The kids, Mariann and I also spent a short time in Armenia (way too short) but were able to visit the Noratus Cemetery, Lake Sevan, and of course, Yerevan. It is a fascinating country. ( You were right Judy!) The history is so completely different from Georgia's. Yet they are right next to each other.
Noratus is from the 9-17th century and consists of these kharchkars, or tombstones, with beautiful carvings.
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| Yep, no tourists here! |
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| It was a rainy, cloudy day. Perfect for touring a cemetery. |
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| Mariann, fascinated by this often missed piece of history. |
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| How sad! |
Lake Sevan is beautiful. And the Monasteries are famous. They used to be on an island, but after the artificial draining of Lake
Sevan during the period of Joseph
Stalin's rule, the water level fell about 20 meters, and the island was
transformed into a peninsula. ( What a guy!) After recognizing the ecological devastation, they
worked to raise the lake level and have been somewhat successful.
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| Boy I have missed them! |
We landed in Yerevani for the night. Great parks, restaurants, music and friendship.
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| Armenian dinner/wine/music - great! |
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| I liked the Armenian dances a lot |
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| CafeJian Museum of Art |
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| Katoghike Church, 11th Century |
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| Museum of Ancient Manuscripts, |
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| An ancient manuscript library of over 17000 items. The first library was built in the 5th century by the inventor of the Armenian alphabet, Mesrop Mashtots. The library grew in importance after the Armenian genocide during WW1. The Pope stepped in to save many ancient manuscripts. |
Next up, Istanbul... not Constantinople ( Mariann, I will never forgive you for singing that song... continuously!)
