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Yerevan, Armenia

The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful

Welcome to the first of a series of eight weekly posts covering the eight countries I visited this fall. My journey was epic and I chose not to write posts while traveling, in an effort to be engaged and present on this amazing odyssey. I hope you will enjoy reading my posts covering all that happened over the two months of travel – The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful. Let’s begin with Yerevan Armenia.

Mother Armenia, Yerevan

Where Am I?

Yerevan, Armenia is not on everyone’s travel bucket list, but it was on mine after reading about it from another travel blogger several years ago. In fact we were scheduled for this trip when Covid shut the world down. So we were happy to finally get to the beautiful Caucasus region.

Armenia was the first of eight former Soviet states we would visit on this whirlwind trip. Over the past 8 plus years on the Grand Adventure, I have grown to really appreciate what it was like behind the Iron Curtain and why many people believe things were better for them during that time. Not all, but many people miss the security they enjoyed during the Soviet era.

Where is Armenia?

A Little History

Armenia, one of the oldest countries in the world, boasts a rich and complex history that dates back to ancient times. The region was home to the Urartian Kingdom in the 9th century BCE, which laid the foundation for Armenian culture and identity. The Kingdom of Armenia was officially established in 301 CE when it became the first nation to adopt Christianity as its state religion, a pivotal moment that significantly influenced its cultural and social development. Throughout the centuries, Armenia faced numerous invasions and occupations, including those by the Persians, Romans, Byzantines, and later the Seljuks and Ottomans, which shaped its political landscape and often led to the displacement of its people.

Yerevan is known for it’s delicious water and free drinking fountains around the city.
Many ancient and beautiful monasteries survived the Soviet era

Learning about the Armenian Genocide was eye-opening for me. In the early 20th century, Armenia experienced one of the most tragic events in its history: the Armenian Genocide. Perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire during World War I, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were extinguished. Why have I never heard about this?

Be sure to check out the book review The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian I posted last Wednesday. This novel is a must-read to learn more about the Armenian Genocide.

Following the war, Armenia briefly declared independence in 1918 but was soon incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920, where it remained until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.

Few people are aware of the horrific genocide the Armenian people suffered at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th Century. Armenia’s relation with Turkey remains strained.

How’s it Going?

Since gaining independence 1991, Armenia has sought to rebuild its national identity and address the historical injustices faced by its people. The country is navigating complex geopolitical challenges, particularly its relationship with neighboring Turkey and Azerbaijan. Armenia is part of the EU’s Eastern Partnership since 2009. Today, Armenia is recognized for its rich cultural heritage, including its ancient churches and monasteries, and its ongoing efforts to establish itself as a modern nation-state in the South Caucasus region. The world-wide Armenian diaspora (about 10 million) create awareness around the world about this little known and beautiful region of our planet.

Monastery at Lake Sevan

As a visitor to Yerevan Armenia, we found most everything inexpensive from restaurants to tours and souvenirs. During our stay we ate delicious meals with drinks in Yerevan for less than $25 USD for two. Gas prices however, were about $5.30 gallon. The average monthly salary in Armenia is around $675 USD a month.

We even found a couple of craft breweries. Hubby happy.

The Good

Armenia is still working its way through issues from the past Soviet era, but the people we met seem happy with the direction of their country with some exceptions regarding education. In Yerevan (one of the oldest cities in the world) we had a great Airbnb with an engaged and friendly host. We did three tours; a history walking tour, a food walking tour and a cooking class and market tour. These were all private tours we booked through Viator, and we had excellent guides and experiences. All of our guides spoke great English and were enthusiastic about the future of their country.

Fun cooking class with a local
Walking tour we learned so many things including about the more than 115 drinking fountains around the city
Jengyalov Hac is one of the best things I have ever eaten. Without our guide we would never have known about this herb stuffed sandwich.

