Day 10 Armenia. Nature Rooms Martuni to Lake Sevan. Birds & Bees, Corn & Fast Fish

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Day 10 Armenia. Birds and the Bees, Corn and Fast Fish



It’s a new morning in our lodge, high up in the mountains near Martuni. We breakfast outside on the balcony in the sun. It’s a circular terrace so you can always find sun or shade. We eat Lavash, Armenian flat bread, and home made raspberry jam with coffee brewed from very finely ground coffee. The view is down the valley of the Getik River, hills forested on the south west slopes and opposite pasture almost bare, with sheep, cattle and hay fields cultivated to an amazing height up to 2500m.

We go for a walk up a muddy track where we’ve seen 4x4 Lada jeeps ascend followed by sheep/cattle dogs. There are Great Tits, Blue Tits, Long Tailed Tits and Chaffinch in earshot. Wild flowers and bees abound. Mallows, the dried stalks of umbellate Hemlocks, blue Chickory and plants with burrs that stick to the socks.

There are two chestnut horses, a couple of cows and a small flock of sheep with combo black wool at the front and white at the back.

There is an orchard with small closely planted apple trees laden with dark maroon fruit. It’s all behind substantial fencing to keep the livestock and scrumpers out.



We paint and sketch in the sun up to lunchtime. It’s extraordinarily quiet. In France there would be a chain saw, tractor, or moto invading the rural space.



After lunch in the sun after watching a squad of bees licking the resin on knots in the pine boards on the terrace, we tidy up and say goodbye and thank you to Mum who gives us bookmarks and a card. We’ll recommend this oasis to friends,



We descend the valley we were espying at breakfast. 60 km all to way downward to Dilijan through the Dilijan Nature Reserve. Then 40 km to Sevan over another range on the Yerevan Highway. We’re amused, ‘cos every hairpin on the rise out of Dilijan has a couple of stalls with a particular style of barbecue grill with a chimney and big banner signs advertising corn on the cob. There must be three dozen or more of them all competing with each other over only 2 or 3 kilometres. One has (in English) CORN CORNER as its tag line. Top marks for punning in another language.




We pretty much bypass Sevan itself but on the highway at this point are signs for wet fish shops and FAST FISH stores. We get to our destination ‘Lavash Tea Room. Which is marked with a teapot on a post.



It boasts its own beach on Lake Sevan. It looks like a Green taverna with roughly white-washed walls and rustic timber. We are greeted with tea, and slowly find where our room which is positioned directly on the lake.



At their restaurant we have excellent home made chips and watch a bride and groom being photographed on the shore at sunset whilst a lively coach tour posse of Japanese tourists run about taking photos, joshing and laughing......

The Armenia dry red wine is chilled to near freezing point. It lacks the bouquet it will have when we ask for a warm one next time......

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