Ken Hensley

"Into The Unknown"

Day 1

Vienna International Airport is actually three or four shopping malls with some airport facilities wrapped around them. It's big, ungainly and not too well planned or organised but it does have one major redeeming quality and that is that there are lots of bars and coffee shops where you can smoke!!

This was the longest day. Up at 04:45, out of the house by 06:10 to pick Alberto up so he could drop me off at the airport, check in at around 07:00, eat a greasy imitation English breakfast and then wait for my 08:45 flight to Barcelona.

I think I have told you how I feel about Barcelona airport before and today I was punished for saying those things…. I had more than 4 hours to wait here before my flight to Vienna and the shopping malls. But I made it and then spent another 3 hours looking at all kinds of things I couldn't afford to buy before boarding my flight to Minsk, the capital city of Belarus.

Belarus used to be part of the Soviet Union and its name means "white Russia". I found out (and I had to, because of my persistent pre-occupation with trivia) that it was so named because the people in this region had very light, almost white hair. Now I have to find out why! I am sure there is more to it than that….

My welcoming commitee was interesting.

As I climbed down from the plane a man I had never met before ran up to me and asked for my passport, saying he would take care of my visa. He grabbed one or two of my carry-on bags, escorted me into the passport area and told me to wait there… which I obediently did… while this complete stranger disappeared with my passport.

After he returned, we cleared passport control and there was a small group of people waiting for me with flowers and kind greetings, no cameras(!) and they led me to one of those grotesque stretch limos that are used for weddings and we made the 45 kilometer ride into the city of Minsk. This was pleasant but it struck me hard that, in the old days, I wouldn't go anywhere without a limo and now I am using the word "grotesque" to describe one….

The Hotel Minsk is beautiful and 100 meters from the first venue. Still no sign of the wi-fi in my room though but I was tired so I was only thinking of bed. I had eaten, slept, flown and read my way through this day and I was tired so I unpacked a few things and……