Now most people wondered why we went to Armenia. It
is neither a popular destination nor well-known. I am glad though we went
because as a culture and photography buff, I found it amazing. The country is
warm and welcoming and in April - when
we went – is a great time to visit as there are not all that many tourists. But
be warned your jackets are required: it is still cold.
We went via Indus Aurora Holidays based in Delhi. Email
and telephone were our only means of contact. Yet the entire tour went
beautifully and we were impressed. Our guide Mary Mirzakhanyan was the best and
extremely helpful and thoughtful.
Of course we had slight hitches at the airport as is
to be expected when you are going to a country nobody has heard of except in the
violent sense. But they soon gave us the green flag and we were all set to go.
Our journey was peaceful enough and we had a breakfast
of croissants at Costa Coffee before we made the transit at Sharjah airport.
Air Arabia proved to be comfortable enough during our entire journey, both
ways. Remember, bro and I are both plus-sized.
At the airport after making our way through several
lines, we found Mary waiting for us outside. After brief introductions, we went
to the car and the luggage was loaded. Thankful for our jackets we climbed into
the vehicle to escape from the cold.
Mary told us that the check-in would only be in the
afternoon and so we would begin our city tour. The city reminded me of Iran.
The well-paved streets, the pavements, the colourful stones, were all
impressive. We enjoyed the view as Mary kept explaining to us the history and
culture of the city. Let’s just say that it was silly of me to forget my
notebook and pen and so I have very little in terms of notes about the country.
Here’s hoping my memory helps, as well as the books I collected and Wikipedia.
Our first stop was the Genocide Memorial and Museum.
There was a light spring shower when we stepped out. We were thankful for our
jackets and umbrella. It was a short walk to the museum and memorial but I was
huffing from the difference in altitude. My camera had some issues and so I
ended up turning to our phones for the pictures. We stopped to take pictures at
the tree that our former Vice-President Hamid Ansari planted. We then moved
towards the memorial. The memorial structure consisted of large blocks
surrounding an eternal flame that was burning in remembrance of the victims of
the genocide in Armenia. The place was decorated with some flowers and we took
pictures. There was also a large column at the memorial. We came across some
school children visiting the place and they happily posed for some pictures.
We next moved towards the museum. Inside the guide
explained all the pictures to us as well as artefacts. The Genocide Museum opened its doors in 1995 to
commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. After WWI, the genocide
took place in Western Armenia and more than 1.5 million people were killed often after
torture. Armenia had been under the Ottoman Empire since the 17th century. The brutality was chilling. I remember one particular photograph which
showed people posing for photographs at two floor levels. The people on the top
were then killed by the people below once the picture was taken. We went around
looking at how horrifying the genocide had been and the guide was only too
happy to answer my questions. I bought a book at the museum’s store before
leaving. Armenians visit here on April 24 – the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
We sped through the city and arrived soon at
Mother Armenia. It was still raining as we got out. There were some military
sculptures on display and Mary explained to us that this was because there was
a military museum in the base. We did not go to the museum as it wasn’t part of
the tour but took some pictures around the memorial. The statue had initially
been one of Stalin but after independence it was replaced by Mother Armenia in 1967.
Wikipedia notes that the statue has a height of 22 metres, thus making the
overall height of the monument 51 metres, including the pedestal. The statue is
built of hammered copper while the pedestal-museum is of basalt. Every year on
9 May, thousands of Armenians visit the statue of Mother Armenia and lay
flowers to commemorate the Armenian martyrs of WWII. Here too we saw an eternal
flame burning. The view from here was amazing especially with the rain clouds
in the sky.
Our next stop was the Cascade. It looked like a
giant waterfall or stairway. Made of limestone, it was built in the 1970s. There
are a number of cafes and restaurants on both sides of the Cascade. We
decided to take the escalators to avoid some of the huffing and puffing. As we
went up we saw varied sculptures and installations. There were many pieces
outside at the front as well. Some of the front ones were made of recycled
materials, such as the lion built with tyres and the horseshoe horse. The fat
lady sculpture made us decide to pose alongside her. I think my favourite piece
inside was the lip chair and the multi-hued glowing man. We came down the steps
part of the way so that we could enjoy the view as well as the cool weather.
