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Georgia-Armenia 2024 Day 3: Armenia-Symphony of Stones

Georgia-Armenia 2024 Day 3: 19th September (Thursday)

Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Georgia & Armenia:
Day 3 - Yerevan to Symphony of Stones.

Yerevan (Bloom Hotel)>Charents' Arch>Garni Temple>Symphony of Stones>Yerevan>Republic Square>Tamanyan Park>Yerevan Cascade>Northern Avenue Yerevan>Vernissage Market >Republic Square>Bloom Hotel.

This is page 3 of a 14-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.

< D2: Yerevan 01 | Go to Other Days | D4: Dilijan >

?Route recommendations, here're some tips on travelling in and around Tbilisi (Georgia):

1. Traffic Directions!

Driving in Georgia is left-hand drive, with a speed limit of 60 km/h in cities and towns, and 80 km/h in other areas unless indicated otherwise. Armenia is also left-hand drive, so in both Georgia and Armenia drive/cycle on the right.

2. Immigration & Customs Requirements

For Armenia, visas have to be applied by Malaysians, which cost 7€ (21 days validity). Click here for Armenia visa application policy, and click here for the E-visa application portal. Keep a soft copy in your phone to show to immigration, and a hard copy just in case.

For both countries, after clearing immigration, one will have to go through customs. We had to carry our luggage personally through. They are green lanes for those with nothing to declare; for duty-free good exemption, click here for Georgia's regulations, and here for Armenia's. Our vans had to go through the vehicles' lanes.

3. Getting to and around Georgia & Armenia.

Major airlines serve both Georgia & Armenia. We flew from KLIA Terminal 1 into and out of Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport via Qatar Airways, with transit at Doha. It would have been time-saving into Armenia via Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport; but we naively erred on the side of caution. Our airfares were bought during the MATA Travel Fair via promotions by the RHB Debit Card, the return fare cost us between MYR 2,800 to 3,200.
We got around both countries by using a local long-chassis Mercedes Sprinter Van with an extended rear luggage section for the 16 of us, and a Mercedes V-Class 7-seater van for another four of us who enlisted later. The rides were generally comfortable as most were on tarred roads with some stretches of gravel roads.
For harsher rides we used smaller local vans with drivers familiar to the rougher, steeper roads - this was to the Gergeti Trinity Church, Ushguli Village, Koruldi Lakes and Chalaadi Glacier.

There were a couple of free days to explore Tbilisi by ourselves, but it is possible to use the Uber Georgia app to get further around. Other ride-hailing alternatives are Bolt, Yandex and Taxi Maxim.

4. Places & Things of Interest

Enroute were several places of interest, some of which we visited and others we did not for lack of time (Note: click on GPS coordinates for a directional map to respective places):
a. Mother Armenia Statue (Մայր Հայաստան Հուշարձան) (GPS: 40.19518, 44.52473).
b. Yerevan TV Tower (GPS: 40.17120, 44.53663).
c. Charents' Arch (Չարենցի Կամար) (GPS: 40.17365, 44.63660).
d. Garni Temple (GPS: 40.11239, 44.73020).
e. Garni Gorge (GPS: 40.10958, 44.73094).
f. Symphony of Stones (Քարերի սիմֆոնիա) (GPS: 40.11583, 44.74141).
g. Garni Canyon (GPS: 40.11796, 44.74203).
h. Charents Museum of Literature and Arts (Եղիշե Չարենցի անվան Գրականության և Արվեստի Թանգարան) (GPS: 40.17892, 44.51445).
i. Armenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (Օպերայի և բալետի ազգային ակադեմիական թատրոն) (GPS: 40.18585, 44.51508).
j. Alexander Tamanian Statue (Ալեքսանդր Թամանյանի արձան) (GPS: 40.18864, 44.51532) at Tamanyan Park dedicated to Alexander Tamanian.
k. The many modern & unique sculptures at Tamanyan Park including the "Smoking Woman" Sculpture (GPS: 40.18979, 44.51544).
l. Yerevan Cascade (Կասկադ համալիր) (GPS: 40.19110, 44.51562).
m. Cafesjian Center for the Arts (Գաֆէսճեան արվեստի կենտրոն) (GPS: 40.19039, 44.51541).
n. Northern Avenue Yerevan (Հյուսիսային պողոտա) (GPS: 40.18133, 44.51458).
o. Republic Square Yerevan (Հանրապետության հրապարակ) (GPS: 40.17768, 44.51264).
p. Yerevan Vernissage Flea Market (Վերնիսաժ) (GPS: 40.17581, 44.51835).

