Arriving tired and late into Yerevan from our visa-troubled voyage to Armenia the evening before, we did not take in much of the city nor of our hotel.

We woke to an overcast morning and were disappointed that our gloomy tunnel-like hotel room was not only dreary but looked out onto a depressing back alley way adorned by rusting and decaying buildings. That is one of the draw backs of treating yourself to ritzy accommodation like our St Petersburg State Hermitage Museum Hotel - even the reasonable hotels look terrible after such luxury.

The hotel in fact was very nice, if rather over the top in decor. If you agree that minimalist decor is at one end of the the bell shaped curve of furnishings, then our hotel was definitely on the very opposite extremity! It reminded us very much of the interior design we witnessed on our travels through Central Asia - all furnishings being embellished with generous curved and carved timber, opulent buttoned cushioning and lots of gold and silver trim. After a pleasant breakfast our hotel room was looking better but it was still depressing.

We hate complaining straight off about a hotel room but we know from bitter experience just how much the ambiance of a room (or lack of) can seriously affect your stay in a destination. As we were in Yerevan for three nights, we decided we would raise the matter of a possible change of rooms with our guide David. As it happened, it was the very best thing we could have done. It was no trouble to David who attended to the matter promptly, and seemingly no trouble at all to the hotel staff who were very apologetic, saying they thought the room may have be more suitable than "a front of the building one" on the main road, as it would be quieter. We could not fault the staff. Throughout our stay they were friendly, helpful and nothing was too much trouble.

David and Hovik picked us up on the dot of time. Like the evening before, it was "Friendship at First Sight" and it was truly thanks to these lovely guys that our short stay in Armenia was so interesting and enjoyable.

A friendly, easy going yet serious young man, David was deeply passionate about his country (as were all the Armenians we met) and was a mine of information about its people, culture and war torn history. David spoke perfect English and possessed the happy skill of being able to provide us with an invaluable insight into the Armenian way of life in an entertaining yet informative manner. At times, I thought David's demeanor and mannerisms were very "Israeli". Indeed he was deeply interested in the Israelis and had travelled there just before our visit. Little were we to realise just how close the parallels are between both countries.

And Hovik - our ever smiling, polite and immaculately presented driver - was a great companion and tried so hard to make our journey pleasant and comfortable. If we needed anything - from a headache pill to a spare jacket - Hovik either had it in his car or could find it for us. Hovik said that he didn't speak English but it became very obvious that he understood us perfectly. We were delighted to hear on our return to Australia that he was starting to learn English and that "Please, there is now no need to translate (our emails)". And what an indictment upon us that we only speak one language and hope like crazy that everyone else in the world can understand us.

Our first impression of Yerevan was that it was far more European than we had expected. Attractive broad streets lined with familiar white painted Chinar (Plane) trees were home to well patronised cafes, coffee shops and numerous street side restaurants. Set in a valley on the Hrazdan River and framed by the huge snow capped Mount Ararat in nearby Turkey, the city is designed on a grid basis, surrounded by a circular ring road which was very similar to what we had witnessed in Samarkand and other Central Asian countries. In the centre lies the impossibly named Hanrapetutyan Hraparak - or Republic Square. In amongst the old parts of the city, not surprisingly, Yerevan still bears the remains of brutal Soviet architecture. The city itself however had a lovely laid back feeling, enhanced by its numerous grassy parks and lovely gardens.

Yerevan looked prosperous. People were well dressed in the latest European designer gear; expensive flashy cars whizzed down the well groomed boulevards. But we were to find that the city, like the friendly and hospitable people, was merely a facade for a deeply embedded sadness generated by centuries of bloody warfare and genocidal persecution.

Yerevan is the capital of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. It has been the capital since 1918 and is the twelfth in the history of Armenia.

The city dates back to the 8th century BC with the founding of the Fortress of Erebuni in 782 by King Argishti. After World War I, Yerevan became the capital of the Democratic Republic of Armenia as thousands of survivors of the Armenian genocide in Turkey, settled in the area. The city expanded rapidly during the 20th century as Armenia became part of the Soviet Union to become the country's principal cultural, artistic and industrial centre, as well as the seat of the Armenian national government. Today, Yerevan is home to over one million people and covers an area of 223 square kilometers.

