (the capital of Greece) could learn a lesson here.

We stayed in a newly built three-room apartment, which looked quite impressive. The water from the sink in Minsk was not tasty, with a lot of chlorine.

Second day

We left the accommodation at 11 o'clock in the morning. The metro took us to the center. We visited the main church there, and we just happened upon a wedding.

Today's plan was to visit the war museum. The ticket cost about 3 euros. The museum is large - full of military equipment and Soviet symbols. I won't spoil it with photos, but it left an impression. To me it was strange that children can go to the museum, because the pictures we saw were brutal.

Behind the museum, in the field, there is a Lisunov Li-2 military plane, and further on is a park. The park was so big that, once deep enough, you couldn't hear the cars buzzing through the streets.

We decided to eat, so we walked to an Indian restaurant. Upon arriving, it turned out that the place was for vegetarians. We're not vegetarians, so we decided to go elsewhere. This is how we got to the very large market in the building.

I bought bachlava and incense. Compared to Lithuanian prices, the same brand of incense cost four times less here.

We went to a kebab shop. Kebabs were bland.

As I walked towards the centre, I saw the London Eye. Phew, this is Minsks eye. The ticket cost 1.5 euros. It was sunny, so at the top, the view opened up far and wide.

We wandered back downtown and decided that was enough for today.

Last day

We went to see the paintings on the wall. This is probably the place where young people and hipsters go to hang out. Ornate buildings lined the street. Also, we found a monument to a well-known Russian singer.

We went to the bus station. It was not written anywhere on which platform our bus would be arriving, so I went to ask at the counter. The woman, although there was no one occupying her time, said she would not talk to me until I took out a waiting paper (for waiting in line) from the machine. Lol! Second case of rudeness from women. Is it that hard?

Another woman who was just finishing her shift saw this situation and offered to help us. She took us to the same window and told the other woman to tell us where the bus would be.

Travelling back to Lithuania was very different than arriving.

Pros and cons

Things I liked in Minsk:

• Low prices for local produce
• Cleanliness
• Transportation
• Lots of nature in the city
• Few foreigners

Things that I did not like:

• Tap water
• Rude women

Conclusion

Out of the 17 countries I have visited, this is the first capital I would return to a second time. I highly recommend it. But it's better if you don't listen to me, go see everything with your own eyes.