russia: kazan

When my friend Bo found out I had moved to Russia, he decided to visit. He and I have traveled and/or met up on three different continents, in multiple countries and cities. He planned his trip so that he would have time in Moscow, as well opportunities as see several other cities.

The first weekend he was in town, he joined Claire and I for our weekend trip to Kazan. We chose the city because it was one of the host cities for the upcoming World Cup football tournament, and we didn't know anyone else who had been there.

Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, a semi autonomous republic in Russia. There are almost 1.2 million people in the city, it's one of the biggest in Russia. There are two official languages, Tatar and Russian. Names all over the city were written in both languages; Tatar has a few characters in its alphabet that are different from Russian. The Republic is both Islamic and Orthodox, with houses of worship of both faiths.

Kazan is pretty much as far as I'm willing to go on a night train for a weekend trip from Moscow, the train ride was 11+ hours. We arrived just before noon, on time. Since the train rides each way were so long, it meant less time in the city, booo. 

We took a couple photos of the trains, station, and one of the train attendants.

From there we walked to the hotel we'd booked for the night. We weren't able to check in, but we were able to use the toilet and leave our bags at the front desk.

Our first sight was one we had seen while on the train coming into the city. It looked like a church in the middle of the river. It took us a while to walk there, but the weather was nice, so we didn't care. When we got there, we were able to go down to the banks of the river but weren't able to get out to the church, as it was actually out in the middle of the river.

I'm not sure how it is possible to get out to the church, and to go inside, but it must be at various times.

The banks of the river at this point were more like sand dunes, which were fun and challenging to get around.

From this church, we walked back to the biggest sight of the city, the kremlin. You can see the white walls from a distance, and it sits on a small hill. You can also see the minarets of a big mosque inside the kremlin.

The landscaping around the kremlin is really simple, just a lot of green, soon to be healthy looking grass.

Near the entrance of the kremlin is a metal dragon, of course I took that photo.

Entrance into the kremlin was free, woo hoo. Almost as soon as we walked in, we saw the mosque, it would be impossible to miss. Kul Sharif mosque was one of the biggest mosques in Russia and Europe when it was built, in the 16^th century. It is white, with blue at the tops of the minarets. The platz around the mosque is paved with bricks, the whole thing is aesthetically attractive.

As we approached we saw a woman having her photo taken in front of the mosque, complete with hair flipping. As much as any people watching we do, it was entertaining. I have no desire to take sexy photos in front of a religious structure.

Entry into the mosque was also free, and one of the volunteer ladies made sure every strand of my hair was covered before letting me go any further. Bo simply had to take off his hat, sigh. We followed other visitors to one of two doors marked as tourist balconies.

It turned out there were balconies for tourists on the walls of the second level of the mosque, the doors led to stairwells to get us up to those balconies. As the balconies were rather small, we had to wait while the queue moved slowly up the stairs.

The view of the 'sanctuary' from the balcony was lovely. There were plenty of windows, so the interior area was filled with natural light, something I always love. There was a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling providing even more lighting.

Back in the entry area, we noticed a man sitting in a box of sorts, singing the Koran. It was really impressive to see, I wonder how long he sits in there at a time.

By the time we left the mosque the weather had changed completely. It was now windy, with grey skies. Walking along we came to the gate of the official residence of the president of the republic. I wonder how often he is there. The gate was closed, so we weren't able to get that close. I'd like to think that tours are available to the public from time to time.

We didn't know of anywhere else to go in the kremlin, so we left. I still feel like we missed something, but I don't know what. Since Claire and I love public transport, and metros in particular, we decided to explore some of the metro stations of the city.

A jeton for a ride cost 25 rubles, it was just a piece of plastic. We rode several stops to the end of the line. It turned out only two or three stations were decorated nicely, but those stations were really nice. The best station had mosaics everywhere, including one of a dragon on the ceiling. 

Awesome. Like Moscow, the stations were cleaned and smelled normal. Unlike Moscow, trains didn't come quite so often.

After riding the metro we decided it was time for dinner. There didn't seem to be a huge range of options, we ended up having sushi from a food court in a mall. Also located in this mall was a store named after me :)

On the way back to our hotel we stopped at a supermarket to pick up food for the next day. We got a little lost on the way back to the hotel, but we got there eventually. It was easy to check in, and all three of us fell asleep quickly.

