In the country

Photo by Patrick Jones. Dudutki, Belarus. 18 May 2016.

After the first Belarus Internet Governance Forum, the organizers arranged a tour of nearby Dudutki, a living museum of folk crafts and Belarusian culture. The museum has a small farm, with workshops, a metal forge, beekeeping, cheese factory, distillery, Orthodox Church, and more. It is located about 40 kilometers outside Minsk, in the rolling countryside of the Pukhovichi district.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Small stream near Dudutki.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Farm country in Belarus. 18 May 2016.

I found Belarus to be very green, and in many ways the land was quite similar to other places in Western Europe or Midwestern US. The people were friendly and the food was good. Our hosts were wonderful. This excursion provided a glimpse into the life of rural people in Belarus, dating back centuries in the region.