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.
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 16th and 17th 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 16th 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, 16th 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.
