Hrodna Shopping

In Denmark the price for at visit to a dentist is very expensive.
When I came to Grodno first time I asked for the prices and I understand I could save about 90% by doing my teeth in Grodno. Our family found clinic with high educated dentist. And now it’s done. I have my mouth renovated. Many new crowns and bridges. The budget in DK was near 20000 US $ – in Grodno they did all for under 2000 US $. The dentists works for two weeks. And everything was perfect. You need to have a Russian speaking person to help you.

In Grodno you have many specs shops, private and public owned. The public one makes glasses for very small prices, but do maybe not have the fancy spectacle frame. This they have in the private owned chain of shops. And even here the prices are about 1/3 of the prices in fx. Denmark. And these people are really professional. I warmly can recommend a visit.

What to buy: Spectacle frames, sun glasses, western quality and brands

What to pay: Big savings.

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At the top of the hill, at the same street where you find Hotel Semashko, just close to the bus station, you will discover the big market for food and vegetables. At Zideldiskie there is fresh meet, fresh fish, smoked products in a wide selection, you have to search for long time. You find eggs in all sizes, a wide selection of vegetables – all possible kind – and much more.
A market where easily can use many hours – just to look and wonder how strange life can be for us people. Here you meet the local people from the country side, and the city people who have their own homegrown potatoes, parsley, horseradish – and unique products made personally by hand at home – and the producer go to the market to sell and supply the money for the family.
It is absolutely an exciting market to visit – and you meet lot of people all day long.

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In Grodno you have several outdoor markets around the city. One of the more interesting markets is Korona. Inside several large buildings you find a great selection of small shops. Here you have fresh fruit, vegetables, milk products, tailors, clothes, shoes, handbags, kitchenware – yes, everything for households – but no alcohol, this you have to buy in the supermarkets or special shops. Nice market to visit, especially when the rain is falling. Just ask for Korona, everyone knows where …..

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Here you can buy almost any kind of Belarussian vodka (exception is Birch vodka) and quite nice shot glasses.
I like this store, cause they have souvenir samples in pretty boxes which you can purchase as a present.

This is not about a shop, but about the money. Apart from the fact that most things in Belarus are very cheap for Western Europeans (and even for East European tourists), we had to laugh about the banknotes they have. A banknote of 100 ruble which is displayed here is worth about 4 eurocents. Since they don't have coins in Belarus I can understand this banknote, but they also have banknotes of 50, 20, 10, 5 and even 1 ruble (which is less than 0.05 eurocent !).

Somewhere I read that a role of toilet paper costs 195 rubles and that there are 150 pieces of paper on it. Conclusion : 1 piece of toilet paper is worth more than a bank note of 1 ruble ;-)