Holiday in the Caucasus (12): into Armenia
The tour moved on to Armenia, the third and last country of the holiday and the 88th nation that I have visited.
Armenia is the smallest of the three countries in the Caucasus. It is just under half the size of the other two nations. With just 3M people, it is also the least populated nation in the region, but only a little less than Georgia. However, proportionately Georgians have a huge diaspora with three or four times as many living outside the country as inside.
Like Georgia, the people are overwhelmingly Christian. Indeed the country has over 50 medieval monasteries. The currency is the Dram which is about 500 to the pound.
In 2018, the country had a “Velvet Revolution” when it overthrew the decade-long rule of Serzh Sargsyan, shortly after he had become prime minister for a second time. However, the country is probably the one in the region with the most economic challenges as it faces low growth, unemployment and poverty plus the constant tension with neighbouring Azerbaijan.
Leaving Tibilisi at 9am, we were at the border in just over an hour and then it took another hour to complete border formalities in both Georgia and Armenia. The three of us who had been in Azerbaijan were questioned especially about why we had been in ‘enemy’ territory.
Our Armenian guide was Garick who, compared to our guides in Azerbaijan and Georgia, was much less cheerful and much less proficient in English but, of course, immensely knowledgeable. We were packed into a minivan with just enough seats for the group and cries of “We’re gonna need a bigger bus”.
Sightseeing started immediately as we dashed off to Haghpat Monastery which is a UNESCO World Heritage site located just east of the town of Alaverdi. The monastery was founded in 976 but most of the plain-designed buildings date from the 12th and 13th century.
Next stop was a most unusual community in a village up at an elevation of 1,730 metres (almost 5,700 feet). The village is called Fioletovo and it is inhabited by a community of Molokans who are Russians that split from the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century. They drive motorised vehicles, but do not drink alcohol, watch television, or marry outside the community. In one of the homes, we had a light lunch of local delicacies.
A nearby third destination was a small town called Dilijan. Set in the mountains, this is billed as ‘the Switzerland of Armenia’. During Soviet times, it was a popular place for artists.
Our hotel was an almost deserted Marriott at a place called Tsaghkadzor which normally caters to winter skiers.