Day 25 - Mother Armenia stands tall and proud, watching over the impressive Yerevan below and gazing at the sacred mountain of Ararat. She took the place of General Secretary Joseph Stalin’s statue, which stood here until the sixties. I wandered through the still Soviet-esque Victory Park and took a left down the Cascades, leading me into the city. In sharp contrast to the surrounding villages, Yerevan is modern, featuring trendy coffee shops and upscale restaurants for the gourmet minded visitor. We tried "lavash," a thin flatbread, and indulged in "khorovats" (which means "grilled" in Armenian), a local barbecue art form. Our nightly stay was at JR’s house, a youth hostel that offered warm showers, a bed, and breakfast for just 10 € a night, perfect for our tight budgets.
Day 26 - It was up there that Noah parked his ark after the great flood. Mount Ararat, a stratovolcano, was shrouded in large clouds today, but it’s easy to picture how Noah led his family and animals down the slope into the Armenian plain, right around where we parked our Suzuki DR650s, just 5’000 years later. That’s what the Book of Genesis said, and seeing the scenery I believe so must it have been. We continue our journey inland into the mountainous eastern region of Armenia, nestled between Azerbaijan to the north and its enclave to the south in search for a place for the night.
Day 26 cont - We headed for the evening to Areni, where the world’s first winemaking facility was uncovered 6’000 years ago and stopped at Momik wines, where Nver Ghazaryan’s family has been crafting the finest Armenian wines for over 40 years. As Mount Ararat, tasting the wines as well, has been a truly biblical experience. But not everting here is: "Two years," Nver remarked, his eldest son has been serving in the military, engaged in combat in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh area against Azerbaijan. Armenians seem always to have fought for their recognition and territory, having suffered through the Genocide by the Ottoman Empire, the Russian occupation, and now the territorial aggressions from Azerbaijan. Once more, we come to understand that freedom and independence are not guaranteed for everyone.
Day 27 - We left the stunning vineyards in Areni and headed along Armenia's silk route towards Iran. The journey winds through countless twists and valleys, with sheep herds and picturesque monasteries dotting the landscape. It’s so peaceful up here, if it weren't for the hundreds of trucks using this ancient road between Yerevan and Tehran to transport goods, mostly getting in our way. Time for a coffee break in Sisian. "Don’t go there," warns the restaurant owner, worried about our plans to camp by Lake Ughtasar. We might either get shot by Armenian border guards or be eaten by bears. Although we’ve been drinking holy water at the ancient Tatev Monastery, we were not convinced it’ll protect us from either of those threats. We decided to move on towards Kaplan to set up camp for our final night in Armenia.
