Belarus: The Country of Surprising Contrasts

The most contradictory country in my life. Hello, Belarus! For the first time, I found myself in a situation where I was telling my followers how much I liked it here, and Belarusian subscribers swarmed in huge numbers, telling me not to recommend their country for a visit. I've never had this happen before, where the locals were so aggressively opposed to their own country. Usually, when I visited Russian cities, I received hundreds of recommendation messages, thanks for talking about their city, and admiration. Here, the situation is completely the opposite. It got to the point where some people started cursing at my stories about the cleanliness of the city. I liked the Town Hall, the Central Botanical Garden, Drozdy Park, Thierry and Paul's cafes, those bright houses in the old town, the Church of St. Simon and St. Helena, the Crypt in the All Saints' Church, the waterfront. And many other things. Many places are truly unique. It feels like in just 3 days, I became a bigger Belarusian patriot than the Belarusians themselves 😂 I believe that mixing politics and tourism is foolish. I'm a travel blogger; politics doesn't concern me at all. So, I will tell you about my impressions of the city and the country as a tourist. I like it, really. When I don't like a place (like Cappadocia, which is beloved by all bloggers), I tell you that I didn't enjoy it. But here, I do like it. And the people here are wonderful. That's why I like it.