The next morning was our normal pattern of waking up early but not checking out and leaving for a few hours. Oh well. Unfortunately, when we woke up there was no power in the hotel. No wifi, no lights, no hot water. No fun.

After checking out, the first sight of the day was the Museum of Tatarstan State History. It was free that day, yippee! We had no idea why, but didn't care; what a lovely surprise. 

It was set up quite well, on two floors of displays. The history of the republic goes back quite a way, most of the exhibits were displayed chronologically. 

It was really neat to see the historical/cultural differences, up until Soviet times, when we saw some of the same things we could see in any history museum around the country.

After the museum we stopped in the central market, just to see what was there. I ended up buying some dried fruit, just because I liked the way the display was set up.

While walking around the city we'd noticed a church with an interesting roof several times. We finally found it, but the inside wasn't nearly as interesting as the outside. That has been typical in my Russian travels.

We walked along a park, which would probably be quite nice in a few weeks. As it was, we were visiting in mid April, when the snow had melted but nothing had started growing yet. There was a fountain with a statue in the middle, the water wasn't flowing just yet.

Next up was a statue of Pushkin, right next to a theatre. On the other side of the street from the front of the theatre was a statue of Lenin. I found information online telling me he was put there in 1954. Behind him was a big platz, called University Square.

On the other side of the square was the local duma, looking very big, boring, and Soviet. Since it was a weekend, there was no traffic (vehicular or pedestrian,) in front of the building.

From there we walked back toward a platz/circle more in the center of the city. While walking we saw a statue up on a hill. I'd seen a picture of this statue in the museum, so I was happy to see it in person. By that point the weather was not so great, so every time we walked on grass we were basically walking on mud. We did not walk all the way up the hill because of the mud.

After that we tried to go to the museum of Soviet life. We were quite excited to see this museum, until we started to pay the entry fee and realized it was basically a giant collection of Soviet kitsch. We had all seen these sorts of items from time to time, and didn't feel the need to pay hundreds of rubles to see more, so we ended up walking back out of the building.

It ended up being a good things we didn't spend time in the museum. We had just enough time to pick up sushi to go, walk back to the hotel to pick up our bags, then walk to the train station and board our train. 

We also stopped really quickly in a souvenir store near the train station, so we could get city magnets and postcards.

As expected, the train departed on time, and we arrived on time the next morning in Moscow. I don't feel the need to return to Kazan specifically, but I would be happy to explore more of the area.

ukraine: kamyanets podilsky

I went to Kamyanets-Podilsky my first school year in Ukraine, but I hadn't seen the town since. Since I knew this would likely be my last chance for a while, I figured out a free weekend to return. Getting there was easy, but not terribly convenient. The tickets were cheap, but that's because they were for seats on the train, not sleeper beds. The train left Kyiv mid afternoon, and arrived just after midnight in Kamyanets-Podilsky. Combining the seat and the timing of the train, I dozed on and off, but didn't really sleep.

I'd booked a place to stay for three nights, since the train back to Kyiv left in the middle of the night, and I just wasn't in the mood to carry my pack all day then spend hours at the train station in the late evening and night Sunday/Monday.
The guy who owned the place had sent a message to tell me he would pick me up at the train station when the train arrived. He did so, which was awesome.

There were a couple other people on the train staying at the same place, we were all in the car together. Driving to the hotel didn't take long in the car, it would've taken me a lot longer to walk the distance. As I've experienced in other places in Ukraine, there was no sign outside the building, there is no way I would've found it on my own.

My room had a giant skylight, which I loved. I fell asleep after looking up at the black sky.

The next morning I woke up early, despite going to sleep so late. Annoying to me, because I was tired. Also annoying to me was that it took me foreva to get moving. I didn't leave my room until just after noon, despite being awake for hours already.

My hotel was on the island part of Kamyanets-Podilsky. This is the part that is surrounded by city walls and a few of the old tower gates. There is a newer part of the city, not on the 'island.' Not surprisingly, most of the sights of the city are on the island, so that's where I stayed.

When I got out the door I realized I was really thirsty, and kinda hungry. I used my phone to figure out the closest supermarket, so I walked in that direction. While walking I saw several places of interest. The first was a church, which is basically the first thing anyone sees after crossing the bridge onto the island. It's not a church that makes much of an impression in terms of aesthetics or architecture, but it is the first thing you see, so it's memorable.

