And this is Armenia

  Many people make a 30 minute stop on their tour. I took a bus to a bus station- the Northern bus station to find a grumpy lady at the window who said “ Sevan 2pm” and shut the window abruptly. The local guy, Alex apologized for her behavior and said she probably needs to take her break.  I will help you don't worry- the local words that melt my heart:) There i am standing outside with the guys saying let me pay the driver directly and eliminate the ticket. Alex agrees and we get 2 wooden stools put on the bus. No back. Just wood. 45 minutes. This is what you call traveling and making friends in the right places wink  The time just flew by because he was so interesting, informative, helpful, funny- just a lovely older guy visiting his weekend house with his friends. He lived in Venice, he traveled to India 5 times(real travelers go to india). He has a daughter a son and an adorable grandson-note Armenian kids are absolutely adorable and so well behaved- dressed like doll...

This is the day the Lord has gave me; let me rejoice and be glad!  After I showered and got dressed for my day, I walked down the spiral staircase to see Nelly smiling up at me. Nelly made me eggs with carrot salad and bread.  She gave me some extra carrot salad, which was against the rules lol   I really do not talk enough about food, but i am used to just eating local food all the time. I eat at local shops, grocery stores, and inside homes if I have the opportunity.   I love local food, but I am definitely not a Foodie or very good at food description, but I do take great photos of local food, which I will share! I decided to start my bus adventure not realizing what I was up for.... Armenian buses are not like Georgia- they are way more challenging. No signs with the numbers coming, no time tables, no stops, no clue at all and Google maps is not helpful at all….So why take the bus again? For the adventure.  It is called “The Armenian blind bus ridin...

  Now i took a $2 yandex to go to a tour with a boring group and a mentally unstable guide. He was very nervous, anxious, made bad jokes, said all the wrong things to offend people and he really needed a fact checker on him like they have on facebook. I asked one question and he said he would get back to me and that moment never came. Do I enjoy tours? Usually no, but sometimes Yes. It does benefit to do a “Free walking tour” on your first couple days in a city because you get a general overview of things and then you can walk around freely on your own, but it is not a requirement. This tour guide was very entertaining and the group of people were fun because we were all getting a good laugh about it. I met this beautiful couple from BRAZIL. Oh when I see the South American’s I just gravitate towards them and I love to hear about their life, travel plan, and experience thus far. These two had a baby at home and this was there first trip since having a child. They were a “power coup...

  THIS POST GOES IN THE BEGINNING OF THE BLOG, This was my first arrival to Armenia after my van sitting in between the Russian and the Georgian in the Mercedes Sprinter.....  My hotel was a budget one with a pool and a beautiful grand entrance and absolutely immaculate with a royal spiral staircase.  When I find a great, clean hotel with a breakfast and an amazing price- it is one my happiest moments better than a great meal.  Clean, comfortable, quiet, and peaceful-GOLDEN.  I was welcomed by Sergay who had a speech impairment, but he was so sweet and I was just so grateful to find the place.  We were talking on the couch for a bit and he helped me up to the top floor with my luggage.  What a breathe of fresh Armenian air! I meet a nice Ukranian woman and a cute Russian girl who become my two new friends. A nice 20 year old from Iran who lives in Australia sits in the lobby waiting for an Uber. He encourages me to visit Iran, which I said was on m...

  It was my last night in Tbisli and I thought I could hang out with my favorite person Mr. Latvia, but he weas working late and was not sure he could make it out. SO I went to the Jazz show by myself and it was fantastic. I visited a very upscale boutique hotel and had a glass of wine and a wine shop with a lovely girl who let me a try a few different reds and we were talking about Georgian men…why are they so weird…we don’t know lol, but this beautiful girl was staying single. These were my last moments to enjoy Georgian wine as India was far from a wine country…it was a no drinking zone most of the time. After a glass of wine and a few tastes of wine, I was really enjoying myself and I said, “Hey why not keep this night going.” I ended up taking a Yandex to another hotel bar and thought I would have my last drink there and then “Goodbye Georgia.” That ended up being “Good bye Iphone” because I left my Iphone on the seat in the taxi… Another reason why I do not like t...

