Author Archives: Björn

Beach Time – Soviet-style

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We continued along the shores of Lake Sevan. With two churches and a cemetery behind us – and after a quick lunch – we were now heading for a free afternoon in our holiday resort right at the beach of the lake.

Things were strange, when we arrived at the hotel … the whole complex, including the park felt a bit like a trip back to Soviet times – – also there was no one at the hotel, to actually welcome us or hand out room keys. After some minutes the receptionist did show up and we made it into the hotel, received our room keys and – after a bit of debate – decided, to have dinner in the restaurant of the hotel.

While the rooms were actually quiet suitable (including balconies overlooking the lake), there was still a sort of eerie feeling around the place – – it felt like a haunted house, when someone started playing the (somewhat out-of-tune) piano in the lobby …

Things were similar in the park around the hotel … clearly this place had seen better and more busy days in the past. Some parts here were well maintained – others however had a slight feeling of decay, giving them a somewhat morbid atmosphere. It reminded me a bit of Pripjat, as those parts were similarly abandoned with no one looking back – just a lower levels of radiation. The old, long given up, shop surely is good example here – its main exhibit was an old MOCKBA fridge from 1968 (complete with its USSR inventory card).

Leaving the odd feelings aside, I had a great time here … the wine was good, dinner and breakfast delicious and the staff were serving us well – the Soviet side-flavor was just a nice add-on.

Geghard Monastery

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As mentioned earlier – so is no such thing, as a day without a church or monastery for tourist in Armenia … and as the morning had only covered a temple and the ruins of a church, we really had to catch up now … and the choice for the afternoon surely did not disappoint.

It took us less than 15 minutes, to make it from our lunch place to Geghard Monastery (Գեղարդի վանք).

The monastery goes back to the forth century (with the main church built in the early 13th century) and – as before – located in a canyon.

The monastery originally got started in a cave, however had then been destroyed in the 9th century, when an Arabian caliph was coming through; earthquakes did not help too much  either. It was only in the 13th century, when a new construction was started – the main church dates back to 1215. Over time the church was extended, a gavit (kind of anteroom in front of the main church room) was added. Some of the new structures were actually even carved out of mountainside, including a number of churches, as well as part of the gavit of the main church.

To me Geghard was indeed the highlight, when it comes to monasteries on this trip – the atmosphere here was just special – especially in the structures hewn out of the rock. I guess, the fact, that we (nearly) did run into a service in the main church, as well as the concert in the Upper Jhamatun did just add to that experience.

Noravank & Areni Wine

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A drive of about 1.5 hours (a good 80km) got us to the second stop for the days – Noravank Monastery (Նորավանք) – the “new monastery”.

Noravank – similar to Khor Virap – is sitting in a stunning location on a sort of cliff in the middle of a tight canyon – and features good views of the canyon. 

The monastery was founded back in 1205 and main highlights are its two big churches,  St. Astvatzatzin and St. Karapet.

St. Astvatzatzin (Holy Mother of God) was completed in the mid 14th century; a renovation of the roof structure happened in the late 1990s. St. Karapet is older, dating back to the early 13th century (though got destroyed twice over the centuries – each time followed by reconstruction).

We had a tour around the churches, along with – again – details and background. Eventually we made it back to the bus, as two more secular highlights were still ahead of us.

We had a quick drive over to Areni, where we had a late lunch with a local family. Food was good and plenty – and after we had finished the meal, we were invited, to have a vodka. Imagine our faces, when the vodka turned out to be a (fairly good) grappa.

With the bellies full, another short drive got us to the Areni wine factory. After a guided tour through the winery (no walking behind the bottling machine though), we were once more led into a tasting room and got to try the wines. Well – the whites did not convince me, the reds though were quiet nice.

From the winery it was back to Yerevan for a free evening. Some of us decided, to give Armenia’s national food chain Karas a try. So we walked over to the next store, took a table and – after we had worked out the language difficulties – were positively surprised by the choice, quality and the price. The concept actually reminded me of the one La Placinte is employing in Moldova.

Khor Virap Monastery

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Today we were about to learn, that no tourist day in Armenia is complete without at least two monasteries or churches.

We left Yerevan in the morning and were heading South. A drive of about 45 minutes or 45km got us to the Khor Virap monastery (Խոր Վիրապ).

The monastery is located on a hill with breathtaking views of Mt.Ararat.

It originally got built back in the middle of the seventh century; the location was picked, as it was the place, where Gregory the Illuminator was incarcerated in a pit for twelve years in the late third century, before becoming a mentor to the then king of Armenia, who finally ended up declaring Armenia a Christian country in 301 AD. As a result the monastery is of great significance to the Armenian Church and remains an important pilgrimage site until today.

Over the centuries the monastery got destroyed a number of times; the current reconstruction dates back to the second half of the 17th century.

We had a visit around the premises and buildings – all with plenty of details and background. Those eager to do the climb down into the dungeon (essentially an attempt of a reproduction of Saint Gregory’s pit), had the chance, to do so. Surely there was also enough time, to enjoy the views of Mt.Ararat.

