I first learned about Armenia when I was 12 from my father’s co-worker, who would talk about the small village he lived in as a child, where his grandparents grew walnuts and pomegranates, and about the many restrictions imposed by the Soviets. I also saw many pictures of Mt Ararat (currently in Turkey), but the best views are of the mountains outside Yerevan.
Fun Facts: I learned that Yerevan is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and gets 300 days of sunshine every year!
What Stood Out
Extreme National and Cultural Pride – As with any other country sitting at the crossroads between significant civilizations, it has been occupied by many and experienced almost unimaginable tragedy and hardship. I found those we spoke with to be exceptionally proud of their Armenian identity and heritage.
When we entered this restaurant, the manager showed us the bread-baking area and pointed to a sign indicating that UNESCO has recognized “Lavash,” this unique method of preparing Armenia’s traditional bread, as a cultural activity that expresses its culture.
The Pink City—Yerevan is referred to as the ‘Pink City’ because of the color of the large stones used to make most of the key buildings. We learned that there were typically three colors of this stone. Most of the buildings in Republic Square, a key spot in the city, are made out of this pink material.
The bread – as already mentioned, this trip was a carb overload, and Yerevan was no different. The round bread and the traditional flat bread were served hot and delicious.
Border Control – Driving from Georgia into Armenia required us to exit the van and go into the Georgian immigration to get stamped out of Georgia. We then walked 100 meters via duty free shops (buying some Georgian wine) to the Armenian border control. Here we were asked several questions about our trip, what we did in Azerbaijan. They wanted to see who booked the trip, so they asked for our contact details, our hotel, and what our plans were, and that we had proof of departure. The driver said this was normal when you have a recent Azerbaijani passport stamp and also for Americans and some European countries, as some have been using Yerevan for remote work locations. It only took about 5 minutes extra for each of us, but I am glad I had all of the information handy for the agent.
Armenian Wine and Brandy – I had never heard of Armenian wine but suspected they must make it given all of the grape vines we saw going into the mountains. It is starting to get noticed on the world scene. The wine with dinner was very nice. We did not have brandy until we were in the departure lounge, which, even at 7 am, was quite nice.
Day 1 – Central Yerevan
The Cascade —You must go to the top of the Cascade to get a fantastic view of the city and the mountains. I wanted to visit this location after seeing it when Conan O’Brien’s travel show visited Yerevan. There are escalators inside for those who don’t want to brave the icy steps in the winter. There is an extensive collection of modern art and sculpture inside and the courtyard in front of the structure.
Republic Square and National Museum
The Armenian Genocide Museum & Memorial – This is a memorial to the genocide that took place in April 1915 across the country, with an estimated 1.5 million being murdered. The outdoor memorial has 12 concrete slabs, each representing a lost Armenian province. The eternal flame is maintained as a tribute to the victims of the genocide.
Opera House —The circular theatre on Freedom Square, just across from the Cascade, has manicured gardens where people gather during nice weather. One level serves as a concert hall for classical and modern artists, and the other is for opera. You can connect to the main shopping street above and below ground and end up in Republic Square.
Day 2 – Garni – Symphony of Stones – Geghard
These three are all in the same area, about an hour’s drive from Yerevan, passing through the mountains and giving an amazing view of Mt Ararat.
Geghard – This was one of my favorite spots during the trip. Gerhard, which means “spear” in Armenian, is a relatively large monetary complex cut into the side of a mountain. It acquired this name as it was the place that securely stored the spear that the Romans used to stab Jesus when he was on the cross. That spear is in a vault in the National Museum in Yerevan. First developed in the 4th century with the discovery of the spring that the locals considered sacred. The decorations carved into the rock and the outside structures happened during Medieval times.
Symphony of Stones—At the base of the gorge is an amazing rock formation called the Symphony of Stones. Due to the snow the night before, the road to the base was not open, so we could only see them from the top.
Garni – is a fairly large village that caters to tourism due to the views and the historical sites in the area. It has the remnants of a fortress. The main Roman pillar style building was for a pagan god. It is the only surviving pagan structure from the 1st century in Armenia after the purge and adoption of Christianity in the 4th century.
What to Eat
Again, due to the drive over the mountains and our early departure, we did not have much time for many meals, but we were able to have at least one traditional meal.
Grilled Meat & Potatoes – we had pork kebabs with grilled potatoes. The meat was seasoned perfectly and grilled to perfection. IT was far more than we could eat, offering the doggie bag to our guide.
Khash Soup – This is a traditional winter dish, and one of the tastiest Armenian national dishes. Made with beef,
Salad, bread toppings and hummus – Armenia seems to have the most vegetables with meals. All of it was fresh and tasty. At dinner we had a salad of tomatoes, peppers, various greens as well as multiple salads dressed with mayonnaise and other seasoning. The hummus with pomegranate was one of the best I have had.
Armenian Bread—All the bread was amazing. We had bread with meals, and this bread below was hot with walnuts and tasted a bit sweet.