The Bad

Similar to our visit last spring to Albania and Serbia, the traffic was awful. It’s clear that the pace of automobile acquisition in Yerevan, Armenia after independence has outmatched that of infrastructure development. Drivers are aggressive, blaring horns constantly and the din can be annoying. Most drivers seem untrained with little regard for rules of the road. Case in point – we ordered a taxi on a rainy day. The taxi arrived and it was an old car, no seat belts and past it’s prime. In hindsight we should never have gotten in this vehicle. But we did. The driver was driving way too fast, in the wrong lane and swerved to miss a car. We crashed into a concrete barrier. Unfortunately, because we were not wearing seat belts, my husband hit is head hard on the ceiling and suffered a concussion.

Accident does not look bad, but our injuries were due to the fact we were not wearing seat belts. Despite rules for such safety features, we had little recourse.

Because of the concussion and my husband needing to rest, we ended up missing our all day tour outside of the city to Khor Virap and the Tatev Monastery. Even though I did not visit these places, I still recommend them if you have the chance. These are the top sights outside of Yerevan. It was disappointing but necessary for us to not travel on the day after our taxi accident.

Khor Virap (Canva) with Mount Ararat in the distance

Genocide

The Genocide is one of the worst things that has happened to the Armenian people, and it is something few people in the world know about. The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through the mass murder of around one million Armenians during death marches to the Syrian Desert and the forced Islamization of others, primarily women and children. Today in Yerevan, this horrific period is remembered with an excellent Armenian Genocide Memorial & Museum that is a must visit for everyone visiting Armenia.

Areminan Genocide Museum

Today Armenia has no diplomatic relations with neighboring Azerbaijan. There are no open border crossings which presents a problem for visitors navigating the Caucasus region. This is due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – an ethnic and territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This is an ongoing issue, very volatile, with no negotiations in sight.

The Beautiful

Yerevan, Armenia has many beautiful sites. We enjoyed our time inside the city. Our favorite places included the giant statue of Mother Armenia, the view of Mount Ararat (Armenians believe it to be where Noah’s Ark is), the Yerevan Cascade Climb, Matenadaran Manuscript Library, Republic Square and the amazing Genocide Memorial and Museum. We spent several hours exploring the National Gallery of Armenia and the GUM Market (has nothing to do with chewing gum) and we recommend both.

Cascade Climb
Republic Square
Lake Sevan

The beautiful and kind people stood out. They were interested in us and welcoming. Like many of the countries we visit, we did not meet any other Americans. Most of the visitors are from Europe.

Unique and kind people
Genocide Memorial
National Gallery of Armenia
Mount Ararat on a cloudy day. Most of the mountain currently lies in Turkey and is one of Armenia’s border conflicts with that nation

A shout out to the local Emergency Room too. Our wonderful Airbnb host personally escorted us to the emergency room on a Sunday, stayed with us the entire time and translated for us. We would have been lost without him. Our ER visit with CatScan and prescriptions was $128.

We were lucky to have our Airbnb host help us at the hospital

Armenians are proud of their unique language and alphabet. The Armenian alphabet, created in 405 AD by the linguist and theologian Mesrop Mashtots, is a unique script that reflects the rich cultural and historical heritage of the Armenian people.

An outdoor exhibit explains the unique and ancient Armenian alphabet

Food Glorious Food

Our food tour and cooking class both provided us an eye-opening education to the cuisine of Armenia. We had amazing Khorovats – like a shishkebab grilled meat; dolma, vine leaf wrapped meat; ghapama (my favorite), a spectacular stuffed pumpkin or squash; gata – a sweet bread; pickles of every persuasion; jengyalov hac – an incredible herb filled flat bread wrap; and the famous lavash flat bread served at every meal.

Making lavish in the giant oven
Ghapama is a stuffed pumpkin meal

Here below is a link to our YouTube video about Armenian Food. Delicious.