5. Food

a. Breakfast:

Inclusive Western/Armenian Fare at Nuryan Hotel (GPS: 40.17001, 44.52426).

b. Lunch:

Pumpkin Cream Soup with Foie Gras, 2. Lamb Entrecote, 3. Mussels in Wine Sauce &, 4. Dargett Stout (Դարգեթ Ստաուտ) at Seasons Restaurant (Սիզնս Ռեստորան) (GPS: 40.18257, 44.50879).
c. Dinner:
Gianni Salad, Pesto Spaghetti, Bacon & Parsley Pizza at Mozzarella Yerevan (GPS: 40.17898, 44.51486).

6. Accommodations

At Yerevan, we stayed two nights at the Bloom Hotel Yerevan (GPS: 40.16995, 44.52462). The alternate hotel for the smaller group was the Nuryan Hotel (GPS: 40.17001, 44.52426). This cost was included in the overall ground arrangements.

7. Tour Costs & Arrangements

Return air tickets bought during the MATA Travel Fair/RHB Debit Card promotions were between MYR 2,800 to 3,200.

The ground arrangements tour package included a 10-passenger van to take us around, starting from & returning to Tbilisi. It also included 3-star hotels/homestays. The charge per pax for this ground arrangement was at MYR7,400. This excluded meals (other than hotel breakfasts & 3 dinners at Mestia), airport transfers, most entry tickets and tips. This allows for individuals to have meals according to their own liking & budget. Allow per meal should be adequate.

On average, the overall tour cost worked out to be around RM950 to RM1,000 per day. For those interested in this tour, contact Eddie at +6012-6122600 for more details and updated costs.

For out-of-pocket spending, we exchange some Georgian Lari (GEL) and Armenian Dram (AMD) in the respective countries. Some brought along their Wise debit cards to use; one can pre-load the card with the local currency. Or let it auto-deduct the currencies existing in the card. We found that it deducted other currencies first before deducting Malaysian Ringgit.

8. Communicating with Each Other

When travelling in a group it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest. Georgia pre-paid sim cards are easily available and cost 5 GEL to 20 GEL, depending on the provider and the included benefits. While Armenian pre-paid SIM cards range from AMD 1000 to AMD 3000. Those in our tour group pre-ordered their SIM cards through our Georgian guide.

Those who use Maxis as their telco, can purchase the Maxis Roaming Pass. The RM89 15-day Multi-country Roaming Pass covers many countries including Georgia, Armenia and Qatar.
The Pass can be bought before the trip with a designated starting time/date, BUT DO TURN OFF your data roaming just before the Roaming Pass expires OTHERWISE any subsequent usage will automatically trigger off the 1-Day Roaming Pass costing between RM29 to RM38 per day!

9. Communicating with Locals

At favourite tourist destinations, locals may speak fairly good English. At the smaller towns, locals speak some rudimentary English, and our local guide was most helpful in translating for us.

10. Weather

Day temperatures in the lowlands for both countries in September is around the mid-20s while evening temperatures are around the mid-10s. Up in the highlands (like Stepantsminda & Mestia) day temperatures are in the mid-10s and can close to zero at night. We were fortunate that there was a warm front, and temperatures were warmer than expected.

Useful weather forecast sites for Georgia & Armenia is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.

11. Navigation

I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.

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PRELUDE

The day before, travelled from Tbilisi to Yerevan and en route visited the Haghpat Monastery, and ended the day with a sumptuous Armenian Fare at Tavern Yerevan.

Today we head out to the outskirts to visit a temple and also some of Mother Nature's handiwork. After that, we returned to Yerevan to take a walk around the city and visit several tourist spots.

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DAY 3: YEREVAN-SYMPHONY OF STONES

Guided Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Georgia & Armenia:

Day 3 - Yerevan to Symphony of Stones.

