First steps outside Europe - Armenia

When I landed in Yerevan on a night of early October, I did not know what to expect. I only knew that I had no internet and needed to head to the city centre. Luckily, an Italian couple that I found on the flight helped me and gave me a ride.

The city immediately presented itself in its colossal Soviet past, detectable by its architecture: in the middle of the night, the Republic Square was lit up by its surrounding buildings: the History Museum, the National Gallery, and the Parliament, accompanied by bubbling fountains in the centre.

As soon as I arrived at the hostel, I was offered some tea: homemade, Armenian tea, an immersion into flavours of light and fresh fruits. Then I headed off to sleep, ignoring the fact that I came into a country that would constantly surprise me.

Armenia is not Europe, at least to my eyes. Considering its closeness to the European continent, and the talks of Georgia joining the European Union, I would have thought that Armenia could resemble Europe, at least in its eastern part. I was wrong. The influence of the Soviet Union and of Russia is so much more present than I expected, while at the same time the people have a deep care and feeling for their own nation, which results in a fascinating combination of thoughts, traditions, and landscapes.

Yerevan is buzzing with life, with mostly young people walking the streets day and night. They stare you deep into your eyes, in an attempt to understand who you are and what’s your business in their country. Such a stare is not driven by malice; on the opposite, it has been described to me as mere curiosity. Nevertheless, it takes a while to get used to.

The aesthetic beauty of Armenia can be found not only in the cities, but especially in the countryside, where one would find mostly villages busy with their agricultural and farming days. Wherever there is a monastery, there are not only centuries worth of history and the pride of Armenians; there are also stunning landscapes, with rivers, canyons, hills, mountains, and forests. Yellow grass was dominating the scenery, but unexplored places were just behind the corner, sometimes announced by the singing of choirs that echoed from the inside of a monastery.

In Yerevan, I rarely met the typical European tourist. There were mostly travellers engaged in routes taking months, Russians escaping their country, and workers and tourists from countries I had little to do with before, such as Lebanon, Iran, and Central Asia. Speaking broken Russian had become a daily necessity in a country where many don’t know a word of English; learning about distant countries became a regular pleasure.

In the company of equally amazing wine and people, I learnt about the story of Molana Rumi, central to Muslim religion, the life in Tajikistan, the traditions of Armenia, and much more. I conversed about freedom and politics, travels and jobs, dreams and reality. When there was silence, there was space for exploration, learning, and reflection.

I went from city to countryside, exploring hills and forests, and being welcomed everywhere. Bread, cheese, fruits, and coffee accompanied me throughout my trip, adding taste to the experiences. Armenia was unexpected, yet not difficult to adapt to. It taught me a different lifestyle and values, and opened my eyes to places I had never seen before.