The grocery store was off island, so I walked across the bridge, which is also memorable. The bridge goes over a canyon of sorts, which is filled with greenery at this time of year. There is also a small creek at the bottom, which is quite pretty.

Just after crossing the bridge I took a path which took me down to the bottom of the path. It was pretty steep, and not in the greatest condition. I imagine it gets dangerous when there has been a lot of rain. When I got to the bottom I saw a pedestrian bridge crossing the creek, and started to go over. The bridge wasn't in great condition though, and I turned back after just a few steps. I normally have the courage to go over sketchy bridges, but I wasn't loving the swaying, and missing planks. Oh well.

I climbed back out of the canyon and took a look at a fountain, managing to take a photo just before a couple moved in to have wedding photos taken. When they moved in, I knew it would be at least 30 minutes until the area was free of people again. 

From there I walked to a nearby monument, which was memorializing the soldiers who founght in the Soviet war in Afghanistan.

Across the street from the monument is a big church. St. Alexander Nevsky is the name I think. It's an Orthodox Church, with silver domes on top.

The church is on a small hill, which makes it seem even bigger. I climbed the steps and went through the gate onto the property, then found the door to the church. It was closed, but unlocked. When I entered, the guy directly inside looked at me as if to inquire what I was there, but I'm pretty sure it was obvious I'm a foreigner, so he waited for me to speak. I tried to communicate that I just wanted to see the church, and he let me go into the sanctuary.

It was stunning. The entire sanctuary is painted with frescoes. There is painting inside the cupola, painting on the concrete columns, painting on the walls, etc... The iconostasis in the front was gold, with colourful icons. My neck got whiplash of a sort, trying to take it all in.

After the church I walked just a bit further to the supermarket. It felt really good to finally have something to drink, and I grabbed some snacks as well. I also ordered a hot chocolate from the stand out front, I"m such a sucker for hot chocolate.

I walked back to my hotel, then I followed the closest road, which took me to one of the old tower gates, and what remains of the city walls in that area. My travel book said this gate is seven stories tall, but it didn't look that big to me. I'm hoping I got something mixed up, because I'd hate for a guide to be wrong. There were doors at the bottom of the gate, but they were locked. Darnit.

I followed another road for a while, which took me into the center area of the island. I found another church, one that I remembered from my first visit 5 years ago.

The first time I visited I was able to go into this church, but this time the doors were locked. Oh well. The front of the church is bordered by a small cemetery, which had a lot of flowers growing already. It was beautiful, and peaceful. I walked out another way, through a small gate, which was also beautiful.

I walked down the hill, and ended up at what is called the Polish Gate (I'm assuming it was built or named when this part of the country was part of the Polish Empire) which is gorgeous in an abandoned building sort of way. Sadly, there was plenty of rubbish laying around, from people who had a picnic inside the gate remains. People really ought to clean up after themselves. I climbed around a bit, which was fun. Given the way some of the stone was collapsing, I can't help but wonder how/why the whole thing is still completely open for anyone who wants to climb around. (Then again, Ukraine is not known for taking safety precautions.)

I walked back up the hill, and followed the path all the way into the city center. I found a church that wasn't exciting from the exterior, nor was it exciting inside. I think the church was under renovation, I hope religious items would be put back in, and soon.

When I got to the platz in the city center I found the area full of people. Apparently there was some sort of festival taking place, though I never found out exactly what it was. There was a stage set up, as well as stalls selling popcorn and other snacks. People were milling around, a concert of sorts started not long after I walked into the area.

On one side of the platz was a souvenir village, with lots of perma-stalls set up with ukrainian souvenirs and knick knacks for the town itself. I didn't find anything that interested me, and there didn't seem to be many people looking around.

I walked toward the sight for which Kamyanets-Podilsky is most well known. It's a castle/fortress on one side of the island. There are heaps of photos taken of this castle/fortress, it's the most common thing to be seen on a postcard and/or magnet. As I got close I realized how tired I was, and since I'd seen the interior before (five years ago,) I opted to skip that this time.

From there I wanted to dinner. I chose a steak restaurant in the newer part of town. The food was okay, but the service left much to be desired.

I walked back to my hotel, enjoying the city lit up at night. Some of the areas in the canyon were lit up, as was the bridge. Very pretty. 

The next morning I woke up early again, and managed to get out the door slightly earlier than the day before. My first sight of the day was off island, it was a Chornobyl memorial. After touring Chornobyl itself, and learning the history of what happened at the nuclear plant, I always make an effort to see these memorials. All nuclear disasters have been human caused, and all could have been prevented.

