After setting up base in Vanadzor, the Traveler decides to head east to Armenia's second largest city, Gyumri. So he heads down to the van/bus station to wait for the Gyumri bus to fill up... finally they're on their way west, through a much wider valley and into the plains towards this large city.
After passing through a scruffy market area next to the bus station, He's soon struck by the grandeur of the city--or rather the grandeur of what it used to be . Gyumri suffered a terrible earthquake in 1988 which it seems it hasn't yet recovered from. He reaches a plaza where the damaged main church is--and only now are they starting to make repairs on it. 
Up the side streets are beautiful homes of hewn stone, very carefully and beautifully made. There's the feeling that this was once a proud city... and even now tries to hold to it's grandeur of yesteryears. All around the main plaza are markers telling about different eras of its history. Tracing its history back to 800 BC, Gyumri held a strategic position here where Ottoman, Persian and Russian empires met. Under the Russians it became a center of industry in the 1800s. Then in the early 1900s this city was shuffled between Russian, Armenian and Turkish powers.
There's a wistful feeling to this place. Certainly doesn't have the feeling of a ghost town like some Armenian towns--but it doesn't feel like there's been a big rush to restore the city to it's golden days.
At the north side of the city is another somber memorial: a cemetery to those who died in the Turkish Armenian war, when Gyumri was captured by the Turks, but then given up in exchange for a couple of formerly Armenian provinces which are now a part of Turkey.  
Up on a ridge outside of town is a towering scupture of strong woman holding up a head of grain--your typical Soviet era "Mother Russia" statue--figure it's worth a walk over for one more close up with Soviet era statue... then a nice stroll and parkbench session through a large, shady park/amusement park... where folks of all ages play, relax and chat on the benches. Here there is life and cheer, and the troubles and heartaches of this city seem to be forgotten.