Our next destination was Republic Square. It is
the central town square in Yerevan,
surrounded by five famous buildings: the National Art Gallery and History
Museum of Armenia, the
Government House, the Central
post office, the Mariott
Armenia hotel and the
Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. We took pictures near the fountains and the installation that read I Love
Yerevan.
Our lunch came next. I was
extremely happy with my vegetarian meal. In Armenia the meal begins with
salads, cheese and bread, followed by soup. Then comes the main course, usually
rice dishes with a sort of curry. This is followed by dessert. Sparkling water
was what we chose to accompany our food.
Following lunch we went to the hotel and
checked-in. It was naptime as we were tired. We woke up soon and got ready for
dinner. Mary came at the appointed time to the lobby and took us to a
restaurant for dinner. She bid us goodbye after giving directions. Dinner was
again lavish like lunch. There was cheese and different kinds of salad, with
bread. I liked the spinach salad. My main course was mushroom and rice which
was also yum. My brother had chicken instead of mushroom, cooked in gravy.
Dessert consisted of a sweet roll of pastry followed by herbal tea. We walked
back to the hotel and slept well that night.
Next morning we woke up and breakfasted on
continental food. There was sausages, scrambled eggs, potato pastry, etc., with
filtered coffee as well as the Armenian variety. After breakfast we took our
belongings from the room and headed to the lobby where we met up with Mary. By
now I had figured the problem with the camera (memory card was not on write
mode thanks to a tiny switch on it in the wrong position) and had my gear with
me.
Our first stop for the day was the Geghard
Monastery. This monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
surrounded by cliffs. The monastery was founded in the 4th century by Gregory
the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. The monastery had thus been
originally named the Monastery of the Cave. The monastery was famous
because of the relics that it housed including the spear which had wounded
Christ on the Cross, allegedly brought there by the Apostle Thaddeus, from which comes its present name – the Monastery of
the Spear.
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| Way to Geghard Monastery |
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| Geghard Monastery |
We were extremely lucky according to Mary
because we were fortunate enough to listen to some of the choir singing. They
sang for the tourists in a cave-like structure which had good acoustics. We
enjoyed listening to them. We also came across a stream that had coins in it
inside the monastery.
The water was cool and delicious. Throwing
coins is from the belief that it will bring luck and prosperity. There was also
a stream with a bridge across which we stood upon for a while before returning.
We managed to avoid the sellers who would accost us and reached the car.
Our next destination was Garni Temple – an
ancient, pagan temple that had been restored in the 1970s after the earthquake
of 1679. There existed a church alongside the temple but only its ruins remain
today. The temple is the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in
Armenia. It was built in the first century as a temple to the sun god. There
was even an inscription at the entrance that showed the word Helios – the sun
god. . After Armenia's conversion to Christianity in the early fourth century, the
building was converted into a royal summer house. Today it is a favourite
tourist spot. I did not climb the steps to the temple as they were quite steep
but my brother did and it was empty, he reported.
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| Garni Temple |
We spend some time looking at the bath house
nearby from the Roman era. It had stones which were heated in ancient days and
water flowed in amongst the stones. There was even a partial mosaic from that
period. As we walked back we looked at the stones that had been recovered from
the excavation and placed alongside the path like decorations. I bought some
walnut jam outside from a lady who was selling preserved goods and let me tell
you it was an excellent recommendation by Mary. I forgot to mention that we
heard the sound of turkeys for the first time and were highly amused.