I went back to the same supermarket as the day before, getting more to drink, and more snacks. And more hot chocolate from the stand out front.

I crossed back onto the island, and figured out how to get to yet another former tower of the former city walls. This one wasn't as easy to get to, I had to follow a couple paths that clearly aren't used very often. This tower was also closed and locked. Argh.

The guidebook says the building next to this tower was an old synagogue, but it didn't look like a synagogue anymore. I'm pretty sure it is now a restaurant, argh.

My next sight was yet another former tower in the former city defenses. This one was much more difficult to find. The first street I tried was blocked off, so I wound through other streets. Google maps had a street marked on a map, but it wasn't really a street. It was actually just a streak in the grass that had been walked on a few times. I followed the 'street' and eventually got to where I wanted to go. The tower here was missing a roof, and a door. There were windows though :)

Back in the land of 'normal' roads, I walked to a place listed as a Dominican monastery on maps. The outside walls were high, I couldn't see much of anything. When I got to the front door I saw a wedding party exiting the church. It wasn't a big group, so I hung out for a little, and waited until they pulled away. The front door was still unlocked, so I went in. I'm not sure the church is normally open to the public. A good portion of the sanctuary was blocked off, and under renovation, but I still enjoyed taking a look inside. Somehow I don't think the church was normally open to the public, I just got lucky with my timing. 

Further down that particular street was a set of ruins. My guidebook told me it is what remains of an Armenian church. When I use the word ruins, I mean foundation ruins; there is hardly anything to see. The gate is still in front of the ruins though, I wonder if the gate is taken care of more often than the ruins?

Out the backside of the ruins I noticed another church. This one was tiny, but new, used, and well taken care of. I peeked inside, and as it was so small I wondered if it is used as a place to have services or is just for the members of a church order. It's really small, but it has an iconostasis and several icons.

I made my way down the hill, which basically took me to the bottom of the canyon. Along the way I passed what used to the be the barracks for the soldiers who used to guard the city. I wanted to go in the gates of this abandoned building, but when a dog inside the gates jumped up and started barking, I changed that plan.

At the bottom of the canyon I found a bridge crossing the river. This one was a lot more sturdy than the bridge I'd seen the day before, so I took advantage and used my tripod to take a couple photos. The path on the other side of the bridge took me straight up the other side of the canyon, right to another church. I stepped inside, and judging from the look on the face of the priest, there aren't many visitors to this church.

My map had another former tower/gate marked, and I went hunting for it, but never found it. Obviously the map was wrong, or it doesn't exist at all. Argh.

At that point I followed the street I was on, which went down a hill. I ended up seeing the backside of the famous castle/fortress, and I ended up thinking this was a better view than the one you usually see in photos.

To get to the last sight I wanted to see I used my phone to tell me the quickest path to walk. For anyone who has read any of my posts, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I wanted to see another church. This one is called St George.

I walked all the way there only to find that the gates to the property were closed, as were the doors at the bottom of the bell tower. Darnit.

Since I didn't have anything else of interest to me to see, I walked back to my hotel. I hung out for a while, then walked to the same restaurant for dinner as I'd visited the evening before. This time, they didn't have the first two options I wanted, but I found food to eat.

After eating I walked back to my hotel, and hung out in my room for a few hours. Even though I wouldn't be spending the entire night, I'd paid for the night as I didn't have other ways of spending time until the train left. I dozed off and on, not really sleeping, but not staying completely awake either. 

At the right time, or even a bit late, I started walking to the train station. I walked really really fast to the train station, and got on the train less than 10 minutes before it left. The next morning I arrived in Kyiv, totally sleep deprived. It's not fun trying to sleep sitting up, but that's the way the timing of these trains worked.

There are a couple areas nearby Kamyanets-Podilsky that I'd like to come back to see, but I don't know if it will happen in the forseeable future. I'll put them on the list anywho.

belarus: minsk

I've wanted to visit Belarus for a long time, but until just recently Americans needed a visa that was complicated to get. A few months ago a law was changed so now Americans (and a few others,) can fly to Belarus for five days or less without a visa. When that law was changed I was a whole lot more motivated to book the tickets, especially when I found good prices and a schedule that gave me as much time as possible in a new place. The change in the law is so new that the staff working the check in counter asked me for my visa, and initially did not believe me when I said I didn't need one. 

