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Balkans Trip 2023 Europe Slovenia

Lake Bled Day Trip

There was no question as to whether or not I would visit Lake Bled on my trip to Ljubljana. I had seen pictures of it in books years ago and of course with Instagram, seeing pictures of it are ubiquitous if you search for anything related to Slovenia and travel. It is a picturesque, small lake surrounded by trees and mountains. In the centre of that lake is a small island. On that small island is a small church. It sounds and looks like something out of a fairy tale. It makes a perfect day trip from Ljubljana.

Getting There

You can go by train or car, but I decided to go by bus. As much as I like trains, the bus was just more efficient and cheaper. There are multiple buses per day, however in the busy season it can get quite booked up, so I think it’s a good idea to book ahead of time. I went to the bus station in Ljubljana the day before my trip to Lake Bled. The bus station is directly in front of the train station. It’s a tiny building, easy to miss except for the fact that there are numerous buses parked outside. Inside, you can buy tickets with cards or cash and the schedule is well posted. It’s best to buy a round-trip journey and then when you are finished your exploration of Lake Bled you can just hop on another bus heading back to Ljubljana. They leave about every hour or so.

The journey is beautiful. I wasn’t able to get many good photos outside of the windows, but it was lovely to see the scenery going by. It became increasingly green and there were cows, villages, and mountains.

Once you get to the bus station in Lake Bled (another small unremarkable building) you really can’t go wrong; you just follow the hill down and eventually you will see the lake I don’t know how one could get lost.

And that’s what I did. I walked to the lake and turned right and walked around the lake in the direction of the castle island. It was just a lovely walk.

The Lake

On the way there are different spots where you can access boats to go to the island. You can get you can self-hire boats from one stop that I found for, I think, it was €20 and you can row yourself to the island and back, but I continued walking until I found someone who would row me across in one of the traditional boats called a pletna, used in Lake Bled for hundreds of years. I kept walking and came to the part of the lake where there was a boatman with pletna that went across at appointed times. I paid for a ticket. It wasn’t cheap, I believe it was €20 (cash only). While I waited for the next crossing, I went over to a cafe.

The Cake

Aside from the beautiful church on the little island in the middle of the beautiful lake, Lake Bled is famous for a particular dessert: a cream cake called kremna rezina or kremšnita. It doesn’t seem like something that I would ever order in my real life but it is a famous cake from a famous town in the middle of a charming country and I had time to kill of course I was going to have it. The cake has been designated by the Slovenian government as a protected dessert 0whatever that means) and there is a festival dedicated to it. So I ordered this cream cake. It was the size of my fist. It was good, but not really my cup of tea; I was happy to have tried it though. (I did not eat the whole thing.) I went back to the boatman, and we went across to the island.

Getting to the Island

Crossing Lake Bled to go to Bled Island was my favourite part about my visit. It was just so beautiful and I could really appreciate the water and the views. It really did seem magical. On the way, I chatted with a friendly couple from Belgium who were traveling around Europe with their dog. And with the boatman who was a fit and handsome maybe 65 year old. He stood on the end of the boat, rowing it with two oars as we crossed the lake.

The island itself is… fine. All there is on the island is a café, a souvenir shop, a small museum and a small church. The cafe in the souvenir shop I skipped, but I did buy a ticket for the small church. If you are reading this and you are planning on going, let me save you €8 now: the church is not worth visiting. If someone told me that, I probably would have gone anyway because I like to see things for myself, but if you’re short on cash, skip it. There is nothing remarkable about the church.

the church on Bled Island

The price of the church entrance also gives you admission to the small museum, which is above the cafe in souvenir shop. The museum is just a couple of rooms of paintings and maps and a few artifacts from Lake Bled. It is of moderate interest, but I would have been happy to have skipped it. The island is nice enough, but I only needed a short time there. The real treat is being on the shore and looking at the island.

Bled the Town and Returning to Ljubljana

I stopped and had a tasty lunch of apples, cheese, and honey on bread and coffee, after which I walked around the town a bit and caught some nice views of the streets and the mountains in the distance.

Bled town views

I caught the bus back to Ljubljana. It is a perfect day trip. I was back in Ljubljana early enough that it was still light outside and I could enjoy the late afternoon and evening back in the capital. The next day I would take the train to Zagreb and my Slovenian adventures were over.

