Syrena and Warszawa Rally: Nekla-Minsk 2019

We have been going to the Syrena and Warszawa rallies for 10 years now. This time the destination was Belarus. Our first stop was Grodno, the city of Eliza Orzeszkowa, beloved by Stephen Báthory. Then Stare Wasiliszki, the birthplace and home of the young Czesław Niemen. Novogrudok, where Adam Mickiewicz grew up, and the castle in Mir. The capital, Minsk, greeted us with big-city abundance, at least compared with the rest of the country. On the Stalin Line we met enthusiasts reconstructing military mementos of the past. The Kurapaty site reminded us that this country is not only about cleanliness and the warmth of its people, but also about dictatorship. It showed us what power in a single pair of hands means, what the absence of democracy and free speech means. The castle in Nesvizh, with its opulence, showed that the Radziwiłł family was one of the greatest houses in Europe. Brest, with its Fortress, revealed the further fate of this part of Europe, passing from Russian hands to Soviet, to Polish, German, again Soviet, and again German, then Soviet, only to become a Belarusian fortress after the collapse of the USSR.

All the vehicles fought bravely, broke down, were repaired on the fly, ended up on the flatbed, and by evening were back among the "living" and drove on. After this expedition, our Warszawa still does not belong to the "Exclusive Tow-Truck Club." Anyone who has been even once knows that the Syrena and Warszawa rally is a road movie: the landscapes passing by, the astonished people, the Warszawas, Syrenas, and other vintage cars stretching to the horizon on the road. And, finally, the scent of spring, lilac, and apple blossom mixed with Mixol two-stroke oil. Believe me, this is what we long for over the next two years until we set off on the next rally.