Our first visit of the day was to Victory Park and the Mother Armenia Memorial Complex and Military Museum. My heart sank as Hovik drove us up the steep incline to the complex. A children's amusement park and Ferris wheel lay on one side of the park but the most dominant feature was the gargantuan statue of Mother Armenia housed on its museum pedestal and surrounded by military tanks and jets. I silently groaned as I guessed Alan did too. This all looked far too contrived and what was worse, we knew we had to endure some hours looking around a possibly very boring museum.

In fact, the visit to the museum was interesting and very useful in providing us with a background to the complexities of Armenian history, and more importantly an insight into the psyche of the proud, passionate and long suffering Armenian people.

The 23 meter statue of Mother Armenia looks hardly maternal. Towering symbolically as a guardian over Armenia, with a huge sword positioned defiantly across her hammered copper body, she glares fiercely over Yerevan toward the border of her former territory of present day Turkey. The statue in fact was built to symbolise peace through strength and replaced one of Joseph Stalin which was demolished (like all other statues devoted to him) in 1962. Perhaps Stalin had his revenge as one soldier died and scores were injured in the removal process.

Each year on 9th May, thousands of Armenians visit Mother Armenia to lay flowers in commemoration of the Armenian martyrs of the Second World War, and on the day of our visit the statue was still surrounded by numerous wreaths of blossoms.

The Military Museum housed in the pedestal of the statue, was founded in 1970. Originally the museum was dedicated mostly to World War II where 300,000 Armenians or half of those who were sent to war, died. Today however the museum devotes a larger proportion of its exhibitions to the Nagorno-Karabakh War of 1988 - 1994.

The Gallery of the museum exhibits numerous photos and plaques of past Soviet Union heroes - generals and soldiers who lost their lives during World War II or the Great Patriotic War. The second floor is dedicated to the "Nagorno-Karabakh Liberation War" and features not only the activities of the National Heroes of Armenia and heroes of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) but also the Diorama (exhibition) of the Liberation of Shushi - the ancient capital of Artsakh.
 
Interesting as the museum was, it was really David's explanation of the complexities of Armenia's history and its impact on the culture and psyche of its people which completely fascinated us. A deeply proud and pious people, the Armenians regard themselves as the victims of centuries of warfare and genocide. Festering just beneath the surface and deeply embedded in the Armenian psyche is a raw nerve of bitter suffering, fear and sadly a loathing of their current and former enemies. Even today, Armenia is positioned precariously between formidable neighbours and the continuing uncertainty of the very existence of the country is very much evident in the character of the Armenian people.

Bordered by the powerful nations of Russia, Turkey and Iran Armenia miraculously maintains relatively good relations with both Russia and Iran. Relationships with neighbouring Turkey however, after years of warring and loss of a substantial amount of Armenian territory, continue to remain poisonous with all land borders still closed. Present day Turkey is the disputed home to what the Armenians consider as their spiritual ancestral site of Mount Ararat, and ongoing tensions are further aggravated by the Turkish government continuing to refuse recognition of the World War II genocide, when Armenians living in their ancestral home of eastern Turkey were systematically exterminated by the Ottoman government.

Another thorn in Armenia's side is the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, technically still located within the territory of Azerbaijan. Needless to say, tensions between Christian Armenia and Muslim Azerbaijan are more than toxic, with any travel between the two countries having to proceed via Georgia. We were only later to realise on our journey from Armenia through Georgia to Azerbaijan, just how venomous the relations actually are.

Even today the country suffers a precarious existence as tiny nation (a mere fraction of its past former glory) with limited natural resources and a minuscule resident population of less than three million people. Interestingly, the majority of Armenians - the Armenian Diaspora - live outside the Republic of Armenia, a phenomenon largely attributable to the Armenian genocide of 1915 and then the devastating Spitak earthquake of 1988. Today, the total Armenian population living outside the country is estimated to be a staggering eight million, with large communities in Russia, the USA, France, Lebanon, Canada, Australia and South America. With the genocide, it was another of glaring parallels we were to observe between the Armenian and Jewish communities.

