Visit Armenia!

[removeduser_052420]

1st of all, the armenian girls in the pictures... I approve

and second of all, iranians don't look much like indians, lol.

[Armenum]

please use spoilers, if you have many pictures.

[armenian]

f-ing AWESOME. I love very old churches,monastaries and cathedrals and nature together.
Mountains ftw.....I was in Trebizond a month ago, it was similar.
Mountains, snow, nature, history....HELL YES

takes almost an hour to climb when the area is icy...and deadly but I assure you, dying while climbing there would be the best thing.








Man, life is about finding and enjoying all these stuff. Nothing beats that...I was going to freaking die of joy when I climbed there in the middle of winter. Feeling the whole Pontus region, the history behind it....it is truely magical.

You'll like these:

The cave monastery in Vardzia, in Javakhk, Georgia







Horomayri Monastery, Lori Marz, Armenia

[John I Tzimisces]

1st of all, the armenian girls in the pictures... I approve

and second of all, iranians don't look much like indians, lol.

I think the point is it's irrelevant if you're Muslim and visiting Armenia. The primary difficulty is that there is only one operating mosque, in capital.

1. It's not as though someone can tell a person is muslim by physical appearance.
2. You're pretty much as likely to be harassed for being dark-skinned or whatever as you are anywhere else. I think it helps that hayastancis themselves really run the gamut...

[The Noble Lord]

Those monasteries carved out of the mountains are really amazing, how long it took them to accomplish such a feat.

[Captain Jin]

How's the night life? I have a buddy living in Yerevan right now and he says it's kind of pretty boring...

[John I Tzimisces]

How's the night life? I have a buddy living in Yerevan right now and he says it's kind of pretty boring...

There are bars and clubs freaking everywhere in Yerevan

[Armenum]

How's the night life? I have a buddy living in Yerevan right now and he says it's kind of pretty boring...

He just doesn't know where to go. There's hundreds of great cafes, several clubs. In the casino district, you can find some things to do at night . Yeah you can't compare Yerevan's night life with that of Paris of Moscow, but there's still some night life.

[Captain Jin]

According to him there are many bars and clubs yes, but they are all empty or have like ten old guys in them. He said the best place in the city was shut down and they're waiting for it to find another location.

[Copperknickers II]

Armenia reminds me of Scotland, except better. What's the culture like, ie food, character, liberality? Is Armenia one of those volatile former Soviet Republics or is it relatively stable and welcoming?

[John I Tzimisces]

According to him there are many bars and clubs yes, but they are all empty or have like ten old guys in them. He said the best place in the city was shut down and they're waiting for it to find another location.

Going out to drink is a new-ish thing in Yerevan. Why go out to drink when you can drink at home. Or at work. All day.

I suppose I could recommend "Stoyka." used to be called "Cheers" before it went under new management (the old owner was an istanbul armenian living in yerevan as an artist or something), and the place is "american/boston themed." that said it's like a terrifying dungeon but I guess the alcohol helps one not notice that (considering the ventilation is like a broken AC unit and everyone smokes everywhere at all times)

Armenia reminds me of Scotland, except better. What's the culture like, ie food, character, liberality? Is Armenia one of those volatile former Soviet Republics or is it relatively stable and welcoming?

lol I don't know about scotland, scotland is not a former soviet republic :lol

People are familiar with foreigners, tourists, what have you. Tourists in Armenia that aren't diaspora armenians are an odd sort, though. Since, ya know, who goes on vacation in Armenia? Seriously, come on

People are genuinely usually polite and aren't likely to get in your face. There are shady characters in every country though. Taxi drivers are likely to charge you a little more as a foreigner, but it's in the order of like 30 cents more, or, in the case of more brazen attempts at ripping you off, like a dollar more. In cases like that it's really up to you as to how to react (best choice is really just to establish how much the ride is going to cost before you make the trip)

Yerevan is a very safe city by every account I've heard (IE, from my archaeology professor, Archaeology graduate students at my school, friends, family, priests, etc) and my own personal experience. The trouble is is that it is pretty easy for someone to realize you aren't from around there, and that if you're, say, from Britain or the US, you're probably carrying a lot more money on than the locals. Not saying you're going to get mugged, it's just really something to think about.

People generally dress pretty conservatively, but it's not a conservative atmosphere in the sense of "what is this woman doing walking around on her own??"

