Artsakh - Gandzasar Monastery & Last Night in Karabagh

We left Shushi and headed to the Martakert region for our next stop, Gandzasar (Treasure Mountain) Monastery, constructed in the early 13th century, was the center of an Armenian independence movement in the 18th century and currently is the seat of the Archbishop of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The monastery was damaged during the war with Azerbaijan, as can be seen from the shell that's still embedded in its wall.

A view of the Gandzasar Dome

We left Gandzasar Monastery and headed back to the hotel.  That evening, we met with the Prime Minister of Artsakh, H.E. Arayik Harutyunyan, who spoke with us for an hour, gave us updates on the progress Karabagh, the issues he's working on and answered our questions.  He gave us each watches inscripted by his office as a souvenir from our trip to Karabagh.

This was our last night in Artsakh so we went to dinner and we drank and we danced...  It was one of the most fun evenings I've ever had.

Drinking with Irina Lazarian (well, she wasn't drinking)

Artsakh - Stepanakert Projects & Shushi Air Base

Our trip to Karabagh was quite tiring.  As soon as we got to Armenia Hotel, I checked into my room and went to bed.

The next morning, our first stop was Stepanakert School #11, which is the best school in all of Armenia.  Being there with Armenia Fund, they really want us to know that the money we donate is used very well on the selected projects, helping the Armenians in Armenia and in Artsakh improve their lives.  It was very impressive to see the projects first hand.

Stepanakert School #11 - Best school in Armenia & Artsakh

Right next to the school, there's Ghazanchetsots Monastery/Church, which I'm happy we were able to stop by.  I must say, the churches in Armenia and Artsakh are so beautiful.

Ghazanchetsots Monastery

Ghazanchetsots Monastery Bell Tower

After visiting the school, we went to the Stepanakert Elderly Home.  In the old building, there are about 70-80 residents.  The new building is still under construction.  When we were there, some of the elderly were outside, getting some fresh air.  You can imagine what I felt being there...  Although I was happy they will live in better conditions, free of charge, they are still alone.  Some of them either have no children or have lost their children as casualties in the war.  I took no photos at the elderly home.  I will probably forever remember them in memory and think of them often.

As an extra surprise stop, we went to the Shushi Air Base.  It was such a treat for us to visit with the soldiers there, and find out what they do in a day, and share a meal with them.

Eating the soldier's meal

Baron Khosrov with the soldiers

Me outside the Air Base

Artsakh - Amaras Monastery and AF Projects

On our first day in Artsakh, we visited many of the Armenia Fund projects.  These projects are supported by many Armenia Fund donors all over the world, and seeing them first hand was very reassuring that the money is being used in the most needed areas of the communities.

Togh Art School

Togh Art School - Student art

Martuni Regional Hospital Project

After visiting the projects, we made our way to Amaras Monastery, which is the oldest monastery in Karabagh.  Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet has taught here 1600 years ago.  He created the alphabet to translate the Bible from Greek, since most Armenians did not understand Greek.  Baron Khosrov kept saying that while many humans were still living on trees, we were creating manuscripts...  At first it was funny...  Then I realized it's true!

The church is named St. Gregoris, in honor of the grandson of St. Gregory the Illuminator, and if I remember correctly, his tomb is located here.

Armenia - Noravank Monastery & Karahunj Stonehendge

The next stop on our way to NK was Noravank Monastery which dates back to 13th century, happily situated in a rocky canyon setting, which makes it one of the favorites among Armenian monasteries.

Noravank means "new monastery" which has new meaning after it has been completely rebuilt.  As can be seen all over Armenia, tuff stone is used to rebuild monasteries, which blends in perfectly with the natural settings.

It has two flights of really narrow steps that leads into the main hall of St. Astvatsatsin Church.  Because of lack of time and the crowds, none of the tour members attempted the steps, EXCEPT for Baron Khosrov!

There are many khatchkars in the churchyard, however, the most significant one is a 1308 khatchkar by Master Momik, for its fine carving on the entire slab.

A view from the Noravank Monastery complex of the canyon setting.

After lunch we made a welcome change on the agenda, a stop at Karahunj, the Armenian Stonehendge, in the Sisian region.

Referred to also as Zorats Karer, this circular arrangement of stones is believed to be a celestial observatory from the Bronze Age, making it much older than England's Stonehendge.

The trip to NK was pretty eventful - including a flat tire on the bus caused by poor road conditions and the Iran earthquake which we felt during a pit stop in Sisian region.  Also, I had forgotten my passport at the hotel reception in Yerevan, which I thought would be a problem when entering NK, however, being with Armenia Fund, it was no problem going thru the border.  We also made some stops to buy fruit and wine and vodka from road-side vendors, which we drank on the bus.  Some of us suffered the consequences of our actions:  too much vodka and bumpy roads don't mix!!!  