During our wanderings around the military museum, we noticed an exhibit devoted as a tribute to the entertainer Charles Aznavour. Dubbed France’s Frank Sinatra, Aznavour is a beloved French-Armenian singer, actor and public figure. The 90-year-old was born to Armenian immigrants and his mother was a survivor of the 1915 genocide. It was quite a surprise to us just how revered this much loved diasporan is to the Armenian people. Aznavour however has been a tireless supporter and campaigner for his ancestral land and it is estimated that his contribution to Armenian humanitarian projects has been in excess of US$1 billion. In response to the 1988 earthquake, he founded the charitable organization Aznavour for Armenia and in 2009 he was appointed Ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva.

Victory Park has wonderful views of Yerevan city, the tree lined main street of Mesrots Mashtots, and south to the distant massive of Armenia's former territory and spiritual homeland of Mount Ararat. The mountain in the early morning misty haze was almost hidden from view - but as we gazed out over city, rays of brilliant sunlight suddenly pierced the clouds, dramatically illuminating the splendid snow capped mountain in all its magnificent glory. It was a bit surreal, providing a bizarre but very fitting backdrop to David's ongoing explanation of the significance of not only of the loss their sacred mountain but also over fifty percent of their most valued and valuable land to Turkey following the 20th century conflicts.

Armenia has not only borne the emotional and physical impact of its war torn past but like many other ex-Soviet states, suffered enormously after the collapse and withdrawal of the Soviet Union - and this was on top of the catastrophic 1988 Spitak earthquake in northern Armenia which left more than 25,000 dead and thousands homeless.

David's voice lowered as he told us about the famine and near starvation of his people following the earthquake which left the country without electricity for almost a year. Together with the post-Soviet economic implosion of the country, people lived in frightful poverty, cutting down virtually all the surrounding timber for fuel and heating. He pointed out to the bare hills around Yerevan which he said were once thriving dense forests and still yet to regenerate. Hovik in his careful English told us of the story of his sister's new born baby and how he and his family used to take turns in breathing warm air onto her cot just to keep her from dying of hypothermia. It was all very sobering; perhaps even more so because the fate of Armenia is still so precarious.






Our tour of Yerevan was supposed to include a visit to the Matenadaran, Armenia's ancient manuscripts library which houses 17,000 Armenian manuscripts and over 100,000 medieval and modern documents, as well as fine collection of rare historic books. The Matenadaran was closed the day were were in Yerevan.

I hate to admit but we were more than a bit relieved as the morning's three hours at the military museum had been quite a heavy dose. David then asked us if we would like to spend the time at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian genocide Memorial and Museum. We hastily declined. We had witnessed an Armenian genocide museum in Iran and knew that the Tsitsernakaberd was similarly extremely graphic of the horrors of the mass carnage. David also looked relieved and our mood brightened considerably as we sped toward the GUM covered markets.

Our route took us through central Yerevan and past the Hanrapetutyan Hraparak - or Republic Square, formerly Lenin Square. The square comprises the massive but stately Soviet architecture of Government House of Armenia, the Ministry for Transport and the more elegant cream National Gallery & History Museum, as well as some huge fountains. Strangely enough, it also houses the ritzy Yerevan Marriott Hotel.

The covered GUM markets were a great foil for such a serious morning. You could well have been in any country in central Asia and like the many fresh markets we had witnessed during our travels in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, the variety and quality of produce was out of this world.

The market displays included a mind boggling array of fruit and vegetables of all varieties, fresh cheeses, crustaceans, fish and meat, as well as a splendid displays of fresh sheets of bubbly lavash. One counter sold every type of vegetable you could possibly imagine. And it was impossible to resist the gleaming sticky sticks of Churchkhela which hung from the numerous dried fruit counters. Churchkhela is a traditional sausage-shaped sweet whose main ingredients are grape must, nuts and flour which are then dried and threaded onto a string, dipped in thickened fruit juices and dried in the shape of a sausage. And how I would have loved to have bought some of the highly aromatic spices that were piled into wooden bowls, alongside jars of honey and preserved jams of all varieties. While it is totally understandable, it is just a pity that our strict Australian quarantine regulations prohibit us from taking any unpackaged foods back into our country.

It was an easy way to spend an hour or so. Needless to say, we ended up buying heaps of bread and cheese, as well as several boxes of dried and glace fruits, and several sticks of the curious Churchkhela.

