Our Way to the Sources of Christianity Part 2.
Our Way to the Sources of Christianity Part 2.
Retreat. It seems that I got sick of the disease called "graphomania". But since there are encouraging reviews, I am going to court the next day. Photos will be required, but later!
Let's go to Armenia!
According to the program: "Departure to Georgia - Armenian border. Akhtal architectural complex, then moving to the Akhpat monastery complex (966 AD).
We leave the excellent Shine Hotel, not the one in the center (there are two of them), but the one in 9 metro stops. About 2:00 we are at the border. We cross the border quickly, passports are stamped, things are scanned, those who have passed the control run to the exchanger. We are changing chests for dramas, realizing that when we return to Georgia, we will no longer waste time on them. We are met by Garik - our guide.
As soon as everyone gets on the bus, Garik begins his story. The road stretches along the river Debed, outside the window continues the beauty and admiration.
The first stop is the fortress and monastery of Akhtala, which are located in the gorge of the river Debed. Fortress of the X century, then we get used to the fact that everything here is not just ancient, but ancient. I really like Armenian churches: stone, decorated with stone carvings or frescoes, with a minimum of icons, a strict "iconostasis". And so they fit into the harsh landscape!
It turns out that there are more than 17.000 churches in Armenia.
The next stop is our medieval monastery complex Akhpat. Post-river time - X-XIII centuries. Several churches, a bell tower, many khachkars (cross-stone in translation) are such "icons" carved out of stone. Akhpat Monastery was the largest scientific center with a rich collection of manuscripts.
In our free time we can look around and walk around the monastery. There will not be enough time all the time, because I (and my companions) will always want to tremble, sit, wander, think (
Then a strategic mistake was made - we went to Alaverdi for lunch. We were unlucky and 40 Italian tourists came to us, but the food was terrible and not cheap. For the first time, I changed my principles of "not participating in group dinners, " for which I paid. Everyone was outraged. The summary was published by my friend: "To avoid disaster, do not eat kebabs in Alaverdi! »
So we had to stop on the road near the store, where those who wished were packed with wine, rolls, pita bread and. etc. At this time we watched as women stretch out in their hands a thin pita to the size of a half-sheet. They do it in a flash. Then the two put in the oven. You can watch indefinitely.
By the way, hot pita is more expensive than already cooled.
On the way to Yerevan we pass the city of Spitak. Garik recalls how everything happened here during the earthquake (he himself took part), shows which areas were built by builders of which countries.
The city is somewhat deserted, but it seems to be typical for Armenia, because life there is very, very difficult now.
We arrive in Yerevan in the dark, probably at 8 o'clock in the evening. Garik from the breed of guides I adore, he talks about all the buildings, about all the businesses that worked here, and now are destroyed, he knows everything and hurries to share with us.
By the way, Garik immediately handed out wonderful maps to everyone - on the one hand - Armenia, on the other - Yerevan. But in Tbilisi there are problems with this - on Monday the information center does not work (Masha reported about it), on other days it does not work in the evening. I bought the card by accident in the evening in a souvenir shop (it looks like it's just a card from the info center), but I didn't need it anymore, especially considering that the second time we spent the night in another hotel in a completely different part of town. Given the considerable price of the tour - you could take care of this in advance.
Yerevan has the coolest hotel, 5 minutes from Republic Square.
We quickly organized a dinner in our room, and ran to the square to watch the colored fountains. From 21 to 23 every day, but the next day they did not work.
Yerevan (Yerevan, Erebuni) became the capital of Armenia only in the XX century - 1920. Up to this point, it was a small, unorganized town devastated by wars and earthquakes.
The "father" of the city is the architect Oleksandr Tamanyan. He was young but already well known in the world as a talented architect and agreed to come to Yerevan to work. The city was built according to a single plan, in a single style, preserving the traditions of Armenian architects, in accordance with the relief of the city. So the center of Yerevan is impressive. In addition, Tamanyan began to use in urban planning the main natural wealth of Armenia - tuff - a stone of volcanic origin, very light, strong and beautiful.
At home there are pink, dark pink, light orange.
Construction of the city began in 1925, and in 1936 the city officially became known as Yerevan.
The monument to Tamanyan stands at the beginning of the Cascade, he is such an old man with long hair, although he died quite young in 1937.
Republic Square is the central square of the city, known for its monumental architecture in a deeply national style. Trapezoidal in shape, inscribed in an oval. There are five buildings in the architectural ensemble. They are different and zero. On the east and west sides are symmetrically the House of the Government of Armenia and the House of Ministries, on the other - the hotel "Mariott Armenia", the House of Communications and the Museum Complex. In front of him are fountains with colorful music, and the music is national and very beautiful. We listened to three songs and headed towards the pedestrian avenue, where Garik advised us to go.
The boulevard starts from the square, where in 196.2750 small fountains were installed, symbolizing the age of the city of Yerevan.
But the next evening the fountains did not work in the square, and these little fountains too.
We go along Mashtots Avenue - here are all the cultural attractions of the city.
Numerous museums, monuments, Opera and Ballet Theater, luxury shops. The avenue is completed by the treasury of Armenian writing - the Matenadaran building. We will go up to it the next evening, a very unusual and majestic building. I would very much like to be there and inside.
On the hill, behind the Matenadaran building, there is a monument to Mother Armenia, as well as a Georgian woman with a sword in her hand.
Meanwhile, a concert of a small symphony orchestra, probably a youth one, begins on the avenue. The audience gathers and rehearses a waltz in ball gowns nearby.
We decide to listen to the concert later, but for now we will go to the Cascade.
This thing is unique, neither a monument nor a house, much less unfinished. But it is fascinating. It's just a decoration of the city.
Huge stairwells with fountains rise up the slope, there was no time (and strength) to climb, although there is an elevator, we just walked down the boulevard, looking at modern original sculptures: black cat, smoking beauty, blue penguin, kettle ...I think , are products of famous modern sculptors, a gift from an Armenian patron of the city.
There is little to find out, because, as in Tbilisi, the inscriptions are in Armenian. Although I later invented know-how. It is necessary not to ask: "To whom is this monument", but simply to ask: "Read what is written". It turned out very funny.
For all my topographical cretinism, I managed to remember the monument to Aram Khachaturian during the tour, and when we approached it in the evening, I joyfully announced: “And I already know how to read Armenian! Here. This is Aram Khachaturian. ”And since there is a concert hall named after him, and knowing my love for foreign languages, they believed me.
The next monument was marked by my husband, who confidently said "And this is Martiros Saryan" while we tried in vain to check how well I read Armenian. He had the sharpest eyesight, and he was simply the first to find a tiny inscription in Russian. The third monument was mine again - because I not only read well now in Armenian, but even better in English. That was William Saroyan!
We walked for a long time, we didn't want to go at all, so when we reappeared on Mashtots Avenue, the concert was in full swing, couples were circling, but the fountains in the square were over to our chagrin.
It was already 12 o'clock on the clock!