| Armenia |
| Armenia is a clean and very safe country with its capital being even safer than several major western cities. The only bad area of Armenia is the on the Azerbaijan border, because the two countries have had wars over territory in this area. In the capital, people are very polite and almost every one speaks English so it's very easy to get around. In the day time people go jogging down the streets, some walk their dogs, couples are out enjoying the evening etc; everyone seemed to be happy! Armenia is also very rich in history, and it was the first country to officially adopt Christianity . |
| Armenia has some amazing natural beauty. My favorite was the Vorotan canyon, where there is a natural bridge that crosses over a river. On the left is a picture of the entire canyon, to the right of that is a picture looking down into the river from the natural bridge. It doesn't seem that far from the photo but it is a long ways down. I couldn't see anyone down there but you can hear kid's voices echoing back up as they played in the water below. |
| Here are three more pictures of Armenia's natural beauty. Armenia has many amazing rock formations throughout the country like in the two photos above. During one part of my trip we drove through a steep valley that had orangish rocks with very dark green plants growing off of them. For some reason it all looked prehistoric to me, like something you would see from the dinosaur ages. On the left side is a famous waterfall named Shaki in southern Armenia. The waterfall was pretty dry when I visited but just as beautiful. Normally after it rains the rocks are completely covered by a wall of rushing water. |
| The two photos you see are pictures from the complex of Tatev along Vorotan canyon that was completed in 895. Above is a hallway found in the Tatev complex. The structure on the left is called 'Gavazan' the swinging column. It is unique because it actually tilts if someone leans on it then goes back to it's original position. This has allowed it to absorb shocks and survive dozens of earthquakes that have occurred in Armenia. |
| Above is the church complex Khor Virap, with Mt. Ararat in Turkey behind it. Click here for more on Khor Virap and the story of how Armenia came to be the first Christian Country. |
| Here are some more ancient churches in Armenia. Many are still used today and are not just tourist attractions. |
| Armenia Travel - For more information on Armenia please visit http://www.willgoto.com/215/1/categories.aspx |
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| Above on the left is a picture of the downtown area of Armenia's capital Yerevan. To the right is Armenia's history museum which is located in republic square |
| These two pictures are from a church complex located near the border of Iran that is called Noravank. You can see how the stones that are used are different in color from other churches in Armenia. The area around the church complex is made up of a gorge that has redish cliffs and is very scenic. |
| Armenia Links |
| Another place in Armenia where you'll never run out of water is called Lake Sevan. Since Armenia is a landlocked country Lake Sevan is also their beach, and is between Armenia and the country Azerbaijan. On the left is a shot looking over the lake from a good viewpoint. On the other side are a bunch of Armenian's swimming along the shores of Lake Sevan. Many people also take both power and paddle boats out into the lake for fun. |
| While Stone Hedge in England is famous around the world for being one of the first megalithic astronomy devices, another similar site called Karahunj is estimated to be even older. Karahunj doesn't get the same popularity because the ruins don't match the huge boulders and impressive height its Stone Hedge counterpart. Above you can see two photos I took of Karahunj, the first shows the entire ruins while on the right are some smaller stone circles outside the main area. Karahunj was believed to be used for astronomy as well, and even has holes in the stones that line up with stars at the right time of the year. |
| Post a question or add a comment about traveling in Armenia. |