(Just as a postscript, I do wish that I had had one extra day in Ljubljana because I would have done a day trip to the Postojna Cave, which looks like another great day trip option. I guess I’ll just have to return.)

Balkans Trip 2023 Europe Slovenia

Ljubljana Weekend

Arrival in Slovenia

I landed in Ljubljana, Slovenia very late due to the unexpected flight change that had given me a layover in Frankfurt. It was nearly 11pm. I took a taxi from the airport and went straight to my hostel, figuring I would go right to bed.

Metelkova Mesto

I couldn’t see anything of Ljubljana as we drove onto the city. Darkness. When we arrived at the hostel, what I saw was not the picturesque scenes of Ljubljana I had seen online or in my book. The area was not quaint; it was unkempt and gritty. My kind of place.

I was staying at the Hostel Celica, which was in a former prison. (I love accommodations that used to be something else.) The rooms at the hostel included dorms and private rooms, all with shared bathrooms, and all in former cells. And it showed. The doors to the rooms were thick, heavy metal and many still had bars. My room had been refurbished, but it still had prison flavour: a simple wooden table and chair, a slit in the thick wall for a window, and a basic (and treacherously high) bunk bed near the ceiling. “Sure,” I thought, “the one time I forget to buy medical insurance I end up with a serious risk of a nocturnal fall.” (I was fine.)

The hostel was great – and cheap. For my room and breakfast, it was about $30 CDN a night. The dorms were even cheaper.

Hostel Celica

That first night, as the taxi dropped me off, I was a little confused about where to go. The driver dropped me off at the entrance to a compound and I walked in. All the buildings were covered in graffiti and murals, there was music blaring from buildings and boomboxes (a chaos of rock, klezmer, and rap) and people were congregating outside, drinking and smoking. I found my hostel and checked in…and then promptly went out again. I went into the seediest looking building and ordered a shot of whatever the bartender (a very hardened looking woman who looked like she had been working there ceaselessly for decades) recommended, which was a shot of blueberry schnapps (one of Slovenia’s main drinks), served to me in a plastic cup. I went outside and sipped on my drink and had a small cigar, while walking around the neighbourhood. It was a wild scene. It was more of a party than I am comfortable with, but I enjoyed being a fly on the wall. A couple of very inebriated guys talked to me about nonsense. I politely moved on. I took a few pictures, but I got the feeling photos were not welcome, so I put my phone away.

Metelkova Mesto by night

The area is called Metelkova Mesto and it is a former army barrack turns squatters area / outdoor art complex. It reminded me a little bit of Christiania in Copenhagen, but with less overt cannabis commerce.

Metelkova Mesto by day

It’s a rougher area but did not feel unsafe. In the morning I was able to get a better look at the art and take photos, as the place was mostly deserted, except for some people sleeping and a woman who yelled a bit at nothing and then peed on the ground in the middle of the courtyard.

A different side to Ljubljana. I really liked where I was staying though; cheap and a short walk to both the ‘pretty’ areas and the trains and bus stations. And at night there was a lot going on.

Seeing Ljubljana

The first full day, I walked to the touristy area. The part with the historic and picturesque buildings, the castle, and the river. The part you see if you google ‘Ljubljana’.

I felt a bit concerned that I would not be able to see everything I wanted to see in my short time. I was to have 2.5 days there, but one day was earmarked for Lake Bled and I lost the half day to Frankfurt. Not to worry; a day is plenty to see the sights of Ljubljana.

It is beautiful. The buildings are lovely, there is a river through the centre with greenery along it. There are statues and inviting cafes.

The Castle

I walked the streets and then took the funicular up to the castle. As far as castles go, it was only of moderate interest, but the funicular is excellent: modern and gives great views of the city.

Also, at the castle is a pretty little church and a puppet museum. I love puppets and found the puppet museum utterly charming. There were even some puppets you could manipulate, including some weird picked heads in jars. It is included with the price of the castle visit so it is worth visiting even if you are dead inside and don’t love puppets.