Street food is INFINITELY better than restaurant food. Restaurant are a real pain although the kind of tips that are expected are smaller than what I'm used to (10-20 percent is generally the norm for me. I don't know about the UK). The tendency is for them to bring out food when it's done rather than bring out everyone's orders all at once...so you get awkward waits as some people have their meal and some people don't. So, stick with street food. It's always a good bet. Just don't call "shawarma" "doner" and you'll be ok.

oh, and rather importantly, if you don't speak russian or either dialect of armenian, english is spoken by maybe at most one in 5 people in Yerevan (and that's the place to be for finding english speakers), and most commonly amongst younger folks.

Also, I hope you like cilantro because it's in bloody everything (much to my disgust )

[Copperknickers II]

lol I don't know about scotland, scotland is not a former soviet republic :lol

Hehe, no, we managed to keep the Russians out. I mean in terms of scenery and the fact there are lots of old medieval churches and castles everywhere.

People are familiar with foreigners, tourists, what have you. Tourists in Armenia that aren't diaspora armenians are an odd sort, though. Since, ya know, who goes on vacation in Armenia? Seriously, come on

Indeed. Most Scottish tourists are diaspora Scots from Canada or Australia, but we get a good few from Europe and Japan or the US that aren't of Scottish descent, who just like the history and the scenery. And judging from the pics in this thread, Armenia's scenery and history are if anything more beautiful and better preserved than they are here.

Yerevan is a very safe city by every account I've heard (IE, from my archaeology professor, Archaeology graduate students at my school, friends, family, priests, etc) and my own personal experience. The trouble is is that it is pretty easy for someone to realize you aren't from around there, and that if you're, say, from Britain or the US, you're probably carrying a lot more money on than the locals. Not saying you're going to get mugged, it's just really something to think about.

Indeed. I'm used to dangerous places having been brought up in Glasgow and London. Even in megacities like London or NYC its easy enough to avoid crime just through common sense. Plus luckily i am part Indian so i can pass off as anything from Spanish to Armenian to Iranian, at a casual glance anyway.

People generally dress pretty conservatively, but it's not a conservative atmosphere in the sense of "what is this woman doing walking around on her own??"

In what sense then? Would i be considerably out of place if i wore a tank top or shorts or general American/Western European style clothes? Any specific areas of your body you need to cover? What's the climate like in Armenia, i suppose its pretty warm eh?

Street food is INFINITELY better than restaurant food. Restaurant are a real pain although the kind of tips that are expected are smaller than what I'm used to (10-20 percent is generally the norm for me. I don't know about the UK). The tendency is for them to bring out food when it's done rather than bring out everyone's orders all at once...so you get awkward waits as some people have their meal and some people don't. So, stick with street food. It's always a good bet. Just don't call "shawarma" "doner" and you'll be ok.

I had a shawarma the other day, i love them. Yes, tips in the UK are also 10% or so, and i usually ask for food to be brought out when its done here anyway. But street food is a good idea, we aren't so used to that here in Scotland because you'd end up frozen solid if you tried to eat anything outside in winter.

Oh, and rather importantly, if you don't speak russian or either dialect of armenian, english is spoken by maybe at most one in 5 people in Yerevan (and that's the place to be for finding english speakers), and most commonly amongst younger folks.

Hm... that's a bit of a problem, i speak a few languages but Slavic ones are not included in those.

Also, I hope you like cilantro because it's in bloody everything (much to my disgust )

Its similar here in Britain actually its very common and restaurants put buckets of it into everything. Fortunately i love it though. I will have to visit Armenia at some point, as soon as i get my Russian up to standard, or maybe get an Armenian or Russian friend.

[John I Tzimisces]

Indeed. I'm used to dangerous places having been brought up in Glasgow and London. Even in megacities like London or NYC its easy enough to avoid crime just through common sense. Plus luckily i am part Indian so i can pass off as anything from Spanish to Armenian to Iranian, at a casual glance anyway.

They're pretty good at it, hah, if not from the fact you don't speak the language, then the way you carry yourself, or the way you dress (IE, if it's 90 degrees F out, and you're a guy, and you're wearing shorts, you're not from around there )

In what sense then? Would i be considerably out of place if i wore a tank top or shorts or general American/Western European style clothes? Any specific areas of your body you need to cover? What's the climate like in Armenia, i suppose its pretty warm eh?

