Additional impressions of Yerevan.

In all, I spend two weeks in Yerevan, walking the streets, exploring the restaurants, checking out a jazz club, and enjoying the city.

After my first Sunday in the city I take it easy for a while. I eat lunch at various restaurants and after visiting a pizza place at the end of Pushkin Street pop into the Martiros Sarian House-Museum because I happen to have passed by. I’m unfamiliar with the artist and am glad to have the opportunity to learn about him and admire his art.

before deciding to visit the handicraft market. I have no excuse. It’s only a few blocks from my apartment and I decided to combine it with a visit to a highly-rated restaurant in the area.

I walk down Amiryan street towards Republic Square turning a bit north to pass the History Museum and the statue of Aram Manukyan (the Armenian Revolutionary Federation leader who became the first Minister of Internal Affairs of the First Republic of Armenia in 1918) and through Khachkar Park.

The market is sparsely attended on this early weekday afternoon. Not all the stalls are populated and I make my way down one lane and up another to see what’s on offer.

I pop into one airconditioned shop to buy postcards and stamps, but nothing else catches my fancy. I also don’t have much room for souvenirs and am loathe to add weight to my pack.

I look for the restaurant just outside of the market, ultimately deciding against it. I don’t really feel like sitting down and being attended to and so I turn around to walk back through the park, pausing to admire the Monument to Garegin Nzhdeh before retracing my steps back towards the apartment.

Water fountains are placed throughout the city, which prove to be one of my favorite things about Yerevan. I watch as people stop to take a drink and at one point see a dog reach up to drink its fill before continuing on down the street.

The next day I decide to visit the Blue Mosque, just around the corner from the supermarket I’ve taken a fancy to and near a larger market I’ve been wanting to explore.

The mosque is an 18th-century Pesian Twelver Shia Mosque, the largest of eight in the 19th century and one of the oldest extant structures in the center of the city. It’s also the most significant structure from Yerevan’s Iranian period and the only active mosque in Armenia today.

I duck into its peaceful courtyard from a relatively busy street to enjoy the tranquility within.

I head over to the Yerevan City Supermarkets next, a complex of smaller shops and restaurants anchored by a large supermarket. I pick up a few items and appreciate how comprehensive a shopping experience it is, but not enough to give up on the smaller market down the street from my apartment, where I’ve been shopping the past week.

On my one weekend I join day tours, first to visit Lake Sevan, Dilijan, and the Goshavank & Haghartsin monasteries and then Garni, the Symphony of Stones, and the Geghard Monastery. Over the course of the week I meet up with Marriyam for coffee one afternoon after visiting the Matenadaran to admire its books and manuscripts, and a wine bar on another night.

Clear skies greet me on my last day in Yerevan and I head back to the Cascade to climb its steps for the views. I’m determined to see the peak of Mt. Ararat and I am not disappointed.

It’s a repeat of my first day in the city as I make my way up to the Three Divers, but instead of continuing on to the Memorial To 50th Anniversary Of October Revolution I descend back down into the city.

Back in the center of the city I decide to have lunch at an Italian place I’d had my eye on. Unfortunately, it’s too early for lunch and so I tell them I’ll be back in an hour and head over to the History Museum of Armenia. The National Gallery of Armenia is housed in the same building and I’m a little confused as to the entrance fees and tickets, but manage to figure it out.

I attempt to visit the National Gallery first, but am pointed to the History Museum first. I begin on the third floor, starting in ancient history and working my way towards the present as I wind my way back down to the ground floor.

After touring the History Museum I return to the first floor of the National Gallery and slowly make my way through the seven floors. It’s a fascinating place full of art by artists with whom I am unfamiliar. And as brusque as the attendants were in the beginning, I find myself subdued by the art around me.

I end my visit to the museum in up in a set of gallery of frescoes, which proved to be amongst my favorite rooms.

Back at the Italian cafe, I opt to sit outside even though there’s a slight chill in the area. A man emerges from a nearby balcony and begins to play the saxophone, serenading the street during the lunch hour.

While checking in at the airport I admire a large painting by Minas Avetisyan which was recovered from the 1988 Armenian earthquake and restored by the airport itself. I remark on how beautiful it is to the attendant; she agrees.

I can see Ararat and Little Ararat from the gate and am happy that I get a few last views of the peaks. It’s the first time the skies and the base of the mountain has been so free of cloud cover during my stay; it’s the first time I see both peaks so clearly.

By the time my flight is to board, the clouds have begun to move in and Little Ararat is becoming shrouded. I find myself with a window seat and am rewarded with continued views as we climb up out from EVN en route to Dubai en route to Muscat, my home for the next few weeks. 🇦🇲