Week 3, Friday - last day here

Our last day here is a dreary one, overcast with a light drizzle. We take our time getting ready and don't head out for breakfast until 10:30. Fortunately today is warmer so the rain is not too unpleasant.

Without much discussion we head to Artbridge. Neil is the one having French Toast today while I go with fried eggs and bacon (How much trouble will I have going back to my semi-vegetarian status?) and we both have French press coffee.

Artbridge has become one of my favorite places to eat and I'm not sure why. The food is good but not spectacular, the prices are reasonable but not great, and the location isn't entirely convenient. I think it is the people who frequent it. For whatever reason there seems to be smiling and nodding among patrons who are perfect strangers to one another. Of course that begs the question, why is this so? In any event, it serves to create an atmosphere that is welcoming.

As we head back to the hotel we find ourselves walking very slowly. We are anxious to be heading home tomorrow but, at the same time, are sad to be leaving. We are very conscious that this could very well be the last time we will be strolling Abovyan Street, crossing Republic Square, or walking by the park near our hotel. I think we are both trying to memorize everything we see lest we forget something. Our time here has been magical.

Back at the hotel, after Neil leaves, I start packing. Our plane leaves at 6:15 in the morning and the hotel has reserved a car for us at 4am. Tonight we will be going out for farewell drinks with our friends, so I want to make sure to get most of our packing done before then.

By the time Neil returns I have much of the packing done and it seems there will even be room left over. Amazing!

You can just see the beer dispenser on the back wall.

Shortly after 6pm we go downstairs and exchange most of our drams for dollars and at 6:15 we are picked up for dinner. The restaurant/bar has the neatest gizmo at each table to dispense beer. There is a spigot coming out of the wall and a lever with which you can choose which beer you want. The server has a sort of key which sets the counter to zero and starts things up. After that we can pour ourselves a beer whenever we want and the counter keeps track of how much is consumed. Almost makes me want to drink beer.

Dinner is lovely – good food and good friends. Many toasts are made to friendship and return visits. It is hard for me to say goodbye, so I can imagine how much harder it is for Neil. I do hope we will return some day.

Week 3, Thursday - sometimes meals are difficult

Today dawned, if not sunny, at least without a feel of rain and it was much warmer. Leaving the hotel it felt wonderful to be outside. Our destination was the National Gallery of Armenia but first a breakfast spot needed to be found.

We first stopped at Marco Polo, only to discover that its kitchen was not yet open. Evidently only coffee and tea were being served. So we kept going up Abovyan Street to the tried and true Artbridge. I had French Toast and Neil had pancakes and a French Press. After all the years of my telling him how good French Press coffee is, he finally became convinced on this trip.

We finished breakfast and got to the gallery just at 11:00 which was its opening time. The gallery is located at Republic Square and occupies the top five floors of the building with the State History Museum taking the bottom two floors.

After obtaining our tickets we were ushered to a tiny elevator and taken to the top floor. Evidently the gallery is to be done top to bottom. Unfortunately we only had time to do the top three floors before Neil needed to leave for the bank. But those three floors were filled with many wonders, mostly of the European school – Jordeans III, di Lorenzo, Boudin, Tintoretto, van Goyen – to name the ones I remember. However it was the fifth floor where the Armenian painters were housed that I enjoyed the most. I had no prior knowledge of these artists and it was a joy to discover them. I particularly enjoyed Aivasovsky's seascapes and another fellow whose name escapes me (perhaps because both his first and last names were very long and very unpronounceable, at least to this Westerner). His paintings were in a wide array of styles. This is something that always amazes me, an artist who can switch styles at will.  Unfortunate that our time here was so short.

Back at the hotel and Neil heads off to the bank. There has been an exciting change at the hotel, since yesterday there has been wifi throughout the complex. Prior to this there was wifi in the lobby and ethernet in the rooms. That meant I had to go to the lobby to update my podcasts and newspapers on my Droid and when both of us were in the room only one could be online at a time. Too bad we didn't have this for the whole visit, still I'll be happy for whatever I get.

For our final 'duo' dinner we decided to go back to the Lebanese restaurant we had been to a couple of times. Once there we put in our order, got our drinks, and sat for a very long time with nothing further coming. Finally we decided to leave and Neil went to take care of our bill. Evidently our order had been lost and our meal would be coming shortly. Neil declined and we left. At least we got our drinks free.

We ended up having that tasty Diavalo pizza back at the hotel. Not what we were planning but enjoyable nonetheless.

Week 3, Wednesday - I can go home!

Today we went over to the OVIR offices to collect my visa extension. We were in and out in a few minutes with my passport in hand, all freshly stamped with my visa extension. Much as I have enjoyed my time here I am glad not to be trapped. I don't know if it's an American thing or not, maybe just a Nancy thing, but I felt very vulnerable without my passport.

I also was sporting a new found appetite, so we headed over to Jazzve for breakfast. It was still morning but we both opted for lunch. I was even able to taste my food, albeit only a little bit.

We ambled back to the hotel where I ended up spending the rest of the day. The weather was quite miserable outside so I figured I'd play it safe and spend another day taking it easy.

When Neil arrived back at the hotel, we headed downstairs to have dinner. You have to love a country where lamb is priced as cheaply as chicken. My three chops were delicious. Guess my 'taster' is back in complete working order

One interesting thing I have noticed is that when Neil speaks to people he assumes they speak English while I assume they don't. I'm not sure which is the better way to go. I think perhaps I am understood more readily speaking in my one or two word sentences or pointing to things on the menu. On the other hand, Neil gets the smiles from people. They really seem to enjoy him as he talks away making goofy faces all the while.

I am so very grateful that most signs and menus are written in three languages – Armenian, Russian, and English. Otherwise I would have rapidly gotten lost, then starved to death in front of a restaurant because I couldn't order.

I loved this place.  It wasn't open yet when
 I took the picture

The sidewalk food vendors make things particular easy. The items are spread out on trays with prices listed on each tray. I could just point to what I wanted and hold up the appropriate number of fingers. Then I would even know how much money to fork over.

Does make me wonder how difficult it would be for a tourist in Columbus if he did not speak English well.  Guess it's a good thing we don't get all that many visitors from abroad.

Week 3, Monday & Tuesday - not much to report

With this post you will be getting a two for one because I've done nothing the past couple days. A cold has laid me low. Wouldn't you know? I haven't had a cold in . . . actually I can't remember my last cold, it has been that long. On the bright side I had two weeks of beautiful weather and got a lot more accomplished in my first two weeks than I would have figured. I'm also grateful that the cold didn't hit me until Monday. It would have been awful to miss out on Sunday's trip.

I can't remember if I mentioned this before but I put up some pictures from our second week here at https://picasaweb.google.com/101319898539355886588/ArmeniaWeek2

I have also separately put up some photos of the sculptures and statues around town - https://picasaweb.google.com/101319898539355886588/YerevanSculptures 

Yerevan seems to have a love affair with both statues and sculptures. They are all over the place. Refreshingly, many, and perhaps most, of the statues are of artists, poets, authors, and musicians – much nicer than politicians and military figures.

Hoping to have more to report tomorrow.

Week 3, Sunday - outside of Yerevan

Our day started out with a trip to the Armenian Genocide Museum with Karen and Frants. Arevik would join us later. Her young daughter would be with us for the day and Arevik felt that it would be too much for one so young. After having been there I completely agree. It was almost too much for this old lady.