In Ukraine we get the Monday after Easter off from work/school, it's an official holiday. A three day weekend seemed like plenty of time, as I've never heard anyone say that Belarus is a country you have to visit. Flight times worked out so I got three full days in the country. 

Entering the airport in Minsk I thought I was good to go for my trip. The lines at passport control moved slowly, but they did move. When I got to the window the lady asked for my immigration card. I told her no one had given me one, so she did so and sent me to the back of the line. I filled it out and got back to the same window, at which time she asked me for my medical insurance. 

I gave her the card I have through my bank, and she said it is Ukrainian and wouldn't work. I told her it works everywhere but Ukraine and the US as it is travel insurance. I ended up having to buy a three day policy for $4. Ugh. (On the other hand, if I could find a year long policy that covered me for $365 I'd be really happy.)

When I got back to the lady she finally stamped me through, after thoroughly inspecting my passport. I've never seen anyone look that closely at a passport. I went through the rest of the airport and found the bus stop out front. There are two companies that have a bus to the city, so you generally only have to wait 30 minutes at most. 

I waited 20 minutes or so. The cost was cheap, only 3 rubles, which converts to about $1.60. The ride was easy, I got off at the stop near a metro station. 

I'd booked a place right next to another metro station, which was why I didn't ride the bus the whole way to the central bus station. I bought tokens for the metro, and was quickly approached by a security guard, who told me to follow him. He had me put my backpack through an X-ray machine, then said it was okay for me to go. 

The metro train itself was just like many of those I've ridden in Kyiv. Knowing how to read the Cyrillic alphabet was definitely a plus, though the Belarussian alphabet has a couple characters I didn't recognize. 

As soon as I got to 'my' metro station I called the contact number for my accommodation. The man came to meet me, then showed me to the flat. As my students say, easy peasy lemon squeezy. I relaxed for an hour, then went out for a walk.

'My' flat was on Independence Street, a major artery of Minsk. I walked down the street for a while, just to see what there was to see. 

Less than a block from my flat was a campus of the national technical university. As it was Friday evening, there weren't any people around. I took a photo of the main building and kept walking. 

I walked to the Victory Monument, in the middle of a memorial in the middle of a traffic circle. It's a simple monument, (an obelisk) with an eternal flame in front. Pretty. 

More walking brought me to a bridge, over water. I like water, and I liked the reflections I could see not too far away. I followed the water for a little bit, just because I could. 

I got back to the main road and walked another block or so. At the last intersection I saw the circus building, which was lit up with colour changing light. 

On the way back to my flat I stopped in a cafeteria for dinner. It was later than I should've been eating, but I knew I needed real food. Though I got there over an hour before it closed, much of the food had already been put away for the night. 

I got home and went to sleep fairly quickly. I noticed the heat was still on, Minsk is definitely colder than Kyiv. It was nice to sleep in a queen sized bed with good support.

The next morning I eventually got going, following the street as I had the night before. I found a grocery store and picked up snacks and drinks for the day. The products were similar to what I've seen in Ukraine. 

I kept walking and got back to the same monument I'd seen the night before. I decided I wanted to take a photo during daylight, so I used the tunnel under the street to get there, just as I'd done the night before. 

As I came up the stairs, I noticed soldiers standing in front of the monument, they hadn't been there the night before. 

As I took my photos I realized I was there as they were doing a changing of the guard. The ceremony wasn't complicated, just several soldiers walking in time and switching places. Their walk wasn't exactly a match, but not a walk either. Interesting to watch. 

After the ceremony I walked along the same water I'd walked the night before. I love the way things can look so different at night than they do during the day. In this case, I thought the night before had been much more interesting. 

I walked through a small bit of a park on the way to the national opera. When I got to the opera I almost interrupted a couple having wedding photos taken. They were moving around the front steps of the building, I waited with more patience than I usually have.

Just as I was finally taking my photos, a man rode through on his bicycle, with a child on the back of the bike. She was the perfect photo bomb, smiling and posing as she went through my frame. In front of the opera house is a long fountain, so I tried taking photos of the building in the background with reflections in the water.

They turned out well, except when ducks swam near, and messed up the surface of the water. 

My next stop was the so called Isle of Tears. It's tiny, and man made, in the river running through the area. To get there, you walk across a small pedestrian bridge.

