Saturday, March 29, 2014

The Country Bumpkin Loves Yerevan

After living in Beijing and Nairobi, both large, overcrowded cities, I resigned myself to the fact that I am not a city person.  I’m a country bumpkin who is happiest just sitting, staring at the ocean or marsh watching the birds fly by.   So, before leaving for Armenia, I was a little nervous about Yerevan.  Would living in the city be a cause of stress as it had been before?  Would I reach the point where I’d do almost anything just to get away?  The answer is no.  So far I’ve loved living in Yerevan, and here are some reasons why.

  You can walk just about anywhere in the central district in 30 minutes.  This makes for a nice commute, however if I walk to work I usually arrive as a sweaty mess so I often opt for the metro.
  Speaking of the metro, the one line system is easy to navigate and never too crowded.
  On clear days, Mt. Ararat’s snow-capped peaks tower over the city from the horizon.  No photo I’ve taken thus far has come close to capturing the beauty of this mountain.
  Yerevan has its fair share of traffic and crazy drivers, but in my opinion it’s no worse than Boston.  (Perhaps this isn’t saying much considering that many feel drivers from Boston are certified crazy.)
  Because the city is so small, it’s easy to run into a friend by chance while you’re out and about.  In a sense, Yerevan is just one big neighborhood.  I imagine this could get pretty old when you’ve lived here all your life and there’s nowhere to hide.  But for me, living in an unfamiliar place, it provides a sense of community that I haven’t experienced in a city before.
  You can drive just an hour from the city and find yourself in a different world of small villages and big mountains.  One of my favorite weekend activities has been hiking, because although I’m loving the city, I still like to escape every once in a while.

Here are some photos from some recent hiking adventures.


 At Smbataberd, an old fortress in the mountains

 Selfie in a cave at the summit of Mt. Hatis (2530 m).  It was mighty chilly.

 Birthrighters fording a river.

 Mt. Ararat + me + a horse = magical afternoon

 Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Lizzie made a surprise trip to Yerevan!

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