IJEVAN - the land of swaying palm trees...
On Saturday afternoon me and Zabel went to Yerevan's north-end bus station with Aaron and Sarah, two of the approx 70 peace corps volunteers in Armenia. Aaron is stationed there and I had passed through a few times and from what I had seen, really wanted to spend more time there. From the bus station, we caught a minibus to Ijevan for $3 and began the 2 and a half hour ride (2 hours by car). The countryside is still quite green and a bit after passing Lake Sevan the minibus invariably stops so that passengers can hop out to purchase fresh fish as long as your forearm which cost about 20 for a dollar (30 dram each). Just after this point, the countryside is thickly forested for the rest of the way. Winding down the switchbacks to Dilijan you are happy knowing there is only 20 minutes to go to get there.
Ijevan is a medium sized town, with 14,000 registered voters. (Whatever population that may imply). Built in a comfortable river valley between two steep forested mountain ranges, it has a lot of traditional architecture, parks, sculptures, and great great weather. The people are friendly and welcoming, with their own slow and abbreviated dialect. Although we have been greeted with all kinds of hospitality, this is the first place people just stopped to say welcome ("Pari Kalust") and continue on their way. The town had a very lively feeling and a nice little river running down the center. After all of the Soviet architecture of Yerevan, the red tile roofs and wooden balconies are a really nice change of pace, and the thick forests around and in the town make every walk a pleasant one. The one tree which caught me off guard was the palm tree. There were a few of these growing in the town. I know the weather is much better than in Yerevan (warmer winters, cooler summers, more rainfall) but I just was not ready for even these little trees which I had never seen growing anywhere else in Armenia. The only other place I have ever seen them around is in Marduni, Karabakh. One park, the site of an on-the-spot Soviet sculpting competition is jammed with dozens of interesting scultures that are quite fun to explore. There is nothing concrete that you "must-see" in Ijevan, but a few days and nights there are very rewarding and relaxing indeed.
That evening we met two other Peace Corps volunteers stationed in Ijevan and a friend from Yerevan joined us for a refreshing gazpacho (sp?). After turning in early at Jesse's house and a good nights sleep, we explored a lot more of the town before slowly heading back to Yerevan, wondering when we would be back for our next visit.
On Saturday afternoon me and Zabel went to Yerevan's north-end bus station with Aaron and Sarah, two of the approx 70 peace corps volunteers in Armenia. Aaron is stationed there and I had passed through a few times and from what I had seen, really wanted to spend more time there. From the bus station, we caught a minibus to Ijevan for $3 and began the 2 and a half hour ride (2 hours by car). The countryside is still quite green and a bit after passing Lake Sevan the minibus invariably stops so that passengers can hop out to purchase fresh fish as long as your forearm which cost about 20 for a dollar (30 dram each). Just after this point, the countryside is thickly forested for the rest of the way. Winding down the switchbacks to Dilijan you are happy knowing there is only 20 minutes to go to get there.
Ijevan is a medium sized town, with 14,000 registered voters. (Whatever population that may imply). Built in a comfortable river valley between two steep forested mountain ranges, it has a lot of traditional architecture, parks, sculptures, and great great weather. The people are friendly and welcoming, with their own slow and abbreviated dialect. Although we have been greeted with all kinds of hospitality, this is the first place people just stopped to say welcome ("Pari Kalust") and continue on their way. The town had a very lively feeling and a nice little river running down the center. After all of the Soviet architecture of Yerevan, the red tile roofs and wooden balconies are a really nice change of pace, and the thick forests around and in the town make every walk a pleasant one. The one tree which caught me off guard was the palm tree. There were a few of these growing in the town. I know the weather is much better than in Yerevan (warmer winters, cooler summers, more rainfall) but I just was not ready for even these little trees which I had never seen growing anywhere else in Armenia. The only other place I have ever seen them around is in Marduni, Karabakh. One park, the site of an on-the-spot Soviet sculpting competition is jammed with dozens of interesting scultures that are quite fun to explore. There is nothing concrete that you "must-see" in Ijevan, but a few days and nights there are very rewarding and relaxing indeed.
That evening we met two other Peace Corps volunteers stationed in Ijevan and a friend from Yerevan joined us for a refreshing gazpacho (sp?). After turning in early at Jesse's house and a good nights sleep, we explored a lot more of the town before slowly heading back to Yerevan, wondering when we would be back for our next visit.
posted by Raffi K. at 8:34 PM
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