Watch this video to learn more about the surprising cuisines of Armenia

Yerevan, Armenia – The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful

Yerevan, Armenia was a perfect place to spend a week. Plenty of time to see many historical sites, museums and parks and to eat the great food. We really enjoyed the people, the architecture and the culture. We enjoyed learning about the Armenian Apostolic Church (97% of Armenians are Christian) founded 301 AD. Christianity is the official state religion.

Historic Yerevan Church

This tiny country packs a powerful punch. Yerevan is small and easy to maneuver. It is an up and coming destination you should have on your radar. I highly recommend it. Yerevan Armenia – The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful.

Bond Historic Neighborhood of Yerevan

We love it when you pin and share and comment about our posts. Be sure and come back next Friday for our post about Tbilisi Georgia.

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20 Comments

  • Reply Terri

    I am so sorry for your accident on the taxi. I am glad that your husband recovered from the concussion. This is really scared. Your visit to this country sounds otherwise extraordinary. I would absolutely do all three tours that you chose. I can’t wait to the next post!

    November 9, 2024 at 6:56 am
    • Reply Laureen

      Thanks Terri. It was a remarkable adventure.

      November 9, 2024 at 2:22 pm
  • Reply Sonia

    It is interesting how we never really question getting into a taxi, whatever the state of it (or the driver). Sorry this led to a concussion for your trip. It’s a good reminder for us also to be more cautious about which cars we get into.

    November 9, 2024 at 8:30 am
    • Reply Laureen

      Definitely learned a lesson.

      November 9, 2024 at 2:22 pm
  • Reply Annie

    Thank you for your insight into Armenia. I knew vaguely where it was, but that was about all. I hope your husband has made a full recovery. Concussion isn’t nice!

    November 9, 2024 at 10:11 am
    • Reply Laureen

      Thanks Annie. He is much better.

      November 9, 2024 at 2:21 pm
  • Reply Linda (LD Holland)

    I enjoyed watching your travels on social media and am interested in reading more about Armenia here. This is not a country on our travel radar at all. You certainly did some good tours on your visit. But very sad to hear about your accident and husband’s concussion. That sure slowed you down a bit!

    November 9, 2024 at 10:32 am
    • Reply Laureen

      Thanks Linda. It was an amazing journey to so many great countries.

      November 9, 2024 at 2:21 pm
  • Reply Ruth Martin

    Love following you on your adventures and learning about so many countries and cultures through your experiences on the Grand Adventure. Looking forward to catching up real time soon.

    November 9, 2024 at 11:10 am
    • Reply Laureen

      Thanks Ruth. That means a lot to me.

      November 9, 2024 at 2:20 pm
  • Reply Alex Sallee

    Wow I have never thought about going to Armenia, but maybe I will now. It looks like something out of a fairytale! Great photos!

    November 9, 2024 at 3:57 pm
    • Reply Laureen

      It is a great destination!

      November 9, 2024 at 6:05 pm
  • Reply Emma

    Armenia wasn’t on my list but you might have me convinced. It does look beautiful, the food sounds great and I’m interested in knowing more about the history

    November 9, 2024 at 6:17 pm
  • Reply Sharyn McCullum

    I’ve always been wary of visiting this part of the world and thought people very brave if they did on their travels. Apart from the car accident I’m slowly being convinced to include this country on my travels.

    November 9, 2024 at 6:40 pm
    • Reply Laureen

      Sharyn I think a lot of people feel the same. It was great though as was the other countries. Such a surprise.

      November 10, 2024 at 6:23 am
  • Reply Anna Schaeffer

    That is CRAZY that you got into a car accident abroad. So scary!! Very educational blog post – thank you for sharing!

    November 10, 2024 at 4:46 am
  • Reply Carolin

    thank you for this detailed and honest travel guide!

    November 10, 2024 at 6:37 am
    • Reply Laureen

      Thank you for taking the time to read it.

      November 10, 2024 at 6:44 am

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