Welcome to the potholed roads of Armenia, where the old Lada is a much more common sighting than bordering GeorgiaThe town of Alaverdi is an industrial town…and the smokestacks are one of the biggest visions of this townBut with a certain sense of ruinSoviet style apartment blocks line the cityand when combined with the Soviet style carsand buses!and even more dreary apartment buildingsBut tucked into the town is the Sanahin Monastery ComplexFor a while, I was the only one inside the complex besides maintenance folksIt was just magicalFor aesthetics, I suggest heading northbound to Haghpat, which sits perched upon the green valleys aroundbeautiful religious art in stone, but don’t expect any sort of ornate work in these old churchesa pack of birds are fluttering about inside HaghpatStop along the main road for a view over the alleybefore arriving at the northernmost of the monasteries, AkhtalaI had the place to myselfA sign of the Soviet past – atheism by way of burning the faces on religious paintingsbut these have been either restored or preservedThe surrounding hillsLife just feels so different in Northern Armenia than bordering Georgia.
The Lonely Explorer - A Blog About Traveling Alone Across the Globe 