For those of you who may not know the Armenian Genocide refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was implemented through wholesale massacres and deportations, with the deportations consisting of forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees. The total number of resulting Armenian deaths is generally held to have been between 1 million and 1.5 million

It is one thing to know of these atrocities but is another thing entirely to see pictures of it and to read accounts of it. I was both shaken and moved. One thing I found quite chilling was this quote of Adolph Hitler to his generals: ‘Thus for the time being I have sent to the East only my ‘Death’s Head Units’ with the orders to kill without pity or mercy all men, women, and children of Polish race or language. Only in such a way will we win the vital space that we need. Who still talks nowadays about the Armenians?’

On the grounds of the memorial there are trees planted by distinguished visitors to the museum. Robert Dole and Howard Dean are among the tree planters.

The cathedral at Ejmiatsin

As we finished our tour Arevik and her daughter joined us and we headed off to Ejmiatsin.  Ejmiatsin became the spiritual center for Armenia's Christians shortly after the country's conversion in the early 4^th century. The grounds are quite extensive and include the cathedral, a museum in which we had a guided tour, and several other churches. The new gateway to the cathedral precinct commemorates the visit of Pope John Paul II in 2001.  It was altogether a most impressive complex.

Then we were off to Khor Virap Monastery which is within site of the Turkish border. Khor Virap is famous for being the site of Saint Gregory the Illuminator's thirteen year imprisonment by King Trdat III. Although there was a monastery here by the 5^th century, the present buildings are much more modern having been built in the latter part of the 1600s. It is possible to go down a narrow opening via a 27 step ladder to view Saint Gregory's prison. Since it took a while to navigate the ladder and it was used to go both up and down, the congestion and our schedule precluded a visit. Being that I'm somewhat claustrophobic, that was probably all to the good.

From there we climbed a serpentine route through the mountains to reach Geghard Monastery. As we were driving there with the road twisting and turning and climbing, Arevik recounted a story of taking some friends from the Republic of Georgia here. She said that when she was telling them how the monastery had been overrun by enemy forces several times, the friend exclaimed “How could that be true? How could enemy forces possibly get up here?” That explains the location perfectly.

Geghard is unique in the it is partially an ordinary surface structure and partly cut into the cliff. In total surrounding the main site are more than twenty other rock hewn chapels and buildings. Truly it is an amazing site. 

While we are there Frants buys a cake for us to share from a woman selling them at the base of the monastery. It is more the consistency of a bread but has a layer of something sweet, sugar or honey, running through the middle. It is decorated on the top and lettered “Geghard”.

A short distance away is our final stop, Garni Temple. Garni is the only Graeco-Roman style building in Armenia and was built sometime between the 1^st century and 175 AD. The temple itself was destroyed by an earthquake in 1679 but was rebuilt in the early 1970s. It looks a bit like a mini Parthenon.

We arrived just at sunset and the reddish pink glow behind the mountains was glorious!

Karen had made reservations at a restaurant on the outskirts of Yerevan. Once again we had a room to ourselves and once again the food and drink seemed endless and tasted wonderful. Neil was determined to pick up the tab for the meal. Up to this point and including our meal the first week, we have paid for nothing. I really did not think Neil would win this battle. Perhaps getting down on his knees helped for he did win. I don't think Karen was pleased.

We were finally dropped off at the hotel fully sated and very happy. Greeting us at the door was our bellhop from our first day who has taken us under his wing. We had been given the remaining cake from Geghard Monastery and I was holding it in my arms. Upon seeing it he said “I see you were at Geghard. I hope you didn't pay too much for the cake. Those women will charge a fortune if you don't bargain with them.” We assured him that a knowledgeable friend purchased it and our only contribution was to eat it.

Second Week, Saturday - I am a dud

Saturday dawned dark and gloomy and so did I. During the night I feel prey to something I ate. I can't figure out what since, in the appropriate time frame, Neil and I ate the same things. The only difference was a cup of coffee I had at the hotel. It was a truly awful tasting coffee, but coffee and food poisoning just doesn’t seem right.

In any event it ruined our plans for our outing with our friends. I sent Neil off figuring there was no need to ruin his day and there was nothing he could do for me anyway. He, however, returned in short order having been told that since I'd not yet been taken on a tour and he had that they wanted to wait for me.

Other than going out for lunch and dinner, poor Neil got to spend the whole day trapped in the hotel room with a fairly non-communicative Nancy.

Toward mid afternoon I started to feel like I would live (actually it was a fairly mild bout) so that when Neil went downstairs for dinner I asked him to bring back some bread. Normally everything here is a la carte and thus the bread should have been an extra charge. However when his server heard it was for his sick wife upstairs in the room, it was gratis.

Even though I felt much better, I spent the rest of the day in bread determined to be rested and perky for our Sunday outing.

Week 2, Friday - Will I ever get home?

We arrived in Armenia on a Saturday evening and are scheduled to leave three weeks later on a Saturday morning.  I had gotten differing information on whether my 21 day visa would cover this period.  Did the 21 days start from  the time I arrived, in which case I would be okay? Or did it start at 12:01am of the day I arrived, in which case I would need to extend my visa?  Wednesday I sent off an email to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thursday morning I had my answer.  I would need to extend my visa.  In the not too distant past, if you overstayed your visa you paid a fine of something like 1000 dram a day or $2.60.  Recently it was changed to a fine between 50,000 and 100,000 regardless of your overstay.  I'm way too cheap to pay up to $260.

So today we headed over to the OVIR (don't really know what it stands for) office.  Addresses here are really screwy.  An entire building has a single number regardless of how many businesses or entities it holds.  It is possible for an entire block to have a single address if the building is big enough.  To add to the confusion if a building has the address of say 20 Abovyan Street but the entrance to an establishment is around the corner on Tumanyan Street, its address is 20 Abovyan Street.  To add even more confusion, the numbers on one side of the street do not correspond to the numbers on the other side.  There is the even on one side and odd on the other, but 37 Nalbandyon Street is across from 116 Nalbandyan.

We started off on Mashtots on the even side of the street looking for the general whereabouts of number 13.  We quickly realized that mistake, crossed the street and headed back the way we came.  We came to number 13 and went in the main door.  There was a man at a desk right inside the door.  He spoke no English, but when I said 'visa' he smiled.  He'd faced this scenario before.  He took us back aside and gestured that we should go around the back of the building.  Okay that wasn't too bad.  Inside the building we see a directory which lists 'visa' and a bunch of office numbers on the second floor.  Up we go wondering which office number to choose.  In the hall we see someone and I say the magic word 'visa' and we are led to the correct room.  Here we are given a form to fill out, told that I need to make a copy of my visa and passport, and that I must renew for a minimum of two days which will come to 1000 dram and I should get a check from a bank.  I say I have drams and I thought she said that was all right.

We leave the OVIR to go get copies made.  Conveniently there is a xerox place nearby where we get the copies made and I fill out the form.  Back we go to OVIR, up to the second floor and into the office where someone new is behind a desk.  I hand over everything and she asks for the check.  I take out a bill and she says no I must have a check.  Works out I have to go to a bank with their routing number and have the money deposited into the account.  They don't take cash.  Back into the street to find a bank.  At the bank we are taken care of by a lovely young woman who speaks very good English.  She knows exactly what we need.  Sitting behind her are two trainees who hopefully learned something new.