Museum Day

On the streets I continued my meandering. It was Sunday, 3 September 2023. I didn’t know ahead of time, but all the museums and galleries in Ljubljana are free on the first Sunday of the month. I visited the Museum of Modern Art Ljubljana, which was just excellent, if you like weird modern art (which I do).

I also visited the Natural History Museum and the National Museum (in the same building). These ones were only ok. I was happy they were free, and I breezed through.

Too much of a good thing?

By the time that first day was over, I was already feeling like I had seen Ljubljana. And I still had another afternoon and evening the next day. I spent time lingering in cafés, reading, and smoking cigars – not bad really. There was a burger and beer festival on that weekend, and I had a tasty vegan burger. At night I sat on patios and had a few cocktails and smoked cigars. Heaven.

I thought Ljubljana was pretty and romantic and I liked it, but I also was over it quickly. I loved the cafés and patios and watching the world go by through a haze of my own cigar smoke, but I got restless. Also, it was very crowded. There were tour groups and tourists everywhere. Lots of patios and restaurants were packed with no possibility of even waiting for a table. The streets were mobbed. I guess that is my fault for visiting on Labour Day weekend, but I could have done with a bit fewer people. Regardless, I think Ljubljana makes for a perfect weekend getaway.

There are fountains all over Ljubljana with drinking water. This is one of them. The water drains down faces in an alleyway.

I would re-visit Slovenia. It is so beautiful and there are more things to do – particularly, the caves, which I skipped and wish I had been able to fit them in. They look great.

More of beautiful Ljubljana

Of course, I didn’t just stay in Ljubljana. I went to Lake Bled to see the fairy tale-looking church on a tiny island in the middle of a small lake. That is for another post – this one.

After my time in Ljubljana was at an end, I took the morning train to Zagreb, Croatia.

Balkans Trip 2023 Europe Germany

But first, Frankfurt

The trip to come

I had a pocket of un-visited countries in the Balkans region that I wanted to see them: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro. I decided to do a hop through the capitals, with a few side trips. I would skip the cost altogether. I have no doubt that the coast is lovely, but it wasn’t what I wanted to see, so I booked a flight from Vancouver to Ljubljana, Slovenia and would head south from there.

But first, and unplanned layover.

Surprise layover in Frankfurt

I was to change planes in Frankfurt, but with only a short layover; however, in the days before my flight, something changes, and I would have about seven hours in Frankfurt. It shortened my time in Slovenia a bit, but there was nothing to be done about it. I landed in Frankfurt, left my backpack at the airport, and and made the quick and familiar train journey to the city centre.

It was early September, and the weather was perfect – no, maybe a bit too warm, but it was sunny and nice.

I hadn’t planned to be there, so I had no plans. I just walked around the historic part of the city. Everyone else had the same idea. It was crowded, with almost a festival atmosphere. Sometimes I might find that annoying, but I was just so happy to be traveling and to be in Europe. I hadn’t been away in over a month, when I was in Brazil.

I soaked up the sun and the sights before settling in on a patio on a small square and had a snack, a coffee, and a cigar. A man was playing the trumpet. It was lovely.

After about three or four hours I headed back to the airport. It was Labour Day weekend, and I was worried about airport crowds.

I am always happy to sneak in a layover visit to a city. Poor Frankfurt, though; I’ve only ever seen it on layovers. It may have more to offer than I know. Another time.

Onward to Slovenia.

Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe United Kingdom

My Perfect London Layover

The Layover

I was flying home to Vancouver from Minsk via Dubai and I had an 11 hour layover in London. I had 8 hour layover in London on the way to Minsk and it was great (it had been Coronation Day). In fact, every long layover I’ve had in London is great, but somehow this managed to top them all. Every time I have a layover in London I try to pick a new area that I want to visit; a place that seems lovely to wander for a few hours (of course sometimes I just make my way over to Saint James Street and hole up in a cigar lounge). This time, it was a Sunday morning and I decided head to East London.

Breakfast in Hoxton

I started by taking the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and then switching to the Tube where I made my way over to Old Street station in Hoxton with a plan to walk to Shoreditch. I hadn’t been over that part of east London and many many years, not since I lived in London, but I heard that it was kind of the cool neighborhood to check out so I thought I would.

