Gallivanting Grandma

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.

Sunday, October 26, 2014    Cool & overcast – Clearing in the afternoon

After a large breakfast buffet at the Ani Plaza Hotel, we attended a private lecture given by the former Armenian Minister of Finance, Levon Barkhudarian. He spoke about some of the important issues facing the country today in light of its history, world politics, and geographic location.

Afterwards we drove to Republic Square, previously called Lenin Square, to visit the State History Museum. This is a wonderful museum with a great collection of artifacts which trace the history of Armenia from early civilization through modern times. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed.

The next item on our schedule was the Vernisage outdoor market for a mini shopping expedition. I had enough time to find a lovely pair of silver earrings and a handmade wooden cross for my Mom. One of the women in the group bought a carpet. Now to get it home!

After the Vernisage, we went to a very stylish underground restaurant for lunch. Fresh delicious appetizers began the meal followed by fillet mignon and profiteroles for dessert. Yum.…

Then off to Surp Hripsime Church. The building was built in 618 to replace the chapel where St. Hripsime was slain because she refused to marry King Trdat and remain true to her pagan faith. There was a wedding taking place inside the church when we arrived and several other brides were waiting their turns outside the church. If it’s good luck to see a bride, then we were very lucky!

Holy Echmiadzin is the Vatican of the Armenian Apostolic Church and where Surp Grigor Lusavorich saw a beam of light in a divine vision and built the Mother Church of Armenia. The original church was built in 301-303 AD. Today, the compound is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the spiritual center of Armenia, and the seat of the Patriarch of the church. We also visited the fabulous church treasury which includes a piece of wood from Mt. Ararat said to be from Noah’s ark.

A few short miles away were the ruins of another 7th century church, the Zvartnotz Cathedral. Irina, our Armenian guide arranged to have four professional opera singers meet us there and sing for us! What a location and what a treat! They were wonderful.

Our group returned to the hotel in enough time to freshen up and go to a local theater to see a performance of Armenian folk dancing and singing.

I stopped at the 24 hour mini-market near on the way back to the hotel for yoghurt, fruit, and nuts. What a day! I slept very well.

Saturday, October 25, 2014    Cool and rainy in the morning
We got an early start to drive to the Georgian – Armenian border. We got off the bus, said goodbye to our Georgian driver, collected our luggage, received an exit stamp from Georgia, then walked across the border into Armenia. On the other side we waited in line to have our visas checked and stamped. Then we boarded an Armenian bus. We met our local Armenian guide, Irina Astvatztokmanian.

The Lesser Caucasus Mountains form the natural border between the two countries and they were magnificent in a blaze of golden fall colors. It stopped raining as we drove south into the Lori Region of Armenia.

Northern Armenia is mountainous and rocky with deep valleys and high peaks. The sky cleared as we approached Haghpat Monastery which was built high on a hilltop reached by a steep solitary road with many narrow hair-pin turns.  The monastery was founded in the 6th century, however most of the remaining structures were built during the 10th through 13th centuries.

The view from the top of the mountain looking across the valley was breathtaking. After we explored Haghpat Monastery, the coach drove down the road. We continued south for several miles passing villages, manufacturing plants, and abandoned factories.

After a while, we stopped at a small roadside restaurant for lunch. Two other tour groups joined us for lunch: one from Italy and another group from Denmark.

We drove through rural northern Armenia passing stone houses and subsistence farms. Sheep and cattle herds grazed along the road.

In the town of Aparran, we stopped at a wonderful bakery to watch bread being made and to buy fresh pastries. I learned that Armenians also used the tandoor to bake bread. The cookies and pastries were delicious!

We continued driving south along the highway through the beautiful Armenian countryside toward Yerevan, the capital city. We acknowledged our good luck to see a rainbow in the distance.

We stopped at Armenian Alphabet Park which is between the towns of Aparan and Artashavan. The park consisted of huge stone sculptures of the 36 letters in the Armenian alphabet. The letters were invented by the Armenian theologian, Mesrop Mashtots, in 405 AD. He also created the Caucasian Albanian and Georgian alphabets. The invention of the alphabet preserved the ancient Armenian language and literature which helped strengthen nationalism.

We walked among the letters and looked at the “Wishing Tree” where people had tied their wishes. We finally reached Yerevan by early evening and checked into the Ani Plaza Hotel. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant where we ate dinner because we had a lamb stew treat baked into a pastry shell.