Day 6: From Goris to Yerevan:
Stonehenge, monastery, waterfall and a wine village
Sisian Zorats Karer(Carahunge), Vorotan Vorotnavank, Vayots Dzor Jermuk waterfall, Areni Wine Village
I woke up to a sullen morning. Despite the negativity of the weather, the generous open buffet served as breakfast turned my mood on. Various kinds of fruit jam, organic farm butter and homemade cheese were just some of them.
After all tasted, I was asked if I would drink a strong Armenian coffee. I replied by a big “AYO(YES)” without hesitating. As I was always trying to speak Armenian with people whom I met, as much as I can, the lady posed me a question saying “Vorkan shakar? (How much sugar?)” I answered by saying “Khic mı(Just a little bit)”. She wanted to make sure with an extra confirmation question by asking “Pokrig?” meaning a little bit, and I said “Ayo, pokrig”, meaning yes, a little bit. As mentioned before, just because we, people who are educated in Armenian abroad, are using the Western dialect. Thus, it sometimes causes some problems when we, western Armenians, talk to the people who are originally from Armenia. Just like in this situation, we both meant the same thing, but the words we were using were totally different. By the time I was waiting for my coffee, I brusquely rechecked my daily plan and finalised my route plan.
Day 6 Route Plan
After a short while, my coffee has arrived just as desired, with pokrig shakar. In general, the quality of the service was more than satisfactory at this hotel. The staff was cheerful and so responsive. Beyond everything, the tranquility of the complex that was surrounded with pure nature made me feel robust for the long day ahead.
My first target was a prehistoric archeological site, officially called Carahunge (speaking stones) Observatory, in other words Armenian Stonehenge. In Armenia, people generally know this monumental place as Zorats Karer, carrying the meaning Stones of strength. The settlement dates back to Middle Bronze Age-Iron Age. Presently, many theories exist concerning the purpose of this site. Some sources according to detailed investigation claim that, the site was a prehistoric astronomical observatory, while other scholars attest that the settlement served for the burials in Middle Bronze Age-Iron Age as a megalithic necropolis.
Here I include some shots of my visit to the prehistoric site…
Zorats Karer
Zorats Karer
Zorats Karer
Zorats Karer
Zorats Karer
Zorats Karer
Getting more familiar with monumental sites day by day, my next stop was planned to be a monastery visit again. I really do not know why but, out of numerous types of landmarks, I liked monasteries the most.
In seek of the best route to get to Vorotnavank, to be honest, I lost my way for a while. According to the navigation assistance, I was doing a shortcut. However, when I stopped to ask the way, the driver told me I was taking a very bad road even it was short. So, listening to his advice, I changed my way and got on a more pleasant road. In fifteen minutes, I arrived at my destination.
Remotely, it seemed to be a ruined territory.
Vorotnavank
So, when I got closer, it became obvious that, the monastery was not very good in shape. The text about monastery’s history on the information board right by the entrance affirmed my assumption. The monastery had got a big damage after the 1931 Zangezur earthquake and had been restored since the disaster.
Vorotnavank
Apparently, the damage was irreversible, as the fortification could not be recovered since then.
Vorotnavank
Deformation of the tombstones and the elaborate khackars (from Middle Bronze Age) had never been recovered after the earthquake, as seen in the picture. Despite the reconstruction works held since 1980, it still looked incomplete.
The monastery complex hosts two churches. One named Surp Stepanos church, and the other one is called Surp Karapet church. Both churches were built in the beginning of 11th century. While Queen Shahandukht built the main church Surp Stepanos, the Queen’s son, Prince Sevada, constructed Surp Karapet church. When the Queen and her son passed away, the Monastery complex became their infinite resting place. I would like to share an anecdote about the monastery. Believe it or not, the monastery was famous for its power of healing the snakebite in Early Middle Ages. Finishing my short tour at the ruins of the monastery, I got on my car for my next target, Jermuk waterfall.
On my path, driving by the M-2 highway, I pulled over somewhere near the village called Tsghug, to capture the splendid panoramic view of Spandarian reservoir. As far as I learnt, this huge reservoir, built around 1980, was a hand-made lake containing a Hydro Power Plant.
Spandarian Reservoir
A 90-minute drive took me to a beautiful city called Jermuk. The word, Jermuk, first brings my mind of a mineral water brand, as it is widespread in Russia. Either because of the legacy of the water, or I was just curious about the waterfall, I ended up in this lovely resort place. The city has a countrywide reputation of having one of the best spa resorts in Armenia. Health centers, sanatoriums and spas are located right in the heart of the city across the bridge.