The neighborhood was great. Most things were closed (it was early) but it already felt cool. The buildings were old, the parks were nice, there was there was public art of the mural and sculpture variety, and I was impressed.

quiet morning street art

I was more impressed when I found a restaurant that was open. The Breakfast Club. I would definitely go back. It was exactly what I wanted. Great music, comfy booths, vegan options, and mugfuls of strong, black coffee. I think the people in there thought I was crazy because I kept telling them how excited I was to find them open and with vegan breakfast.

The Breakfast Club

My stomach full of coffee and tofu, I carried on walking towards the Columbia Road flower market. On the way I stopped for an espresso.

more coffee!

Flower Market

I had never even heard of the Columbia Road flower market. I just started Googling things to do on a Sunday morning in London and I discovered it and it’s now one of the loveliest things that I’ve ever found to do on a Sunday morning. It’s just a stretch of street where every Sunday flower merchants come out to sell their flowers.

It sounds like something that might just be made-up for Instagram, but there are legitimately people there buying plants and flowers and then carting them away. Flower merchants are calling out in delightful accents the price and variety of their flowers. It is so charming – even better, many people there have cute dogs with them, and that’s great.

“The flower that smiles to-day, to-morrow dies…“

The thing that made it extra lovely is that while one side of the street is all flower merchants, the other side of the street are delightful shops painted in pretty colours and it reminded me a little bit of Victoria street in Edinburgh (except without the slope). There are antique shops, coffee shops, trinket shops, bakeries, a tea room, and a perfumer… it’s so charming. I browsed in all the shops, bought myself a little bit of perfume, ate a tiny treat, and carried on my way. It was absolutely perfect.

charming shopfronts

Spitalfields

From there I walked down to Spitalfields to the Old Spitalfields Market – like I hadn’t had enough to eat already, but I wanted it as a destination. It was a grand walk. The skies were blue it was warming up. I browsed around the Spitalfields market, a place I don’t know if I’d ever been to before.

I had an excellent coffee, and I really enjoyed the public art that they had there – the cute elephant statues (Our Herd of Hope) and the sculpture of Rabbitwoman and Dogman riding a motorbike with side car whilst drinking coffee (telling the tale of “two opposites coming together to become best friends and soul mates”).

Elephants, rabbit, and dog, oh my!

Walking south I found myself wandering through a blocks’ long thrift market.

Bypassing The Tower

I walked towards the Tower of London, not because I wanted to go to the Tower of London; it just seemed like a destination. The closer I got to the Tower of London, the livelier things got: the crowds of tourists picked up, church bells were ringing, more shops were open.

I got glimpses of the London skyline along the way. It was perfect. I wound my way past the tourists queuing up for the Tower of London and headed for London Bridge.

Borough Market & The Tate

Tower Bridge, the Thames, and the Shard

Crossing London Bridge, I got some lovely views and once on the other side, I was just steps from Borough Market (London’s best food market, dating back hundreds of years).

Approaching Borough Market

I walked through Borough Market, unfortunately at this point, having eaten the tofu and a couple of treats from the Columbia Street flower market, I couldn’t possibly eat any more, but I did get a lovely fresh carrot and ginger juice and another espresso and walked around the market, just ogling all of the treats. (Note to self: I must make a plan to come back when I am hungry.)

Exiting Borough Market, I then found myself near the Tate Modern gallery.

While some of the special exhibits are paid, to walk into the Tate and look at the regular collections is free, so I did that. I walked around, looked at some art (splendid), and then I left. I realized that I really ought to be moving on because I had a lunch date.

Lunch & Leaving London

I have a friend who lives in London, someone that I met in 2009 in the Ecuadorian rainforest and, while we sort of keep in touch, we haven’t really seen each other in years, so we made plans to have lunch. We met near Paddington Station, in Little Venice where we had an excellent lunch at a Lebanese restaurant and swapped travel stories.

Seriously, was this the perfect day? Throw a cigar and a visit to the theatre and I think it might have been. It’s amazing what you can do in a layover. I can’t believe some people just stay at the airport.

I flew back to Vancouver, and this concluded my trip to Minsk, which parenthetically also included two days in London and two days in Dubai. It was just an excellent trip maybe the best that I had in 2023 to date.