I woke up at my normal time at Yulia’s which was 10am. That seemed to be the standard wake up time. The kids were coming over for their English lessons and I was just waking up with parents all saying, "Hello Good morning." I am in packing, drinking Yulia's famous coffee that I love and still in pajamas. Good morning beautiful Russians!  Saying Goodbye to families while traveling...oh that is the hardest part... Denise was in his room and he said goodbye with the saddest eyes and said something really sweet...that I can't remember oh geez. Goodbye to Mano and Yulia and the baby-I knew we would always be friends so it was okay.  Bus from Gyumri to Yerevan I sat at the bus station waiting for the mini bus- they were suppose to be coming every hour. An old mini van showed up and the guy said, “Yerevan.”  I went to look at the trunk and there was absolutely no space for a suitcase and barely a backpack. A Russian backpacker was translating for me as I said that I coul...

  I told Denise that I would play soccer with him and his friend Armen. I walked to the train station and got some information about the train and they told me it was a night train, which I had no interest in me staying up all night on a train. I took Denise and we walked over to the park. As soon as we arrived, we were bombarded by all these kids that wanted to play with us on the field that had parts of it missing almost to the point of tripping and falling over it, but clear goals were there and a good space. The one kid was very cute as he spoke great English and he gave me instructions on what team I was on, when I would play, and when I would be goalkeeper. There was a couple kids playing with no shoes who were very eager to win and they kept scoring. When their father told them, it was time to come home I was so thrilled because then we could just play the four of us, but then an older kid, aka named himself Messi, came into the mix. He was just taking over the ball, not...

    It was another day of sunshine and I walked to the store to get some groceries for the house. I bought tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, cheeses, bread, and chocolate for all of us. I realized when I got back that I forgot potatoes so Denise, just 9 years old, but acts like he is a teenager, went back to the store to buy some. Yulia was making kofta burgers with egg, flour, onions, and potatoes. It was quite a delicious turn out of food. She also made an omelet for both of us, which was delicious. It was so nice to be eating the home instead of eating outside, which always seemed to be a disappointment in Gyumri. We were resting a bit of the day and then we went to the movie and discussion after. They played a Russian movie on the projection screen and then we would have a discussion after the movie. Yulia, a translator for a living, translated the movie critics discussion about the film director, the era of time, and what contributions he made to the film world. It was fas...

Off to stay with Yulia and her two kids and my favorite Nanny.  Yulia had a spare bedroom in her place and since it was a love at first sight friendship-she offered for me to come stay with her and the kids, which I was so excited about as I love all of them.  We had some fresh mint and thyme tea together and had our own separate things to work on. She made a lovely chicken curry with a cucumber salad and a chicken noodle soup-delicious! I felt like I could eat double the portion because I was so excited about homecooked food, but I just ate like I normally would and was beyond satisfied. It was a pleasure spending time with the baby and the nanny. The baby would pick up various objects and give them to me. She had such a big smile and was so happy to see me every time she entered the room. While watching Yulia try to eat dinner while the baby would want to try everything she was eating or would spit out food she didn’t like-I thought perhaps this motherhood thing is not f...

  After this nice day, I decided to walk to the Kumyari district and maybe have some tea. I was invited by a lovely Syrian woman to a party with an Armenian group-she thought it would be interesting for me to come and listen to the discussion. It was a big group of about 30 people and it was a volunteer group that was meeting for a dinner and some songs.   Usually I fit right in, but not this time. I definitely felt out of place as everyone kind of had their network of friends, but this Syrian woman was so kind to include me. It was a lovely restaurant serving Syrian food that was delicious and I had the Horaa   Obao an amazing lentil stew with some carmelized onions pomegranate seeds. I enjoyed it very much and I sat alone eating it as there was no space for me with the group-sad. I had some tea and then decided to meet Yulia at TOL for the comedy show. The comedy show was in Russian and while I thought she could translate-she said that would be a bit difficult. I wa...

