Sunny Armenia: The Story of a New Year's Journey. Part I
They say the best way to get to know a person is by travelling with them. That's what we did. We had known each other for a long time, but we had never travelled together. We decided to rectify the situation on the New Year holidays. We chose Armenia, as neither of us had been there before. And of course - Yerevan, which we had heard so much about from our friends. The duration of the trip - 6 days including return flights (3 - 8 January). The route and timing of the trip were not planned.
We decided to stay in the city centre to walk around as much as possible. It took us a while to select a hotel that was a non-chain, contemporary, clean, and had a local feel. We chose Republica Hotel Yerevan, which met our expectations and housed us throughout the trip. The elegant design solution with fragments of carpets over the bed caught our attention.
After arriving to the welcoming city and checking into the hotel, we looked for somewhere to have dinner. The most obvious option was Caucasian Captive, the sign of which we saw from our hotel window. But as it was already late hour, the restaurant's kitchen was already closing and we had to keep searching for other options. Eventually, we came across the Mexican restaurant Los Pueblos. Not the most obvious option in Armenia, but the restaurant's view caught our attention, and we didn't feel like to spend much time for searching. We really enjoyed the menu, staff and atmosphere. All meals were exceptional, and the waiters were courteous. Besides we spent nearly two hours admiring the decoration.
Satisfied and full despite the late hour, we opted for a leisurely stroll towards the city centre en route to the Republic Square.
Day 2
After enjoying a leisurely evening stroll and a tasty dinner, we got enough sleep and took our time packing. Eventually, we left our room at 2pm feeling content and well-rested. We had two questions on our minds: where to have breakfast and how to get to the sights outside Yerevan. We quickly resolved the first question in the lift - Los Pueblos was the unanimous choice. As for the second question, we asked the helpful reception staff at the hotel. It turned out that arranging private transportation via the hotel for two is rather expensive, whilst Yandex.Taxi is efficient even when venturing into rural areas. Perfect.
Breakfast at our beloved Mexican restaurant was equally good as the dinner. A kind server advised us on local dishes and suggested some venues for listening to music - Sherep and Tavern Yerevan (subsidiaries of one restaurant group).
After a hedonistic breakfast in an empty restaurant (just as we like), we hailed a taxi and headed for Lake Sevan. The trip lasted slightly over an hour, during which we relished the balmy weather, lack of snow, and picturesque sights of the mountains and asking the driver a question from time to time if the famed Ararat lay before us.
We arrived at the lake at 5 pm. Sunset was at 5.50 pm. We had sufficient time for a climb and a quick exploration. The climb was steep and could be considered as a good workout. The breeze from the water, coupled with the humid air and the setting sun, compelled us to dress warmly and regulate our pace. Nevertheless, the stunning scenery made it all worthwhile.
We spent about half an hour on the top admiring the scenic beauty of the mountains, which was just as splendid as that of the Dolomites, and relishing the peaceful ambiance. This enabled us to shift all our earthly troubles to the back of our minds, surrendering wholly to the captivating allure of the region.
We went down at sunset. The images still evoke an emotional response when viewed.
Nature and physical exertion made us thirsty. Subsequently, when we spotted the first bench with freshly squeezed juice on our way down, we promptly visited it. We chose pomegranate. Skilled local craftsmen took out a special squeezing machine, cut 5 pomegranates in half and squeezed out a large glass of an extremely rich and bright tasting drink. To this day, we have yet to savour a better pomegranate juice.
The way back to Yerevan took longer than expected. Yandex drivers were reluctant to book out in the evening so far away from densely populated areas, and the locals were either planning to go somewhere other than Yerevan or were already full to the brim. Luckily, we were able to make a deal with a local resident by joining with another couple. The local drove us to a nearby town, where we obtained a shuttle bus to the capital. If you plan on watching the sunset at the lake, we suggest making arrangements for your return trip beforehand.
We still had some time before dinner, so we walked around the evening city.
Our second day evening we spent in a recommended restaurant, Sherep. If you decide to dine there, make sure to try their aveluk salad (local sorrel) and rocky mountain trout. And better book the table in advance.