I would have a short hiatus from travel of a couple of months to enjoy the summer in Vancouver, and then I would be off to Brazil.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Farewell, Minsk

I had one day left in Minsk. I had already seen basically everything I thought that I could see and yet there was still more. I had a quick breakfast at my hostel and then went out for a walk. I walked along the banks of the river to the National Museum (full name: “The Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War”).

I think one could give the National Museum a miss; it’s not amazing but it is interesting and I did learn a lot about the history of the country.

State Museum of Belarus

From there I walked up to the Komarovskiy Market, the largest market in Minsk. On the way, I had coffee at about three different neighbourhood cafes, each one very charming; some with books, some with dogs, all with great coffee.

Cafés in Minsk

The market was enjoyable; very similar to markets that I’ve visited and other former Soviet countries. Lots of breads, dumplings, pickled items, and fruits and vegetables. Also a ton of local honey. It is a great place to try some local food. I snacked on some delicious fruits and baked goods and then made my way over to a new museum.

Komarovskiy Market

I visited the Memorial Museum-Studio of Z. Azgur. Zair Azgur was a Belarusian sculptor, active from the 1920s to the 1950s, famous for sculpting hundreds of busts of Belarusian and Soviet military and political figures. His studio is now a museum. It holds over 4000 items, not all of which are on display at one time, but for travellers, it’s most interesting because of the sheer number of statues of Lenin and Marx and Stalin on display. It’s increasingly rare to see such depictions.

When I first entered the museum, I entered a small room with a number of busts. Quite impressive. I took a lot of photos and found it interesting. Then I was led to upstairs to a larger room, which had me gasp when I entered it. A huge room stacked floor to ceiling with busts of Soviet figures. It’s lit beautifully and very interesting to walk around. In the centre of the room is an impressive figure of Lenin striding forward, his coat waving up behind him, as well as a very serious statue of Stalin sitting in in a chair, and an enormous bust of Lenin’s head that was nearly as tall as I am. It was super cool and I think it should be on everyone’s list for Minsk.

Room No.1

Double Lenin

In the afternoon, I just wandered around the city a little bit more, had a short nap at my hostel, and in the evening I went to the opera. The opera house (full name: “The National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus”), was just a block from my hostel in the middle of a park. A stunning white building built in the 1930s and designed by Iosif Langbar.

*The National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus*

I’ve discovered that going to the opera at any former Soviet country is a great idea, because the opera houses are beautiful the shows are excellent, and the tickets are ridiculously cheap. They were showing Die Fledermaus at the opera and I picked up a ticket for less than $10 Canadian. The show was sung in German with Belarusian and Russian sur titles so it wasn’t the easiest of shows to follow along with, but I had a great time.

In the evening I walked around Minsk a little more, had a cigar of course, and went to bed early for my extremely early flight.

More Minsk buildings that I liked

I absolutely loved my time in Belarus. For me, it was kind of a leisurely trip. I had several days in the capital and my day in the countryside, and I never felt that I ran out of things to do. It’s a place that I would consider going back to in order to see more of the country. I don’t know if it was less touristy because of the ongoing war in Ukraine, or simply because it’s Belarus, but it didn’t feel at all touristy. It felt entirely authentic, and I liked it.

And so, it was onward to Dubai for another long layover, a long layover in London and then back home.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Minsk: Two Churches and A Library

The day after my excellent day trip outside of Minsk I was back in the city and decided to build a day around visiting the National Library. The Belarus National Library is extraordinary and unique. It is this very futuristic design, built in 2006 in the share of a rhombicuboctahedron. (that’s right. Look it up.) It has 26 sides. It looks like something that should be flying in space or used as a die in a role-playing game. it’s imposing, intimidating and beautiful, in its own way. At night it’s lit up in a variety of colours. (The library is also notable to me because it was featured in a music video for the Belarusian band Molchat Doma, a band I really like.)

It was a short metro stop from central Minsk and gave me opportunity to visit yet more attractive subway stations. From the library I crossed the street and wandered by some Soviet apartment block buildings that had on the sides of them really cool mid-century mosaics of Soviet life and achievement. There were astronauts and farmers and Olympians. The tall apartment blocks still lived in.

I walked past trees in blossom and beautiful wildflowers everywhere on my way to see the Church of All Saints.

