Counsellor
Jun 22, 02, 9:15 am
I recently returned from Armenia, which is a nice place even if horribly poor.
Stayed at the Congress Hotel at Yeveran, the capital city. It’s basically about a good 3-star hotel in quality (in my opinion), new, and lists its own website www.congress.am (http://www.congress.am) which, however, I was unable to get through to. The staff is pleasant and helpful, and the breakfasts, while not rivaling what you would get in, say, Brussels, are hearty and a good start for the day. It’s about a block from the Ministry of Justice, a short walk from the central city, and there’s a wonderful boulevard with open-air biergartens and restaurants in the center (shaded) area nearby.
A wealthy Armenian-American businessman is pouring money in to upgrade the infrastructure, and construction is going on in the streets. There are also plans to renovate and upgrade monuments and other tourist draws that might add to Armenia’s income. Being aware of the ways of the world, he is watching very carefully to ensure no corruption or collusion is involved in the spending of his money (or at least so we’re assured). But he is offering good wages and salaries, and is reportedly getting the cream of the crop.
The weather was hot, and verging on muggy. When you get up in the morning, you have a fantastic view of Mount Ararat, where Noah’s Ark is said to have come to rest. It really dominates the sky to the south. (Of course, the mountain’s in Turkey, not in Armenia, but that’s not because it moved – the border did.) By noon the haze obscures the mountain, and it begins to get miserable outside, so the thing to do (if you can) is repair to an open-air facility with umbrellas over the tables, and have a brew or two while waiting out the worst of the heat.
Speaking of the brew, it is good, rivals Bohemia or Germany in that respect. The two main offerings seem to be Kilikia, brewed there in Yeveran, a good journeyman Pilsner at about 60 cents for .33 liters, and the one I enjoyed, Kotayk, an outstanding lager from Abovian Brewery at just under 80 cents for a half liter. This was the price at the sidewalk café – certainly the price is right.
And the food is also great. One evening we ate at an open-air café (open on three sides, with canvas panels as a roof to turn the occasional showers), “Café 15” if you ever visit Yeveran. The menu had a number of items, but one was a “surprise”. Feeling lucky (or it may have been the effect of the four Kotayks I’d had earlier in the afternoon) I ordered the surprise, and got a wonderful breast of chicken cooked with dill, cheese, green peppers, and served with sour cream and tomato. Also came with lots of French fries and a cole slaw that was really tasty. Wonderful, and for slightly less than $4.
My colleague ordered the beef fillet and got good beef, cooked medium well, about the size of a “minute steak” if you remember those things, also served with dill and sour cream and tomato, with French fries and cole slaw, for a bit over $3.
The Armenians were very friendly and gracious (although there were occasional mendicants on the streets). The young ladies seem very attractive – the ones not wearing miniskirts or micro-minis all seem to wear extremely tight slacks. In this case fully warranted, i.e., the ends justified the jeans.
We also made sure to see the genocide museum on the outskirts of Yeveran, in remembrance of the Turkish killings of Armenians at the turn of the 20th Century. See www.genocide1915.info/ (http://www.genocide1915.info/) for more details. It’s hard to believe people can do (and in some parts of the world are still doing) such things to each other.
The one drawback is in getting to and from Yeveran. We had to fly in through Vienna, via Austrian Airlines. It’s a night flight (leaving about 10:30 PM and arriving something like 4:30 AM) and only goes three times a week. Getting back is the reverse – you pick up the plane that just came in from Vienna after it turns around, which means you have to get to the airport before 4 AM in order to catch the flight. Inconvenient. Maybe that will change soon if more folks start going there.
Stayed at the Congress Hotel at Yeveran, the capital city. It’s basically about a good 3-star hotel in quality (in my opinion), new, and lists its own website www.congress.am (http://www.congress.am) which, however, I was unable to get through to. The staff is pleasant and helpful, and the breakfasts, while not rivaling what you would get in, say, Brussels, are hearty and a good start for the day. It’s about a block from the Ministry of Justice, a short walk from the central city, and there’s a wonderful boulevard with open-air biergartens and restaurants in the center (shaded) area nearby.
A wealthy Armenian-American businessman is pouring money in to upgrade the infrastructure, and construction is going on in the streets. There are also plans to renovate and upgrade monuments and other tourist draws that might add to Armenia’s income. Being aware of the ways of the world, he is watching very carefully to ensure no corruption or collusion is involved in the spending of his money (or at least so we’re assured). But he is offering good wages and salaries, and is reportedly getting the cream of the crop.
The weather was hot, and verging on muggy. When you get up in the morning, you have a fantastic view of Mount Ararat, where Noah’s Ark is said to have come to rest. It really dominates the sky to the south. (Of course, the mountain’s in Turkey, not in Armenia, but that’s not because it moved – the border did.) By noon the haze obscures the mountain, and it begins to get miserable outside, so the thing to do (if you can) is repair to an open-air facility with umbrellas over the tables, and have a brew or two while waiting out the worst of the heat.
Speaking of the brew, it is good, rivals Bohemia or Germany in that respect. The two main offerings seem to be Kilikia, brewed there in Yeveran, a good journeyman Pilsner at about 60 cents for .33 liters, and the one I enjoyed, Kotayk, an outstanding lager from Abovian Brewery at just under 80 cents for a half liter. This was the price at the sidewalk café – certainly the price is right.
And the food is also great. One evening we ate at an open-air café (open on three sides, with canvas panels as a roof to turn the occasional showers), “Café 15” if you ever visit Yeveran. The menu had a number of items, but one was a “surprise”. Feeling lucky (or it may have been the effect of the four Kotayks I’d had earlier in the afternoon) I ordered the surprise, and got a wonderful breast of chicken cooked with dill, cheese, green peppers, and served with sour cream and tomato. Also came with lots of French fries and a cole slaw that was really tasty. Wonderful, and for slightly less than $4.
My colleague ordered the beef fillet and got good beef, cooked medium well, about the size of a “minute steak” if you remember those things, also served with dill and sour cream and tomato, with French fries and cole slaw, for a bit over $3.
The Armenians were very friendly and gracious (although there were occasional mendicants on the streets). The young ladies seem very attractive – the ones not wearing miniskirts or micro-minis all seem to wear extremely tight slacks. In this case fully warranted, i.e., the ends justified the jeans.
We also made sure to see the genocide museum on the outskirts of Yeveran, in remembrance of the Turkish killings of Armenians at the turn of the 20th Century. See www.genocide1915.info/ (http://www.genocide1915.info/) for more details. It’s hard to believe people can do (and in some parts of the world are still doing) such things to each other.
The one drawback is in getting to and from Yeveran. We had to fly in through Vienna, via Austrian Airlines. It’s a night flight (leaving about 10:30 PM and arriving something like 4:30 AM) and only goes three times a week. Getting back is the reverse – you pick up the plane that just came in from Vienna after it turns around, which means you have to get to the airport before 4 AM in order to catch the flight. Inconvenient. Maybe that will change soon if more folks start going there.