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.
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