  Next to the museum, there was a church so naturally I went inside and was extremely excited because I realized it was the Catholic church. There was one Catholic church in Gyumri and there it was with a big photo of Papa Francisco. He visited the church in 2016. I saw a group of ladies sitting in front and I thought I was walking into a church service. It was about 5pm so that made sense. As I was sitting there, I noticed there were many flowers in the front of the church. I did not really pay much attention until I saw 6 men coming in the church lifting an open casket. My mouth dropped wide open and I could not believe what I was seeing. This was not a church service-this was a funeral. The open casket had an older woman that appeared to be in her 80s.They placed her casket down in the front of the main aisle and there were 3 chairs on each side of the casket where I assumed the closest family members sat together. They were staring closely at her face and a few people came up...

The museums, art, and history of the people who once lived there was wonderful. The city had a lot of character and charm-small and quaint with lots of rich heritage and stories to tell with famous authors, writers, and actors.  The first thing you notice about Gyumri is the striking architecture, churches, municipal builidings and the buildings look like they have been blackened by fire because the natural tone is of volcanic tuff It felt like everyone had a story to tell and I was there to listen...always  My museum visit with Sculpture garden:  A quote I loved from an arist:  “From early childhood, the meaning of my life was always in the love towards the brightly expressed: beauty and ugliness, love and hate, tears and joy, a birch in spring and an ugly oak burned from a lightning strike, a charming girl and horrible but amazing ruins of a once beautiful girl, what we now call an old woman.”  It is not just the paintings that are what are amazing about artis...

Off I go on another adventure a bit late in the day, but the sun is shining yet again. I really get blessed with incredible weather and I know it.  I bring my Fall jacket with me as I know I will need it after sunset. I decide to walk the opposite direction I normally take each day and end up walking through a residential area, where I stopped for a coffee break and the girl made me a cappuccino with a heart.  You never know when you are going to get that special heart on your coffee, but it always gives you a nice feeling.    When I leave I plan to take a taxi to the monastery because it is only accessible by driving there.   There was a small area of taxis-most of them smoking, not friendly   (main point).  I have to enjoy the ride, feel comfortable and safe especially when they are taking me outside the city to a deserted monastery-let's be safe and smart girls.  Also another reason why I take the bus and never encounter problems is because i...

  I went to walk back towards the center and I saw Denise running towards me, Julia’s son, and I saw her sitting and having lunch. Gyumri really is that small of a town. We sat and had tea and some conversations about mental health. She had a horrible time with postpardum depression and she was sharing that experience with me. For 10 years, she shared that her Mental health felt like it was shattered. She thought she was never going to feel better, but with psychotherapy she was able to identify her trauma, her illness, and lead a road to recovery. I could relate to that 10 year period…the 10 years of struggling with something that you never asked for except we were leading different lives. She was a parent who had to get up and live for her children. I had to get up and live for a beautiful life alone with a huge lack of family support. Her husband did support her through everything, but it made them grow apart. Having mental illness has a huge impact on others especially on you...

It was on my mind that the restaurant in Gyumri, Pozav Monach, was a special place. What made it special? It was not just a fancy restaurant with great local dishes.  It was the restaurant where Anthony Bordaine had eaten and mentioned in either his show or book. I honestly never liked Anthony Bordaine until I started to watch his show a bit more and I realized he did have a special travel quality about himself.  Unfortunately, the horrible news of him taking his own life was absolutely tragic and haunting for myself. I feel connected to human beings who are so incredibly extroverted like us, but they are suffering inside.  I wanted to visit this restaurant in his memory.  There was not a soul inside as it was mid afternoon on a Wednesday. Just a few guys standing behind the bar and there comes Albert. The one person who speaks English and the kindest person. I know I say this all the time, but the heart of people is literally what melts mine. It is always when I a...

  It was just another day of being a tourist. Everyone said I had to visit the Black Fortress, which was built in 1844. It was not on the top of my list. I had been to so many forts in my lifetime and   thought maybe this was just one I could skip. It was near the Mother of Armenia statue and was in a nice area of town surrounded by trees, nature and a nice park.   Off I went on my Day 2 Adventure in Gyumri. The first full day had really been interesting with lots of great conversations and learning moments. Everyday is always some new form of learning or entertainment and this was definitely one of those days….. I arrived at the Black fortress and I did not see one tourist in sight. The only person I did meet was a man inside named Jovik. He was the Director of the facility and mainly spoke Armenian and Russian, but we managed to have a great conversation barely even using a translation app. Sometimes this miraculously happens...I cannot even explain it anymore... ...