Belarus

The Republic of Belarus has a website and they have recipes! They have other things besides recipes of course – geography, history, education, culture, religion, sport, national holidays, famous Belarusians … including Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a hero of Belarus, who also fought in the American Revolution and designed and oversaw the construction of fortifications including those at West Point.

But back to my favorite part, which is recipes – especially when the recipes have potatoes in them: https://www.belarus.by/en/about-belarus/cuisine/belarusian-recipes.

Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015. She has multiple books available through Overdrive, Kindle, Audible, and paperback, so is easy to access.

King Stakh’s Wild Hunt by Uladzimir Karatkievich is well rated but doesn’t come as easily or cheaply.

Belarus’ reputation for IT excellence is shown in Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon by Kim Zetter in which a computer security firm from Belarus uncovers a digital weapon being deployed against Iran. (This book is available on Overdrive as well as paperback, Audible, and Kindle).

Belarus has suffered. Chernobyl, located in Ukraine, is close to the border of Belarus. The fall out from the nuclear disaster there continues to irradiate the surrounding area. They have also suffered from the lack of free expression as shown in “Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus” (available on Amazon).

An unusual story of survival during the Holocaust comes out of Belarus. Both the movie and the book Defiance by Nechama Tec tell the story of the Bielski brothers who lead a group of Jews to rescue other Jews and fight German occupiers and their collaborators in what is now western Belarus. Filmed in Lithuania, across the border from Belarus, the movie shows the beauty of the land.

More beauty from Belarus and options for a great trip can be seen at https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-belarus/.

Finally, when this pandemic is over, you might want to plan travel to Belarus using your local travel advisor. Shout out to my favorite travel advisor, Kaitlin Darnell at Laura's Travel in Redlands. May the travel industry survive and thrive - may we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Belarus and throughout the world.

https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-belarus/2/