We stopped at the NK sign at the border for photos, however, there was a puppy where we stopped, and it was so playful that I completely missed the photo op at the border and played with him the entire time.  He had a bad eye but was so sweet and playful.  I got really emotional playing with him, because he was all alone on the side of the road...  It broke my heart.  I wished that there was something I could have done.

We arrived in Stepanakert, NK, around 9PM and ended the day.

Armenia - Mt. Ararat & Khor Virap Monastery

After 3 days in Yerevan, we checked out of our hotel there to slowly make our way out to Nagorno-Karabagh.  The road trip from Yerevan to NK is about 6 hours, and the road conditions are not so good, however (unlike the trip back) it was a fun trip getting there.

We made the one hour drive to Ararat Valley.  This is the first time we got a good look at Mt. Ararat, even though on clear days, it's supposed to be visible from Yerevan, we were not able to see it.

Mt. Ararat is located in historic Armenia, which is currently Turkey, and is "the spiritual heart of Armenia".  What's not so well known is that Mt. Ararat consists of large peak "Masis" and the small peak "Sis."  Until this trip, I thought the large peak was Ararat and small peak was Masis.  This region is the closest point to Mt. Ararat within Armenia without going into Turkey, which is 35 km away.  The view is just brilliant from this site, and even more so from Khor Virap Monastery, which is in the distance.

A view of small peak "Sis" from the monastery

Our videographer, Tigran and I went up a hill so we could get an overview photo of Khor Virap Monastery.  I was so happy he took me with him because this was the type of shot I was hoping to get and a short hike over a hill allowed us to do so.  The view of Ararat from there was also fantastic.

Khor Virap Monastery is where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years by King Trdat III for the crime of preaching Christianity in Armenia, which was a pagan nation.  The king released him after St. Gregory was able to cure him of a horrible disease and converted Armenia to Christianity in 301 AD, which gives Armenia the distinction of being the first Christian nation.

A few of us went into the dungeon where St. Gregory was imprisoned.  Baron Khosrov was one of the first people down there, of course!  It was so tiny and dark, with a ceiling opening for air entry, that it was hard to imagine how St. Gregory survived in there for so long.  One cannot help but wonder about what it must be like to live for a purpose greater than your own life.

Armenia - Sardarapat Monument

After St. Echmiadzin tour, we headed out to the Sardarapat Monument, which marks the battle of Sardarapat, Armenia's most significant military victory in 1918 against Turkish forces, without which current Armenian land would most likely not exist.














The stone statues of two massive winged lions flank a bell tower.  (The Stone Garden Guide - Armenia & Karabagh)

When we arrived at the monument, we saw a group of young Armenian dancers, who we later found out are there from Argentina.  I think they were preparing for a video, and they were not so thrilled when we were in their way.  However, they did humor us for a couple of photos.

After we left Sardarapat, the plan was to go to the Genocide Memorial, however, right near the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, our bus broke down.  We were stranded for about an hour on the side of the road, waiting for another bus, which never made it.  We ended up taking multiple taxis and went directly to a late lunch at a German restaurant (which was delicious!) and ended our day early.

Armenia - St. Echmiadzin Cathedral

On the third day of the tour, our first stop was St. Echmiadzin Cathedral, the holiest religious site in Armenia.  I've heard about it for so long, I was excited to finally see it in person.  I was surprised to find the main cathedral and two other churches in a very large complex, with beautiful gardens.

 







I went inside to light some candles for all my members of family said a quick prayer.  Although I've refrained from drinking the water from fountains, this is the only place where where I took a sip.





I also took the opportunity in this wonderful setting to practice taking some photos however, the time of day wasn't so right for the light.














I wish we had more time there to set around and really take in this beautiful church and it's surroundings...

Armenia - Sevanavank Monastery and Lake Sevan

For dinner, we headed out towards Lake Sevan.  I was excited to see the lake in hopes of maybe putting my feet in the water.  When we got there, we had about an hour or so of free time to do souvenir shopping and walking up to the Sevanavank monastery before dinner.  The weather at the lake was much cooler than Yerevan.

I immediately headed up the steep steps to the monastery for some fabulous views of the church and the lake.  On the way, the local vendors were selling sunflowers with seeds and corn.  This car is a very commonly seen car all over Armenia.  Though they're old, they're still functional.

I went inside the church for a quick look and prayer, and found the priest there scolding people (rightly so) for the way they were dressed coming into the church.  He threw out a young girl for having worn short-shorts and midriff bearing shirt, and told another girl to take her sunglasses off the top of her head, because it's no way to come into a church.  I was really nervous he was going to pick on me for something, but he didn't.  I quickly said my prayer and exited.