They project a sense of severity that is really very skin deep, so they tend to dress conservatively, act reserved (unless alcohol is involved, but as I think I said earlier going out to eat or drink is still in the process of catching on), etc. The other real dress code is in term of religious services, in the sense it's rude to have your shoulders showing at church services and you'll be given a small shawl, if you're a woman. Honestly you could behave completely out of ordinary and it's not like you'll be arrested, but it's all about drawing attention to oneself and if you want to do that in a country where you don't speak the language...
as for the climate, it's a temperate semi-arid continental climate I would say. The air is dry, and it gets very cold in winters, and pretty hot in summers (peaking in July), although the climate is noticeable wetter in the north near georgia (also the only place you can expect to see forests). For such a small country just how different the country feels from one end to the next is a little disconcerting, hah.

I had a shawarma the other day, i love them. Yes, tips in the UK are also 10% or so, and i usually ask for food to be brought out when its done here anyway. But street food is a good idea, we aren't so used to that here in Scotland because you'd end up frozen solid if you tried to eat anything outside in winter.

I think I heard british are stingy tippers That goes well in hand with the armenian tipping culture (which kinda amounts to "whatever." )

Its similar here in Britain actually its very common and restaurants put buckets of it into everything. Fortunately i love it though.

eh, I couldn't stand it by the end of my stay, and it was kinda hilarious that my mom went there for the first time a month after I did, and came back with the same response, and now we're extra careful when we're out shopping for parsley...

[therussian]

John:

I don't know what you're talking about "conservative". Sure, they don't go around wearing booty shorts, but it's not like women are wearing ankle-length skirts

Also, I love cilantro, and other herbs/greens. It's a truly Armenian habit, to eat herbs with a meal. And its really only an Armenian thing. Not sure about the Azeris or Georgians, but the Russians find it absolutely ridiculous, as if we're cows or something.

[Armenum]

In Armenia, different people wear different clothes. The majority of youth wear European designer clothes and dress very nicely. Usually also wear more formal shoes. There also a minority of youths who dress just plain. People don't wear shorts that much also but I often see people wearing shorts on the other hand during the summer.

There's a lot of tourists in Armenia especially from western europe like Germany & France. I often see large tourists buses and many tourists walking through Yerevan. Tourism is growing very quickly as people come to see the beautiful Armenian mountain ranges and springs. Being part of a tourist group is the best thing to do however.

Yerevan is a modern city, there's a Marriot, Best Western hotels, there's supermarkets with all the products you'll find in Europe, there's european designer stores everywhere (e.g. Armani), many many outdoor cafes. Of course there are poor spots especially outside the center but where isn't there? Ever been in outskirts of Praha?

[John I Tzimisces]

John:

I don't know what you're talking about "conservative". Sure, they don't go around wearing booty shorts, but it's not like women are wearing ankle-length skirts

Also, I love cilantro, and other herbs/greens. It's a truly Armenian habit, to eat herbs with a meal. And its really only an Armenian thing. Not sure about the Azeris or Georgians, but the Russians find it absolutely ridiculous, as if we're cows or something.

I guess armenia would be relatively liberal compared to the third world country you live in
Although seriously if you don't think Hayastantsis dress more conservatively than Europeans or Americans you need to get your eyes checked. If a grown man is wearing shorts and sandals he gets looks

as for cilantro, it's gross, tastes like soap, I therefore conclude that if one likes cilantro one must also like the taste of soap, end of discussion. THERE IS NO COMPROMISE IN HAYASTAN

[therussian]

That's because no self respecting fashionisto would ever wear shorts or sandals.

[karo]

John they aren't conservative at all, look at what some of the girls n Yerevan are wearing. They sometimes were even less than girls in Europe and America.

And what guy would want to were shorts and sandals in Yerevan you must be crazy.

[John I Tzimisces]

John they aren't conservative at all, look at what some of the girls n Yerevan are wearing. They sometimes were even less than girls in Europe and America.

Seriously.

And what guy would want to were shorts and sandals in Yerevan you must be crazy.

Generally translates to "that guy is either gay or american"

[karo]

Seriously.



Generally translates to "that guy is either gay or american"

Isn't that the same with what I posted