23/01/20
My second week in Minsk was also my last and while this short trip seemed to be coming to a sudden end, I managed to pack a lot into it and the repetitive nature of my routine somehow seemed to slow the days down. On Thursday we had some more snow, though Tanya informed me that at this time of year it should be -12 degrees rather than -1 and the snow that came disappeared as quickly as it landed. After the usual lessons I decided to venture to the 'trendy' and 'hip' part of town where young people apparently congregate in hipster cafes and wine bars, sandwiched between galleries and independent clothes shops. Unsurprisingly, I walked right past the clubs home to the techno raves I was too afraid to go to alone. In fact, I sauntered into what I assumed was the smoking area by the back entrance of one club, decorated with wall art and upturned cardboard boxes for seats. I imagined the sound of pounding dance music getting louder for those brief seconds that the doors open for ravers to drift in and out for a breather or a cigarette.
I continued down the party street snapping photos of graffitied walls and colourful buildings. I was happy to see a new side to the city with a younger feel to it and a more arty vibe. Once the sun went down and the cold stopped my fingers from working, I decided to pause in a cafe called Let It Be for some pumpkin soup. Once my circulation had returned, I walked to the metro, passing Depo, a coffee shop I didn’t manage to try but the place was heaving and the scent of fresh coffee floating around the doorway made me sure it was a hotspot.
On Friday after lessons with Tanya, I met with Artyusha, who took me to an amazing secret tearoom, hidden in a dvor that I never would have known about without his local intel. The atmosphere was very hippyish, once inside we had to take our shoes off and one of the servers pointed to my indiscreet chocolate bar, telling me that there was a No Snacks Rule. You're here for the experience of the tea ceremony, nothing more, nothing less. Artyusha chose our tea leaf and we climbed a wooden ladder up to a mezzanine level where there were cushions on the floor and rugs with little tables on stands for our tea. The server brought a huge urn up to us with a small glass jug and two tiny china cups with room for no more than two shots-worth of tea. Next to this was a little dragon statue that we had to pour a little sip of tea onto every now and again as part of the ritual. Over the course of two hours we sipped through our tea urn and chatted mostly in Russian with some English about language and culture, films and music and Artyusha proposed a toast to malenkoye chuda which means 'little miracle'. He explained that the day he was working in the restaurant where I met him, he was meant to have a day off, and that it was such a lucky coincidence how he chose to cover his friend last minute and I chose to eat there on my day off.
On Saturday, Tanya and I had our usual morning lessons and takeaway poké in front of The Apprentice for lunch. At 2, her driver collected us from the conference room and took us on our cultural excursion to The Zair Azgur Memorial Studio. At first we weren't sure we had come to the right address because it was in such a random residential block with no signs advertising its existence. A babushka waved us in with an encouraging hand and followed us into the two rooms filled with busts and statues of all the soviet greats amongst other random famous leaders. I spotted our beloved Winston on one shelf and asked Tanya: “Do you recognise who that is?” But the obliging babushka beat Tanya to it with a quick response “Eto Chorchill”. At the end of the day I gave Tanya a card to congratulate and thank her for her hard work and she said she hoped she’d see me again when she got to London. I picked up some takeaway sushi, had a bath and got packing at a nice leisurely pace feeling sad to leave but excited to go. This excitement kept me from sleeping as well as the anticipation for the moment of truth: the Toblerone bill. The final amount was 117 roubles or £42.60. Ouch. And with that, I was whisked away to Minsk International Airport and bidding the city farewell.
Food
Let It Be
Very affordable brunch or light bites available with a very instagram-worthy aesthetic. I ordered their pumpkin soup which came with two thick slices of bread. It was not filling enough for a full meal but it was tasty!
Depo
The cooler cafe on the block with artisan coffee and a young crowd to match
Chaynaya Pochta (Чайная Почта)
This hidden treasure is the perfect spot to sip away your afternoon and have a unique tea experience
Culture
Zair Azgur Studio
This random museum is totally worth a visit if you love the glorification of Soviet leaders and can appreciate the devotion that one sculptor had to creating and recreating works to in their honour