Armenia

I officially love Armenia.

It’s one of the oldest countries in the world, with recorded history from the prehistoric age to the Kingdom of Armenia in antiquity, through the Middle Ages, the Ottomans and the Soviets, to the present day independent republic.  It was the first country to adopt christianity as its state religion in 301 CE, and people still follow a religion independent of the catholic or eastern orthodox churches.  This means that Armenia is heaving with churches, monasteries, myths and stories.

There are UNESCO world heritage sites, ski resorts, lakes, enviable bird watching, cable cars, wine tasting, and Mount Ararat, where Noah’s ark apparently still awaits discovery to this day.  No wait … it might be the Armenian national (and sacred) symbol, and even be on its coat of arms, but Mount Ararat, overlooking the capital Yerevan, is actually in Turkey these days.  And this border dispute isn’t the only reason that relations between Armenia and Turkey are officially non-existent.

Between 1915 and 1923 the government of the Ottoman Empire systematically deported and massacred somewhere in the region of 1.5 million Armenians.  This much is not greatly in dispute, but whether it constitutes genocide is still hotly discussed around the world, with only 29 countries to date formally recognising an Armenian Genocide.

I started out in the capital Yerevan, continuously inhabited for longer even than Rome.

Time for a quick mention of the food, which was big, frequent and universally delicious everywhere I ate. There’s a yummy bread called Lavash, which is a flatbread cooked in something like a tandoor.  There’s also something called the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which seeks to ensure better protection and awareness of cultural practices and expressions.

I must confess, I’d never heard of this before, but “Lavash, the preparation, meaning and appearance of traditional Armenian bread as an expression of culture” was inscribed in this list in 2014.  Here below  you’ll see some of this bread as part of what was apparently the Armenian equivalent of a quick snack for two during a road trip break!

And here was some real “fast food on the go”; as we made one pit stop, we picked these amazing fresh walnuts off the trees for snacks.

Armenia is home to Areni-1, the archeological site of the world’s earliest known winery at 6,100 years old, and the Areni grape, which was found there and is still used in wine production today.  Areni-1 is a cave complex that is also home to the earliest known shoe to have been found, as well as – and here’s a future pub quiz winner for you – the oldest brain ever to be discovered.

And of course, no trip to Armenia would be complete without a few cheeky glasses of Armenian wine and a try of some of the local fruit brandies.  Like a lot of countries, it was a pretty mixed bag, but some of the red was good enough to seek it out when I got back home.

Khor Virap monastery, notable for being where Gregory the Illuminator, patron saint of Armenia and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was imprisoned for 13 years before converting the king and leading Armenia to be the first country to adopt christianity as its state religion.

Khor Virap monastery, also notable for the best mustaches on a man. Ever.

Armenia is safe, friendly, fun, pretty, moving and interesting; it has so much to offer.  And really, when it comes down to it, what’s not to love about a nation that gave us Charles Aznavour, System of a Down and the world’s first winery!

But they also gave us the Kardashians, you say?

Well, I officially love Armenia, so I’m blaming that one on the Americans 😜