One week in Armenia

The context was quite specific: we came to Yerevan on a school trip, during my fourth year in architecture school, with my group of 20 students and two teachers. But we had quite free time, so we could visit the city by ourselves ; the purpose was to find a project site inside the city, in a group of two. With my friend, we tried to visit many former industrial areas, in area not very touristic of the city.. It was a really special experience which enabled us to meet local inhabitants, asking them about their work in this fabric, what they imagined for the future.. The discussion could lead to talk about the former soviet union, Russian power, etc.

Armenian people are really welcoming, despite of the language: just say hello in Armenian and it starts the conversion -although downloading google translate in Armenian or Russian can also help!

Most of these industries were built during the Soviet Union, so are quite huge. They are usually made from local stone -stone was often used in construction there, before parpaing replaced it- and are located near the river, so the surroundings are quite nice.

Talking about huge construction, you have to take once the metro: the station are usually made from marble, and are very elegant!

The city center of Yerevan is really interesting. There are many parks and children plays, big constructions made of stones, but also some kind of slums that you can cross, really dense and poor but full of imagination and resourcefulness. You can for instance visit the district of Kond, which is an example of informal settlement just in the border of the city center.

The city center is surrounded by the river, the Hrazdan. However, it is not landscaped nor used as a promenade place by the inhabitants, and on the contrary, the outskirts are is quite dirty with rubbish. But still, it is worth getting down to see the water and the beautiful Kievyan bridge seen from below.

Yerevan is filled with an excellent restaurant: try the soup - bortsch with beef- or their super cheap kebab, with mostly sausage and coriander…

Normally, the city is known for having a great view on the Ararat mountain -the mountain where the legend says that Noé Arch ran aground. However, we had cloudy weather the whole week, so we couldn’t spot it at any time of the week… Such a shame.

The surroundings of Yerevan are a must-see. You can take the autobus to visit the most ancient church in the world -Etchmiadzin Cathedral-, and then go a little further in the mountains until the Sevan Lake. This place remains amazing even in the winter: the fog and the snow make a mysterious atmosphere, which fits perfectly with the monasteries around - Sevanavank-, and the abandoned soviet buildings. Sit in a restaurant on the shore of Lake Sevan, and ask for a fish! If you continue the road, you will arrive to the Geghard monastery. This is a breathtaking place, that I really advise you to visit. It is built in the rocks, and again with the fog, the snow and the cold the atmosphere is magic. The inside rooms have an amazing acoustic; often, Armenian people use to sing in it. Just sit with your back on the rock and meditate, listen to this strange melody that resonates all around the place…