We had a pretty good nights sleep but I woke early and with the prospect of breakfast at 9.30am - talk about laid back - I had a wander around the site and then back to bed as the sun hadn't reached the gorge and it was chilly outside. Breakfast was served, prepared by Saro again, we had lavash, cheese, sour cream and jam as well as a tomato omelette. It tasted the same as the one at Haghpat but was more solid but a completely different texture from the ones we have at home. Saro insisted on washing up - apparently this is very unusual for Armenian men. I was wondering how many people might make it down to Lastiver for the day. We had chatted to someone from Yerevan the day before who had ... read more

Another late start - breakfast at 9am. The breakfast was similar to previous days, instead of conserve we had a really thick tasty honey. We had ordered a tomato omelette which was actually more like a soup with more tomato than egg - very unusual. Saro was still having battery trouble but managed to jump start the jeep again. He ordered a battery from Yerevan that is making its way to Ijevan by taxi, together with his wife. Our first visit was to Akhtala further down the gorge on the way towards the Georgian border. It is a very large cathedral - not the most attractive on the outside but amazing frescos on the inside. They are raising money to renovate the dome. There are secret passages in the church - Saro kept appearing at various ... read more

I had a bad night's sleep, waking up at 4am with my brain going into overload. Note to self, do not have coffee after midday and certainly not with vodka. We breakfasted at 8am as we were leaving Gumryi to head for Stepanavan in the Lori region of Armenia. We said our goodbyes to Grigor, who had worked all night at the hotel, and then we were on our way via the old town where we took a few snaps of the original style of architecture. We drove straight to Stepanavan passing from a dry almost treeless area to a greener, forested region. To get there you have to go through two long tunnels - both were lit and well surfaced - we have heard of horror stories of unlit tunnels with potholes! In fact, overall ... 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

First leg of the journey over and we are now sitting in Henry's in Vienna airport. We have a three hour wait. Luckily it's quite a nice airport though pricey like most airports. We are in the corner with all the Armenians waiting for the Yervan flight. I'm tempted by mozart's balls which are in duty free - think posh version of ferrero rocher. Beginning to flag now. Roll on boarding.... read more