Once on the island you can see two things, both of which are memorials. One was religious, a tower of sorts, and relatively small. There was an interior section but it was small, and the gates were locked. On the other end is another memorial, but I didn't know what this one represented. 

After leaving the island I walked along the river briefly, before crossing the river by walking over a bridge. 

At this point I could already tell it was a special weekend, just by the number of people heading toward the church. Before coming to Minsk, I didn't expect that Easter weekend would be different from any other weekend. In my head, former Soviet counties aren't actively religious, though I don't know why I have that impression, since many of these countries are actively religious. Anywho. 

Set up outside the church, near the front, were multiple long bench-like tables. Nearly everyone inside the church (and there were heaps of people,) and near the church was carrying a basket with Easter food inside; bread and eggs mostly. Inside the church was a queue, people slowly moving forward to kiss one of the icons at the front of the church. 

I found another church nearby, but it was closed. I don't know if it is ever open? A third church (also nearby,) turned out to be a former church, and is now a concert hall. 

By this point I was standing in front of what is called City Hall, except that it's not city hall. It's a building that was built to recreate what they think the old city hall looked like, a long time ago. There were no pictures of the old building, they had to use written descriptions. Nearby this 'city hall' were a few stands selling souvenirs, so I bought a coffee mug with the changing emblems of the flag/country, and a magnet. 

On the other side of city hall I found a Catholic Church. After reading the signs inside I found out it was the Roman Catholic Archcathedral of the area. Needless to say, the history of the building was long and complicated. 

As Orthodox and Western Easter were on the same day this year, this church was packed as well. And again, everyone was carrying a basket with eggs and/or bread to be blessed. 

I'm not positive, but I think I walked in just as one service was ending. I thought it would clear out, but it seemed as if more people were coming in, waiting for another service to begin soon. Did this go on all day? 

The ceiling and organ of this church were absolutely beautiful. Always look up. 

From there I walked through more of the city center area. I found my way to a large platz in front of the palace of culture building. The palace itself was really boring looking, I hope the inside had more to offer. 

On one side of the platz was the 0km mark, the point from which distances are measured in this city/country. Why this point was chosen, I don't know. 

On another side of the platz was a theater, with a lovely front facade. I wish I'd been able to go inside. Not too far from the front of the theater was a series of vertical flags of Belarus. 

I kept wandering, and while on a small street noticed a sign with what I thought was my name. Yahoo! My name was written in the Cyrillic alphabet, as was the business name, so I took a photo and made a mental note to send it to someone for translation. (When I got the info back, I was told it was Eva's womens' health clinic!)

I continued walking up the street, finding my way to Tsum department store. This name is what the major state run department store in all Soviet countries was called, so I've seen it in other countries as well. It was interesting to walk inside and see how this one was different. Some of the areas were old school, in that everything was behind a counter, and you had to ask a salesclerk to get it for you. No browsing on your own. 

Further down the street was the post office. It was quite grand, but not as grand as Kyiv. They had a section for postcards and such, making things easier for me. 

Continuing along the street I reached Independence Square, which is actually pretty big. That being said, there are fountains and such scattered around, so it isn't one large wide open platz.

One of the fountains had plaques all around with the names of different cities, all from Belarus I think? 

One corner of the platz had a giant building, with a statue of Lenin in front. Since all statues of Lenin have been removed in Ukraine in the past three years or so, (at least all in government controlled areas,) I'm fascinated when I get to see these statues still standing. I took a selfie, the nearby guard was watching me and I'm not sure he would've been keen on me using the tripod for a posed photo. I walked around the back of the statue and noticed stairs going up a little. 

The guard seemed to think I wanted to go up (I didn't,) and made it clear I wasn't to do so. Since I have no desire to get that close to another Lenin, this was not an issue for me. 

Also on the platz is one of the places mentioned on all tourist lists of the city. St Helen's is made of red brick, and like every other church in the city was decorated for the holiday. Also like every other church in the city, it was packed with people. I wasn't impressed by the interior or exterior, maybe I'm just a jaded traveler. 

On one corner of the church property was a monument to the disaster at Chornobyl. The disaster itself happened in Ukraine, but the winds blew more than half the radiation just over the border, into Belarus. Thankfully those areas weren't highly populated, but it was still a disaster that directly affected this country. 

I walked along more streets to get to the train station. I had two reasons to come here: one, I wanted to see about possibilities for a day trip the next day; and two, I wanted to see the so called 'gates of the city.' 