Once again we go back to the OVIR office, up to the second floor, and into the office.  I had everything over and this time it seems I have everything I need.  She then asks for my passport which is put into a drawer and am told to come back on Wednesday to pick up my passport and visa extension.  I don't like parting with my passport and wonder if perhaps I will never be leaving Armenia.

Since it is a dreary, drizzling day we have decided to do an indoor thing and go to the History of Yerevan Museum. It is small but quite interesting.  I most enjoy the old pictures of Yerevan.  Almost a century later and I can recognize many of the streets.

Upon leaving the museum we only have time for a quick bite before Neil must be off to the bank.  Accordingly we stop at a street vendor a block from the hotel and enjoy lamb, spices, peppers, and onions wrapped in lavash.  Lavash is a soft thin flatbread.

It is still drizzling when dinner time rolls around but we decide to take a chance and go to an Indian restaurant that is about 1 ½ miles away.  Luck is with us and the rain never gets worse.  We should have stayed at the hotel.  I have lamb with nuts and raisins over rice.  Filling but very bland.  Neil has a curried chicken which is marginally better.  At least the ice cream he had for dessert was very good and was presented in a unique manner in a fluted cup with the ice cream on the top formed into spirals.

Our weather luck is still holding and we have a pleasant walk back to the hotel.

Week 2, Thursday - Unexpected entertainment

On our walk yesterday morning we saw what, from a distance, appeared to be a flea market.  Today we head out to give it a closer look.  Upon arriving we found it wasn't a flea market but I'm not sure what to call it. Some of the stores are in the the bricks and mortor category though none were actually constructed of those materials. Rather I mean that they were entirely enclosed in buildings.  Some of the buildings housed an individual store.  While others hosted many stores in a bazaar style.  Then there were other shops that had both indoor and outdoor retail areas. Still others had an inside area that was used only for storage with the wares actually being displayed outside requiring the owner to transport and set up his wares each day, not a simple task for many of them.

Everything imaginable was sold - food, plumbing supplies, clothing, toys, toiletries, carpets, boots, small appliances, ad infinitum. It was different from what I've seen so far in that many stores sold many categories of items. Prior to this, except for a very few department stores, I had only seen retail shops offering a narrow range of goods. Stores which only sold electrical wiring, or mirrors, or brooms.  Just goes to show that one shouldn't extrapolate too much.

After leaving the market we strolled around a bit, taking a street at random merely because it looked interesting. One street which went up a little hill, consisted entirely of new buildings, some still being constructed.  It seemed a bit odd because most of the shops were upscale but the surrounding neighborhood was more modest. We continued our ambling and shortly we came to the Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator.  This time  we approached from the side opposite our previous visit. On my first walk to the Cathedral, I had thought the location was strange, in a neighborhood not appropriate to a spanking new cathedral commemorating 1700 years Christianity as a state religion. Now I wonder if it wasn't the start of an urban renewal of sorts.

We grabbed a bite to eat at Marco Polo on Abovyan Street just a half block from Republic Square. The restaurant sported a glass enclosed eating area which jutted out on the sidewalk.  A perfect spot for people watching as I ate my soup (hot spas, again) and salad.

A trip back to the hotel for Neil to change and head to the bank.  That pesky work sure gets in the way of fun.

When Neil returned he commented that the wind was picking up and the air had a bite to it.  That was all I needed to hear to make me want to stay close to home for dinner.  We ended up at the Lebanese restaurant that we had eaten at on Tuesday of our first week.  After we ordered but before our meal arrived, the owner asked if we wouldn't mind moving to another table.  A small group would be playing that night and our table was located on a spot that would be perfect for the band to set up.  Whether their arrival was a surprise or the owner wasn't much of a planner, I have no idea, but it was easy enough for us to move and we did.  We ended up with the best table in the place for enjoying the band and enjoy them we did.

There were four musicians and a singer.  The instruments consisted of a largish bongo type drum, a flute, and two others which I didn't have a clue about.  At a subsequent visit to the History of Yerevan Museum I learned that one was a kamancha ( leftmost musician), a bowed string instrument played like a violin.  The resonating chamber is shaped like a gourd and, indeed, is often made from a gourd.  The other was a tarr (rightmost musician) which is a bit like a ukelele but has a double-bowl shape with a thin membrane of stretched skin of some sort covering the top and a whole slew of frets.  They were charming and we enjoyed them thoroughly.  In the picture you can see that one of them is a bit of a mismatch age-wise.

A quick mention of my meal.  I had lasagnia (their English spelling) which had very little in common with Italian lasagna but was quite tasty.  It is  mixture of ground meat and vegetables, covered with a very thin layer of dough and topped with cheese.

Behind us at the restaurant was a table of five which we noticed upon sitting down because they were speaking English albeit with several different accents. Two of the group were American.  I was impressed by, and commented to Neil about, the politeness they showed when listening to the musicians.  Other people were talking through the performances but not this group.  They turned their chairs to face the musicians and listened quietly and attentively.  Later Neil learned that one of those at the table was Steve Wozniack of Apple fame who was in Armenia to receive a Global IT Award from President Serge Sargsyan.

Week 2, Wednesday - Smoking and Jazz

Today we awoke to another clear day and decided to head back to the Cascade to see if the views of the city would be better.  We left the hotel shortly after 9:00 am and had a lovely walk across town.  Everything is so much quieter at this time of day - fewer cars on the street and fewer people on the sidewalks.  In short order we reach the Cascade and take the escalators up to the top.  We were correct, the views are lovely.  We can even see Mount Ararat in the distance.

After enjoying the scenery for a while we take the 500 steps to the bottom.  It is now shortly after 10am and unfortunately Mokka, the pastry cafe we so enjoyed on Sunday, does not open until 10:30.  Undaunted we head cross town to Cafe Central where I thoroughly enjoyed a breakfast of eggs, sunny side up - something that you are unable to get in many restaurants in Ohio due to concerns over salmonella.  Neil had pancakes stuffed with something I can't remember.  (If I don't write it down it doesn't stay in the brain for long.)  The pancakes were not at all like what we have.  These were a deep-fried dough - lighter than donuts, more like a cruller.  Whatever they were Neil enjoyed them thoroughly.

On a meandering walk back to the hotel, I watch the people on the streets and it suddenly hits me how fat Americans have become.  There are overweight people here certainly but they are the exception, not the norm. By and large the food I have been exposed to here is not particularly healthful or conducive to dieting -  butter and fats abound, chocolate is coveted, and so very many things are encased in dough.  Yet the people remain thin.  Yerevan is very much a walking city and I'm sure that helps.  Portion sizes are also much smaller than I am used to.  Perhaps that is the key.  In any event it is nice to know that Armenians will largely not suffer the ill health effects of obesity because the smoking surely is doing them in.  This is a HUGE smoking country with close to 60% of the male population smoking and 25% of the female.  I had forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by smoke everywhere you go.

Eventually we reach the hotel.  Neil gets changed into his 'bank' clothes and off he goes.

