"A sad city that people usually speak well of." A Russian woman criticized Minsk — Belarusians ironically thanked her
Kristina Tsvetkova visited the Belarusian capital four times. And decided it's the best destination for retirement. But otherwise, she says, Minsk doesn't resemble a real capital.
Illustration for the article on aviasales.ru
The Russian woman shared her impressions on the flight search engine website "Aviasales" in the "Experience" section. Kristina said about herself that she lives in Moscow and, to avoid stagnation from remote work, she travels on weekends or holidays.
She says that in recent years she often traveled through Minsk — she was there four times, but a "match" never happened: "Imagine you were at a loud party, but suddenly — with a snap of your fingers — you found yourself in a quiet sanatorium, and on top of that, you rolled back ten years into the past."
Kristina Tsvetkova. Photos here and onwards from aviasales.ru
So what didn't the Russian woman like?
Let's start with the fact that, in her opinion, Minsk doesn't resemble a real capital (like Moscow), but rather some regional center. She expected to see hustle and bustle in a city of two million, but was struck by the quietness and semi-empty streets. She saw many people only in shopping centers and the metro.
Besides the quietness and sparse crowds, unspoken prohibitions also put psychological pressure on Kristina. For example, she was outraged that a guard didn't allow her to calmly photograph the Lenin monument near the Government House. She says she had to run away from him.
The Russian woman called the architecture boring. She saw panel buildings, industrial zones, and new constructions.
The attractions left her indifferent: "For example, many buildings in the Upper Town, one of the historical center's quarters, are whitewashed, painted, and patched up. All good, but because of this, there's no sense of the passage of time: the buildings seem as if they were just erected to attract tourists."
Most of all, Kristina was struck by the colorful barbershop sign on the Palace of the Republic: "A monumental edifice housing a small business — that's unusual, to say the least."
Hotels in Minsk were a complete disappointment for the Russian woman, as she couldn't find decent options at a reasonable price. Kristina managed to find several hotels with modern renovations and normal service. But the prices were steep — about 130 dollars per night.
Kristina emphasizes that somewhere in Asia, for such money, one could rent a luxurious room near the beach. In Minsk, she doesn't understand what she's paying so much for.
The Russian woman had hope for Belarusian cuisine — legends about draniki (potato pancakes) circulate in Russia. And also about incredible dairy products and sweets.
But now Kristina is convinced that all of this is marketers' tales. In short — nothing is as it seems. Even potatoes are either ordinary or dry.
Plus, she expected low prices from the Belarusian capital, at least for food. But it turned out that some things in Minsk are even more expensive than in Moscow. As an example, she cites a burger for 4 rubles at Mak.by — at "Vkusno i tochka," the same burger would cost less than 3 rubles when converted to Belarusian money.
Kristina also wrote about public transport. She thanked that the turnstiles in the metro don't hit legs very painfully, but rather gently. But it upset the Russian woman that one has to wait 5-7 minutes for a train.
And Kristina called the modern train to Gomel hell for introverts, because she didn't have enough space to sit relaxed.
Kristina admits that she is drawn to noise, chaos, and novelty around her, which is why she felt bored in Minsk.
Now this text is actively discussed by Belarusians on social networks. Some try to respond point by point: for example, how can one expect old architecture from Minsk when the city was almost completely destroyed during the war? Or make conclusions about draniki after popping into the mainstream "Vasilki" for lunch?
There are also voices of those who believe Kristina is right, because Minsk is a city for quiet living, not for tourists.
"Well, it's true. Minsk has become boring, nothing interesting happens here. No normal concerts are held, almost no local music bands are left (in Moscow, with which the article makes a comparison, there are hundreds of such bands, and they even give concerts in wartime conditions). Various creative festivals are not held (not counting local ones where they offer something uninspiring from the stage), there's no hustle and bustle. Communism in all its glory, in a word. I don't understand why people are surprised here, because it's true."
Most comments are ironic, expressing gratitude to Kristina: saying that more such texts are needed for Russians so they don't come to get bored in Belarus, but would rather stay in Moscow.
But someone considered this, on the contrary, the Russian woman's response to the endless posts by Belarusians complaining about ill-mannered guests from Russia: "Her entire text is based on stretching the truth. She's just nitpicking for the sake of it."