Family Time in Yerevan.

Family selfie.  Gurgen, Arshak, Pat, me, and Anush.

One of the things that made our trip to Armenia so special and memorable was the fact that we spent a great deal of time with a very lovely family.

We first met the family patriach, Arshak and his son, Gurgen when they met us in Tbilisi.  They had driven all the way from Yerevan to Tbilisi, waited for a hour before we could leave and drove us all the way back to Yerevan.

Last Views of Yerevan. The Cascade.

View of Yerevan, looking towards the Opera Theatre, from the 2nd tier of The Cascade.

Pat and I started our last day in Yerevan (and Armenia) with breakfast at a small cafe called Crumbs, located on Mashtots Avenue, maybe about 50 feet away from our apartment.  It's a nice little place.  We had stepped inside yesterday and decided this would be a nice place for a light meal.

Sevanvank.

Sevanvank.

Today was our last day of sightseeing with Gurgen. I am sad because we've really enjoyed our time with him and it will soon come to an end - we leave for home day after tomorrow.

Sevanvank  was on my list of places to see in Armenia and I was able to cross it off my list today.

It was another overcast day as we set out from Yerevan this morning.  Raindrops occasionally hit the windshield.  Not an ideal day for sightseeing.  I was grateful is was still cool weather.

An Hour at the Theatre.

The Armenian State Dance Ensemble "Barekamutyun" in performance at the Opera Theatre in Yerevan.

We ended our long day back at the Opera Theatre in Yerevan for a dance performance.  Bless his heart, Gurgen got us the tickets.  They were only available for purchase in person so he called on one of his friends to get the tickets for him.

More about that in a bit but for now, we flash back earlier in the afternoon.

Tatev Monastery.

Gurgen, standing in front of the mausoleum of Grigor Tatevatsi, at Tatev Monastery

I'm sure it was sad for Gurgen and Anush to leave Papi and Artsvanik behind. They don't see Papi often and this was far too short a visit for them. I'm sure he felt the same. I'm thankful to them for introducing him to us as I leave with great admiration for the man.

By nightfall today, we were back in Yerevan.  It was a long journey and we had quite a few stops along the way, including one at Tatev Monastery.

Family Time in Artsvanik.

Pat and I with *Papi* and Anush.

If you are blessed in life, you are born into a family, hopefully a loving one. Sometimes you marry into one. Sometimes, one adopts you. Today, we were in a way, adopted, by a warm and loving Armenian family.

Years ago, on the occasion that I mentioned to my friend, Areg, that I wanted to visit Armenia, she immediately told me that I had to visit her father in his village.  "Oh yes, I must", I replied but never really believing that it would happen.  I figured she would have forgotten that conversation but she hadn't.  Days before I left on this trip, she told me she would tell her nephew, Gurgen, to take us to visit her father.

The Sound of Beauty, Strength and Melancholy. The Duduk.

"Still-Life with Armenian Musical Instruments Duduk Thar and Qyamancha" by Meruzhan Khachatryan

I left Artsakh with a piece of music running through my head - it's been continuously looping in my hours for days now!  It's because of an instrument that I was introduced a few days ago when I was in Garni.

Walking towards Garni Temple, I heard the melancholic strains of a musical instrument that I had never heard before. It was such a beautiful sound, I literally stopped walking to listen to it.  I asked Arshak what produced the sounds and he told me that the instrument was a duduk.  I had never heard of the instrument before so I did some reading on Wikipedia.  It's a 3,000 year old woodwind instrument that is indigenous to Armenia and it produces such a rich sound that gives me chills every time I listen to it being played.

A Day in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

"We Are Our Mountains", by Sargis Baghdasaryan, 1967 is widely regarded as a symbol of the Armenian heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh.

We spent today visiting a part of the world that few people outside of this region know exists and if they've heard of the place, they unlikely know anything about it.

I created this blog with the sole intention of documenting my travels so I that in my old age, I could recall the places I've been so lucky to travel to.  I deliberately have avoided making any political statements about the places I've been to as I do not want to state my views for the world to see.  I prefer to discuss politics rather than write about them.

Ancient Cave Dwellings. Old Khndzoresk.

Old Khndzoresk.

It always amazes me where and how people build their homes. This afternoon, we made a stop to gaze out, over a narrow gorge to see some very ancient cave dwellings in a place called Khndzoresk.

Flash back a couple hours before arriving into Khndzoresk.  With our bellies full from a wonderful lunch, we continued our journey.  By days end, we would be in the small city of Shushi in the region known to Armenians as Artsakh but to the rest of the world as Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian Roadtrip. Khor Virap and Noravank.