While he is gone I take the opportunity to do some hand wash.  I've already put this picture up on Facebook but it tickled me so that I am putting it here also.  This is a puzzle I am determined to crack.  Is there some Armenian word that this is translated from?  Do the Armenian letters for this look somewhat like our "barf"?  Or is it something else entirely?  This is the burning question I will ask of our hosts when we go out on our jaunts this weekend.

Tonight we head off to Malklas Jazz Club for dinner and some entertainment.  The club has lots of atmosphere with a lounge on the main floor which overlooks the 'basement' restaurant and stage.  We arrive shortly before 9:00 and order our meal just as the group starts to play.  I am initially pleased with the keyboard, drums and bass.  The keyboard player is particularly talented.  Unfortunately after a few numbers they are joined by a fellow playing a harmonica. Huh?  Where is the sax that was advertised?  Another number or two and they are joined by a singer who, in my opinion,  is not very good.  I liked 60% of the group unfortunately the other 40% was ruining it for me.  Perhaps the meal will rescue the evening.  Not so.  It was far and away our most expensive meal of the trip and the food was the worst.  In truth, the evening was nowhere near as bad as I am making it sound.  As always I enjoy the people watching and dessert was quite good.

In light of my comments earlier in this post, I should mention that the club had an extensive cigar menu which was well ordered from.  There were also hookahs available which were being used by a couple of people.

Again we had a nice walk back to the hotel.  So nice to be in a walking city and one that stays vibrant into the evening.

Week 2, Tuesday - Finding a place to eat can be a problem

We left the hotel about 9:30 this morning to search for a place to have breakfast. This is more of a problem than one would think. First, we did not want a hotel breakfast. Second, for most Armenians breakfast is a very simple meal and so they do not normally eat breakfast out. Third, most businesses do not open until after ten.

After passing through Republic Square we headed up Abovian Street knowing that if we found nothing else that Artbridge, where I'd eaten several times before, would be open. After just a block we saw a women sweeping the front sidewalk of a small cafe that appeared to be open. There were no customers in view, but 'open' is one of the few Armenian words I know.  I looked for the open sign and there it was.

After a breakfast of coffee and omelets, we decided to visit The Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. You may recall that we'd intended to do that yesterday but never did make it do to an impromptu and unintended walk around the block.

This time we made it. The day was crisp, sunny and very clear and as we started up the walk to the cathedral, Neil noticed that for the first time this visit Mount Ararat was clearly visible. About thirty miles away and over the border in Turkey, it seemed to be hovering over the skyline of Yerevan.

After tearing our eyes away from Ararat we continued up the path to the cathedral. Neil, who had seen several other churches during his last visit, was struck by the simplicity of Saint Gregory's compared to other churchs here. Why this is so, we have no answer.

We continue our stroll along the Green Belt meandering our way back to the hotel where Neil completes some final preparations for his class.

Soon after Neil returns from the bank we head out in search of dinner. I had seen a good review of a restaurant that intrigued me. Well it seems the reviewer was the only one who liked it because when we arrive at the address given for the restaurant we see that it had closed.

Since I was somewhat tired even before leaving the hotel, I did not feel like wandering about to look for another restaurant. Neil graciously agrees to a pizza at our hotel. Once again the Pizza Diavola is wonderful and we follow it with dessert. Assorted ice creams topped with fruit for Neil and an apple tart with ice cream for me.

Back in our room, I turn on television for some background noise as I write this post. There are three news stations in English and my news program of choice is France24. I've yet to understand why a French program broadcasting in Armenia is in English. Life is just full of these little curiosities, is it not?

This weekend our hosts will be taking us out Saturday and Sunday for a tour of Armenia. I am touched that they are willing to give up both days with their respective families. Neil tells me Karen is making plans for where we will go. For some unknown reason, I have been given veto power over any of the plans. I shall not use my veto as I am certain his plans will be nothing short of wonderful.

In yet another example of their never ending hospitality and kindness, I learned today that some combination of Arevik, Karen, and/or Frants walks Neil from the bank to the hotel every evening.  Somehow I don't think they fear he will get lost on the two block walk. Truly a special group of people.

Second Week, Monday - start of extra play time with Neil

Neil starts his second class this week.  The first week was for those working outside of Yerevan and classes were for the whole day.  This second class is for Yerevan employees and will last for two weeks but only meets in the afternoon.  It would be lovely if they met in the morning and he had afternoons free.  Still it is a wonderful bonus that he only works half days now.

Moscow Theatre

We head out Monday morning in search of breakfast and end up at Jazzve, a small chain of coffee shops decorated in a literary style with menus in the form of newspapers.  Jazzve is the Armenian word for the long handled copper pot in which Armenian coffee is traditionally made.  This particular shop is located inside the Moscow Theatre at Charles Aznavour Square.  Once again we have a lovely meal accompanied by some very good coffee.  Our bill is brought to us in a jazzve.

We decide to walk to the Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. We come out on a street a few blocks away and go around the block so as to take in some new streets.  Around the block turns out to be a couple miles - train tracks are in the way.  It all turns out for the good as we see a whole 'nuther part of the city - industrialized and poorer.  Clothing styles drop down several levels and I am more in sync with the locals.  We also pass what appears to be, from several hundred feet, a very large flea market.  We make a mental note to check it out another day.

I should mention that one of the nice things about Armenia, and I believe the other Caucasus countries as well, is that street crime is virtually non-existent.  You can walk anywhere and be safe.  What a wonderful sensation and, I would imagine, a boon to tourism.

Neil comments that many people stare at me and he believes that it is because of my gray hair.  Being that I am usually living in Nancy-world, I've not noticed this, people staring, that is, not the gray hair.  As I look closer I am seeing lots of gray roots around me.  It looks like virtually every woman dyes her hair (if needed) until a very old age.  Since I am a year or two younger than "very old" I stand out.  In my youth with my very dark hair, skinny little body which would have fit into the those tiny jeans, and ample sized honker, I might have passed for a native.

"Old Yard" cache

On our way back to the hotel, we stop off to look for another cache.  This one is through an archway and into a small yard of apartments.  I've mentioned before that much of the city is behind the street buildings.  One never knows what you may find on the other side of the arch - sometimes a park, sometimes small businesses and restaurants, sometimes playgrounds, sometimes rubble and derelict buildings.  This time it is enchanting.  Our thanks to the owner of the cache, who also lives here, for introducing us to this charming spot.

We head back to the hotel as Neil must change and be off to work.

When he returns, there is a threat of rain and the weather has turned windy and chilly.  A restaurant just around the corner that we've been eying sounds like a good choice.  And it is!  Charming is exactly the word to describe it - intimate with only five tables and a small private room.  It appears to be operated by a family of three generations.  Neil orders a bean and walnut soup to start and I get a hot spas, a soup of yogurt, hulled wheat and herbs. Neil thinks his soup is very good, and it is, but not as good as my spas.  And since I tried his soup but he didn't try mine, I am the one who is correct.  We follow with spinach for both and goulash for Neil and grilled veal for me.  (Told you earlier that I was throwing my ethics out the window for the trip.)  Just before our main course arrives we are each presented with a glass of "young" wine, complements of the chef.  I finish my meal and am sated and quite full.  Neil is braver than I and he orders an Armenian coffee and paklava (baklava to non-Armenians).  As we leave Neil assures the owner that we will be back.

Ended up with nine miles for the day.