The train station itself was very modern, nothing at all like the classic, grand station I was somehow expecting. This was the main train station in the country's capital after all. Oh well. 

I figured out tickets that would allow me a day trip in Brest, though I realized I'd be spending a lot of time sitting. 

The gates of the city were gates exactly. It was actually a set of two 'towers,' on the ends of two buildings across the street from each other, across the street from the station. You can help but notice them when you exit the station. 

From there I started walking back in the direction of my flat. I knew the walk would take a while, and that I'd be stopping for dinner along the way. The place I chose wasn't great, but the bathrooms made me laugh. The picture on the mens' door was of Brad Pitt. The picture on the womens' door was Angelina Jolie. Hahahahahaha. 

My walk took me back near the first church I'd visited, which was even more crowded now. The long table like benches in front were packed with people. It seemed that as each table filled, a priest would come along, say a blessing, and sprinkle holy water at or near everyone and their baskets. Then everyone would leave, and more people would fill in the space. Amazing. 

I crossed under a main street, and ended up near yet another church. (I promise, I wasn't specifically heading to this one.) There were tables and people in front of this one as well, the blessing priest, and a queue inside to kiss an icon. 

From there I meandered my way home. I walked through a park with random statues throughout, and in front of the opera house again. I stopped in the supermarket again, and found donuts (which didn't end up being very good,) too. 

The next day was my day trip to Brest, read that post. 

Monday morning I woke up early as usual, and looked out the window. After the crazybweather I'd had in Brest, I wondered what I would experience this day. I saw snow on the ground!! Sometime in the night it had snowed enough to accumulate a little. I love snow, but I wasn't mentally ready for it, so I was a bit shocked. 

I cleaned up and packed, then checked out at 0930. Yay me for finally being productive a little sooner in the day! Before leaving, I laid out the monies I'd collected and took photos. The country changed the value of its money 18 months ago, I was a bit sad I didn't get to see the old stuff. 

I didn't have a full day to run around, so I used google maps to tell me how to get to a specific park area. The map gave me the name of the street on which I needed to turn, but I never saw that name. After walking too far, I realized the name had officially been changed, but the street signs had not. The old name was Lenin St. 

A little way off Lenin street I found the Holocaust memorial. There are statues of people crowded together, moving down a set of stairs, and an obelisk. The plaque on the obelisk was written in several languages, but I didn't understand any of them. 

I continued along Lenin Street, which was a looong street. Sometime during this part of my walk my camera stopped working, it wouldn't turn on. At first I thought it must've gotten cold, so I changed the battery and kept it inside my jacket for a bit. That didn't help, it did nothing at all. Argh. I'd loved the camera so far, I was totally disappointed. I tried several more times during the rest of the day to turn on the camera, but it never worked. 

Eventually I arrived at a museum. By this point I knew I didn't have enough time to go through the museum, but the outside of it was plenty noteworthy. A tall obelisk, and a whole lot of mirrored windows. 

Slightly downhill from there I found the entrance 'gate' to a park. I walked along the main path until I got to water, which had a sculpture on the bank. Interesting, I guess. 

Another part of this park was the Island of Birds. I didn't see any birds, nor hear them. Maybe I was there at the wrong time, or wasn't looking in the right place. I did see all the locks people had tied onto the small pedestrian bridge used to get to the island. 

I got back to Lenin street, which was still going straight, and was clearly a main road. I walked and walked, looking for a government type building. Eventually, I got there. Not only were the gates closed and locked, there were police cars in the driveway. Okay, so I didn't go there. At least I could see it in the distance. With that kind of security nearby, I didn't even risk a photo. Argh. 

Even further along I came to a modern looking museum. It looked kinda like a spaceship to me, which still strikes me as an odd description for a building. In front of the museum was a giant flagpole and Belarussian flag. I mean GIANT. 

At that point I looked at my watch and knew it was time to turn around. I walked fast the entire way back to the city center, which felt awfully long. The wind blew, snow was swirling around (the wind had been blowing hard all day, I wondered if I'd see any rain or snow,) and I was annoyed my camera was broken. 

Once I got to the city center I continued my fast walk, and made it to the bus station, just past the train station. Thank goodness it was easy enough to find a bus heading to the airport, leaving soon. 

The flight back was easy, and smooth. Leaving Belarus was much easier than entering. I'd like to see more of the country, but it's not at the top of my list right now.