I didn’t see the Church of All Saints listed in many “what to see guides” and for Minsk, which is bananas because it’s stunning. It’s a newer church, gleaming white and gold. From the outside it is absolutely beautiful, and it is equally stunning from the inside. I took about a million photos from different angles.

Church of All Saints

In the basement of the church is the crypt; it’s quite attractive but what’s mostly notable about it is that the walls of it are lined with small square cubbyholes with amber coloured translucent windows on them. Inside of them are the ashes or remains of people killed – mostly unidentified and mostly soldiers. It gives the crypt beautiful glow. Of course, my twisted brain also thought it a little like a beautiful and morbid automat.

What I didn’t know prior to arriving, was the right next to the church of all saints Is another church, the Holy Trinity Church. While the Church of All Saints is white and gleaming, the Holy Trinity Church is black and sinister looking. I couldn’t find out a lot of information about it. I don’t know when it was built, but I do know that it’s made entirely of logs like a log cabin. It is cozy on the inside with a log cabiny feeling. The two churches are worth a visit.

Holy Trinity Church

From the churches I decided to walk back to central Minsk. It was a long walk but took me past a lovely cemetery that I walked through and looked at the various headstones and their designs.

It was a pleasant and leisurely day in Minsk and of course I ended the day by having a cigar and a cocktail (ok, two) on the patio of a Lebanese restaurant.

I had one day ahead of me in Minsk and had plans to see the opera and a whole lot more of Lenin.

*pedestrian street in central Minsk at night*

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Minsk Metro

A whole post devoted to metro stations probably isn’t warranted, except that Minsk’s Metro stations are beautiful. The Soviet Union placed great value on public transportation and, generally, made their metro stations lovely rather than merely functional. The most beautiful I have seen are in Russia, but other former USSR ones I’ve seen have been impressive. Minsk’s were no exception.

Minsk’s Metro only has three lines but has stops that can be useful for a visitor, such as for visiting the architecturally amazing library. For the most part, Minsk’s sights are walkable, but I wanted to see some of the stations. I didn’t visit all, but on my final day or two in Minsk, when I had seen much of ‘the sights’ I made a point of popping into a few stations to check them out.

The Metro is incredibly cheap – only less than $0.50 per ride – and when you pay, you get a neat little plastic token to enter.

Some of the stations have beautiful lighting and columns; others have interesting design on the walls of the tunnels in the stations. The best ones are those that still have their Soviet insignia intact.

You’re not officially allowed to take photos of the stations, but if no one sees you doing it, it’s no problem.

Like many Russian and Ukrainian stations, some had little shops in the tunnels leading to the stations, selling delicious baked goods.

Others had monuments and memorials. Of the latter, the most notable is at Nyamiha metro station, where, outside, there is a monument to the victims of the Nyamiha stampede where 53 people were crushed and trampled to death after people crushed into the stations during a sudden rainstorm.

Nyamiha stampede memorial

The possibility of sudden death aside, it’s worth visiting the Minsk Metro, whether you need to take it or not; to see the decoration and just to participate in a bit of everyday life in modern Minsk.

More subway memorials. The one on the right is for WW2. The one on the left is for a 1905 shooting, i think.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Castles Mir & Nesvizh: A Day Trip from Minsk

As much as I loved Minsk, I didn’t want to stay there during my entire visit. I wanted to spend a day visiting two UNESCO heritage castles: Mir and Nesvizh. If you have a car, it makes a perfect day trip. But not having a car, I looked at the options for bus and train; it was technically possible to see both in a day travelling that way, but looked rushed and stressful, with a strong likelihood of missing connections, so I decided to hire a car. There weren’t a lot of people offering this service, but I found a company online, messaged them the night before I wanted to leave, and they picked me up the next morning. (Minsk Airport Transfer & Tours)

Roadtrip!

This was one of those days where the hiring of a guide/driver was much more than just transport. I had a great day with Sergey. A kind and interesting man who was fun to hang out with. He even does his own version of ‘carpool karaoke’ with guests.

*Me and Sergey, in our ‘buddy cop’ movie pose*

Nesvizh

We drove first to Nesvizh (aka Nyasvizh, or Нясвіж, or Несвиж) a small town (population ~15,000), which is famous for its castle by the same name: Nesvizh Castle, a lovely castle built in the 16^th and 17^th centuries and surrounded by a pretty forest. It even has a moat. What more do you want from a castle? Dragons?

