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Hello from HayastanOct 16, 2007
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Yerevan, Armenia - Piano Player
Yerevan, Market - Fruit Stand
Yerevan Market - Dried fruits and nuts
Hello from Hayastan -
Yerevan isn't quite as interesting as Tbilisi, but it is much more accessible. There are signs in Cyrillic and even occasionally, in English. And there are so many places nearby that its an excellent base.
Among the places I've visited are the Arnmenian Church's version of the Vatican at Etchmaidzin, a Greek/Roman temple at Garni, perched in one of the most scenic gorges imaginable; but the highlight was the Monastery at Gerhard. Armenia was the first Christian nation, 301 AD and this church is only a hundred years off that. It felt like I had walked into a church a thousand and six hundred years ago - incense, smoke from a thousand tapirs, a small choir of women chanting in a delightful polyphonic way and the priest intoning an ancient mass. It was like that scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when they waken the old Crusader in the rock cut tomb. Great atmosphere, carvings, people, sacrificial goats .... You walk in, unsuspecting, and there is a moment when all the stuff you go through is worthwhile.
Today I spent some time at another monastery on the Turkish border, with an expansive view of Mt Ararat. Perhaps this trip will come together after all. The autumn weather has been generally good and the trees are in the early stages of turning. Check out the trunk of the car I was in. These are propane tanks, not car bombs. This is how many cars and buses are fueled here.
That's it for now. I don't think I have SARS or TB, but the cough continues.
Wherever you are - enjoy autumn and thank your lucky stars for those you love.
Good Travels!
The Geezer
