Mother Armenia

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After breakfast we went for a walk while our rooms were being prepared. We were a bit lacklustre due to no sleep but the Armenian coffee had helped to get us in gear. Gyumri was badly damaged during the earthquake of 1988 mainly due to shoddy Soviet high rise buildings. It's been a long time but the city is getting itself together with financial support from the diaspora.

Back at the hotel, having a shower made me start to feel human again and after a short nap we regrouped, had lunch and then went to visit Mother Armenia, a giant statue at the top of ridge with great views of the city.

We have been invited to Grigor's home so will be going there this evening. In between time I'm trying to keep awake as I would really like to get into the local time ASAP.

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