Strauss
Deep in the Belarusian backwoods, there is one of the largest ostrich farms in Europe. When I say Strauss, you think Johann Strauss, right? The composer of the world-famous “Blue Danube” waltz. Does he remind you of an ostrich? Do ostriches ever enter into it at all when you see the name Strauss? I think not. Then why does ‘Strauss’ mean ostrich in Russian?
This ranch is located near Kobrin, approximately 45 miles from Brest. Moe wouldn’t bring her ostrich skin purse to the farm out of a certain sensitivity to the feelings of the big poultry. We ate ostrich while the poor birds roamed around outside. “Aren’t they beautiful?” asked Lucy. “Yeah”, I said as I gulped down more stew. Beautiful, tasty, enormous fowl.
Back at the Vesta Ranch
They finally changed the sheets. It only took them one week. I hear the VIPs on the fifth floor get new sheets every day. This must be the only hotel (Vesta Hotel) in the world where they still use keys instead of cards. One more thing, when you want to call the front desk; it is a six-digit number. Only when you call it, the number has been changed to…So you call THAT six-digit number. Again, we have no water from 11 am to 3 pm. I think they started construction the day we arrived and will finish it the day we leave.
It’s so hot. Almost 30 Celsius in this room. There’s no AC. They’ve finished digging the hole and laid the pipe. Today they filled in the hole. I hope they won’t be back. Now it’s only the crows who wake me up at dawn. Today we ate at the hotel. Moe had fried potatoes (dryanniki) and pork with mushroom sauce. I had blini with cottage cheese. It was really good Belarusian fare.
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