Cooling My Heels in Yerevan

View from The Cascade, Yerevan, Armenia

I had my best marshrutka raided the trip so far, on my way from Vanadzor to Yerevan, Armenia. The seats were comfy, it wasn't full, and we stopped topick up only 1 person during the two hour ride. Since the marshrutka pulls in at a bus station far outside of the center of town, I splurged on a cab ride to my hostel. As it turned out, the cab driver ripped me off...the hostel manager said I should have paid 1,000 dram ($2.50) not thr 2,000 ($5) I paid. Anyway, the owners of Penthouse Hostel are very nice and more than willing to help you with any travel arrangements or questions. By the way, it is called Penthouse because it is on the top floor - not because of any naked women inside!

My private room was a definite step down from Maghay B&B, where I stayed in Vanadzor. This makes two "highly rated" hostels (by Lonely Planet) that I have been less than impressed with. I was not crazy about Old Town Hostel in Tblisi, Georgia, either. I am paying $30 a night for my private room here. You'd think for that amount they could find sheets and mattress covers that fit the mattress - not fall several inches short all around. Or you'd think they could splurge for a chair, end table (or Heaven forbid) a desk. Heck, the room doesn't even have a trash can. There are all of two shared bathrooms for what lookalike a good 20 people staying here. I have half a mind to go back online, find something better, and check out of my penthouse.

The Cascade, Yerevan, Armenia

Anyway, enough whining about my accommodations - I have obviously outgrown the hostel. So, after unpacking, I took off to explore Yerevan. I had a few museums I was interested in seeing, along with other sights. Tomorrowi am meeting up with a friend of a friend who is working in Yerevan. I have been corresponding with Sigrid on Facebook, and she's been a good source of information. She has a long weekend because it is a national holiday. I quickly discovered the holiday meant the banks were all closed...and guess what else? The museums! So, that shot my day's plans all to Hell! So, I spent the day wandering the streets, people watching, and getting the lay of the land. The one thing I was able to check off my list was to visit The Cascade. This is a huge staircase like structure with fountains and pools on every level...except the fountains weren't running today. Maybe the water was on holiday, too? The view of the city from the non-cascading Cascade was pretty nice. You could see the twin peaks of Mt. Arafat - where the bible says Noah's ark landed. Arafat is a kind of a sacred mountain to Armenians, especially since it is across the border in Turkey.

My climb up and down the stone Cascade was hot...the sun beat down on the surface of the rock and reflected waves of heat back at me. Had the fountains been running, it would have cooled it down, but no such luck. From there, I sought shade in the park around the Opera House. I downed an iced tea and bought another bottle of water to replace the moisture in me. I meandered down the pedestrian street between Opera Square and Republic Square - where many government agencies (and closed museums) are located. I bought an ice cream cone and generally had a low key, relaxing day.

Republic Square, Yerevan, Armenia

In the evening, I hoofed to back down to Republic Square to watch the "singing fountains." it is essentially a sound and light show using the fountains and various music. Reminded me of the fountain show at....is it Bellagio in Las Vegas! Anyway, Yerevan is a very pleasant walk able city. I don't think I'd want to spend 4 days just walking around it. We'll see what tomorrow brings...hopefully more interesting things to do and see...

Singing Fountains in Yerevan, Armenia