Sergey waited outside while I wandered the halls, and then we walked through the forest together.

Nesvizh Castle, inside and out

We made a stop at the Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh, from the 16^th century.

Corpus Christi Church, Nesvizh

Before we left Nesvizh, Sergey offered me hydration in the form of Byarozavik (бярозавы сок in Belarusian), birch tree sap. It was clear and mild tasting; unsweetened, but slightly sweet tasting. Kind of like coconut water, but not disgusting. I liked it.

Village Life

We drove through the pretty countryside, and I was ogling the villages, so Sergey took us to one (the benefit of having a private driver). I believe it was called Vishnevets, though I can’t find it on a map. It was just so charming. Almost entirely residential, with small dacha type houses; small, with peaked roofs, but they were mostly painted yellows and greens. The landscape was all gardens and farms, very green, storks’ nests on tall poles. This was time number in don’t know how many that I had a fantasy about packing it all up and moving there. I know I would be bored after a weekend, but it was just so lovely.

We stopped nearby at a well by the side of the road and drank cool, clean water that Sergey hoisted up on a rope.

We carried on to Mir.

Mir

Mir is a village of about 2,500 people. It has a turbulent history, having been attacked and/or occupied and/or taken over by Sweden, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Russians, and the Nazis (the latter of which killed off the town’s once thriving Jewish and Roma populations). Today, Mir is famous for its late Gothic, 16^th century castle.

Mir Castle inside and out

Mir castle is not as nice inside as Nesvizh, but is impressive, and the views from across the small river are lovely.

We had lunch at a nearby restaurant and I had some delicious soup and potato pancakes with mushrooms. (The vegetarian food in Minsk is not varied, but it is delicious.)

We drove back to Minsk, singing to Phantom of the Opera and My Way (some of Sergey’s favourites – and I can never resist a show or Sinatra tune) and talking about life in Belarus.

road signs

It was an excellent day; made much more fun by having company for the day and getting insights and info I would not have gotten on my own.

I really would like to see more of rural Belarus, but I also wanted to spend more time in Minsk, so I went back to my hostel and made plans for what to see the next day.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Pomp & Propaganda: Victory Day in Minsk

As the man at immigration at the airport was kind enough to remind me, my trip to Minsk overlapped with Victory Day. This was not intentional, but I am so glad it worked out this way. Victory Day in Russia many years ago was fine – lots of parades – but this was a whole experience.

Victory Day is, of course, the anniversary of the day (9 May 1945) that the Soviets defeated the Nazis in WW2, and it remains a point of great pride. I have been told that Victory Day celebrations have become more of a celebration in recent years, as Belarus and Russia have gotten closer. I can neither confirm nor deny this, but I can say that experiencing this spectacle is to feel transported to the feeling of being in the Soviet Union in the good times. I loved it. Apparently I am easily influenced by rousing anthems in foreign languages. I have not defected, but I did have a great time.

On Victory Day eve, I was out at night looking for a place to have a cigar and found that there was a stage set up in a square on Independence Avenue a crowd of people watching. I wandered over to have a look and ended up standing there for an hour. On the stage was a series of music and dance performances, each celebrating Belarus. Young women in traditional costumes danced in front of videos of wheat fields accompanied by gentle ballads. Powerful torch song were sung while soldiers and their lady loves danced and played out silent dramas of relationships torn apart by noble wars. Choruses of children sang in front of waving flags. The best though were the lively songs where men, dressed as army and navy men danced acrobatically: high kicking, and doing that traditional Russian dance where the men cross their arms and get low to the ground, while kicking out their legs. (Like the move John Travolta pulled off in Saturday Night Fever.) Flips, endless twirls, and tight choreography. It was excellent.

But that was just a taste of what was to come. The next day there was a procession to Victory Square, where people gathered. Powerful Soviet anthems played. People waved red flags – some with the hammer and sickle. Some people sombrely carried placards with pictures of Lenin and Stalin on them. People carried photos of their relatives who had fought and died in wars. A couple of ancient, thin men walked with help through the crowd, wearing old army uniforms, dripping with medals. Everyone wanted pictures with them. It was so showy, so affecting, that I started to wonder if it was real. I mean, it certainly might have been, but also, could some of these flag wavers and portrait bearers be government actors and the whole thing designed to rally patriotism and militarism? With the Russian/Ukrainian war just to the south, it seemed possible, but I can’t say.

