Minsk, Belarus

In 1991, the only member of the Belarusian parliament to oppose the dissolution of the Soviet Union was one Alexander Lukashenko, a former collective-farm director and Soviet army official who then became president in 1994 by winning Belarus's first ever democratic election. 25 years on, guess who's still in charge?

Belarus is commonly known as 'Europe's last dictatorship' and essentially it's true. No serious opposition leader has ever stayed out of jail for long. Belarus is also the last place in Europe that retains the death penalty. Most of the economy is state-controlled, albeit often via cronyism and corruption rather than formal socialism per se. Civil society is kept on a very tight leash. In short, this is a country that goes against almost everything that I believe in.

And yet, and yet...I've hardly encountered any police or security officials. The streets and parks are clean and safe at all hours. The metro and buses are cheap and reliable. Unemployment is minimal. Nobody sleeps rough. During a night out along Zibitskaya, where the best bars are, the clientele drank deeply, laughed loudly and sang karaoke lustily; they all looked as happy and carefree as anybody else in Europe. Not much English is spoken, but people are friendly and reliable wherever you go. It's cooler here than in Kiev, and mosquito-free as far as I can tell.

Does this mean I'm suddenly converted to Soviet nostalgia and to benevolent dictatorship? Not at all. But it's certainly given me something to think about. There is a growing worldwide cynicism about our smugly complacent Western liberal-capitalist-democratic model, and we can't just laugh it off.

It's time for an innovation: sound. On the Minsk metro, each impending departure is announced by a pleasing Fmaj9 chord (that's what you get if you play an F and the next four alternate white notes on the piano), as well as "Please mind the closing doors!", spoken by a camp version of Darth Vader.  I have recorded it for your listening pleasure and it's here.

One last thing. I had a bit of bother on departure. Foreigners are supposed to register with the police if they stay longer than 5 days: it's normally the hotel's responsibility to do the paperwork, but you have to do it yourself if you're staying at a private address, and evidently that's what AirBnB apartments are. Anyway, I hadn't registered, and so all of a sudden I was an illegal alien. I spent some time being interrogated politely by two uniformed officials, both lithe young blondes of course, at the end of which I was given an administrative warning and a long confession to sign (in Belarusian). How many of you have ever brushed up against the law in a dictatorship, eh? Beat that. I am now officially a Bad Boy and I bring excitement into all your lives. You're welcome.

Church of Saints Simon & Helena, at Independence Square

Memorial to 5,000 Jews shot in this place by the Nazis during one day in 1942.
This sculpture recreates the victims being herded down into the pit.
Each figure was sculpted individually by hand.
There are pregnant women, and children clinging to their parents. One man plays a violin.

This is the headquarters of the KGB.
Yes, it's still going, and yes, they still call it that.
Apparently you're not supposed to take pictures here.
Oops.

Statue of Lenin. (Independence Square used to be called Lenin Square).
One day this will be knocked down.

Island of Tears
Memorial to soldiers killed in the Sovet-Afghan war, 1979-1989.

Museum of the Great Patriotic War (WW2)

Homely Soviet-style AirBnB apartment

Edd vs Food #81
Potato cakes
In foreign fast food joints, it's easy to avoid linguistic confusion.
Just take a pic from the menu and show it at the till.
And then you can put the photo in your blog when you forget to take a picture of the actual food.