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Cycling in Belarus.
 
 

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BELARUS 2004 - cycling in

Adamrac
2005-12-24 00:10:50

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Here are some
pictures from my belarussian and lithuanian bicycle tour
that was made in july 2004.

Why Belarus?
The simplest answer - because I've never been there.
Of course there were many reasons that caused me to visit
that country.

Territories
of present Belarus was through the hundreds of
years part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Even sixty years ago north-west and west part of the country
were in polish borders and was calledy by Poles
"Middle Lithuania".
After WWII, most of Poles were removed from "Middle Lithuania"
and this area was incorporated to Belarussian and Lithuanian
Soviet Republics (Soviet Union).
After collapse of the Soviet Union: "Middle Lithuania"
became a part of Lithuania and Belarus and so it's today.
Planning my trip, I was interested what remained after
Poland in this part of Belarus. Forgotten minors, palaces,
cementerys, churches and some polish speaking people -
that's what I was able to see on my summer holiday.

Another
interesting case was: what remained after the Soviet Union?
I heard before that in Belarus heroes of communism still
stand on the pedestals, economy is central-planned and there
are no independent mass medias. It seemed to me similar as in
my country before 1989. After that the communism in Poland has fallen. Whether something like "communism" still
functions in Belarus? How the common people cope with
everyday challenges? I was curious.

When I was
going to Belarus I had some fears about safety. I didn't
have particular maps of region, I didn't know what can
I buy in the shops, I was afraid of dirty rivers and lakes,
where It would be impossible to swim, or wash and people
that will look at us like we were aliens (such stories told
me somebody who was there a year before). Generally I
hadn't got a clue how there is.
The great thing was that I had magnificent companions,
three girls: Ania, Ala and Tuśka.
As a guide I could have always relied on their help and good sense of
humor. I think we were very well bicycle team.

On our way
we met many cheerful and helpful people. We were charmed by
picturesque wooden and colorful villages, beauty of
belarusian nature: wide marshes, woods, hills, clean rivers
and lakes, good ways (almost no traffic). Such vision of
Belarus for sure remains in my memory. Of course one
week-trip across Belarus couldn't have shown me much.
I still don't have enough. I'm going to make another
bicycle trip to this country as soon as possible. I wouldlike to!

Adam
Raczkowski september 2004

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