We had arranged for a driver with a sign to meet us at the airport and take us to our condo. It was 4AM and we knew we wouldn’t want to fuss. Everything went smoothly and by 8am we were unpacked and took a small walk to the grocery store for coffee, milk, and snacks. I took a shower, rubbed my eyes, brushed my teeth, and we gathered to plan out the day, after 30+ hours and catnaps on the plane, we set about staying up until 9pm.
First stop, lunch at a restaurant recommended by everyone who recommended restaurants: Lavash. It was three blocks from our condo so super-easy to go there. It turns out we have landed in the Restaurant World of Yerevan. So many restaurants on every block surrounded this condo.
After lunch we walked up to the meeting place for the HOHO bus, but this one was really just HO. You could Hop On but Hop Off was not an option. It was more like a little city tour that ran only three times a day.
Merlyn took this sweet picture of his sweetie. Hi Hilda!
Following are samples of the kinds of things we saw.
Traffic squares with statues.
Parks with statues.
Btw, all the statues of Russians, of which there used to be many, are all gone in favor of the Armenian heros of culture, politics, and the military.
Hilltop statues.
Cuties catching a smooch.
And Merlyn and Hilda, returning from a viewing opportunity.
.
After the tour we walked around a little before heading home. This is the Cafesjian Center for the Arts and I’m very much looking forward to seeing inside but for tonight we just walked around the grounds.
The everywhere-everyone shot of this place. The building is called The Cascade Complex and you can see why. Above, at the top of the complex, is the Memorial to the 50th Anniversary of October Revolution and also called the Monument to 50 Years of Soviet Armenia. Interesting that it has survived after December 26, 1991 and the establishment of the Republic of Armenia.
A couple pictures of the public art on the grounds of the museum.
.
And THEN Sevak and Ida joined us at the condo and we went to see some of their favorite places, but First, a beer garden!