I felt energetic from the song and the false feeling of camaraderie. I had my photo taken with a soldier and a little girl in soldier costume. I pinned a ribbon to my jacket. I took a ton of photos.

After a while though, as the crowds grew, I decided it would be prudent to get away from the spectacle. Soldiers were starting to close off streets and I noticed a lot of plain clothed police or security guys posted around the square who weren’t there before. I thought maybe the president was about the make an appearance and I didn’t want to get fenced in, so I took off, through a park where the merriment continued, and then just away altogether, to an art gallery and café.

The President did come, but earlier in the day; nothing of any concern happened, but I always think it’s good not to me in the middle of any big, politically charged crowd, even if the music is great.

I hadn’t planned it, but the Victory Day celebrations were a highlight of my time in Minsk. I do think it is largely propaganda, but well done; and I left before I enlisted for anything, so I just got to feel like I time traveled to the 1940s and then carried on in the present day.

I ended the day bar at my new favourite bar in Minsk, with a cigar and the company of people who cared more for whisky than war.

On my way back to my hostel I caught the fireworks from a bridge.

The next day I would leave all of this behind to see some countryside and castles.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Minsk’s Murals

One of the things that I love about any city is discovering street art. I like art, of course, but I like street art not just for the content of the art but for where it is found. I love a large piece on the side of a building, or a neighbourhood taken over by colorful murals. I even like collections of unrestrained graffiti. It’s a great way to see a city; to go off in search of murals in rougher or burgeoning neighbourhoods and to see places I might not have otherwise seen. And it’s free.

Minsk was not a place to see street art. For a long time, it was not a part of the landscape; either because there was a lack of street at culture or because the government didn’t allow it. Probably both. There is an excellent NY Times article about street art in Minsk; street art as political protest and the government’s aggressive tactics to shut it down and erase it. As I discussed in a previous post about Belarus, the government is … strict, so I didn’t discuss it much with anyone and I am not in a position to explain the history of street art as political protest, but it seems to be an issue.

That it is why it was such a big deal when in 2014 the areas around Oktyabrskaya Street (now officially Kastryčnickaja Street) became a veritable outdoor gallery after the Brazilian embassy in Minsky organized a street art festival (Vulica Brazil).

With art by artists from mostly Brazil and Belarus, this formerly industrial zone, is not covered with enormous, colorful murals. There is not one uniform style or theme, which makes it even better for discovery. And it is no longer just an industrial area; not there are cafes, restaurants, and bars. It is a properly, cool neighbourhood.

It is a short walk just off the main sights in central Minsk and is a great way to spend an afternoon or a couple of hours. None of the art seems political; it is fanciful and whimsical or paying homage to artists, writers, and thinkers. It’s an area that I did not even see listed in the guidebooks for Minsk and is something I found specifically by googling “street art” in Minsk. Definitely a cultural highlight in the city.

I saw these Murals on my first day in Minsk as part of an overall, self-directed walking exploration of the city

I know. It’s a short post, but I have So Many Pictures from Minsk that I had to break them up.

Wandering North

Category: Europe

Lake Bled Day Trip

Getting There

The Lake

The Cake

Getting to the Island

Bled the Town and Returning to Ljubljana

Ljubljana Weekend

Arrival in Slovenia

Metelkova Mesto

Seeing Ljubljana

The Castle

Museum Day

Too much of a good thing?

But first, Frankfurt

The trip to come

Surprise layover in Frankfurt

My Perfect London Layover

The Layover

Breakfast in Hoxton

Flower Market

Spitalfields

Bypassing The Tower

Borough Market & The Tate

Lunch & Leaving London

Farewell, Minsk

Minsk: Two Churches and A Library

Minsk Metro

Castles Mir & Nesvizh: A Day Trip from Minsk

Roadtrip!

Nesvizh

Village Life

Mir

Pomp & Propaganda: Victory Day in Minsk

Minsk’s Murals