(Click here for the Georgia-Armenia Day 3:Armenia-Symphony of Stones Route Map)

Good Morning from Yerevan. From our hotel we espied two interesting structures:
1. Mother Armenia Statue. - Mother Armenia (Mayr Hayastan) is a female personification of Armenia. Her most public visual rendering is a monumental statue in Victory Park overlooking Yerevan. In 1967, this statue designed by Ara Harutyunyan, replaced a statue of Joseph Stalin, sitting on the same base..
2. Yerevan TV Tower - this 311.7-metre (1,023 ft) high lattice tower built in 1977 on Nork Hill is the tallest structure in the Caucasus.

Breakfast at Nuryan Hotel - a mix of Western and Armenian Fare.

Heading out of Yerevan to tour the outskirts; many houses in the city were pink in colour, from the pink volcanic rock used to build many of the buildings - hence its name, "The Pink City".

Fifteen km and thirty minutes later we were at Charents' Arch, erected in 1957, dedicated to Yeghishe Charents, the renowned Armenian poet and activist - we will talk of him later. The arch is made with basalt on the exterior and a distinct native orange tuff for the interior.

Nice panorama views from the arch.

10:30am - At the Garni Temple; it's the easternmost building of the Greco-Roman world and was built by King Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr (Mithra). Wow! Didn't realise that the Greeks and the Romans spread out this far north-east. No wonder that this temple reminded me of the Parthenon.....

..... and it got me into this deep thought, wondering about these ancient cultures and how they had interacted with other Asia Minor cultures!

Our next destination, the Symphony of Stones, had my thoughts going in the other direction - from people & culture to a jaw-dropping amazement of the power of Nature! How this stupendous, geometrical wonder was created is really intriguing.

And then Standing Tall trying to match the artistry of the stones.

The Symphony of Stones, is sometimes called the “Basalt Organ” due to its resemblance to a pipe organ.

Back at Yerevan, we were dropped off at Republic Square, Vashya took us on a guided walk around the town. Passed by the Charents Museum, named after Yeghishe Charents. Charents' literary subject matter ranged from his experiences in the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and frequently on Armenia and Armenians. He is recognised as "the main poet of the 20th century" in Armenia.

Lunch was at Seasons Restaurant:
Pumpkin Cream Soup with Foie Gras, Lamb Entrecote, Mussels in Wine Sauce &, 4. Dargett Stout (Դարգեթ Ստաուտ). Silly us, forgot that Armenia is a land-locked country and ordered the mussels hoping that they would be as nice as those we had in Brussels. Unfortunately, they were not that fresh, AND it was the most expensive dish of our order lunch.

Alexander Tamanian Statue at the Tamanyan Park leading to the Yerevan Cascade.

From the Tamanyan Park to the top of the Yerevan Cascade, there were many architectural and art pieces; including the "Impala Leap" sculpture at the bottom park, and a stylised fountain at the top of the cascade.

Some of the cute artwork at the park includes the "Big Blue Kiwi", and the "Gatto" (Cat).

While taking the escalators up to the top, there are some impressive art pieces from the adjacent Cafesjian Center for the Arts museum.

Some of the nice art pieces seen: a batik orchid and the "Divers" sculpture.

Climbing up the Cascade Complex, there are picturesque bird’s eye views of the city at the mid-platforms and the topmost one. The view gets better as one goes higher up.

Coming down we took the Northern Avenue, a wide boulevard cutting diagonally across the city and leading back to Republic Square.

Republic Square holds many of the country's important administrative buildings, such as the History Museum of Armenia, the Government House of Armenia (with its chiming Clock Tower), the National Gallery of Armenia, the former Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Armenia Marriott Hotel and Singing Fountains.

With time to spare, we visited the Vernissage Flea Market about a kilometre away. Our effort to walk there was to nought, the stalls here close at 6:00pm and we could only spend fifteen minutes there. But frankly, most of the stalls sold the same knick-knacks and souvenirs, and there were very few food stalls.

On the walk back to the square, dinner was at Mozzarella Yerevan, an Italian food restaurant. We had Gianni Salad, Pesto Spaghetti, Bacon & Parsley Pizza, all of which were yummylicious.

Night has set in and we were rewarded with some beautiful views - like the arches at the side of the National Gallery of Armenia, nicely lit in surrealistic red.

Night views of Republic Square, with the back-lit arches being very attractive.