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.