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.