Second Week, Sunday - Geocaching

Today we slept in late then set out to the Cascade. The Cascade was originally designed to be a large artificial waterfall tumbling down from a monument which commemorated fifty years of Soviet rule. It was not completed before the demise of the USSR. A foundation has taken over the work and opened an art gallery in the part of the Cascade which is finished.

At present the cascade extends about three quarters of the way up the hill - without the waterfall, of course. Then there is an empty area beyond which is a large plaza. At the back of the plaza is the monument.

You can get from the bottom up to the plaza by walking up the steps of the cascade or by taking escalators inside the cascade to the top of the completed part and walking the rest of the way. We elected to do the latter both to save our feet and to take in the art museum which is inside the Cascade.

As we were buying our tickets the ticket seller asked us how old we were. When we answered fifty-nine, she said "Today you are sixty." and sold us senior tickets. I never complain about saving a little money.

If I recall correctly there were five galleries each on a different level. You took an escalator up. Then you got on an elevator and went down to a gallery. Once finished you got back on the elevator and went up to where the escalator originally left you off. Then you went up the next escalator and repeated the process several more times. Was that confusing enough?

At each escalator landing you had the opportunity to go outside where there would be a courtyard with sculptures and/or gardens flanked by the steps of the cascade. And, of course, there would be the view of the city down below getting further and further away.

At the base of the Cascade is a small square with lovely knot gardens of herbs and flowers surrounded by some eight or ten sculptures. Surrounding this are lovely apartments with small shops at the street level. We had a most wonderful breakfast at one of these shops, Mokka Cafe. The coffee was wonderful and Neil thoroughly enjoyed his walnut pie. I had a plain muffin topped with powdered sugar. Sounds boring, eh? It was FABULOUS.

Though it was hazy, the views at the top of the plaza were lovely. We also got some unique views of the homes built along the side of the hill.

Lover's Park was our next destination and we could see it down below. We opted not to backtrack and instead headed off to a tiny road which seemed to head in the right direction.  The tiny road got tinier and turned into a path which turned into . . . pretty much nothing. Still we got to where we wanted passing a mixture of decrepit houses, luxury apartments both completed and in the process of being built, and lots of rubble.

Men playing Backgammon

Lover's Park was a delightful spot and worthy of its name. We saw a wedding party as well as quite a few couples entwined on the park's benches. The non-lovers included a group of ten or so men playing backgammon in a small shelter.

While at the park we stopped at a cafe for lunch. Again a winner meal - a pasta salad for Neil and a hearty bean and beef soup for me. Since it was too late in the day for me to have coffee, while Neil enjoyed his coffee and brownie, I had a glass of wine for dessert.

We left the park and headed a block up Baghramyan Street to the American University in Armenia in order to search for another geocache.

For those of you who do not know what geocaching is, let me explain. People hide containers, known as caches, ranging in size from a pencil eraser to a toaster. They then record the GPS coordinates along with other information on a geocaching website. Other people then search for these caches and when found sign a log contained inside the cache. You also log it at the website.

Neil and I are new to this and enjoying it thoroughly. Our thanks to Steve Ross at The Nature Conservancy for getting us started.

There is another cache on our way back to the hotel and we head for it.

This cache has been placed by a German-Armenian couple at Saint Zoravor Church where they were married. On the map it appears to be smack in the middle of a block of buildings. Before the past weeks wanderings in Yerevan this would have perplexed me but now I know better. Much of the city is behind the street buildings, through the archways. As we approach mid block we start to look for openings. There it is! And in we go.

Saint Zoravar Church is enchanting and it apppears that a wedding is in the works. Fortunately the cache is outside and everyone else is inside. We find the cache in short order, sign the log, take a two cent euro, and leave a dollar coin. (I forgot to mention that oftentimes there are tradable items.) It even has a trackable which we take. Trackables are items with a unique code on them. People drop them off in caches and, via computer, watch them travel around.

Upon getting to the hotel, I log my taking of the trackable and learn that it started out in Austria and has been to various places in Germany, Switzerland, and, of course, Armenia. Now it's going to get a ride across the pond.

I'm pretty tired and we're both not that hungry so we decide to get pizza at our hotel. The most adorable waitperson takes care of us and assures us we can get any kind of pizza we want. Too many decisions there for a tired Nancy and evidently my face shows it. After a few questions she ascertains that we should have a Pizza Diablo. She is right and it is fabulous. We now have our go to meal when we are tired, not very hungry, or both.

Another ten mile day, almost.

Saturday - what is typical Armenian pizza?

Vernissage is an open air craft market reputed to be the best place in Aemenia to buy souvenirs and craft items.  Indeed there is a large selection of carpets, embroideries, dolls, stone and wood carvings, paintings, musical instruments, and the like.  It also appears that it is indeed the makers who are also the sellers.  I am a bit surprised that there isn't more of a hard sell.  Only once or twice when we stopped to look at an item more closely were we approached.  Even then it was more of a "Do you have a question?" approach.  Guess I'm not a craft or souvenir person.  Many things were lovely but I just wasn't interested.  The only items that held any interest for me were the old cameras and tools.

In one corner of the market we noticed a bunch of dogs and cats.  Some were in cages and some were being held by people.  I have no idea if they were being sold by breeders, if it was an animal shelter promotion, or what.  People here do have dogs as pets, but one sees more strays than animals on leashes.  At least I assume they are strays as they are running loose.  On the other hand almost all look decently fed.  Unfortunately at least half are limping or only using three legs to walk.  I would imagine if a dog is running loose it is only a matter of time before it is hit by a car - traffic is crazy.

After browsing a little while we then ambled over to Artbridge for a bite to eat.  I believe I have mentioned that their French Press coffee was excellent and with Neil being the real coffee lover in the family I wanted him to try it.  He did agree it was excellent.  He wasn't as happy with his meal however.  I, on the other hand, loved mine - angel hair pasta with fresh tomatoes, garlic and spices.  The pasta was al dente, the tomatoes very fresh, and the garlic not overpowering.  It seems I am having better luck with my meals than Neil.  Perhaps I am not as picky.

When the waitperson brought our coffee she forgot to bring my milk.  Neil asks "could you please bring some milk?"  This prompts me to mention to him that I have would merely have said "milk".  I've found the fewer words used and the more to the point you can be, the better chance you have of being understood.  I feel rather impolite doing this and hope that a smile and a "thank you" will make up for what might be perceived as curtness.  Neil, I am sure, with his deeply rooted politeness will never take this route

Neil searches for the cache

The Cache

After lunch, we head to a nearby section of the Green Belt to find the Yeghishe Charenc Monument. Charenc was a famous Armenian poet of the early 1900s.  Why would we seek this out?  There is a geocache nearby.  One which gives enough clues that we are fairly certain we can find without GPS.  And we are right! Our first cache in a foreign country.  Hell, our first cache outside of Ohio.

Unfortunately Neil is feeling a bit under the weather.  We head back to hotel so he can take a nap . . . which he does - for about six hours.  When he wakes up he is feeling much better so we decide to head out for pizza.

Neil remembers a place just off Republic Square and we head there.  The restaurant is doing a good business and has a very large selection of pizza, almost all with white sauce.  We have no idea what white sauce is but give it a try.  We still have no idea what white sauce is.  I would hazard a guess that it means no tomato sauce and lots of cheese.  Other than that it seems like a pretty normal pizza with four or five toppings.  We decide to give pizza at least one more try to see whether or not this restaurant was typical.

