Yerevan, Armenia

The following are sights and sounds from Yerevan.

We passed these trees on the way to the hotel from the airport.
They reminded me of home.  My father painted the trees in our yard.
Funny the things you remember.

This is a view from my window.

This is another view from my window.
There seems to be an economic upturn
because there are construction sites all over the city.

Our first stop was to this museum.
The genocide occurred in 1915 where it is estimated
between 1 million and 1.5 million people were killed.
It was sobering.  

This is the outside of the museum.  Most of it was closed for renovation.
The solemn gray color reflects the chronicled heartache that the people endured.

On the way to the outdoor exhibit, there is a small field
dedicated to the memory of the lives lost in the genocide
and to the countries that recognize this atrocity.

I wanted you to hear the haunting music that played in the memorial area.

There are these nameplates around each tree recognizing the giver.
There are countries represented and organizations and individuals.
Forty-two states of the US recognize the genocide,
but the federal government has not.

This is Tsitsernakaberd.
It is the monument that holds the eternal flame and
the spire that represents Armenia.
The spire is divided to show the portion of the country that was lost in the war on the left.

There are twelve columns that represent the twelve lost provinces in present day Turkey.

I'm standing in front of the eternal flame.

This is the Matenadaren, which holds thousands of ancient manuscripts.

This is the Cafesjian Museum of Art.  It is a magnificent public art display.
It is lined with benches and makes for a wonderful place to relax and people watch.
It stretches for about four blocks.

Whimsical display.

A fat cat.

A seal?

This picture doesn't do this justice.  It is a man made of a collage of metal letters.

This statue stands at the entrance of the museum.

This lady was by far the most photographed.
It seemed everyone wanted a picture with her.
She was guarded by security to prevent her from being touched.

Front view.

Rear view.

We have one more day here, then we return home on Tuesday.

More soon.