As I wrote last week, it was time for a return to Georgia’s southern neighbor after a 23-year absence. This time with my wife, who had not been there for about 16 years.
I tried to book the train tickets online, but gave up when some part of the multi-part page glitched and I could go no further. Much simpler, in the end, to go to the main Tbilisi railway station and do it in person. For this, photos of our passport pages on my phone were sufficient. I decided to splurge a bit and bought first class tickets there, two beds to a cabin.
The train was nice and new, impressing us both with its cleanness and upgraded equipment. The conductress, though, could not seem to manage a single word of Russian with correct grammar. Oh well, second language for us all, we understood each other. Sheets were included in the price, as well as snacks and water, and the heating was nicely warm.
I had expected from all past experience that all passport and customs business would be handled on board. Half right, this time… Leaving the Georgian side, we did have to exit the train (at least without any luggage) and get our passports stamped at a window. No big deal, though. The rest of the thing, on the Armenian side, was all done inside the train, and we continued.
I always like getting this part of the train trip done at the beginning, which is the case when going to both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Then you have the rest of the night to sleep and arrive the next morning.
We taxi’d to our friend’s house near Yerevan Zoo, and he met us on the street and took us home, where we did get a bit more sleep before deciding to see some of the capital.
Yerevan, in the ongoing Armenian-Georgian battle for “first or oldest”, does beat Tbilisi by over 1000 years, having been founded as Erebuni by King Argishti I of Uartu in 782 BC. It is also the 14th capital city of the country, and has been the capital only since 1918. It is characterized, as is much of the country, by its many red to dark gray buildings of the local tuff stone. Being that stone fills the country, one might as well build with it. Pity the farmers, though, as we saw field after field, plain after plain, filled with rocks, and lined with removed ones too.
Our great friend and host took us by bus to the city center, where we walked around exploring, including Republic Square and the great Cascade sculpture garden. This is filled with amazing sculptures by famous artists from all over the world, and leads to a huge multi-level staircase, inside which are more wonderful sculptures. You can either walk or take a series of escalators in both directions.
Lali and I both found ourselves comparing things in this country to things in Georgia, as well as finding many things which are unique. For instance, there IS a monumental statue of Mother Armenia at the top of this stairway, and she DOES have a sword. Here, though, there is no bowl of wine or anything for the guest, just the weapon. She is surrounded by military hardware, and in front of her is an eternal flame to the Unknown Soldier. Armenia and Georgia have both had their share of tragedy, rises and falls in fortune, but it seems that the former’s national identity is more mound up in its struggles with its neighbors, especially Turkey and Azerbaijan. The former committed more than one Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire times, and the latter took back Artsakh (Karabakh) last year. It is also, as we heard while in Yerevan, suggesting that this city too really belongs to Azerbaijan. So, plenty of ongoing mourning and trauma. I can only try to make sense of all the histories I read, depending on who wrote them.
Near the Mother there is also… a giant ferris wheel. And a huge television tower. See what I mean about comparisons? We decided not to take this too far, though, and simply to enjoy the experience. More next week, as we venture further afield.
BLOG by Tony Hanmer
Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer and photographer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with over 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/
He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti
