After a European breakfast at the hotel, Francoise and I went out to explore the neighborhood. \u00a0The Europe Hotel is located very close to the city center of Yerevan called Republic Square. \u00a0The ‘square’ is actually a large traffic oval surrounded by government offices, the central post office, a\u00a0Marriott\u00a0Hotel, the Museums of Armenian History, National Gallery of Art, and the famous “Singing Fountain”.<\/span><\/p>\n We crossed Republic Square and walked along Nalbandyan Street to the Hyur Tourist Service office. \u00a0They were a reputable company which offered tours from Yerevan to historical sights outside the city. \u00a0We arranged two separate day-tours for this week to explore the small country of Armenia.<\/p>\n The agent at Hyur Service recommended a nearby restaurant for lunch, the Tumanyan Pandok. \u00a0The weather was very warm and the restaurant was located below street level so it was much cooler downstairs. \u00a0We had stuffed grape leaves (dolma), eggplant & pepper salad (in the photo below), and Uzbek Pilaf. \u00a0Everything was delicious!<\/p>\n We walked back to the Europe Hotel. \u00a0The temperature was very hot (41 degrees Celsius) and the air conditioning at the hotel was great! \u00a0 The hotel was centrally located on a small quiet side street. \u00a0Our room was clean and comfortable and the entire staff was friendly and helpful.<\/p>\n \u00a0Anahit called to invite us out to see the city in the evening. \u00a0She and Karen drove us to The Cascade which was a sight to behold. \u00a0It was a multi-level modern art museum built into the side of a hill with interior and exterior stairs to the top. \u00a0There was also an escalator inside with art objects along the moving stairs. \u00a0The sculpture garden at street level was filled with modern art objects created by world-famous artists.<\/p>\n As night fell, Anahit and Karen drove us to a really nice restaurant called Poplavok Jazz Cafe to have dinner and hear live music. \u00a0The temperature was much cooler near the fountain and the jazz was very good. \u00a0We sat and had a very enjoyable time.<\/p>\n After a good supper of pizza, salad, fries, and veggies, we left and Karen drove us to Republic Square to join the people at the “Singing Fountain.” \u00a0The water sprays up to the beats of classical music. The crowd, a lively blend of multi-generational families and young people, cheered as the music played.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DSC_6349.jpg\" "\\"DSC_6349\\"")
<\/a>\u00a0Pink Buildings Around Republic Square<\/p>\n<\/a>Government Building<\/p>\n<\/a>Pedestrian Mall<\/p>\n<\/a>The Singing Fountain<\/p>\n<\/a>Georgian Salad for Lunch<\/p>\n<\/a>Exterior of the Europe Hotel<\/p>\n<\/a>The Cascade<\/p>\n<\/a>Francoise, Karen, Anahit<\/p>\n<\/a>View of the Sculpture Garden From the Top<\/p>\n<\/a>Top of the Cascade<\/p>\n<\/a>Poplavok Jazz Cafe<\/p>\n<\/a>Cool Evening & Cool Jazz<\/p>\n<\/a>American Jazz Band at the Poplavok<\/p>\n<\/a>Armenian Pizza<\/p>\n<\/a>The Singing Fountain at Night<\/p>\n