Rather a too short weekend in Minsk. Need at least a week to...

Rather a too short weekend in Minsk. Need at least a week to accomplish anything at each city these days.

At first, surprised to see all the signs in Chinese, direct flight from Beijing, one of the best hotel in the city named Beijing hotel, all the construction projects taken by Chinese firms, what does China want from this not so strategic looking place situated between Berlin and Moscow?

Then it surprised how modern the city already is, resembling more of western Europe, French restaurants every corner, probably because I stayed in more touristic region.

Still cheaper than Berlin, but not as cheap as I would have imagined, the life here must be not so easy, yet people seem to be very relaxed and enjoy the leisure each day. With my travel guide app still showing the exchange rate of the old currency, for the first two days, I went around not knowing exactly how much things cost. When I found out what the actual costs were, turned out to be more than I’d imagined. Two years some revaluation, it’s worth noting the new Belarusian rubles are pegged to the US dollars. Considering how dependent Belarus is to Russian energy supply, plus investments coming from China, but with ever more growing ties with the EU, I hope the country does not follow the footsteps of its southern neighbor in these turbulent times of growing tension.

#minsk #belarus🇧🇾 (at Independence Square)

https://hoon.io/2P4bIbF