No visas and sky-high prices, delicious food and amazing monuments, but the main thing is that everyone understands you and everyone is happy to see you! This is how beautiful Armenia is!
As Byron once aptly noted, "the country of Armenians is full of miracles like no other in the world." And the main miracle is Ararat (even though the mountain is de jure in Turkey).
Overlooking Mount Ararat
There is one local sign: if in the morning the summit of Big Ararat, to which, according to legend, Noah's ark landed, is not overcast, then the day will be successful. It's easy to check: the mountain is perfectly visible from Yerevan. An especially spectacular panorama opens from the top point of the architectural complex "Cascade" with fountains, unusual sculptures and "places for kissing" on the steps of the stairs.
In terms of popularity, only the Republic Square can be compared with the "Cascade" in Yerevan. All buildings on it are built of pink tuff. At different times of the day, he is able to change color: from bright red to dark blue. Having admired this miracle, you can look into the art gallery located on the square. At least to find out where Aivazovsky's works hang in this museum: in the department of Armenian or Russian art?
Hungry after a march through a museum? It's time to explore the menus of local restaurants and cafes. Here they offer all the best not only from Armenian, but also from Caucasian cuisine: delicious tolma and tender kyufta, barbecue of all stripes and kebabs. Dishes in their traditional interpretations are excellently prepared in the Kavkaz restaurant, but the cozy gastro bar Vinograd is proud of the author's options.
Watch out for the market!
Food, by the way, is also a local treasure that causes permanent addiction. For those with a sweet tooth and simply lovers of everything tasty, it is better not to enter the Central Market at all, otherwise you risk leaving with an excess of your luggage. You can go crazy with some types of churchkhela: orange, mulberry, grape, pomegranate … It is impossible to remember the names of all types of dried fruits on the shelves, just as it is impossible to leave the market without overeating.
Each seller necessarily gives his product a try and is terribly offended when he hears a refusal. But the Vernissage market, which opens in Yerevan on weekends, is a challenge of a different kind, especially for shopaholics. You can wander here all day, looking at the original works of local jewelers, silver jewelry, ceramics and antiques.
Around the bush
Distances in Armenia are short by our standards, as well as taxi prices. For example, to get to Lake Sevan by taxi, you will spend a little over an hour and about 800 rubles. (one way). You should definitely go here: for the sake of the picturesque monastery of Sevanavan k, swimming in the lake (the season is July-August) and the king-fish ishkhan (it tastes amazing). From Yerevan it is easy to get to Garni, a pagan temple built in the 1st century BC, and Geghard, a monastery founded in the 4th century. Compared to them, many temples in the world look like a "remake". Khor Virap monastery takes another - a postcard view of Ararat (well, if, of course, the mountain stretches out from behind the clouds and appears in all its glory).
