Yerevan

Armenia - Yerevan - Cascade - l.s. photo

“There were hardly any tourists in the city. I liked the fact that taxi drivers and other service providers don’t hassle you, and we didn’t have to turn down an offer ever thirty seconds or so, like in some less developed countries.
The first thing on our itinerary was to climb the waterfall, which isn’t a bad form of extreme sports in 40° heat, but all the same, I was a bit disappointed. It looked more spectacular in the photos on the internet. At the top of the hill behind it there is a run-down amusement park, just like in Tbilisi and Kutaisi, and a ‘mother’ statue, similar to the ones we saw in Tbilisi and Kiev. (2017)”

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“Yerevan is quite a modern city, and in the downtown area it doesn’t look much different to any Western European city. Travel just a couple of kilometers out into the outskirts, however, and you’ll find yourself in a different world. Honestly, I preferred the latter – the people are genuinely friendly and hospitable, as well as being practical and realistic.” (2019)

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“Compared to the beauty of Armenia’s rural landscape, Yerevan offers a more low-key experience. In this case, it has to be said that my expectations were high, because for some reason I was really looking forward to arriving in this city. I planned three days for it, but ultimately shortened it to two.

Neither the location nor the sights were particularly interesting, but even the street life, which I heard a lot a lot about, was much less exciting than in Istanbul, Tbilisi, or even Baku. In this case, what exhausted me most was the pushiness of the greeters outside overpriced bars and restaurants, and watching the locals, who clearly found the musical fountain on Republic Square the most capitivating thing in the city.” (m.p., 2022)

Transport

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Yerevan - trolleybus - Ata photo

Yerevan - metro - Ata photo

Yerevan - metro interior - Ata photo

Jereván - marshrutka (share taxi) - Ata photo

Yerevan - Sovie-made Volga car beside a Mercedes - k-t. g- photo

Yerevan - bus&taxi - g.t. photo

Food

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Yerevan - restaurant terrace - Ata photo

Yerevan - Cafe Gemini - This is the best cafe in Yerevan. Turkish coffee is brewed according to decades of tradition. It comes with a delicious pancake 🙂 The serving is sophisticated, the waiters are nicely dressed and the fresh coffee smell that comes from the place is beyond expression. - Ata photo

Yerevan - Omelet with basturma (air-dried cured beef) - Ata photo

Shopping

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Yerevan - (low-end) fashion items - k-t. g. photo

Yerevan - Nothern Avenue, shopping&fashion street - Ata photo

Fun

Hachaturyan: Spartacus
If you are in a former Soviet republic on a Saturday night, you should not have another program than an opera house performance. Mine was in Yerevan to see the ballet of Spartacus, the main oeuvre of the world-famous Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian.
The cast was pretty symbolic: the Romans - Crassus and Aegina are danced by Russian soloists, while Armenian artists play the slave leader Spartacus and his wife, Phrygia.
The performance was a huge success, with a long-standing ovation. I seldom witnessed a ballet being performed with such a passion and fever. Bravo Sevak Avetisyan - it was a ferocious dance!

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“Khachaturian: Spartacus
If it’s a Saturday night, and you’re a traveler in a former Soviet republic, what else is there to do other than attend a night at the opera...?
On the eve of the Armenian Genocide, the National Ballet put ‘Spartacus’, by the Armenian composer Khachaturian on the program.
A bravura performance, a true masterpiece by the choreographer from Novosibirsk. The cast is interesting: The Romans – Crassus and Aegina – are Russian soloists, while the slave leader Spartacus and his wife Phrygia are played by Armenians.
A huge success, the audience rises, applauds and cheers for a long time at the end. It has been a long time since I last saw a ballet performance so full of passion and fire.” (Ata, 2022)

Yerevan - Opera - Ata photo

Yerevan - Opera - Ata photo

Yerevan - Saryan street - expensive cafes - Ata photo

Yerevan - a man playing on panduri, a traditional stringent musical instrument - Ata photo

Others

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Yerevan - A lovely fountain (pulpulak) at Yerevan 2800th Anniversary Park - k-t. g. photo

Yerevan - Saryan street - Ata photo

History

Once upon a time, the pre-Soviet Yerevan was a hilly area full of one or two-story houses. The city was rebuilt on a Soviet model in the 1950s following a systematic plan. Today, only a small quarter of the old town remains called Kond.
It's a real zigzag neighborhood. It is easy to get lost here. Some houses are so old that even donkey arches from Ottoman times can be found.
Kond is too close to the modern downtown, and it is evident that the goal is not to preserve it, but it will soon disappear altogether. (Ata, 2022)

Yerevan - Kond - Ata photo

Yerevan - Kond - Ata photo

Nowadays

 
Saryan Street in Yerevan is bustling day and night. Bloody expensive cafes and restaurants, high in the number of Rolls Royces, Land Rovers, Porsches, and Mercedes. Sort of Dubai feeling and Moscow prices. 🙂 (Ata, 2022)

Yerevan - walking street - Ata photo

Yerevan - modern - k-t. g. photo

Yerevan - Saryan street - Ata photo

Yerevan - Saryan street - Ata photo

People

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Yerevan - metro - Ata photo

Yerevan - Evening social life in the square - Ata photo

Yerevan - newlyweds - k-t. g. photo