Yesterday we left Russia. It was easy to cross the border - Belarus is part of the CIS and which operates its own Schengen type agreement. The main road takes you through the two border posts without stopping.
And then we had a choice. The official ERA route went north for 150 kilometres before returning south to the Belarus capital, Minsk. It was widely regarded as a great day involving a town reception in historic Polotsk, time trials and a 12-15 hour day. Alternatively cars could push directly on to complete the 320 km from Smolensk in time for lunch and a leisurely afternoon at the comfortable Renaissance hotel in Minsk: also widely regarded as a great day by the dozen or so teams choosing it.
Minsk is a new city after near total destruction in the second war. There's a lot of grand boulevard on the Moscow style - as if when rebuilding the Soviets subconsciously suspected Minsk might become an independent capital. And there are quieter corners that hold their own as European style places to hang out.
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