Khachkars in the cemetery at Noravank.

G
urgen swung by our street bright and early at 9a this morning. Pat and I had both gotten up early and had our breakfast. We were well ready to leave when he arrived. The nice surprise was that his mom, Anush, was seated in the back.  He had said that he would ask her and I was hoping she would love to come along.  My first impression when I met her two days ago was that she's a very warm and friendly woman, a bit shy when you first meet her.  She's very different from her feisty younger sister, Areg who is a former colleague of mine.

A City of Culture. Yerevan

The Cascade Complex.

After three weeks of non-stop go, go, go, we finally had a down day. Today is Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. I don't know how you greet anyone today. Happy Genocide Day just does not sound appropriate. I think I'll just stick to the simple, "Hello, how are you?". In any case, today is a National Holiday and figuring that most places will be closed, Pat and I just opted to spend the day relaxing, reading....doing whatever.  The only thing we did commit to was going with Gurgen for an hour long walk around the city.  Apparently, he had to come into the city to meet up with some friends and so he came a bit early to be with us.  Very considerate of him as most certainly Pat and I could have wandered about on our own.  Of course, it's always nice to have a local person take you around.

Candle Light Vigil.

Candle light march through the streets of Yerevan.

When I planned the timing of this trip, it all revolved around the order in which we had to visit the three Caucasus countries.  It had not even dawned on me that we would be in Armenia on Genocide Day, more formally known as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, which falls on April 24 each year.  That's tomorrow.

Medieval Geghard Monastery.

Khachkars at Geghard Monastery.

We headed to Geghard Monastery after visiting the Hellenistic Temple at Garni. Our drive took us through a part of the village of Garni.  The countryside was dotted with fruit trees in bloom.  It was so pretty.  I'm so glad we decided to come to the Caucasus in April.  We had a similar experience traveling through Central Asia at this time last year and we enjoyed the spring time scenery so much.

A Cathedral and a Temple. Etchmiadzin and Garni.

Looking up at the domed ceiling in the portico at Etchmiadzin Cathedral.

Today was our first full day in Armenia and it was long but very enjoyable and interesting.

I woke up this morning at 7:30a. Pat was still asleep so I headed quietly into the living room and kept busy with my iPad. In due time, she woke up and we got down to making breakfast which was a simple affair.

From Tbilisi to Haghpat to Yerevan.

At Haghpat Monastery.

We were barely out of Tbilisi when Gurgen pulled over to the side of the road. There was a small roadside nursery selling mainly trees. Gurgen wanted to see if they were selling a particular tree that he was interested in planting in his garden. We spent a few minutes walking about. They didn't have what he wanted so we left empty handed but it was nice to see what kind of plants they sell here.

Last Morning In Tbilisi. The Dry Bridge Bazaar.

Happy Earth Day, Passover starts at sundown. George Clooney arrived into Yerevan today, in advance of Armenia Genocide Day which is in 2 days!!  There is also a strike against Russia today in Yerevan to protest the country providing arms to Azerbaijan. And it will be a full moon tonight.

Sameba Cathedral and More of Old Tbilisi.

Inside the Great Synagogue, Old Tbilisi.

As I write this post, I'm already getting sad as it means we only have a half day left in Tbilisi before we leave for Yerevan. It also means that our time in the Caucasus is almost two thirds over. That's the glass half empty side of me talking. That side of me crops up every now and again.

Wandering Tbilisi.

Old city Tbilisi.

We began our first day back in Tbilisi having breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts.  Don't shame us! After more than two weeks of Caucasian breakfasts, we needed a break.  Who doesn't love donuts?  Plus Pat could finally enjoy a cup of coffee.  Might not be the best brew but some coffee is better than none.  Besides all this, Dunkin' Donuts was conveniently located right next door to our apartment building.

Back in Tbilisi.

On Kote Marjanishvili Street.

I

have to begin this posting by admitting to a mistake.  For years, literally years, I have been spelling the name of the capital city of Georgia wrong.  Yes, me the geography nut has been misspelling Tbilisi and Tblisi - leaving out the first *i*.  That oversight only dawned on me as I was traveling in Georgia.  I shall never misspell it again!

Gori and Uplistsikhe.

The ruins of the ancient rock hewn town of Uplistsikhe.

We left Kutaisi at our usual 9a hour. First destination of the day was the town of Gori and by day's end, we would be back in Tbilisi. Our few days roaming the Georgian countryside is quickly coming to an end and I'm very sad about that. I've really enjoyed being off the beaten path and in the mountains.