Lake Sevan

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The eco house was charming, set on a hillside up a long, winding, steep and very dodgy dirt track. There were wonderful views over the Diljan valley and I was able to wander happily in the meadowland surrounding the house, finding blue chicory, lemon yellow mallows and scabious, yellow rattle,knapweed and orange fritillarybutterflies. The owner lives ina house below and told us she is a trained teacher but works for the community...runs art activities for children Ithink.

In the afternoon we drove to our next stop, Lavash hotel on the shores of Lake Sevan. It consists of terraced sets of bungalows with verandahs, a bar, a restaurant, and other rooms overlooking the lake - and what a lake. It goes on forever. Blue, blue water in the sunshine. Great clumps of swaying reeds by the shore are inhabited by coots and other small water birds. Cormorants and gulls fly everywhere and other small divers potter about disappearing under the water and emerging elsewhere.

We had a lovely morning just wandering on the small point by the hotel and then sitting by the small bay watching the birds and doing a bit of sketching of a perfect small sailing boat. Later we visited the monastery on the Sevanahank peninsula, said to be the most popular tourist site in Armenia. It was certainly pretty commercial. Pretty photogenic. Lots of Russians.

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