Yes, this is a nice photo of Sovietska Plaza with the blue sky and cathedral in the background, but if you take a closer look it also reveals many interesting things about Belarusian culture.
First, this is a Catholic church, which is a big deal considering Belarus is 82% Russian Orthodox. Grodno, my city, is very interesting because it has belonged to many different countries throughout its long history, which began in 1128. In recent times, Grodno belonged to Lithuania which used to include Poland, until it was annexed by Russia, which later became the Soviet Union. Today it is finally part of an independent country, Belarus, which means White Russia. This tug-of-war has been going on for centuries as the territory marks the division between the East and the West. As for religion, the West means Catholic and the East means Orthodox. If you travel to Eastern Belarus, you won’t find many, if any, Catholic churches. But as Grodno was recently part of Catholic Lithuania/Poland, many people are of that faith today. Also, many people have family and friends across the border, which is only about 15 km from my flat. (For a map go to “My Links”) Second, do you notice that the women are carrying shopping bags? They are a necessity here as most stores do not provide them, or if they do, you must pay for them. Also, many people shop at huge, open-air markets and they definitely don’t have shopping carts!
Third, it is very common for women to walk arm-in-arm, like the women to my right in the photo. It’s a symbol of friendship and is also a great way to stay warm.
Fourth, see the woman on the left edge of the photo? Take a look at those boots and skirt, and this was a cold, windy day. I’ll do my best to post more examples of Belarusian fashion and footwear…they really are in a class of their own!
Fifth, in the background there is a man sitting on the bench, he is wearing a brown jacket and is just to the right of the lady in boots. I don’t know if you can see this but he is pouring himself a beer! This is also very common in Grodno and it is quite legal. In the evening you will find many groups of friends hanging out in the plazas and parks drinking beer and listening to music. The police don’t seem to care as long as they don’t see bottles of hard liquor. Also, as far as I know Belarus doesn’t have a drinking age. And if they have one, they sure don’t enforce it.
Finally, Belarus is an extremely clean country. Aside from a few stray beer bottles, I hardly ever see any trash or leaves on the streets or smell anything yucky. I noticed the cleanliness my first morning in Minsk and found the same thing here in Grodno. I was very impressed to see people sweeping and raking leaves at the crack of dawn! I later learned that the government hires people to keep things tidy. Another interesting thing, I often see people using old-fashioned brooms made from small branches, just like a witches broom. Sometimes I can hear the scraping noises outside my flat in the early morning. Maybe I can borrow a broom for Halloween? :-)
Note: If you want a better look at this photo, just double click it.
Yes, this is a nice photo of 
