I moved away from Minsk when I was 22. I missed it tremendously in Moscow, yet it was also the time when I’ve developed a bit of a condescending attitude towards it. Minsk was endearing but at the same time so tragically unhip. I never felt stronger about this than when I came to visit last time, in the summer of 2015, being already based in Montreal. I remember spending most of my days on the couch with mom and the dog. I ventured out on several long walks around the city and was restless on streets deprived of any vibe, nothing happening.
Fast forward to summer 2019. I was nervous to go back. On the way from the airport I was asked if Minsk had changed, but It looked the same, only older. Yet, after a few days, I began to feel its new rhythm. I joined a nice gym. I started running along the river, an area revamped to an extend that in awe I kept going for 1Ok every time. High on endorphins, sitting on a curb by a trendy wine bar with a glass of Pinot Gris and staring at an enormous ad of the national potash fertilizer producer, it struck me. Minsk was emerging as a rough on the edges ultimate Eastern Europe destination. A place where an adventurous traveller who ventures out to discover it is rewarded with many treasures.
Bars, cafes, and cute little shops inhibit decaying elegant socialist classicism buildings and ugly Khrushchev era residential clusters. Designers and artists occupy former industrial wastelands, places I had no clue existed. Bike paths run through the city. The unchanging political regime (a brand in itself) is making love to Belarusian cultural heritage. Things are pretty cheap. Service is naive and unpolished but so heartfelt. And ice-cream - rye with salt, linen and cornflower, buckthorn, condensed milk with bacon and latkes – is delightful.
Souvenirs
from Minsk
And here is a list on what to bring from Minsk:
ceramics from moon ceramics
bags from mattioli (design is a hit and miss, but the quality is impeccable and the price is ridiculously low)
fun pins and sleep masks from vialiki dziakuj
pictures of your family