Touring Yerevan – June 19th and 20th

Yerevan is the capitol city of Armenia, and it is also where myself and the rest of the Areni field crew are staying for the first few days. The plan is to get some site seeing in before heading to the mountains for the excavation. After a night of zero sleep (since I found the apartment too creepy and lonely to let myself actually sleep) my TA, Kristine, picked me up to bring me to the other apartment with the others students. It took me almost twenty minutes to unlock my door (the doors here are incredibly strange, and the keys are practically like a code... twist so many times to the left, then so many times to the right, then press in and hope for the best!) Once I finally got out we headed to Dr. Areshian’s apartment which is in the heart of Yerevan’s center. In typical Armenian style he wanted to feed us and he set up a gigantic spread of Armenian cheeses, yogurts, breads, cakes, and the strongest coffee you will encounter. Lavash is flat bread that is almost paper thin, and many of the cheeses are strong and salty but have a soft cream cheese/cottage cheese texture.

After breakfast, Kristine, Nani, Nathan and myself (the only ones who have arrived thus far) went for a walk in Yerevan. The interesting breakfast, the strong coffee, and the extreme heat (35 degrees Celsius) made me really sick. but I sucked it up and tried to enjoy the day. Yerevan looks exactly what you would expect from a post Soviet country. The majority of the buildings and monuments date to the Soviet period and you will even see some headless Lenin statues. The Opera is the only grand building that has real character and is not just a red brick square. We walked down to Vernissage, an open air market, where locals sell crafts, goods, and art (I fell in love with the amazing artwork, and I wish I had a way of bringing some home). You can find everything from rugs, pottery, Soviet memorabilia, jewellery, clothing, paintings, to rusty surgical equipment and any piece of used junk you can think of. On my second trip to the market on the 20th I made some souvenir purchases which included a clay Armenian coffee set (the super tiny cups you serve Turkish and Armenian coffee in with a pomegranite motif), and an Armenian ibric which is a copper coffee kettle, as well as a necklace of an olive leaf.

I was too sick for lunch on the 19th, but on the 20th myself, Kristine, Collette, Nathan and Buzz went to a Lahmajoon restaurant, which is the Armenian version of a pizzeria. Lahmajoon is made of a flat bread called Lavash with a meat (lamb or beef), tomato paste, and spice topping folded over. It is referred to as the Armenian pizza, and it is amazing! We also had a dish called Acharuli khachapuri which is a flat bread boat with egg inside. For supper on the 20th we went to an Armenian restaurant and had potato soup, carrot and honey salads, and also a delicious desert – chilli, cinnamon, and apple icecream! I must say, so far I love the Armenian cuisine.

Other notable occurrences from these first two days in Armenia:

The most epic lightning storm I have ever witnessed, the sky was like a strobe light.

The fact that the traffic and driving is the most insane I have ever experienced... basically lanes do not matter, drive where ever the heck you want... and don’t expect a seatbelt because they really don’t exist in most cars (I am sure anyone who knows how I am in cars is getting a good laugh at this right now).

I have noticed the girls here wear four inch stilettos even to go to the grocery store... I have found where I belong!

Lastly, it is EXTREMELY easy to get lost.. and when you are by yourself and you don’t know anyone’s number or street name, or even your own street name, or the native language, it is not so easy to get found! Lesson learned: no more solo travel in Yerevan for Aurora.


Vernissage Art


Vernissage souvenirs


Street vendor selling puppies


Lightning over Yerevan