Friday - We'll get dinner right eventually

Republic Square

Just throwing in the picture above because today I was playing with the panorama feature on my phone.  Ain't technology great?

Today I decided to walk the street on the west side of the city where the Green Belt would have been had it been completed.  Saryan Street is fairly quiet compared to most of my walks so far.  It climbs steadily uphill as it curves west.  Yerevan was built in a valley so if you stray from the center of the city you are going to face a climb.  Fortunately this is a gradual one.  I don't realize how much altitude I've gained until I get to Puskin Street which heads into downtown Yerevan and look down the street.  It truly was "down the street".

Saryan Street turns into Moscovyan Street.  It's as though the street knows its name has changed for a reason as things start to bustle. Soon I arrive at the intersection with Soyat Nova where I ended my Green Belt walk the other day. I turn south onto Mashtots Street (love that name!) and pass a restaurant that looks like it might be a promising place for dinner.  Finding restaurants is a bit of a problem.  Very few restaurants post menus out front and many are basement restaurants so you can't even look into a window.  And, of course, most have little or no English in any of their signs or ads.  Consequently I usually have no idea what type of place it is, what type of food, or how much it costs.  Makes it a little hard to figure where to eat.  I should have Neil ask his chums at the bank for recommendations.

Speaking of restaurants, I've seen several KFCs and two Pizza Huts.  Surprisingly, no McDonalds, though Neil says they will be coming soon.  Pizza places abound.  I would like to try a couple of these before we leave just to see how they compare and to see what type of pizza is served - New York, Chicago, Sicilian, Midwest, or something else entirely.

As on Monday I stop at Artbridge for lunch.  Their French Press coffee is fabulous - strong and rich.  If you take milk with it, which I do, you are asked if you would like the milk heated.  I could get used to that!  BTW, decaf is non-existent here and unfortunately coffee does keep me awake. Consequently once it gets much past one or two o'clock I stop having coffee. Bummer, as I do so enjoy a cup after a meal.

We go to Camelot for dinner, the restaurant I made note of earlier.  I order first and every time I order something the waitperson puts up two fingers.  Ah, once again it's that family style thing.  Neil orders a salad which we end up sharing and only after it is finished do they bring my soup.  It is huge and HOT.  I guess after a while they figure Neil's not going to dive into my soup, so they bring his chicken which he finishes about the time I finish my soup.  (I told you the soup was huge.)  Only then does my pork come.  Poor Neil has to sit and watch me eat.  He does order an Irish Coffee so at least he has something to occupy himself with.  Should also mention that I had a pomogranite wine with my meal.  Not bad, but it should have been sweeter.  This from someone who likes her wines dry, but somehow it just tasted like it should have been sweeter.

Again we end the evening by taking the long way home and once again I am over ten miles for the day.

Thursday - Observations

Today as I walked (and walk I did, racking up over 10 miles) I mused over some of what I've seen here and which I will now share.

There is a lot of linked arms and hand holding going on in this city and most of it is between members of the same sex. It appears to tail off as people age, but it is still there with every generation. Part of it might for practical reasons; sidewalks get very crowded and linking arms would serve to keep walkers from getting separated. Mainly though I think people here are just more willing to express affection. There is much hugging and kissing when meeting friends and not just air kisses. There is a genuine happiness at seeing a friend.

Yerevan is a city of a million people and at any given time I think they are all out walking or driving. I've yet to see a parking garage and cars are parked EVERYWHERE - double parking, triple parking, in alleys, sometimes on sidewalks. One would think this would create a nightmarish situation but a method has been devised to deal with it. Each section of road has a man in a yellow vest whose job it is to keep track of the cars, who they belong to, where the owners have gone, and when they plan on returning. For this they receive a tip from the owner upon his return. I really can't imagine how it all works but it does. From my observations when an owner returns he is able to retrieve his car in short order. It's often a very tight squeeze to get out but he has the help of the parking attendent. It is evidently a job that requires very good spatial skills. (In the picture, the cars on the right are also parked not driving by.)

There are many flower stalls here and they do a pretty good business. You see quite a few people with a bunch of floweres tucked under their arms.  I wonder if they are for themselves or someone else or simply to brighten the home.

There are often alleys between buildings which lead to a "yard" and more buildings, usually housing. When the alleys go through a building there is an arch. More often then not these archways have paintings along the side. Though sometimes there are small stores along the side of the alley - glassed in as mentioned in a previous post. It is particulary interesting if someone is plying a trade in one of these tiny shops. Last Sunday when Neil and I were out strolling, we passed a tailor and a cobbler. Each in a space that was no more than fifteen or twenty square feet.

People eat later than they do in the states, at least in the Midwest. I stopped off for lunch at Cafe Central, a coffee/salad & sandwhich place, a little after 1 pm and only a few tables were taken. When I left an hour later it was packed with people waiting for tables.

For dinner Neil and I went to a Georgian restaurant which mostly served what they referred to as ravioli and were more like what we would think of as dumplings. You don't get an order of whatever kind of dumpling, they are sold individually. When I was trying to figure how many to get, there was a bit of confusion with the waiter. He was indicating that I wasn't ordering enough. It wasn't until later that I realized he thought I was ordering for the two of us. Seems it is quite common for dinners to be ordered family style.

After dinner we went for a walk, taking the long way home. This is quite a walking city with the sidewalks crowded into the evening. It is so nice to be able to walk to dinner instead of always needing to crank the car up. Somehow it feels more romantic.

Wednesday - Goofy Hats

Today I walked the outer side of the Green Belt along Isahakyan Street.  The Green Belt is a circular strip of land which goes halfway around Central Yerevan between Isahakyan and Moskovyan Streets.  It is a long narrow (a few hundred feet wide) park filled with statues, cafes, playgrounds, and fountains.

On my way to the Green Belt from my hotel I made a stop at the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator which is the largest Armenian church in the world.  The Cathedral was consecrated in September 2001 to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as a State Religion in Armenia.  Symbolically it has 1700 seats.  It is atypical in several ways: it has seats, there are no candles, and there is an organ.  Why this is so, I do not know. Normally when visiting a church you buy candles, light them, and stick them in a tray of sand. The candle lighting is not completely avoided however as there is an adjacent building specifically for the lighting of candles. Another bit of trivia, it is customary to walk out of the church backwards so as not to turn your back on god.

Isahakyan Street changed character several times over the course of my stroll though it was bustling the entire way.  As I started out it appeared that everyone was going somewhere else - hopping on and off buses, mini-buses, or trolleys. Mini-buses appear to fill in areas where the other methods of transportation don't, though there is much overlap.  There are some 125 mini-bus routes along which you simply hail one down, hop aboard (though oftimes it seems to be cram aboard), indicate when you want to get off, and pay as you leave.

After a bit I approached Yerevan State University and the average age of my fellow walkers dropped considerably.  Even with that I felt more at home here.  Jeans are very common in Yerevan, but not Nancy-type jeans.  These are designer jeans and VERY form fitting and frequently accompanied by boots with very high heeals.  Not a Levi, Wrangler, or Lee in sight on Abovyan Street.  But here, though most are forty years or so younger, people are dressed more like me.

