Wednesday, 24 May 1978

Tour around Minsk. Largely rebuilt Square – with administrative buildings, colleges around it. Historical house where Lenin held conference meetings to determine and, later, ordered his policies. Impressive monument to honour the resistance people. Tall obelisk with relief scenes in the four lower sections depicting grief, resistance.

Breakfast, buttermilk and unsweetened rice and tea and apple syrup.

Lunch at Smolensk at 3.30. Salad, soup, chicken and chips and meringue.

Moscow – looking towards the Kremlin

Long drive to Moscow. Impressive drive in as streets were brightly lit.

Hotel Bucarest – old building. Some young couples split up and put in single rooms.

Dinner at 10.15 – spiced mince in shape of sausage and overcooked thin chips.

Room very large, good furniture but poor carpet square. Basin and toilet but no H.W. available.

£1 = 1.24 – 1 ruble and 24 kopeks