Our next trip was in a kind of jeep (from the
Soviet Era) as the car would not be able to go that way. So we bundled in and
then went on a bumpy ride to Garni Gorge. The ride was worth it despite
everything because it was beautiful. Mary normally walks that way but
considering our tiredness, she hired the vehicle. The gorge was awesome and not
to be missed. I loved it. We were glad she took us there. After more
photography and watching some cows that resembled Indian cows, we rode back to
the car.
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| At the gorge |
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| Gorge |
Next was lunch. Mary took us to a restaurant
that had been a home but had been converted to feed tourists. The atmosphere
was homely and quite, since it was not yet tourist season. We had our taste of
local bread as well as a lot of salads. For me the vegetarian, there was a
pulao-like rice mixed with shredded carrots. There was a selection of cheese
and some yummy olives too. The local tradition of drinking strong coffee or
herbal tea after food continued.
After lunch we were excited to visit the oldest
church in Armenia – the Etchmiadzin
Cathedral. According to scholars it was the first cathedral built in ancient
Armenia, and is considered the oldest
cathedral in the world by some. The original church
was built in the early fourth century. It replaced a pre-existing temple,
symbolizing the conversion from paganism to
Christianity. Called the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, it has been the administrative headquarters of the
Armenian Church. It is a major pilgrimage site and one of the most visited
places in the country especially for Christmas celebrated here on January 6.The
cathedral was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
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| Khachkar |
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| The Cathedral |
Mary showed us a stage, next to the entrance
where Pope John Paul II had conducted Mass on his visit to Armenia. The church
was decorated with many carvings and paintings and was undergoing renovation at
the time of our visit. Mary also pointed out to us the seminary, the library
and the residence of the Catholicos who heads the Armenian Church.
At the church museum we saw the spear that had
pierced the side of Jesus after his death on the cross. Apparently Pope John
Paul II had certified that this was the original spear of all the five spears
in the world claiming to be so. There was also a relic from Noah’s arc, which
is said to have settled on Mount Ararat in Armenia. Another fascinating piece
was a remnant of the body of St. John, embedded in a metal hand. It was
fascinating. There were even garments on display that had their origins in
India. Mary told us the story of an Indian man who, on seeing the decorated
garments wanted to order them and was surprised to learn they had their origins
in India.
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| The Roman spear |
While we were visiting the church, we were able
to see the current new president of the country as well as the current
Catholicos lighting candles. Mary said we were extremely fortunate people to
see the choir and the President as well as the Catholicos in one day.
On the way to the church from the gate, we came
across several khachkars. A khachkar, also known as an Armenian cross-stone is a
carved, memorial bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such
as rosettes, interlaces, and botanical motifs. Khachkars are
characteristic of Medieval Christian Armenian art. They are
considered a part of world heritage by UNESCO. Most of the monasteries had them
– either the original or duplicated ones.
After visiting the church we went to our last
stop – Vernissage Market. The shopaholic in me was thrilled despite being tired.
Mary acted as our translator and helped us bargain. We saw a huge variety of
things – everything you could possibly want – from small handicrafts to urns.
We purchased a few items. Mary then told us we needed to hurry as a protest was
taking place on the roads there. So we hurried to the car and were able to see
the protesters without getting in the way. Since our car was going the other
way, the protest did not affect our departure.
We went to the hotel to freshen up and Mary in
the lobby so she could take us to dinner. Since we had some time to kill, we went to a chocolate shop and picked up some gourmet chocolates for home. Then, after we had settled in at the
restaurant, she bid us goodbye. There was dancing at the restaurant which we
enjoyed watching. Dinner consisted of salads, cheese, bread, soup and a rice
dish followed by dessert and tea. This was the one time I did not enjoy a part
of my meal as I did not like the rice dish which seemed bland to me. But that
is my personal thing. Everything else about the tour was excellent. One tiny
factor after all.
Next morning, after a hearty continental breakfast
at the hotel, we departed for our next destination Khor Virap Monastery. We
stopped on the way for pictures but it was extremely windy and cold. Since it
was a festival day the place was swarmed with people. Mary told us the story of
the monastery.
