A Capital day in Yerevan – Friday 16 May

Today is billed as a walking tour of Yerevan with 5 Gastronomic stops. Well, the first part interests me, but the latter not nearly so much. Why would I be sitting down messing around with food five times when I could be exploring? Yep, I’m an uncultured heathen, but as Genesis once sang, I know what I like, and like what I know!

With an 11.30 start, there was time for a bit of free style wandering. First up was a visit to the Post Office on Republic Square. The lady duly stamped the post cards so that’s a job done. (as I write this 13 days later, none have arrived!)

 

  

Good early impressions of Yerevan

For around 3 hours I stuck with the “walking tour” and indulged in 2 of the gastronomic experiences. The pace, however, was glacial. I could feel “Museum Legs” coming on. Museum legs are when you are disproportionately tired from walking a relatively short distance, very slowly over a long period of time. Let’s be quite blunt, the pace was way too slow, and there was too much emphasis on food. I could have killed for an M & S Coronation chicken sandwich, and a bit of airport speed strutting! 

Of course, the pace was down to constantly having to wait for the elderly couple to catch up. Elizabeth, our guide was good, in so much as she did wait for them to catch up; but as soon as they did, she started on again. It was clear that they needed rest for a minute once they’d caught up. I was feeling quite sorry for them.

 

 

  

  

Armenia's most famous son - Charles Aznavour

Born in Paris to Armenian parents

However, by mid-afternoon, when we had to circumnavigate Freedom Square and France Square, I began to become less sympathetic. Here we had to cross at least 5 six lane Avenues using the timed pedestrian crossings. Each one had digital displays showing how much time was left to get across the road. After the allotted 20 seconds they (the Olds) were only just over halfway across the road. It was now becoming irritating. Our next site to see was the Yerevan Cascade. With a 570 step climb and descent I was ready to quit the group and do it at my own pace. However, there was way more to the Cascade than I thought. It wasn’t just simply a long set of steps up to a monument at the top. Elizabeth explained that there were a series of escalators underneath it that would take us to the top. Furthermore, the areas around those escalators were a series of art galleries known as the Cafesjian Centre for the Arts. Not just a brilliant idea, but it really did have some great pieces in there.

 

 

 

 

General shots around Yerevan

Nevertheless, having got close to the top of the Cascade using the escalators, it was time to fly solo. I wanted to walk to the very top to see the Memorial to the 50^th Anniversary of the October Revolution, and the Mother of Armenia statue. Thereafter I could walk down the steps of the Cascade at my own pace. As fate would have it, by the time I reached the first of those two it was pouring down. I decided not to walk the extra mile to see the Mother. Of course, ten minutes later the rain stopped, so I had a leisurely walk down the 570 steps to the open air art area of Tamanyan Street.  At the entrance to the park in the middle of the street was a big statue of Alexander Tamanyan, the man who was the brains behind these wonderful art spaces and the Cascade. Respect Alex, respect!

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

In and around the Cafesjian Centre for Arts

After 5 miles and almost as many hours of walking “Museum Legs” had fully arrived. I wandered back to the hotel for a good rest before going out to see the dancing fountains later in the evening.

Somehow, within an hour I felt terrible, veering between severe shivers and sweats. A bad case of man flu?? Either way, I was a bit panicky. This was the first time I’d felt unwell abroad since my Bells Palsy 2 years ago. I started to look at flights out the next day and felt well enough to be very irritated to see that there’s a daily flight to Istanbul, and onto Heathrow that leaves at the reasonable time of 09.30 in the morning – as opposed to our 04.40am flight via Frankfurt. Voyages Jules Verne’s reputation continues to dive. After a couple of fractious hours things settle. No repatriation required. Must have just been the silly phase I was going through! The fountains can wait.

 

 

 

Yerevan doesn’t have the personality and atmosphere that Tbilisi does, but it is nevertheless a likeable pleasant place. Much better than I expected. Lot’s of the roads are tree-lined, and there are loads of parks. The buildings are mostly a nice pink colour, made from the local Pink Tuff stone. There are plenty of old Soviet flats, which are not so easy on the eye, but still give a sense of character to the Capital City of a country that is still under more than a little Russian influence.

A nicely polished rocket!

I’ve just realised that there were no monasteries today. Don’t panic, tomorrow we go to Vagharshapat. Within it is a place called Echmiadzin, which is described as the country’s Vatican. A religious city within a city.

 

 Mount Ararat looms large behind the city