A Weekend in Armenia!

For my long weekend I decided to take a trip to Armenia. I had heard good things about Yerevan and reading the guide book intrigued me. I really like churches and historical places, and going there offered me the opportunity to see some biblical places and artifacts. I had Friday off for a church holiday so Leslie, Clare, Erica, and I took the overnight train to Tbilisi. We splurged and got a second class cabin which cost me 11 Lari, or about 7 dollars. We pulled into Tbilisi around 7 am with our minds set on some McDonalds breakfast. We got in a taxi and zoomed to the McDonalds and were crushed when it was closed for repairs. Leslie and I then said goodbye to Clare and Erica, but met a new friend dropping them off at the hostel. We then got on a marshutka with our new friend Dan and headed for Yerevan. On the marshutka we met a nice French guy (who spoke perfect English) who is working on his PHD in France, but was doing his practical teaching in Tbilisi. Driving through Armenia there were lots of huge defunct factories; the Soviet footprint is very evident in Armenia, much more so than in Georgia. We could also see evidence of the vast deforestation because of the energy blockade of 1995. 6 hours later we arrived in Yerevan. We walked to our hostel to find out we were all in the same room. There also happened to be 2 other TLG teachers from my group in my room. Then my new friends and I went on a search to find some good eats. We ended up at a nice restaurant, but unfortunately prices in Armenia are almost at American prices. Fortunately, for reasons beyond my comprehension carrot juice was dirt cheap and I drank copious amounts of it for the rest of the weekend. That night Clemont showed us the sights in Yerevan. The opera house is beautiful, and the city itself is very nice and clean. We walked/ took the escalators up the cascades, which is a huge monument with art galleries and an awesome view from the top. There were even 2 Botero sculptures there, the roman guard, and the fat cat! As little as 5 years ago the cascades were a depressing place, the escalators didn’t work, there was no art; it was just a giant unfinished bleak soviet monument. The government gave the monument to a very rich individual, who opened it was a free art galley for his personal collection. It is a wonderful place to relax, and get a good feel for the city. We ended up at a sheik bar and then turned in early for the night.

Holy day:

The next morning Leslie and I woke up early to go to Khor Virap. Khor Virap is a monastery and church on the Turkish border at the foot of Mt. Ararat. We got to the bus station a few minutes late, and we caught the bus just as it was leaving. It was at that point I knew that God had some pretty special things in store for me. When we got to Knor Virap Mt. Ararat was covered with clouds, so we decided to explore the monastery and see if it cleared up. Virap means well, legend has it that Gregory was imprisoned in the well for 12 years for practicing Christianity. King Trdates III went mad after stoning a Christian woman for not marrying him. Gregory healed him, and then converted the king to Christianity. Then Armenia became the first Christian nation, beating the Romans by 12 years. Gregory of course then became known as St. Gregory. Getting to the bottom of the well was a fun/scary experience, climbing down a rackety ladder that has been there since God knows when. When we got out of the well the clouds were still on Mt. Ararat. We wanted to get to Echmiadzin (the Vatican city of the Armenian Orthodox Church) so we walked 8km to the main road where he hoped to catch transportation back to Yerevan. About 1km into the hike I was feeling depressed, because I hadn’t seen the summit of Mt. Ararat. I happened to turn around and in the middle of the clouds was a hole, showing the summit in all its glory. The pictures don’t really do it justice and the thoughts about Noah’s Ark resting on top of the mountain are really intense when you’re actually looking at it. Back in Yerevan we got a quick bite to eat and we were of to Echmiadzin! We got there at about 12:30 and we wondered around a little bit. At Echmiadzin there is the main cathedral, the treasury, 3 smaller churches, a seminary, a large monument built to commemorate Pope JPII visit to Echmiadzin, gift shop, and the patriarch’s house. It’s a beautiful place, the buildings are very pretty and the grounds are immaculate. The best way I could describe it would be “Capaldos dream land”. The highlight for me no doubt was the treasury, which is located in the main cathedral. It houses in my opinion some of the greatest biblical artifacts. I felt surreal and very special the whole time I was in there. There are no signs; in fact it’s very un-touristy. Artifacts housed there are the spear head that pierced Jesus’ side, a piece of Noah’s arc, and what is believed to be a piece of Jesus’ cross. There were also various artifacts from saints, some very old “Bibles” and the scepters of all the patriarchs of the Armenian Orthodox Church. It is an awesome place if you’re a fan of Biblical Historical sites. We then headed back to Yerevan to see some of the sites we hadn’t gotten to see the night before. We first went to Mother Armenia, which is a huge monument of a lady holding a huge sword, scowling at Turkey. This was once a huge Stalin monument and the military vehicles are still there. Right next to Mother Armenia is Victory Park, an amusement park with a Ferris wheel that gave great views of the city and Mother. Finally we walked to Republic Square where we watched the fountains for awhile before heading back to the hostel for some well needed rest. The next day I traveled for 14 hours back to my village. It was a fantastic weekend indeed.

-Kenneth