Blogs from Gyumri, North, Armenia, Asia

12 hours of sleep and I was beginning to feel human again. I no longer had the feeling that my head would explode. A late start with a leisurely breakfast at 9am was just what was called for. The Berlin hotel is a really peaceful hotel with nice outside areas to sit in and friendly staff. First visit of the day was to Jrapi Caravanserai. It is not complete like the one at Selim but somehow, seeing the ruin helped us to see how the place was constructed -bit like those models biology teachers use. We could see where the animals slept and even holes drilled into the stone where they could be tethered. There was also an interesting church close to the Caravanserai which has been rebuilt using tree trunks as supporting pillars instead of ... read more

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 ... read more