Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 4440 FOCUS - FEBRUARY 2017 The new library in Minsk. One of the few Orthodox churches in Minsk that was not destroyed during World War II. and immense in size. There are nu- merous art galleries and exhibitions, depicting modern Belarus, as well as an overview of historic times. Restaurants are plentiful and serve everything from European, Asian and traditional dishes. Draniki, or potato pan- cakes are delicious, especially when ac- companied by Kvass, an acquired tast- ing beverage that looks like Coca Cola, but is made of fermented rye bread. I had an opportunity to visit Ozertso Village, a collection of buildings from the 1800’s. The village was spectacular, and the explanation of life in former Russian times, was quite interesting. The build- ings have been restored to their former glory and are unique in architecture, with thatched roofs, wooden planks and even a stave church. Another visit I made was to the fully restored palace of Nesvizh. The com- plex was built in the fifteen hundreds and was deemed a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2005. Many of the more than 100 rooms have been restored. It was interesting that the local guides in both the pioneer village and the castle only spoke Russian, and left it to my guide to translate into English. I also spent time at Mir Palace, and made time for an enjoyable visit to the village of Mir. I met a babushka who invited me to sit and chat, even though she spoke no English. My guide trans- lated and explained she had lived in her house for more than 50 years, and had never left the area. She was sweet and friendly and offered me a bouquet of gladiolas from her garden. Visiting Belarus turned out to be a great decision, teaching me of culture and history in an area I knew little about. If you plan to visit the Baltics or Russia, give some thought to stopping in Be- larus for a few days. It is a country you will enjoy. Jonathan van Bilsen is a photographer, author, columnist, keynote speaker and can be followed at photosNtravel.com PhotosNTravel (continued from page 39) FlydirectfromPeterboroughin2017 New York City ~ April 27-30 Blue Jays in Cleveland ~ July 21-23 St John’s Newfoundland ~ June 22-25 Charleston South Carolina ~ Oct 12-15 Call us today for details. s t e w a r t t o u r s 158 Casimir St., Port Perry virginia.frew@marlintravel.ca MC TICO #4577532 905-985-2268