from Achalziche in Georgia to Yerevan in Armenia - Caucasian summer 2024 - 12

15 Feb

27.07.2024 - from Achalziche in Georgia to Yerevan in Armenia

Today we are leaving Georgia and drive to Armenia. At the end of the trip, we will return to Georgia and spend two nights in Tbilisi before flying back to Germany.

The rain has just stopped, and the air is pleasantly fresh. Again, we take the road through the beautiful river valley. Quite some time later the road leaves the valley and we are now driving across a plateau. The weather is still gray in gray, so I don't regret not stopping - except perhaps for one or two "lost places". As we approach the border, it starts to rain again.

Leaving Georgia is easy, but entering Armenia is, as expected, a little more troublesome. Because we started in Baku and Azerbaijan is not Armenia's best friend (to put it very positively), I'm asked why I was there. But it's enough to tell the official that it was just part of the itinerary. What takes time is that the officer is typing in all hotels of the trip. Finally, he's ready, asks for my cell phone number and I get my stamp.

Leaving the building I'm greeted by two lovely dogs, which I have to pet for 10 minutes. Finally, but much quicker than expected, they are all there and we continue our journey towards Yerevan.

Our first stop to get cash and lunch is in Gyumri [↗]. The police have blocked several streets for expected politicians. So, we stop just outside the city center and change money or, as in my case, use an ATM there. Interestingly the ATM offers 39,000 Dram, not 40,000, what is good as we now have small bills. For lunch, the driver tries again to reach the central parking lot, but then has to give up. We now go to a fast-food hall near a petrol station 10 km away.

We arrive at our hotel in Yerevan [↗] at around 4 pm. We'll stay here for three nights and if the first impressions are not misleading this is one of the better hotels on this tour.

Some group members are hurrying because they want to visit the manuscript collection of the Matenadaran museum [↗], that is closed tomorrow and the day after. I'm not in a hurry as there are not so many sights I want to visit, and some of them are for the blue hour or later anyway.

At 4:30pm I start my city walk. I walk through the Circular Park [↗] towards Yerevan Cathedral [↗]. This is a nice park along the eastern part of a major ring road around the city center. There is not only grass and trees here, but also restaurants, playgrounds, and other attractions. My favorite is a huge fountain.

Yerevan Cathedral is the second largest church in the region after the Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi. The style here is totally different from there. In Tbilisi, the style is more classical, and you can very well imagine it looking like the old cathedrals when it's finished being painted in 100 years or so. This one in Yerevan is very modern. The look and atmosphere are much more impressive.

I continue towards the Blue Mosque [↗], the only Islamic place in Armenia. By chance, I come across the Shahumyan Park with a large number of fountains. There are lots of families here with their children playing with the fountains.

I mainly wanted to see the Blue Mosque because of its dome, but the inner courtyard and the interior are also interesting.

My last stop is Republic Square [↗]. This is a large square with monumental buildings - from government and museum to banks and hotels. The stone used makes the buildings appear pink, especially in the warm evening sun. Yerevan is therefore also known as the Pink City.

There is a fountain in front of the Historical Museum, but it is rather small compared to the others I saw today. No wonder that in the evening when the music and lights are switched on, the crowds are huge.

I return to the hotel by metro. Firstly, because 10 km walking is good enough today, and secondly, because I want to photograph the stations. Getting the ticket (here it's a coin) is just as easy as in Tbilisi, as you buy it at a ticket office where people with sufficient knowledge of English work.