minsk after midnight: where the cold means more than just your fingers

i woke up to the sound of a subway train rattling past my window, which is fine because i’m in minsk and chaos is the vibe right now. the last thing i remember before freezing my face to the glass was trying to decide whether to buy a warm soup at that tiny bakery or just crack open the flask of vodka i’d stolen from my host. turns out the soup was cheaper and better. who knew?

i just checked and it’s 11.91c right now, which is like, exactly what i expected for november. not a single degree higher. feels like 11.45, but that’s just my body lying to me. the air here is this thick fog that smells like wet concrete and distant snow. i wore a sweater made of recycled jeans because why not? it keeps me warm and makes me feel like a rebel. or maybe i’m just really broke. who cares.

if you get bored, kiev is just a short drive away. or don’t. i heard that the local art scene here is this weird mix of abandoned factories and people who somehow still paint prying eyes over graffiti. i didn’t capture it on camera because my lens is covered in dust and i’m not sure if that’s a good thing. someone told me that the old train station has a secret room where they serve pierogi with caviar. i’m skeptical but also tempted. probably should’ve asked at the bar with the neon sign that reads ‘we’ve seen things’. i heard that’s where the rumors start.

i’m sitting in a cafe now, sipping tea that tastes like floor cleaner. the barista is this guy in a band t-shirt who plays accordion for people who ask. i asked. he played. we both forgot the lyrics within 10 seconds. it’s beautiful. i’m probably hallucinating. but the weather here? it’s snowing outside, or maybe it’s just my tea. i can’t tell anymore. i just know that if you step outside, you’ll either need to cry or start a fire. i did neither. i probably won’t again.

someone warned me that the people here are either extremely polite or extremely drunk. i can’t remember which. but i did see a woman try to sell me a jar of pickled herring for $2. i declined. i still have nightmares about translucent fish.

i’ve been walking around with a map app open all day. it kept showing me to a place called ‘the forgotten street’. i finally went. it was just a alley with a broken vending machine and a guy feeding pigeons with what i assume was meat. they ate it. i didn’t ask what kind. i’m not one to ask. i’m just here. i’m here because the coordinates led me here. or maybe it was a dream. i can’t tell.

i took a photo of a streetlamp because it looked like it was breathing. the light flickered in a way that reminded me of a heartbeat. i uploaded it to unsplash but forgot the exact url. you can find it if you search ‘minsk night’ on google. i’m evil like that. the other photos are of a cat sleeping in a dumpster and a man with a ladder trying to fix a street sign. the ladder guy looks up at me like i’m his competition. we both know it’s not true.

if you want to stay, here are some links:
- tripadvisor-check out the reviews for that weird fish market. they’re all over the place. maybe avoid the one run by a guy in a penguin costume.
- yelp-the ‘cozy izakaya’ gets mentioned a lot. i went there. it was okay. the owner kept asking me if i liked ‘the chaos.’
- localboards-someone posted a tip about a free concert in the park. i didn’t go. i hate surprises.

i ended up walking home through a parking lot that had more graffiti than a subway car. someone painted a giant mayor holding a microphone. i don’t know what that means. i asked a taxi driver. he said it was a protest. i don’t protest. i just nod and pretend i’m not judging.

minsk is not for everyone. not for people who like sunshine or plush words. it’s for the ones who like to feel small in a big, indifferent city. or maybe it’s just because i’m too tired to care. either way, the numbers on my phone say it’s getting warmer. i checked. it’s 11.91c again. i hope you like that kind of thing.

You might also be interested in:

• https://votoris.com/post/monterrey-nights-and-desert-mornings-a-sleepdeprived-stroll-through-the-north
• https://votoris.com/post/curitiba-the-good-the-bad-and-the-weirdly-efficient-a-consultants-take
• https://votoris.com/post/lisbon-in-the-rain-a-digital-nomads-messy-love-affair
• https://votoris.com/post/orlando-let-me-tell-you-about-it-in-a-giant-mess
• https://votoris.com/post/finding-an-englishspeaking-doctor-in-yokohama-a-photographers-panic-stations