旅人る - Tabibito
Belarus. Minsk
See also: the next report (April 2023).
Despite the undeclared war between Ukraine and Belarus, the Ukrainian fast food chain Salateira continues to operate in Minsk under the franchise.
This is how Minsk looks from the Hilton DoubleTree hotel. A concert below is dedicated to the Day of Russia - June 12. I won’t explain why is the Russian holiday celebrated in Belarus. It is a necessity.
Trinity Suburb - one of the few historical districts of Minsk survived in WWII. As you may have guessed, the capital of Belarus does not look very old.
Minsk cat.
A new third metro line was opened in Minsk in 2020. It has just four stations, but will be extended towards south in a few years.
"Kovalskaya Sloboda" station. The new stations are very neat and leave a good impression. But the security checks on entrance are even worse than in Moscow. This is bad.
All stations are equipped with platform barriers. Train drivers often miss the precise stop. By the way, Minsk metro and public transit are the only places where you can hear the Belarusian language in Belarus. Announcements are made only in Belarusian and, less often, in English. A Russian speaker will understand the basic Belarusian language without any problems. However any Belarusian speaker who doesn't look as a countryside dweller would instantly arouse the suspicion of the guards. The local opposition, as well as in Ukraine, is convinced of the need to strangle the Russian language, as it hinders, in their opinion, the formation of the nation. And the current Belarusian authorities are sure of the need to strangle the opposition.
The new line is served with new Stadler trainsets assembled at the factory in Minsk oblast. It is a mystery how Belarusians will receive components for new trains from Switzerland, taking into account the foreign political situation. The trains themselves are good, less ostentatious than modern metro trainsets in Moscow. But the seats look greasy.
Ground entrance.
A bus stop near "Kovalskaya Sloboda" metro station.
Getting in (as of June 2022): the ground border between Russia and Belarus is closed for anyone except Russian and Belarusian citizens. It takes a long time to explain why this happened, but if you are not a citizen of these two countries, you cannot drive straight from Moscow to Minsk by car or get there by train. The only option is by air.
Where to stay: Hampton by Hilton near the central railway station or more splurge Hilton DoubleTree near Nemiga metro station. When booking the former ask anything but penultimate 20th floor as the floor above is occupied by noisy night club.
Where to eat: Salateira, this Ukrainian chain offers salad kits, you can choose any ingredient you want. Another nice restaurant chain is Vasilki, it offers some Belarusian specialties.
What to buy: local sausages and cheeses.
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