From Tbilisi to Yerevan via…
I think this was the first time we crossed a border by road. On a relative scale, the two rounds of checks – one out of Georgia and the other into Armenia – did not take too long. The Armenian security was a little concerned about our alcohol content into the country, but her colleague let us pass saying ‘tourists’. 😀 I forgot the thumb rule of not putting more than one large bottle in a suitcase.
Soon as you cross the border, there is a point at which you can see Azerbaijan literally on the other side of a fence!
The journey itself takes around 5 hours, but we had stops. We started at 9.30 and reached Yerevan around 6. On the way…
The Ijevan Wine-Brandy Factory was part of the tour. It is named after the town. The town’s current name Ijevan, and its name (until 1919) Karavansara, both mean “inn”.
During the tasting, D had a bit of vodka and some wine. For a change, I consumed less, but wonderful cognac! The smell in those storage rooms. Sigh.
Lake Parz, part of the Dilijan National Park, was our next stop. Armenian Ooty/Nainital but a little more peaceful, and the same family crowd. More than the lake itself, it’s the path to it that’s mesmerising. As per our driver, that stretch is an Insta reel hit in Armenia 🙂
But what I found to be the cold, Nordic levels of beauty (which I prefer) was Lake Sevan. The crowds were at the monastery, so there were very few people around.
Ethereal.
The Sevanavank Monastery is a bit of a climb. 🙂 But the views are out of this world.
This doesn’t capture the half of it.
We passed a place named Gagarin, founded in 1955, and named after the cosmonaut.
Yerevan
The Rooftop ApartHotel was where we stayed. The room per se was fine. Breakfast is served in the room, we didn’t enjoy that much.
The views though were amazing. By day…
…and by night.
We walked around in the evening, and saw the Moscow Cinema
Swan Lake, which is a great place to just sit and watch people.
It was too dark to see the St. Astvatsatsin Kathoghike Church that day, so we dropped by the next evening, after the day tour.
The last day of the vacation was spent walking around Yerevan on our own. Ok, a bit of GG taxi too.
The Republic Square is quite a hub of activity.
The History Museum of Armenia is right there.
But our destination, again, was the metro.
Almost like a toy train. And a guard forbade me from taking pictures. So much KGB feels :p
Saint Gregory The Illuminator Cathedral is quite a different architectural style.
It’s a short walk to the Vernissage, in case you want to buy souvenirs.
After lunch and a nap, we took a cab to the Mother Armenia Monument.
It offers a great view of the city.
..and has displays of weaponry!
Missiles in a car park!
We then took a cab back to the Cascade Complex.
And if you are ok with a climb, you can sit in peace for a lovely snapshot of the city.
The sun was only mildly cooperative
But we make do with what we have
The Complex is beautiful after sunset
Out of Yerevan
On our second day in Armenia, we went on a day trip to a few places just outside Yerevan.
Charent’s Arch was the first stop. It gives a feel of Mount Ararat being suspended in air. Very crowded!
The next stop was The Monastery of Geghard, which was, as is usually the case when we visit, being renovated!
At least the view was pretty.
Garni Temple was next. Special because it is the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia
Again, lovely views as you walk around.
The Symphony of Stones was D’s special addition to the plan. This natural monument is supposedly the result of the collapse of the volcanic rocks.
Symmetric hexagon and pentagon basalt columns, practically hanging out.
The Azat Reservoir viewpoint had no one around save a dog. Breathtaking.
Khor Virap was the last stop, and we attended a wedding there. 🙂
Our first meal in Armenia, after a lunch at a food court on the way, was dinner at the Beer Academy Ethnograph. Decent beer.
..and good pork.
Craving flavours, we went for the Fajitas next, which was excellent.
D tried and loved the pomegranate wine. I loved the bottling.
And I tried a hot and sweet Dunkel, which wasn’t as bad as I expected. 😀
Lavash had been our first choice on the first evening, but they said they don’t have a table, though we offered to wait. Mildly racist vibes. We anyway booked a table for the next evening.
Mulled wine for D. And I tried the Ararat brandy.
Tolma with grape leaves. Beef, rice, spices, matzoon (yogurt) inside. Must try.
Khurjin. Break the dough on top to get to the lamb and vegetables. Super stuff.
Guinness Record Gata for dessert.
As you sit on the balcony watching the skyline at night, though I wouldn’t recommend either, unless you’re a Kingfisher fan.
Sherep wasn’t our first choice, but it was located conveniently and had a good rep. And if you ignore the racist vibes, you’ll be fine. We spent two hours there, mostly thanks to an overall lethargy among the staff to serve our table.
Solyanka, of Russian origin, to begin with
Ishli Kyufta (beef)
Compote is really a comfort when you don’t want alcohol
Ossobuco (veal) with risotto
Broken Flower pot for a sweet ending.
Dinner on the final night of our vacation at Tavern Yerevan. This was recommended by our driver to be a place where one could get real Armenian food, and not the touristy versions. This was priced below the others. A good time to note how the prices at the places above are almost 10x that of a food court!
When there is compote, it was now a no-brainer.
D went around to see how lavash was made. 🙂
Pizza was almost homemade, and delicious.
A beef dish the sauce of which D was slurping, feat. Lavash.
Rubicone Gelato had brandy ice cream!
In a lovely setting.
And thus we got a sweet end to the trip!
Compared to Georgia, I felt that the non-Yerevan part of Armenia was poorer – clothes, vehicles, the crowd, the shops and the kinds of things sold etc. Almost as they have not really figured out their way after the Soviet exit. There is definitely a natural beauty that can be appealing, but Georgia wins on the variety of that too.
The income disparity is evident once you are in Yerevan. Yerevan, I thought, was a typical city, though obviously with its own cultural norms. We even visited their oldest mall – the Dalma Garden Mall. 🙂 I found the city a lot more structured than the winding charm of Tbilisi’s Old Town. The Soviet influence here, I felt, was a lot more than in Tbilisi. But that’s also because we didn’t spend time in that part of Tbilisi. Most people do just a day trip, but I think we spent the right amount of time in Armenia, which is 3 days.