Gregory the Illuminator was
initially imprisoned here for 13 years by King Tiridates III of
Armenia. He was held in a cell at the bottom of pit dug into an Armenian
hillock. For 13 years the man survived by being secretly fed by local Christian
women. Then, as the story goes, Lusavorich cured the ruler of a disease and
subsequently converted the monarch to Christianity. Thus Armenia became the
first Christian country in the world in 301 AD. A chapel was initially built in 642 at the
site of Khor Virap.
In 1662, the larger chapel known as the St.
Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) was built around the ruins of the old chapel,
the monastery, the refectory and the cells of the monks. It is one of the most
visited pilgrimage sites in Armenia, as we saw that day. Despite centuries of architectural turmoil, the pit where Saint
Gregory was incarcerated can still be visited through the hole to the right of
the altar in the chapel. We did not go there or visit the chapel above due to
the conditions being unfit for us to go. Instead we watched some dance
performances. Some children greeted my brother with a Namaste. After having a
look all around I contacted Mary who was waiting for us outside.
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| Dances by children |
We proceeded to our next stop - lunch. It was
served in a nearby restaurant situated on an artificial lake. There was a drake
calling for its duck in the lake. We were also visited by some stray cats
asking for titbits.
Mary had bought us food from home – a kind of
stuffed vegetarian chapatti that had been given to her by her neighbour and she
shared with us. There was also the usual course of meals and we tried out some
green lemonade drink.
After lunch we proceeded to the city of
Jermuk to visit the waterfalls. When we reached there we realized it was
extremely cold. The three of us proceeded to visit the waterfalls despite
knowing it was freezing cold. The waterfalls were not extremely huge as it was
only the beginning of April but we got some good pictures.
The
waterfall is also known as mermaid’s hair because according to legend once upon
a time a nobleman’s daughter kept refusing suitors because she was in love with
a poor shepherd. Every night she would let down a rope to her lover. When her
father found the rope he cursed her to become a mermaid. Despite no rope, she
let down her hair the next night to her lover but immediately became a mermaid
and her hair, the falls. Soon we left the place, happy to have visited, but
equally happy to get away from the freezing cold. I wonder what ice-cream would
have tasted like to us then!
Thankful for the warm car, we climbed back
inside and moved on to see the hot springs at Jarmuk. We were tired but the
springs proved to be delightful. There were jar-like fountains at the springs
with their temperatures written. This water was drunk as part of therapy. We
tested the temperatures and took more pictures. There was a small artificial lake
nearby. We went inside the Hotel Hyatt to use the restrooms before continuing
our trip.We managed to see snow fall for the first time in this part of
Armenia.
Our next stop was the Areni Winery. We visited
the wine cellar and then there we were treated to tasting a selection of wines,
as well as their brandy and vodka. We favoured the semi-sweet wines as we were
most used to the sweet kind. We picked up some quince and apricot wine. After
watching a video on wine-making and some coffee and apricots, we made our
purchases so we could return to Yerevan.
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| Wines for tasting |
We went directly to the restaurant, leaving our
wines behind in the car as it would have looked odd in the restaurant. This
place was fancier than our usual place and there was a lot of dance music and
crowds. This was to be our gala dinner as arranged by Mary. The food was once
again delicious and we began with a variety of salads, bread and cheese. I
found my favourite cheese though I do not know its name. This was followed by
some tasty soup. Then my main course consisted of grilled vegetables and
cheese. My brother had a meat dish. Dessert was yummy too. We walked a few
blocks to reach the hotel and get some rest.
Next morning, Mount Ararat looked bright and
beautiful from our hotel window. After another continental breakfast, we
proceeded towards the ski slopes, all bundled up for snow. But not before we
stopped at the candy shop for chocolates to take home, which we did in plenty.
