This morning we are taking a very long bus tour to see some of South Armenia. As we leave Yerevan the sun is coming up over Mount Ararat and although there’s some cloud, we still get a beautiful view of it.
The Armenians are very possessive about Mount Ararat even though it is now officially in Turkey. The border is closed and the undisputed territory is still causing problems between the two nations.
We stop for a traditional Armenian breakfast. I love the lavash (bread) which has greens inside. The sausage and green beans with egg are pretty good too!
Along the way the guide gives us some history of the area, in particular as we drive through disputed territory. We arrive at our first stop – Shaki waterfall. It’s wide and fast flowing and very nice to see up close.
The next stop is a cave city called Khndzoresk. We’ve seen a few cliff dwellings / cave cities on this trip and this one has a swinging bridge to access it.
It’s impressive to look across at the caves where people lived and to explore them but it’s hard to capture it in a photo. This reminds me somewhat of Matera as the government forced everyone out in the 1950’s.
Next we are heading to the Tatev monastery and to get there we are taking a 12 minute cable car ride. It’s not just any cable car, called the Wings of Tatev and it’s in the Guinness Book of Records as the Longest non-stop double track cable car. The journey is impressive as we fly over this very scenic valley.
We are only taking it one way so we pass over the road that we will drive later. I’m glad we’re doing all those switchbacks only once!
Another monastery perched on a mountain with an impressive view! Tatev is an important one for the Armenians (aren’t they all!!!) and is from the 8th century.
While we are in the main church I manage to get a blessing from the priest (maybe he’s a monk I’m not sure) and it’s genuinely lovely.
Timer shot! The only one of the trip so it had to go in!
It’s time for lunch, although this is now officially our dinner, as it’s nearly 5pm. We stop in a small village and eat at a family restaurant where the owner invites us to see his garden where he grows vegetables, bbq’s meat, and makes vodka!!! We get to taste it all!!
As we leave, there’s a dance class taking place next door and we watch the young girls do some traditional dancing with their teacher. A few of the ladies from our tour also join in!
The last stop is to visit a winery in Areni, the famous area for wine making in Armenia. We arrive just before it’s about to close so it’s very rushed… I do manage to try most of the wines though and we buy a bottle of white. White wines are not really their thing mind you, red is way more widespread so when I tasted this nice white we decided to buy it… and a little apricot brandy! We get a very quick tour of the wine cellar where they age the wine in Karas pots (like the qveri in Georgia).
It’s 10:30pm when we get back home – what a long day, we’re knackered!
Next morning we start with breakfast at Lavash restaurant where we have traditional eggs with greens, and eggs with batsuma (cured beef), and of course the lavash bread.
We set off for the day to explore more of Yerevan. We take the metro to a market and also see the main train station.
Then we visit the famous Yerevan Market, also known as “GUM”. It’s so colourful with rows of dried fruits, sweets and spices. It’s a pity we are leaving after another day so we can’t really buy anything.
From the market we take a Yandex GO (like an Uber) to Etchmiadzin, which is known as the Armenian Vatican. It is the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and as Armenia was the first Christian country, it is said to be the oldest Christian church in the world.
There’s been a couple of rain showers so we wander around in a raincoat (me) and with a brolly (Shane). The real highlight of coming here is to visit the Treasury. Now you know I love a good relic and this has so many. Some might be hard to believe but here goes…. This is the spear that pierced Jesus when he was on the cross.
Top left below is a piece of wood from Noah’s Ark (which was said to have landed on Mount Ararat, that beautiful mountain we saw yesterday)
Bottom left: multiple pieces of the True Cross, i.e. the cross Jesus was crucified on
Top right: a relic of John the Baptist (What!! I hear you say, I know… mental!!)
Bottom right: the tooth of St Andrew
There’s the right hand of St. Gregory the Illuminator in there! It’s just mad there are so many things in this tiny little treasury at the back of the Cathedral… right up my street!
From Etchmiadzin we take another Yandex GO to the Genocide Memorial and Museum. This is a must if you’re visiting Yerevan and want to understand the history of Armenia. Officially 1.5 million Armenians were killed and unofficially it could be more like 2 million. We visit the exhibit which is extremely informative, harrowing but excellent. I learn a lot of things I wasn’t aware of but understand now. After an hour reading a lot of material we walk outside (it’s raining again) to the memorial.
There are 12 tilted basalt slabs in a circle around the eternal flame. These represent the 12 lost provinces in Western Armenia (now eastern Turkey).
The rain has eased so we decide to walk back to the city. There’s a great looking monument we pass, at the entrance to a lovely park. I check later (I’m loving the Google image search!) and find out it’s Alexander Myasnikyan who was a prominent Armenian Bolshevik statesman and revolutionary!
We have dinner at Sherep restaurant which is highly recommended. I order their special, the Erzrum Ghapama which is a whole pumpkin hollowed out, stuffed with beef, beans, carrots, and eggplant. It’s very tasty. We order a really nice bottle of Areni red wine and although it’s a bit pricey for here, it’s a lot cheaper than at home!
Next day we have our last tour and start with a trip to Khor Virap, which you’ve guessed it, is a monastery on a mountain. The backdrop of Mount Ararat is stunning… again some cloud there but still beautiful.
This place is significant for the Armenians as it’s the place where St Gregory the Illuminator, was imprisoned for thirteen years. He was sent for when the king was sick and after curing him, was released, and the King declared Christianity its official state religion. He’s the guy whose arm (relic) we saw yesterday at the Cathedral!!
Back in the bus, we enjoy the beautiful scenery as we drive and hear more of the history of this very interesting country from our very enthusiastic guide!
Next stop is Gheghard monastery. This is another one on a hill but it’s hard to see until you’re on top of it. It was founded in the 4th century by our mate St Gregory and is half built with brick, half side of the cliff! It has some very cool crosses and a dome where our guide actually sang an old religious song. Delightful.
Again some lovely scenery from here but it’s been a dull day so we are missing a blue sky!
Next is lunch and we arrive at a restaurant with a huge garden and get to see some ladies make lavash. It’s very impressive as one rolls it out and the other, after a few twirls, pops it on the giant cushion, and then in one swift motion, flings it onto the side of the oven in the ground.
It cooks within a minute and we all get to taste it hot from the oven. It’s fantastic.
Our next stop after lunch is the Symphony of Stones which is a rock formation, essentially the Armenian Giants Causeway.
The symphony of stones sits just below the Garni temple which is the next stop. It is the only Greco Roman temple in Armenia and is lovely (even in the rain) but we are absolutely demented by the level of posing and ridiculous amount of photo shoots going on around us!
The last stop in the tour is at the Arch of Charents which was built as the perfect viewpoint for Mount Ararat. Unfortunately it’s just too cloudy to get that iconic picture but it’s a nice spot all the same (once I convince everyone to step back out of the way)!!
We return to the city well over an hour later than expected and we’re not able to get a table at Tavern Yerevan where we had intended to eat. Friday night is mental in Yerevan so as it’s getting late, we decide to go back to Dari Pandok, where we ate the first night, and enjoy a fantastic final meal there.
Well that’s a wrap on Armenia. The alarm is set for 1:30am as our flight leaves at 4:30am 😱. It’s been a great trip!
