Belarus…

“Due to computer problems, your direct flight to Minsk has been cancelled.
Please proceed to the counter for further information.”

That’s how my business trip to Belarus started early in the morning, some time ago. Lufthansa’s always friendly ground staff managed to get me to Minsk via Warsaw, so that finally, five hours later than scheduled, our business partner picked me up at Minsk airport. We drove by car some hundred kilometers further to the northeast, until we reached our goal, a small town, 1875 km from home. I had never been to Belarus before, and the most surprising thing for me was the utter flatness of the country. Endless, mostly straight roads, sparse birch forests alternating with some coniferous trees, and flat plains whose main color is green in all shades.

I stayed two nights in a huge hotel that seemed to be a remnant from the USSR and accommodated few guests. The predominant color of my room was green: pale green walls, heavy dark green curtains with a green woven pattern, a worn greenish carpet, white sheer curtains, and a formerly white ceiling that seemed to reflect all the different shades of green, merging them into a dim light that reminded me of my early childhood and the mood in my long-dead grandparents’ bedroom. Time seemed to stand still.

We went out for some food, a few beers and vodka.

Later, when dusk had given way to night, I turned on the TV and zapped aimlessly through all the Russian-language channels I didn’t understand, until I stopped at a music channel called “sexy”.

I decided to capture my feelings on film.

P.S.: My luggage arrived from Frankfurt just in time - to check-in for the return flight! (That’s the reason why I own some Belarusian underwear, shirts and toothpaste) … So please don’t complain about the image quality, it’s just my phone and an app for a bit of green. From now on I will always keep my camera in the hand luggage…