It’s time to hit the third country on our adventure – Armenia. We have booked a private transfer from Tbilisi which will stop along the way so we can see some of this new country. We cross the border at Sadakhlo (about an hour and a half from Tbilisi) and it’s as we imagined. We get out of the car, get stamped out on the Georgian side, then back in the car for 2 mins and out again (this time with our bags), to get stamped in on the Armenia side. Easy!
About 40 minutes later we arrive at Akhtala, and visit the old church and Akhtala Monastery and fortress. It’s from the 10th century.
The church has a really old feel to it and the faded frescoes from 1205 are considered Armenias best.
I really like this icon and later I google the image and find out it’s Saint Shushanik, an early Christian martyr who is deeply venerated in both the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Georgian Orthodox Church.
I also notice a number of Virgin and child paintings where they have a very local feel. Now that I’ve figured out how to search an image on Google, I find out these are paintings by Vardges Surenyants, a famous Armenian master.
We are driving through the Debed Canyon and the scenery is spectacular. We are just missing a blue sky!
Next stop is Haghpat, founded in 976 by Queen Khosrovanush. It is a set of churches built of black stone atop the canyon walls. It’s very impressive.
Inside, the dark stone makes it very atmospheric and there are a couple of people singing which provides an amazing sound.
We stay here to have lunch and are not disappointed with our first Armenian food. We both have a stew – mine is with beef and Shane’s is with herbs and we also try some grape leaf dolma. There is homemade wine in the menu (and it’s about €2.50 a glass) so we have to try that. Altogether very nice.
We continue the drive to Dilijan which is essentially driving through the National Park and ultimately arrive at Lake Sevan.
Our final sightseeing stop on this transfer is Sevanavank Monastery, a tiny church next to Lake Sevan. There’s a great view across the lake and the monastery looks beautiful with the backdrop.
We reach Yerevan and easily find our Airbnb apartment which is in a very central location and is a great spacious apartment. We get settled and then head out for dinner at Dari Pandok which is just around the corner. The bbq meat is fantastic and after a dodgy glass of white, we have some delicious homemade red wine.
Next morning we are up and out to explore the city. We walk the central pedestrian street and pass the National Opera and Ballet Theatre.
We are making our way to the Cascades, which is the main attraction in Yerevan. In the park at the foot of the Cascades is this giant statue of Alexander Tamanian. He is the architect who designed Armenia’s capital.
We continue onwards and climb the Cascades, which is essentially a giant limestone stairway in the middle of town. Along the way there are statues, gardens and fountains. It’s very impressive and like nowhere I’ve seen in another capital city.
As we climb we also see the giant Mother Armenia statue on a hill. There used to be a giant Stalin here but now it’s this one! I don’t think she’s as big as Mother Georgia!
At the top we look back towards downtown but unfortunately it’s a bit cloudy and grey on that side.
We climb up and admire the sites and then descend down and it’s lunchtime. I head to a popular spot called Tun Lahmajo and have the lahmajo (obviously) and some beef dish that doesn’t look great but is actually very tasty.
Yerevan is famous for its drinking water fountains which are all over the city … so cool and the water is cold and lovely.
In the afternoon we visit the very impressive Republic Square which is the central plaza in Yerevan and is choc-a-block with beautiful pink and yellow “tuff” (that’s the name of the stone) buildings.
We visit the National History Museum.
We see some interesting exhibits including the oldest pair of shoes in the world (leather footwear from 3600-3500 BC) and some sculptures of men from the 11th -9th century BC, which I particularly like!
We take a walk to see the very pretty and only mosque in the city. Armenia is 97% Christian by the way!
A quick spin on the metro just to check it out (it’s not very exciting to be honest) and it’s time for a refreshment!! Pulpulak is a groovy basement jazz bar and I’m glad to report there was a delicious local rosé for me here!
We’re both a bit tired and not up for a big meal tonight so we grab a small (ish!) kebab in a casual eatery and head home for the night.
Tomorrow we will take a trip to the South to see more of Armenia – check that out in the next instalment.
