Exploring Yerevan

Friday
Republic Square was quiet this morning although police cars were lined up near the center of the Square. Security at the doors of the hotel continues. Online news indicates that several countries including the U.S. are working to negotiate a settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. A big question is whether Armenians in the disputed territory will be allowed to stay and/or want to stay. Protesters are also calling for the resignation of the prime minister.

We walked to our bus for a short tour of the central city. It is very modern with wide streets, impressive buildings and parks. Few buildings show outward appearance of damage from Soviet times. At our first stop, the Cascades, we learned that the Soviets brought in a Russian architect in early twentieth century to design a modern layout and buildings for the the city. Republic Square is surrounded by government offices, museum, our hotel which was designed for important Russian visitors, and a huge park just a few blocks

away. Other central buildings, including the Opera House, were all constructed from pinkish stone.

The Cascades is a decorative set of staircases linking the downtown with residential areas. The outer complex and garden areas contain primarily modern art. Inside is a series of fast escalators taking you through the Cafesjian Center for the Arts with modern art collections on each level. A great view of the city from the top.

After a walk through a residential area - mosty Soviet style apartments - we walked uphill to the Matenadaran. We had a guided tour through this museum with its extensive collection of medieval manuscripts. Much of the collection came from the library of the Armenian Orthodox Patriarch with examples of religious texts in many languages. Another section had ancient maps and medical artifacts including a perfume recipe that called for 75 ingredients.

Our third stop for the day was at the Genocide Memorial & Museum, the stories of the extermination of 1.5 million Armenians and others during the

last days of the Ottoman Empire. The museum told the story through a series of panels with photos, videos, text, art. A memorial is located outside the museum building.

We then walked a short distance to a neighborhood cafe for lunch. They served some “new to us” salads, chicken, and Armenian noodles.

A very pleasant afternoon was spent in the garden patio of a local musician who makes his own instruments and played several for us. His instruments are made from wood and animal horns, all with finger holes so they resemble clarinets and flutes. They served fruit, sweets, and mint/thyme tea.

Late afternoon and evening was "on our own" so Barb & I took a couple of wrong turns but finally found the park with souvenir and market stands. We did pass several blocks of police and military — not sure what to expect in Republic Square tonight. We joined Maia and friends for Armenian pizza and beer. On the way back to the hotel we saw many protesters walking away from the Square, one group was blocking a bus. Otherwise things were fairly calm.