As we left the market, we noticed a friendly and jovial man selling what looked like very dead, preserved cows' feet. And they were.

Khash is a much loved Armenian purist meal. David explained that in past times the wealthier society discarded the unwanted parts of the cow such as the head, feet and stomach. The frugal poorer people however were able to ingeniously prepare and use the unwanted meats which they cleverly re-invented as a traditional Armenian delicacy. The main ingredient in khash is cows' feet, although other cow parts, such as the head and stomach may also be used. The feet are depilated, cleaned, kept in cold water "in order to get rid of bad smell", and boiled in water all night long, until the water has become a thick broth and the meat has separated from the bones. No salt or spices are added during the boiling process.The dish is served hot with perhaps some salt, garlic or lemon juice added. Dried lavash is often crumbled into the broth to add substance.

We are very open minded about food and during our travels throughout China and Japan we have eaten some of the most disgusting animal parts, but no amount of explanation could convince us that khash could be a delicious dish. The engorged, swollen bleached feet looked truly horrible, reminding me of a pile of drowned and waterlogged corpses. The vendor looked at our horrified faces, grinning broadly. I am sure he could prepare khash very well but we were certainly pleased there was none on offer for a tasting.

With our limited museum options, David suggested that we spend the next hour or so visiting the Yerevan Vernissage Markets. A large open-air market, the Vernissage is located in central Yerevan city and features a collection of various types of Armenian art works. There appeared to be very few tourists and it was great fun fossicking through the largely Armenian and Soviet era craft and artworks.

David told us you could buy virtually anything from the Vernissage and from what we could see, he was definitely right. They was everything you could think of including old coins, medallions, machinery pieces and parts, tools, musical instruments, electronics, books, jewellery, bags, clothing, old dinnerware and carpets. We even saw a stall selling old monocular microscopes and the newer binoculars. I fleetingly thought of buying one. After all, it would be really useful for analysing plant pathogens on our garden plants - but it was impossible even for me to for me to justify carrying one on our overland travels for the next 20 or so days. Another time perhaps.... I consoled myself with buying a pretty hand made green stone necklace. As we were to find, some of the gem stones in Armenia were quite gorgeous and at a very reasonable price.

We had warned David about Alan's compulsion for hand made rugs but it didn't stop the intrepid Alan from finding a rug outlet and a particularly lovely flat woven rug with gorgeous animal and plant motives. Thankfully for our wallets and our rug-stuffed houses, the skies opened and we were deluged with rain just as the bargaining process began. We had often joked that we would need to buy another house if Alan bought any more rugs. Well, we had bought another house but we were still short of rug space!

We arrived back at our hotel to find the staff had kindly organised another room for us. It was a lovely sunny room with a tiny balcony adorned with a colourful window box of flowering Gerberas. It made such a difference to be in a bright comfortable room. We sighed with relief and sat down to an impromptu lunch of fresh lavash, cheese and tomatoes.

Later in the afternoon we decided to explore some of the city near our hotel. David had given us lots of information about where we should walk, what sights we should see and some of the cafes we should consider for our evening meal. It suited us perfectly to wander on our own and to absorb some of the atmosphere of Yerevan - and with the added mission of finding a good restaurant.

Walking around the tree lined avenues of Yerevan was really pleasant. The parks were filled with flowering plums, peaches and acacias and the air was heavy with the heady perfume of the fragrant blossoms. We were just chatting about how beautiful the acacia flowers were when Alan suddenly gagged and for what seemed ages, was unable to catch his breath. Alan is a very allergic person but apart from spider bites, I have never seen such an immediate and violent impact on him. We hastily strode on past the offending blooms but it took him quite a while to recover. After another half an hour he was still wheezing and so we decided to cut our walk short and return to our hotel. From previous experience, we knew that these symptoms could lead to the life threatening situation of anaphylactic shock. It is always a good thing to have antihistamines handy when you travel...

We were both amazed at his reaction and still were not convinced it was the fault of the beautiful acacias - until the very same thing happened to me a few days later when we were in Georgia.

After such a potent allergic reaction, we decided to dine in our hotel. The food was good and we appreciated an early evening - even if we didn't get to see some of the other sights of downtown Yerevan.

But what would we tell David?