At the slope, Mary got the tickets and we proceeded to sit down quickly on the
ever turning cable car and buckle down. The trip was slightly scary as our feet
were dangling in air. We were thankful for our snow shoes as they would
definitely not fall off. Admiring the scenery despite our fears, we quickly
made it to the mountain and had some help jumping off the car. We then walked
around the place taking pictures, rejecting an offer at buggy riding. I was
disappointed that there was no snow except for wisps of it. Since it was my
brother’s first glimpse of snow we touched the snow before leaving. The way
back was by cable car and we had to jump off like before with some help. We
were soon back in the car and I took off all the warm gear finally.
The next destination was what got me all
huffing and puffing because we climbed 250 steps to visit the Sevan Monastery
or Sevanavank. After the
artificial draining of Lake Sevan, on the side of which the monastery was built
and which started in the era of Joseph
Stalin, the water level fell about 20 metres, and
the island it was seated on transformed into a peninsula. The view at the top was worth all the struggle
because it was breath-taking.
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| The monastery |
There was another story linked to this
monastery. There was a princess whose husband died when he was 30 and so she
vowed to build 30 churches in memory of her husband. Thus was enlarged the
monastery. We took pictures around the place. There was a khachkar in the monastery that depicted the entire
life of Jesus. We also saw the room where the princess used to pray. On my way
back I picked up a painting of pomegranates that struck me as really pretty.
Being our last day of the
tour, we had lunch at a restaurant that gave a beautiful view of Lake Savern.
Mary had bought a kind of chutney for me to eat with my food. We both loved it.
I had green lemonade with my salads. Vazgen, the driver, had bought some
doughnut like pastries from the candy shop and we tasted it. It was all yummy
to me. After lunch, Mary threw bread so the seagulls would come. When we were
outside the restaurant, the seagulls came near the lakeside to eat the remnants
of fish that had been thrown there by the restaurant workers. We saw a huge
number of seagulls.
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| Seagulls |
On our way back, Mary had
said we could stop to pick up some of the famous Obsidian stones on the wayside. True to her word, the
driver stopped the vehicle and picked up some stones for me to add to my stone
collection. On the way we also saw Vazgen’s house atop a hill.
Our last stop was the dry fruits market. We went to
the stall of a family that Mary knew and picked up a huge load of dry fruits
and nuts. They were really tasty and a good bargain. By then I was almost out
of drams. So we walked quickly round the market taking photos. My brother tried
some cheese. Since we were not sure if we could take them we decided not to
take any with us.
We reached the hotel a bit earlier than usual. This
was helpful since we had to pack. After packing, with spare time on our hands
before dinner, we took a stroll along the streets. We returned and met Mary
outside the hotel along with another Indian friend she had met recently.
After being seated we had our dinner. We were the
only guests that evening for some time and so it was altogether a quiet
dinner. Salads, cheese, bread, soup
alongside our main dinner. My brother had tolma – meat wrapped in leaves. I had
veggies with rice provided separately. Dessert for our last day was ice-cream
cut in squares.
We strolled back and on our way came across
protesters blocking the road with benches. They did not mind us and we walked
back quickly. Mary was worried when we told her but it all went fine.
Next morning, following breakfast, we had an early
checkout. Mary and Vazgen came early and we left before the protesters came. At the
airport we said our goodbyes and gave our gifts to Mary before getting into the
airport. The lady at the check-in counter shocked us by telling us our luggage
was overweight but they finally sorted it out and we checked-in without any more
problems. The only hitch was that the
immigration officer could not believe that my brother was the same person as
the passport photo (he was thinner and had no moustache). So he finally made
him sign on the boarding pass so he could verify the signature!
The flight back was good
and we lunched on sandwiches at the airport. Since we had time to kill we were
at the café for three hours. Then we grabbed some takeaway from McDonald’s and
went to wait in the lunge we were instructed to wait in. After a while we
decided to eat since we had nothing else to do. We waited in the food court and
joined the queue soon. The flight back was uneventful and we landed in Kochi at
3:30 a.m. We breezed through everything and we were soon bound for home with
our luggage, pleasant memories and a smile on our faces.
