Armenia and Georgia

After South Africa, I landed back in Vienna, basically to wash my clothes, and get on a plane with a good friend. We decided to do a road trip in Armenia and Georgia, so landed in Yerevan, got a trusty Suzuki Vitara and wandered through the Caucasus region.

Yerevan is a rather hilly city, with buildings made primarily from the red stone from the region. For those who have been to Jerusalem and seen the uniformity of its buildings, Yerevan in many ways is similar, but with red stones and higher mountains nearby. We eschewed the downtown area and found a nice hotel north of the center, with an outstanding restaurant nearby.

We expected that the main attraction in this region would be the churches and monasteries, some dating from the 6th century. And yes, they were stunning. Many placed on cliffs, with tremendous views of the surrounding mountains and gorges. It was essential to have a car, in fact, a mini-SUV. Many of these buildings are nestled in small villages, at the end of winding, not very well kept roads. But they make for some excellent spots for contemplation. And no, these are not the same building – they are three distinct churches – one on an island overlooking a lake, another on the edge of a gorge and another on top of a mountain plateau overlooking a river below.

The churches are still actively used, particularly in Echmiadzin, the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and which is the middle of a small city. But even at the more remote churches, the faithful were there. The interiors offered a wide array of intricate carvings and advanced architectural elements.

The landscape was a similarly powerful attraction — stunning and quickly changing, from lush meadows to river gorges to forested mountains and rolling plains.

After a long day riding around mountains, we headed north into Georgia. Though Yerevan was active, it was clearly not on a tourist trail. By comparison, Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, was a dizzyingly vibrant city, with new construction, a preserved old quarter and many, many Westerners, most apparently there as part of NGOs and aid groups.

Extra kudos here to my friend, who successfully navigated the craziness that is Georgian drivers. Aggressive, reckless and life-threatening are some of the nicer things I can say. Though Armenia was challenging, things went pretty smoothly, as long as you expected that someone would always be trying to pass. But Georgia was several steps beyond.

But that was mollified by the landscape, and even more outstanding temple sites. After getting lost twice, we made the long trek to the top of the mountain to see this one monastery near Mtskheta. It offered a breathtaking view back toward the river, the village and surrounding hills.

It also made for one of the funnier moments of our trip. The church itself is dark, small and lit feebly by candles and sun peeking in from the small windows. Signs urge moderation – proper clothing, no smoking, no loud noise. There was also an enormous monk there, shrouded in dark robes, with an immense beard resting lightly on his broad chest. As at most churches in the region, there were some small items for purchase there – candles, prayer beads, icons, etc. The atmosphere was one of reverent contemplation, a quiet, dark sanctuary from the bright light outside. My friend Alex decided to purchase some prayer beads for his mother, showed them to the monk and faintly whispered his request, “how much?”. The monk answered with a bellowing “20 lari!” that seemed to shake the walls. After all our efforts to show restraint and be quiet, I couldn’t help but laugh, as it was a hilarious counterpoint.

Amazing places, definitely a great part of the world for a road trip.