As an aside, this city is not handicap accessible.  The sidewalks are not always in good repair and, even if they are, many times each building has a different type of sidewalk with a different height.  You really have to watch where you are walking and frequently are picking your way through a bit of rubble.  Yet the women are in stilletos and striding along.  Amazing!

As I reach the end of the Green Belt, I grab a pastry before turning the corner onto Mashtots Avenue.  This pastry has a lamb and cheese filling and costs a whooping 120 drams or just over 31 cents.

Mashtots Avenue is named after a monk who devised the Armenian alphabet in order to translate the bible into Armenian.  How cool it is to actually know who developed your alphabet!

I don't stay on Mashtots for long since Neil and I walked here last Sunday.  Instead I zig-zag back to Republic Square trying to hit little streets that I've not yet travelled.  I see nothing too noteworthy; still each street has its own character and I enjoy discovering it.

I arrive back at the hotel and shortly afterwards Neil arrives.  He has some work to do to prepare for tomorrow so we decide to go to a restaurant nearby.  I order Armenian Pastry with Curdled Milk Sauce.  The pastry is very much like thin Slippery Noodles and has some spices in it which I don't recognize but taste very good. The sauce tastes very much like sour cream but is crisper and more tart.  Also good.

When the bill arrives it has a 10% service charge.  This evidently is getting more common and one would think the money would go to the server.  Not so, we have discovered.  It is just an extra charge that goes to the restaurant.  So fortunately we know enough to leave a tip.  Still, a 10% tip which is the norm only comes to 700 dram or $1.85.  As we are leaving our server presses a coin into my hand.  I try to find out what this is all about, but her English is only slightly better than my Armenian.  Back at the hotel we see that the coin is Hungarian and worth just a few cents.  Puzzled by this, Neil asks at the bank the next day and is told that with the added 10% service charge, oftentimes the server receives no tip at all and this was her way of showing her gratitude.  They also say that should we go there again, we will be remembered and treated extremely well.

My final comment for the day is that the police here wear the goofiest looking hats.  I'm certain that the police force has lost out on several potential candidates because they have too much self respect to wear those things.

Tuesday - a very special dinner

After a breakfast in the room, Neil left for the bank and I headed out for my daily adventure - today along Nalbandyan Street which runs parallel to yesterday's Abovyan Street.  Nalbandyan is much quieter and narrower than Abovyan with small shops and more residential space.

One thing that amazes me is the ingenuity of people here in finding space to do business.  Yesterday I saw a fruit and vegetable stall under the stoop of a building.  I know what you may be thinking but the space was spotless and well lit.  It fit the proverbial "so clean you could eat off the floor".  Another popular store space is a glass enclosed space along the outside wall of a building.  Picture an area about twenty to thirty feet long and four feet wide, divided into "stores" approximately six feet long.  I do not know how the owners get into their shops if they are not at the ends unless sections of the glass are removable.  You certainly could not be claustrophobic.

Another thing I noticed was the lack of outside contracts for window washing and cleaning.  During the morning when business is slow, you'll see women who work at a store outside washing windows or sweeping/washing the stoops and sidewalks in front of the store.  The brooms used to sweep are not factory made and have rather short handles.  I have no idea why the handles are so short but my back started to hurt just watching the women work.

I took a short detour off Nalbandyan Street to see the stone carvers' yard where khachkars are made.  Kachkars are a unique Armenian art form. The word means cross-stone and is a carved cross surmounting a rosette or a solar disc. The remainder of the stone face is typically filled with elaborate patterns of leaves, grapes, pomegranates, or abstract knotwork.  They are usually used as gravestones, but also as memorials.  It seems to be an art that is dying out.  A pity, the craftsmanship is amazing.

Heading back to the main street I grabbed a pastry covered sausage at one of the ubiquitous food stands - 100 drams or just about a quarter.

After I bit more ambling I headed back to the hotel to get showered and changed for a dinner with some of Neil's friends from the bank.  Besides I was pooped from nearly 10 miles of walking.

Neil and I were picked up by Karen, Arevik (who picked us up from the airport), and Lucine, who is the interpretor for Neil's training class and taken to the Caucasus for some genuine Armenian cooking.  Once there we were joined by several other employees of the bank.  Karen had reserved a room so we were able to carouse without bothering other patrons.  After assuring him we would be willing to try anything, Neil and I placed ourselves in Karen's hands and let him do the ordering which he did for everyone, albeit with many suggestions from the other members of the party.  There must have been a dozen plates of food, several of which had three or four different items. And these were our appetizers! I did in fact try everything and there was absolutely nothing I didn't enjoy.  (You'll note in the picture that I did not stop eating for the photo!) One of my favorites was fermented buffalo milk with bread.

Two things I noticed that are worthwhile to mention.  As people who were new to me were introduced, they were described as working "with" Karen or Arevik and as the evening progressed this was always how the relationship was portrayed.  Checking with Neil later I found Karen and Arevik were, in fact, their bosses. The second thing was I felt I was subtly being watched to make sure everything was just right for me.  If my wine was not going down as fast as it might have, I was asked if it was too dry and would I like something else.  If I was cutting meat off the bone, I was told it was perfectly acceptable to pick it up in my hands. Indeed they were the perfect hosts.

There were many pauses for toasts, most of them expressing how happy they were that Neil was back with them.  This definitely is a country where if you make a friend you have made a friend for life.  It was a dinner I will remember fondly for a VERY long time.

Monday - my first day alone

Today was my first day out on my own, no longer under Neil's protective wing. If I get lost I've got the hotel's business card to show to a cab driver, so no matter how much I may screw up I'll be able to get back.

The day dawned clear and crisp - or so Neil tells me. I wouldn't know, I slept through it. I fell asleep last night around nine and napped for almost two hours and woke up, if not peppy, at least unable to go back to sleep until around three. So poor Neil got up by himself and headed off to the bank. So much for our breakfast together.

I managed to get up and out by 10:30 and headed up past Republic Square to Abovyan Street which is a wide tree lined street. The sidewalks are quite wide with trees down the middle and along much of the way with gardens along the road. Most of the stores are upscale and the streets are crowded with cars and the sidewalks packed with people. One needs to watch where you are walking as around the trees there are dropoffs from the sidewalk to the dirt of several inches. I say "one" but I mean me. Everyone else seems to be able to navigate perfectly well and most of them are engaged in animated conversations. I literally am not sure that I could walk and talk at the same time.

After a bit I stop off at the Artbridge Bookstore for breakfast. Books are sold in the front room and food is served in the back two. I order French Toast and a French Press and linger over it for a long time. So long that I am the only one left in the back room. The waitperson had been coming in quite frequently to take away dishes, press, etc. The custom seems to be that the second you finish with a dish, utensil, whatever it is whisked away. It is not to rush you into leaving as the check is never brought until you ask for it. In any event, I believe I have lingered so long that she has forgotten about me. So I gather my stuff and go off in search of the check. Indeed from the look and blush on her face, I'm pretty sure she did forget. By Armenian standards my breakfast was on the expensive side at just over $7.50.

At the major intersections, there are underground pedestrian crossings that span the entire intersection and house small shopping malls. One of these had me drooling as one side consisted entirely of second hand bookstores. If only I read Armenian or Russian!

