Monday October 27, 2014
The weather this morning in Yerevan was overcast and cold. We had an early breakfast at the Ani Plaza Hotel and then drove 70 miles north to Lake Sevan. This is one of the largest alpine lakes in the world and is 6,200 feet above sea level. Beautiful rolling hills became steeper and the weather turned to mist and icy fog.
The drive to Lake Sevan is a beautiful ride through rural Armenia and the lake is impressive. It is a popular tourist destination during the warm summer months. As we proceeded further north and across a mountain pass, there was significant snow and ice along the road.
Inga and Irina talked about retreating but the driver was optimistic. Fortunately, there was no snow or ice on the other side of the mountain pass. We continued through the village of Dilijan which was called the ‘Switzerland of Armenia’ because of its gorgeous alpine scenery and 5,000 feet elevation. Dilijan is also know for the artists and musicians who spent time here: Benjamin Britten, Aram Khachaturian, Dimitri Shostakovich, and Mstislav Rostropovich.
There was just a light mist on the other side of the mountains so we proceeded slowly. Our destination was the beautiful 12th century Goshavank Monastery located in the tiny village of Gosh.
We drove back to Lake Sevan across the snowy mountain pass and stopped for lunch at the lakeside restaurant overlooking Sevan. We had delicious roasted fish caught fresh from the lake. It was too cold and windy to walk up to the monastery at the top of the hill.
We returned to Yerevan and stopped at the Genocide Memorial and Museum on top of one of the hills overlooking the city. This impressive site was built to remember the 1.5 million Armenians who perished as a result of the policies of the Turkish Ottoman government between 1914 and 1918.
After we paid our respects, we drove back down the hill and into Yerevan where we had a half hour in the wonderful “spice market.”
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at one of my favorite sights in Yerevan, The Cascade Plaza. A wealthy Armenian-American donated his world-class modern art collection to the city. It is fabulous!
Surp Grigor Lusavorich Cathedral is in the photo below. It was consecrated in 2001. A statue of Zoravar Andranik stands outside. He was a famous general who led the army that defeated the Turks at Sardarapat in 1918.
I snapped the photo below from our bus. I thought it was strange to see a sign in English and thought this must be the Armenian version of Burger King.
This was our last full night in Armenia so we had our ‘farewell dinner’ at the underground Ararat Restaurant in Republic Square. It was another subterranean eating place with broad arches and oriental carpets hanging on the walls. There was live music and singing and dancing! Add a delicious meal. We had a great time!
Out on Republic Square, the Singing Fountains were ablaze with lights and American jazz. The night air was fresh and cool.