The church is surrounded by many khachkars, stones with cross carvings on them.  The Armenian cross is very special and different from other crosses.  It's based on the tree of life concept, always floral, with each arm having three leaves, symbolizing the Holy Trinity.

The view of the lake from the monastery is just wonderful.  One can sit there and look down for hours.  There used to be many fish in the lake, however, during the hard times in Armenia, there was much over-fishing and there's no more of the local white fish.  Fishing is currently not allowed there until the fish population recovers to a healthy level.

Before dinner, I did some souvenir shopping but wasn't able to find much of the things I was specifically looking for.  Thinking back, it was probably the best spot to get more souvenirs, but oh well...  When time is limited, and there's so much to see and take pictures of, spending much time looking at things to buy seems like a waste-time.

And I walked down to the lake, but did not put my feet in.

Armenia - Tavush Region and Haghartsin Monastery

I was pretty exhausted after the first day of the tour.  But every morning we started on the road around 9AM and finished by 5:30-8:00PM.  So each day was quite tiring.

We started the second day by visiting the Armenia Fund projects...  the water irrigation system, the secondary school, and the agricultural projects.  The most interesting one was the fact that they brought 100 Belgian and Dutch cows to Armenia.  These cows, unlike the local cows, produce 10 times more milk so they were especially brought in to help the local farmers and the local produce.  These cows were so pretty in comparison to the local Armenian cows...

Belgian and Dutch cows

v.

Armenian cows

 

 

After visiting with the cows, we headed out to Haghartsin Monastery in Dilijan.  The churches in the complex date back between 10th and 13th centuries.

Haghartsin Monastery is one of the few functioning monasteries in Armenia.  Baron Khosrov grabbed the first monk there and started telling his stories.  By this time, the people in our tour had stopped listening to him so he would talk to the first person he would see at each stop.

Armenia - Yerevan city highlights

At the end of the first day of touring in Yerevan, my friend Silva, who was also in Yerevan for vacation, met up with me and we spent a few hours walking around and discovering (for me) and re-discovering (for her) the city.  Armenia has been independent from USSR only since 1991 and is still a developing country.  I was told my many that even if you visit Yerevan every year, you will see many many changes.

Yerevan is a lovely city, alive with people out and about each day and each night, reminding one of the real meaning of having a social life.  The Republic square is chirping with young people, and families ranging from grandparents to little children.  The main attraction at night seems to be the water fountain show in the middle of the square.  Every night has a different theme.  One night the show had just songs about Yerevan.  Another night, it was French songs.  Another night it was classical music.  People gather and watch and cool down from the August heat from the day.

The parks and squares have statues of many Armenian intellectuals, writers, composers, architects, from Komitas to William Saroyan.  There are so many places to visit within Yerevan.  On another day with Digin Karine and Dr. Vahe we spent an hour at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts within the Cascade complex.  The Cascade has many fountains and different types of sculptures by different artists.  One of the most interesting ones to me is Lion 2, (2008), by Korean artist Ji Yong-Ho.

Mother Armenia Statue can be seen from many parts of Yerevan.  It originally was a statue of Stalin, but after he fell out of favor, it was modified and replaced by Mother Armenia and resides in Victory Park.  There is a museum located at the base of the monument.







 
People-watching is one of my favorite pastimes in Yerevan.  I must say, the people dress pretty differently than what I'm used to.  For women, big hair, short, tight and low-cut dresses seem to be the style.  For men, the styles are all over the map...  This guy may have been channeling a young Al Pacino...

Armenia - Geghard Monastery & Matenadaran Museum

 

Geghard Monastery was our 2nd stop after Garni Temple.  It's a representation of Armenian Medieval architecture, remaining building dating back to the 13th century, carved into the side of the mountain.

It no longer functions as a monastery, but has a functioning church.  Geghard is the Armenian name for "spear" representing one of the spears associated with the crucifixion of Jesus.  Here again I had to take photos with my phone, so the images do not justify the beauty of the location.

After Geghard Monastery, we went to Matenadaran Ancient Manuscript Museum.  This is when we all realized that we had two tour guides.  Suzi, the official tour guide, and Baron Khosrov, the unofficial tour guide.  He's originally from Armenia but now lives in L.A.  He's 75 years old, and he has lots and lots of stories about each site we've visited and is not shy about telling these stories to fill in the blanks.  He has incredible memory.  He's the main most interesting character in the tour, with his knowledge and interest, and energy level.

The manuscript museum was so interesting for me.  There were so many manuscripts and bibles from the 5th century, handwritten in Armenian.  The history on the development of our language and how the manuscripts were created, from the smallest (about 2 inches) to the largest ones (an arms length or so) was incredible to see.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to take any photos inside.  The below photo is taken outside the museum with Mesrop Mashdotz, the creator of the Armenian alphabet.