4-16 Outside of Yerevan

The day started off grey and dreary   We had a driver and guide take us out of Yerevan to see a couple of sites.  We drove from our hotel to Lake Sevan which is above or near the snow line.  It is typically touristy - I bought some earrings which I have decided to wait to wear until I can clean them with alcohol.  I had to shake the dust out of the box.

We are greeted at the bottom of the steps (to the left of photo) with these Khackars or carved memorial stones.  Our guide forgot to mention that there were 250 steps up to the monastery.

Views of Lake Sevan from the top.  The Monastery used to be on an island.  In the 1950's when the Soviet Union was in control of Armenia they started draining the water from the lake until it became a peninsula.  This on of many mistakes caused by taking the water.  It greatly effected the habitat of the sea life and fishing dropped to low levels.  The Armenians are letting the water rise - but I understand will try to keep it a peninsula for easier access.

You can rent a tiny cabin here for your vacation.

The Sevan Monastery complex is 9th century.  The back of the main building - the Surp Arakelets or Holy Apostle.

The Surp Astvatsats or Holy Mother of God.  There was a third church in the middle (to the right of the one below) which only the footprint remains.

The door - not that old.  It is very cold, windy and rainy up here with swings in temperatures.  Wooden doors don't last long.  Did I mention that it is freezing cold up here and very windy?

More Khackars.

And the sign both inside and outside the church.  Some of the rules given below,  Ladies must cover their head, men must not, you must have a pious attitude.  No hands in your pockets, no sports clothes, turn off your cell phone, no skimpy clothing, no sun glasses on top of your head!

And then inside the church.

And some detail of the above.

This one below is unusual as it shows Jesus with long braids.  Wearing braids showed you were royalty.  There are not many depictions of Jesus with braids anywhere else in Armenia.

This candle table is very old.  It has a layer of black sand in the bottom and a layer of water on top.  The wax will not stick to the sand and float in the water making for easy cleanup.

A complex for writers used in the 50's - now deserted.

A more modern working monastery is located neared the bottom of the hill.

Our guide, Gorgon's parents live in the apartment below.  We were invited for lunch.

I did take some photos inside - the ones in the kitchen did not turn out.  Here is the dining area.

This is only a partial amount of the number of dishes served.  There were several fruit waters, wine, cold vodka to drink.  Lot of cold salads and dishes of greens - though I didn't see anyone use them.

 

Above - Pickled vegetables and tabbouleh.  Below - greens.

Rice pilaf with raisins

Grape leave dolma

I didn't get a photo of the huge platter of boiled white fish.  They will be eating off this meal for a week.  Gorgon, the driver, Mike and I were the only ones eating this meal.  His mother, sister, niece and aunt were either cooking or just milling around the whole time.  His mother wanted to give us two big jars of jam - I finally took the slightly smaller one.  Our next flight to Istanbul has a lower weight limit - we may have to jet-son some stuff to make it on.

Gorgon arranged for us to take a tour of the Hydro Electric plant.  This is highly unusual as it is considered a national security matter.  Two of Gorgon's brother-in-laws work at this facility and were on duty today and could get us admitted.  This facility was built by the Soviet Union using Swiss technology.  The phone at the entrance is still used to communicate with workers 3-4 stories below.  While we were allowed to take photos to share with friends and family - we cannot post them on the internet.  It is too bad as it really takes you back in time.  They have added some modern pieces of equipment, but all the large pieces of equipment are original and built to last many lifetimes.

 The picture below is really poor - but it is now raining heavily and very dark out.  It matches the mood of these abandoned houses.  You see a lot of this in Georgia and Azerbaijan, but Armenia is at a whole new level.  The ride from Tbilisi to Yerevan was more depressing because of the number of these buildings.  I believe a lot of them resulted because of the Soviet Union collapse.  The Soviets had built a lot of factories in Armenia and built houses to hold the people who worked in them.  After the Soviet collapse, the Armenians went the easy money route and sold off the equipment for fast cash.  Only a couple of these factories and the Hydroelectric plant remain in use today.  One of these factories still makes "Grand Candy" which is mostly chocolates.

The rest of the day remained very wet and cold.  I still took a lot of photos - I would have taken 4 times as many on a nice day.  We are headed into the Gegham Mountains.  The Azat River is shown at the bottom of the gorge.

On our way our driver had a flat tire.  We stopped by an abandoned building - not sure if it was in the process of being built or just never finished.  It had an overhang which Gorgon, Mike and I waited under while the driver tried to change the tire.  He ramped up the jack three times - and all three times the car slid forwards and off the jack.  Luckily he escaped injury.  Finally he called a friend to help and another driver to take us to the next stop.  They do not have tow trucks, or things like AAA here.  We were getting cold, but not wet- like the driver who was in the rain the whole time.  A taxi arrived to take us the last part of the journey.   Our driver did manage to get the tire changed and picked us up after the temple.

Our next stop was the Garni Temple.  The only Grecco-Roman temple in Armenia and the former Soviet Union.

 There is a Roman Bathhouse on the property - complete with mosaics.

 The town of Garni below.

The gate to the temple.

Below - the Geghard Monastery, named after the lance that pierced the body of Jesus.  The lance was supposedly brought here for safe-keeping.  This is a world-heritage monastery carved out of the rock face of the Azat River George.

Mike shows how it is done - when you are determined to get a photo in spite of the rain.

This small section of the church is constructed - most of the church is carved out of the rock.

 There is a series of rooms - all with rough uneven stone floors.  The ceilings and walls are intricately carved out of the stone.

Pillars were added for support and beauty.

There were a few pictures scattered about.

Another great candle table.

More intricate carvings.

The well - water source.

A rich person who helped support the cause with cash - was allowed to add their personal coat of arms.  It did not have to have a religious connotation.  It was also considered a privilege and a sure way to heaven to support a church and also be burred in the entrance way to the church.

This area is also prone to a lot of earthquakes.  See the cracks below.  But because it is built into the mountain it is considered to be quite secure.

The alter in the main sanctuary.

In the distance you can see caves - which were the actual homes of the monks.

Another entrance into a room of the church shows the carved hallway.  Most all of the carvings are a form of the cross.

This is an inscription on a pillar.

Around the back side of the constructed part of the church.  More secular carvings.

The snow melt from the mountains causing a waterfall.  Our guide pointed out several more very high waterfalls in the mountains outside of this complex.

The rain started easing as we headed home.  So we stopped for a few photos of the mountains.