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...