Minsk, Belarus

Right before COVID-19 hit I took a trip to Belarus. 

Just three months prior, while planning the Baltics trip, I discovered that - while it is not possible to cross over land (I had thought about Vilnius to Minsk), the country did open up to tourism in recent years. No complicated visa process. As long as you entered through its capital airport, you were free to enter. 

So early March we took a direct flight from Warsaw with Belavia, the nation's national airline.

Unsurprisingly, Minsk is your textbook example of a Soviet capital: huge, symmetrical, and full of monuments. The highlight is definitely the KFC housed under a giant stone facade. A stark contrast between Soviet socialsm and Western capitalism.

What did surprise me is the city's nightlife. We ended up in Cherdak Bar right in the middle of the 'old town' area. A cool spot where they were playing 2000s Hip-Hop and R&B all night. The next day we hit Kastrychnitskaya Street (or Oktyabrskaya), a vibrant areas scattered with bars and restaurants.

On our flight back all passengers had to fill out a form. In the case that anyone got sick and they had to trace back all the contacts of the person in question. I could not imagine that this would be common practice in a few weeks time, if you were able to travel at all depending on the severity of local lock downs.

Literally that same week, by Friday, Ireland went in lock down too.

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