My Backyard

Armenia – You Can’t Get There from Here

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Gata is an Armenian sweet bread, often about 12-14″ in diameter and about 1.5″ thick. The inside is soft, chewy and very sweet. Gata is sold at most bakeries in Armenia, and can be purchased at small road-side stores and tourist attractions outside the cities. At Geghard Monastery the name “Geghard” is written in Armenian on the Gata.
Armenia has more cathedrals than McDonald’s – matter of fact. we didn’t see any big or little Mac’s
Monastery with a view at Lake Sevan
Walking tour of the Armenian Capital – wait, wait don’t tell me – Yerevan.
Yerevan is pre-gentrified interior upgrades only requirement for occupancy
Hostel rooms start at $3/day
Mountain & very tall hill retreats are everywhere. Thanks to Jane Marie’s research we were lucky guests at the Palma B&B high above Alaverdi
The four hour drive to Yerevan makes stops at three famous cathedrals, Sanahin was our favorite

Garni-Geghard-Pokr Vedi

Garni has a five time restored Greek temple, next to last time Emperor Nero wrote a check
in 66 AD
What I liked best about Garni was the Lavash bread hot out of a real tandoor oven.
I wanted to know if any of the Apostles had been to Geghard. No but Kim Kardashian and Kanye were here in 2015
Notice when they get back in their van the Gata bread take-out
Yes that’s Mt. Ararat, Kohr-Vepi in the foreground and the Russians guarding the valley border between Turkey and Armenia
Jane Marie befriending the path builder on her way to the Kohr-Vepi cathedral, where St,Gregory was imprisoned for twelve years.

Vagharshapat – Etchmiadzin

Etchmiadzin Cathedral the Vatican of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Offering unsolicited advise on oil painting landscapes, while Jane Marie checks out the
Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat, Armenia
Trekker video of Armenian countryside that shows how green it is and the preservation of their unique culture.
Second video gets into the huff & puff parts of Armenia. On our car ride from the Georgia border in the north to Yerevan, we never saw a flat place.
This video by a Russian guy? gives an overview with lots of narrative, which is very informative.