Of Brandy & Fountains

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As to be expected, we were not in the best mood, when we got back to the bus from the genocide memorial. What coincidence, that our next (and final) stop for the day was at the Yerevan ARARAT Brandy Company.

In the factory we first had a guided tour, introducing brandy (in general), the production process and of course the final product. We also got to see the peace barrel. This special  barrel, has been set for aging in 2001 and will only be opened when the conflict around Karabakh is resolved (well – given the current state of affairs, this may end up being a very mature brandy). After the tour we made it into a tasting room, where two glasses of Ararat brandy were waiting for us – a three-year old one and an eight-year old (if my memory serves right) – as well as some chocolate, to go with it (so less generous than at KVINT a year back). Well – I am not too much into brandys, so while I liked the older one more – I would have preferred a good gin.

It had been a busy day and – with the sun already – it was now time, to return to the hotel and call it a day. Some of us ended up, to make our way into town for dinner. On the way back we had a stop at Republic Square, to see the Dancing Fountains. Music is played here and the fountains basically ‘dance’ along – photos below.

At the Genocide Memorial Complex

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While the tour – oddly enough – did not include a visit of the genocide museum or memorial, there of course were loads of questions around the genocide. We got good feedback from our tour guide here – and she managed, to find the time, so we could have a visit to the memorial (not the museum though).

So instead of heading back into town, we were now driving up the Tsitsernakaberd hill, to make it to the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex (Ցեղասպանության զոհերի հուշարձան). From the parking lot we made our way along memory alley to the memorial itself, were we did lay down flowers in memory of the victims of the genocide.

For a good overview of the events from 1914 until 1923 have a look at the Wikipedia page, covering the Armenian Genocide; alternatively have a visit of the online exhibition of the Genocide Museum.

Introduction to the Armenian Church

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It took us about half an hour, to make the about 25km from Yerevan to Etchmiadzin. After a very secular first part of the day, it was now time for a first introduction to the Armenian Church and Armenian churches – – and what better place, to start with that than at the mother see of holy Etchmiadzin or the the Armenian Church equivalent of the Vatican.

We entered the grounds by walking through a gate, to then pass by several khachkars (Armenian cross stones), to eventually make it to the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. The cathedral dates back to the early fourth century – and as such is often considered the oldest cathedral in the world. Currently the cathedral is closed, as it is being renovated – so our visit was limited to the outside.

We did proceed through the building, that houses the pontifical residence, to get to the treasury museum for its impressive exhibition of relics, religious artifacts and (no kidding) water faucets.

Well – faucets make me hungry 😉 – so it was now time, to head over to the refectory for our first lunch in Armenia and also the first sampling of Armenian wine.

After a well-deserved lunch break, we made it back to the bus, with the next stop just a few minutes away. Parking though turned out a bit tricky, as the area – around Saint Hripsime Church (Սուրբ Հռիփսիմե եկեղեցի) – was packed with wedding bridal couples (and their guests), who were using this church from the seventh century as the stage for their (conveyor-belt-style) weddings.

Our next stop was similarly packed, but this time not for the wedding ceremony itself, but only for the photos – seems the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral (Զվարթնոց տաճար) just provide the right backdrop for wedding photography (at least for some). Similar to Saint Hripsime also Zvarnots Cathedral dates back to the seventh century; its destruction is usually estimated within the tenth century (to unknown reasons).
We had a tour around the ruins (of course without disturbing the photographers), to then end up with a surprise concert of Armenian songs presented by a group of singers (including  a famous Armenian opera singer), that just happened to be in the presentation room of the museum.

The way back to Yerevan was uneventful – as most of us ended up sleeping on the bus (the early arrival in the morning and the short night taking its toll).

Welcome to Yerevan

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Last year I had done several trips, touching successor states of the Soviet Union. During those trips I also did hear stories from my fellow travelers on the countries in the Caucasus, praising the variety of things to see, the hospitality of the people and the food. So I ultimately decided, that it was time, to experience the Caucasus myself – and got booked. The tour I selected – run by a German tour company – was one of the few tours actually covering all three countries – Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan – extending all the way from the small Caucasus to the big Caucasus and from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea.

The trip now had started yesterday. I (along with the rest of the group) had arrived in Armenia in the early morning and were now – after a short night and a late breakfast – heading out, to see the highlights of Yerevan.

The tour started at the Monument to 50 Years of Soviet Armenia, located on a platform high above town, featuring panoramic views of the city and Mt.Ararat behind it.

From here we followed the steps downstairs and made our way to the Cascade Complex (Կասկադ համալիր) – but only after passing around the construction site of the unfinished part of the complex (waiting for funding, to become available). At the complex we made it to the inside, where the Cafesjian Center for the Arts (Գաֆէսճեան արվեստի կենտրոն) – a modern arts gallery – is located.

From the lower parts of the complex, we could get a good overview of Alexander Tamanyan Park (the park right at the bottom of the stairs) and France Square with the opera house right behind it. The park did raise some memories – of kiwis (the animal) and Botero; the architecture of the opera house did remind me of the one in Minsk.

It was also next to the park, where we were picked up by our bus – to leave town …