After a while Abovyan Street's shops gave way to Yerevan University. Here I took a detour to see the university's original observatory which was built in the 1930s. Nestled in the center of a small park, it looked a little forlorn as if it realized it had been superceeded by something newer and shinier. Nearby were a group of students playing ping pong. Ping pong tables in parks appear to be quite common and quite well used. I wonder what happens in the rain - are they covered at night and in the rain? do they have a water proof coating?

At this point I headed back to the hotel to await Neil's return.

Neil's first day went well. This first week he is training people who work outside of Yerevan and class lasts all day long. He was very happy to report that the class was "engaged" right from the beginning. Amazing as it may sound, Neil does not like to do all the talking and is happiest when classes are a discussion and not a lecture.

Even though he was tired, he was pumped up and so we decided to eat out. Had a nice meal at a Lebanese place though I think it was Lebanese in name only. Nonetheless the meal was quite good and in keeping with Neil's approach of always mentioning costs, it came to $18- including tip for 2 meals, wine, beer, and Armenian coffee.

As a final comment, I clocked over eight miles today.  Maybe all that food won't translate into pounds.

Sunday - the real start of things

Got up late and had a leisurely breakfast at our hotel.  Then Neil took me on a mini tour of the city.  By a mini tour I don't mean length as we covered over eight miles but because we didn't stop to do anything (other than eat!).  It was an attempt on Neil's part to give me an overview of the city and a fine job he did.

We spent most of our time in the areas around Republic Square which is the center of the city. Just off of the square is section of upscale shops, apartments, and businesses. The part closest to the Opera House seems to be completely built and mostly occupied, but the section closest to the square is not completed.  Neil and I wondered whether it was still being worked on or whether the money for it had dried up.  Being a Sunday it was impossible to tell.  I'll have to come back during the week to see if work is ongoing.

Near the Opera House we came upon a park that was having an art show.  I got the impression that this was something that was ongoing.  We were impressed by the variety of styles.  We also noticed that the vast majority of artists were male.  If I recall correctly we only saw two female artists.  The men were usually seated together in groups playing cards or chess and would jump up if they felt a sale might be forthcoming.  I wanted to watch the card games to see if they were playing anything I would recognize but thought that it might be taken as an interest in a painting and lead to getting a hard sell.

I was amazed by the number of parks and greenways.  It made me wish we had been able to come a few months earlier.  It would have been beautiful.  We also would have been able to enjoy some of the many outdoor cafes.  It was close to being warm enough to eat outside today but I'm a real cold weenie so we decided not to.

Our wanderings also took us to a gigantic indoor food market.  What really caught my eye was the large variety of herbs.  I had no idea what many of them were but the ones that were ground or minced were piled high in baskets, looked lovely and smelled even better.  We ended up buying some nuts wrapped in dried fruit (very popular here) and some dried apricots.  Since Armenia is home of the apricot and is reputed to have the best in the world I am determined to try apricots in every form I can while here.

We then stopped for an early dinner/late lunch.  Ordinarily I am a semi vegitarian, not being totally strict but avoiding meat when I can.  I have decided to give that up while here.  I had heard that there are not many vegetarians among Armenians and even if you order what seems to be a meatless meal, it probably isn't.  Also lamb is extremely popular here and lamb is a meat that I do miss terribly. So goodbye to Nancy's ethics while I am here and "Hello, meat."

On the way back to the hotel we stopped off at a supermarket for some vittles for the room.  In Yerevan each section of a supermarket has a women who is in charge of helping customers, stocking shelves, and keeping things neat and tidy.  So there is a dairy lady, a candy lady, a bread & grains lady, etc. and they seem to be all women, no men.  In the store we were in they wore a green sleeveless tunic over their clothes which made them look a bit like Tinkerbell.  I now refer to the supermarket as Pixieland.

Once back at the hotel, I was unable to stay awake for very long and made it a very early night.

Getting to Armenia

Our plane flights (Columbus to Detroit to Paris to Yerevan) were uneventful which means good.  All were on time with minimal layerover - less than an hour in Detroit, and two hours in Paris.  Our one surprise was a pleasant one.  We had thought, since it was a night flight, that we would only be getting a snack and breakfast on the leg to Paris but we got both dinner and breakfast.  Food is always good, even airplane food.

Unfortunately for much of the flights it was either nighttime or there was a heavy cloud cover, so we didn't get to see much from the air. As we descended below cloud cover on our way into Paris I was a bit surprised how open the country was as we approached the city.  Charles De Gaulle Airport is somewhere around 15 miles from the center of Paris.  Yet as we were making our descent it was all farms and forests until the last few miles.  Shows how much I know!  On our Paris-Yerevan leg we did get some spectacular views of what we assumed were the German Alps from the air.

Upon landing in Yerevan (9:30pm local time, 12:30 pm Columbus time) we got through customs in less than 10 minutes.  Getting our visas ahead of time eliminated having to go through that line, saving probably 15 or 20 minutes.  Neil took longer than I did which he attributed to the agent's seeing his old Azerbaijan stamps and giving his passport a closer scrutiny.

We were then met by Karen and Arevik, two of Neil's contacts at ArdshininvestBank.  As Neil mentioned in his blog, due to a mixup in am/pm, it was the second time they had come to the airport that day.  Way to ruin a day off for them.  They are both lovely people, greeting Neil like a long lost friend.  Upon arriving at our hotel, Arevik insisted they come in with us as she wanted to be certain that our reservation was in order before leaving us.

Our bell hop gave me a smile.  His English was flawless with no trace of an accent, and he spoke and moved so rapidly, I thought I was in back in New York.

Our room is small but adequate and has the advantage of being on a corner.  After unpacking we had a quick dinner at the hotel and turned in for the night.  I was exhausted, but since the stupid mind still thought it was mid afternoon, I wasn't able to fall asleep until sometime between three and four in the morning.  Neil being Neil was sleeping peacefully within five minutes of his head hitting the pillow.  I managed not to wring his neck!

Getting ready to go

It's the day before we leave and, wonder of wonders, I'm just about ready.  Read a couple of tour books, got my shots, got my visa and finally got around to packing.

The packing had me in a minor tizzy.  Between more than likely not having access to a laundromat (they don't seem to exist there), going at a time of year when the weather is so unpredictable, and being too cheap to pay airline baggage fees, I wasn't sure I could fit clothing for three weeks in a single bag.  I underestimated myself.  It wasn't that hard.

Fortunately our flight isn't until early evening so I have plenty of time tomorrow to think of all the things I have forgotten.   :)

Actually preparation-wise this is the nicest trip I have ever taken.  Usually when Neil and I (or in years past - Neil and I and the kids) travel together, I am the one who does the planning, makes reservations, etc. Then I worry about making sure everyone has a good time.  This time I have done virtually nothing.  Since I am a virtual newbie when it comes to international travel, I am relying totally on Neil.

Ordinarily I would be panicked about where to go to pick up my visa, dealing with customs, how to find my way from the airport to the hotel, how to check into my room if no one spoke English, where to go to exchange money, wondering if I would get ripped off on the exchange rates . . . You get the picture.

Instead I'm going to sit back and let Neil do it.  After all, he's the experienced traveler.  He knows what he's doing and he's been there before.  My only mission is to enjoy myself!!!!!!!!!!!!