On a Floating Bridge

More photos…

Belarus has been more fun to pass through than Poland was, especially the architecture with brightly coloured yellow, blue and green houses and tall roofs that presumably protect from snow. More evidence of poverty though, all the roofs, on even the richest houses, are corrugated iron. The cars in Poland were surprisingly new and very shiny. Belarus� cars look like they are from a bygone age. I got off at Orscha to try to get food, but before I could, the providnik pulled me back in then brought me some Germans. A girl and a boy, about my age. They spoke to me in fluent English to my obvious delight.

They helped me to understand the providnik�s instructions. I changed some money at the station bureau de change and bought some food!!! We got back to the train by crossing over the tracks one by one and they told me they were going to Russia to do a semester for their university degree in international relations. They said they were taking the train because they �didn�t just want to fly like everybody else�. Perhaps 50% environmentally motivated and 50% motivated by the romantic idea of train travel, I agreed with them it was a pleasant way to travel. They said they�d been entertaining themselves by reading Harry Potter to each other. As I re-boarded the train I could hear the comforting sound of Harry Potter in German drifting through the couchettes as I tucked into some strange bread product and thick sugary yoghurt. We pulled out of Orscha last main stop before Russia.