I was very excited this morning, because we were going to Artsakh. We first stopped at Gomidas Aykie, where famous Armenian writers, poets, architects, etc. were buried. When I first stepped into the graveyard, I was in awe. Some graves had interesting statues, while others were as simple as a stones engraved with the person’s name. We saw the graves of Gomidas, Hovhannes Shiraz, and in front of his grave we recited one of his poems, Vorn Eh Medz Hayr Mer Hayrenik. We also saw Aram Khachadourian’s grave, Alexander Tamanian’s, and Silva Gaboodigian, where Digin Ardemis and the parents recited a small part of one of her poems. In the graveyard there were a lot of rose bushes of multiple colors. Then we headed back to the bus to go to Khor Virab, where Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years for his beliefs.
When we reached Khor Virab, we went straight to the pit. When you looked down into the pit, it was very scary. But when you got to the bottom, it was worth it. The dungeon was made of stone and the ceiling was a dome. There was a cross stone and a picture of Gregory the Illuminator on the wall. Climbing back up was the scariest part of all because you always felt like you were going to fall. Once we were all safely back up, everyone took pictures of themselves with Mt. Ararat in the backround. Some of us went to the church, and after that we went to the gift shop. We then headed to the bus to visit the statue of Kevork Chavush, a freedom fighter. It was on a tall and rocky mountain.
When we got there, we had to climb up a hill. It was hard and there were many rocks in the way, but when we got to the top it was incredible. We all climbed onto the statue and took some photos. Then, we went back to the bus to go and visit Noravank.
Noravank was on a very steep hill. Hence the word steep, because, seriously, it was crazy. At one point, I tripped over a rock. There are 3 churches in Noravank, all three made by Momeeg and Siranes, both great architects of their time. The names of the churches are St. Garapet, St. Gregory the Illuminator, and St. Asdvadzadzin. The whole complex was incredible. There were very creative tricks that even some people these days can’t figure out. One of the churches had stairs on the outside that we climbed. They were very steep and small, but a lot of fun. We went up and found small doorways leading to tiny rooms. It was fun discovering the little rooms. After that, we looked at the other very interesting churches. I loved hearing the different legends. Then we went to Noravank Restaurant and enjoyed fresh lavash. We got to see how they make it in the tonir. There was also a caged brown peacock and a wild, beautiful blue and green one. We fed the peacocks lavash. Then, we ran down the hill, trying not to trip, and we got into the bus to go to Karahunge (Stonehenge).
Next came Stonehenge, which was a observatory and a scientific learning center. It is 7,500 years old. Imagine, the Armenian people were so civilized, that they made a star observatory before lots of cultures. Stonehenge is exactly what it sounds like. More than 500 rocks, spreading for at least a mile. The stones have holes in them to look at the sky. You have to be careful where you step, because there are literally stones everywhere you go. There is a trail going to the Stonehenge that stretches out 300 meters. And even worse, there are rocks everywhere. I tried to run. Didn’t go so well. When we reached the actual area, we saw a lot of stones. Tall and wide stones with holes at the top. We found a pit that was about 6 feet tall with the top open to the sky. It was made of stone and the area was really big. There was a small crevice to go through to go in. Then we saw a small hiding place that we went into. It was a lot of fun finding small hidings. The view up there was beautiful so we took pictures. After the pictures, we ran back down to the bus. We got on the bus for the ride to Artsakh.
After we crossed the border to Artsakh, I felt like I had crossed into a green house. All around me, I saw trees, bushes, hills. This is the part when we stopped to plant trees in the village Pertsor. I know what you’re thinking. No, this is not for the Armenia Tree Project. We plant trees for the Armenia Tree Project later on in the trip. There were 6 trees to plant, and we switched off on each tree. There was a very jolly man, who was basically the instructor. He and some other men had brought food and wine. The ground was very rocky and hard to dig, but we managed. After we were all satisfied with our work, we got back on the bus to go to Stepanakert, Artsakh, and have dinner.
When we got to the hotel, everyone was extremely tired. But also, we were very hungry. So everyone went up to there rooms and came down in 15 minutes for dinner. The dinner was in the bottom level of the restaurant and had a private dining room. The food was traditional Armenian food. The desert was the best. A wonderful creme brûlée.
I think we were filled up for the night. I’m excited for the next day.
Ani Belorian