Jermuk Spa
Jermuk Spa
Under the bridge, flows the river Arpa and from its steepest slope runs the lovely Jermuk waterfall.
Jermuk Waterfall
I was hit by the charm of the waterfall. Thus, I took many pictures from various angles. Searching for a better spot to place and stabilize my camera brings back great memories that I’m sure I will never forget.
Jermuk Waterfall
I was getting quite hungry when I was done at the waterfall. It was almost 4pm and I hadn’t had eaten anything after the breakfast. Urging my phone, I started checking places where I can refill my stomach. There on my way, on the same M-2 highway, very close to Yeghegnadzor, I found the coordinates of a fancy looking place. When I got there, I fell in love with the place called. Lchak restaurant complex was built right on a modest artificial lake.
Lchak Restaurant
Lchak Restaurant
It consisted of bungalows where diners were welcomed, a big main dining hall topped with an authentic timber roof, one main kitchen where existed huge barbeque zones and some other bungalows facilitated to spend the night. As the private bungalows were all reserved, the waiter showed me a place to sit in the main dining hall adjacent to the lake.
Lchak Complex
Weirdly, there was no menu at all as well as the price list of course. Hoping not to get fooled once again, I ordered some veal skewer, mushroom salad and a classic traditional drink-ayran, which perfectly goes with meat.
All of a sudden, while I was enjoying my meal, it started raining cats and dogs with a gentle breeze threatening the outdoor hall. Every single raindrop on the lake was clearly visible, as they were really huge in size. The ultimate change in weather condition induced a beautiful half-rainbow to appear on the sky. On the other hand, the melody of the rain was beyond words as the ambience became serene. What is more, it mingled dynamism to the peaceful atmosphere. By the end of my meal, luckily, the cloudburst weakened and made it possible for me to get back to my car. If I had to walk to my car in that heavy rain, I would probably have soaked to the bone.
Naturally, before I left, I asked the bill. It took more than a while to bring the waiter the bill, so I decided to go to the main building and pay out by myself. Once the waiter showed me the bill, I remember him wondering if I was okay with the bill or not, in other words, if the prices were reasonable or not. A moment I would never ever forget: A waiter asking your opinion about the bill! It was really unexpected that I had no idea how to react. Instead, I simply replied: “That‘s fine” with a gentle smile on my face. How should I’ve answered instead? Like, saying, “The price of the meat is ten percent higher than the average of market rate, so please do some discount, please”. Or what? After this funny conversation, I headed back to my car under a light drizzle of rain.
The evening was approaching and I had at least two more hours to drive to reach Yerevan.
One more stop I had to do for just a snapshot. So, the place where I halted was the gate of the village Areni.
The popularity of the village comes from its ancient vineyards. Long excavations (from 2007 to 2010) carried out by archeologists recently, show that Areni hosted the very first wine production establishment in the whole world history. Analysis and tests have revealed the date of the Areni-1 Winery circa 4100 BC. In other words, Areni was the first ever place where grapes were domesticated and transformed into wine. I would love to get around the cave where the excavations took place, but unfortunately, I had to leave this visit to the next time, as I needed to get to Yerevan before it got dark. So, for this time, just a picture will do I suppose.
Areni Village entrance
Once I got back on my car, the rain regained its strength again. The usual blue sky has turned into multiple shades of gray. More than this, continuous fearful lightning were flashing my eyes, provoking me grab the wheel tighter. Trespassing Mount Ararat and leaving it on my left shoulder, I drove like this for an hour till it stopped raining.
Circa 9 pm I saw the road sign ‘Welcome to Yerevan’. Naturally, when I got closer to the city center, the traffic got packed. Nevertheless, the beauty of the capital with its city lights and the illuminations on the buildings were so catchy.
By 10 pm I arrived at my hostel, got into my old room. Expectedly, as the room was for four guests, I was definitely not going to be alone. Thus, I met a German girl, who had a tough and a rough day having taken a hiking tour to get to the highest point of Armenia, Mount Aragats. As far as she told, the tour was organized as an overnight camping at the skirts of the mountain. So, she was extremely tired, and after a short chat, she went to sleep. I was also tired enough, but I had to plan rest of my days in Armenia.
I went downstairs to the kitchen and relaxation zone, poured myself a relaxing green tea, made myself comfortable in an armchair, and started my investigation. Having decided what to do in the following days, I was preparing to go and get some rest. The lady who was busy baking something at the guest kitchen stopped me on my way asking if I would like to taste some American cookies. She was from the United States. She absolutely knew what she was doing. The taste was extremely delicate, perfectly perfect, that it still stays in my memory. Consequently, I went to bed blissfully.