We stayed at a hotel call the Elysium Gallery, and arriving there reminded me not to choose hotels with fancy-sounding names. They may be trying to compensate for something. Don't get me wrong, the place was comfortable enough. It was just... Armenian. I mean what do you expect from a mid-range hotel in the former USSR, except a place where you enter the bathroom through the shower and push back the curtain to get to the toilet? The people were helpful and the bed was comfy, but our power went out because three hundred electrical cords were snarled together into one switchboard. Every day after a lovely breakfast, we would return to a room with no towels. The cleaning lady needed to wash them and hang them out the window to dry all afternoon before giving them back in the evening.
Yerevan is filled with grand avenues and huge statues. The Soviets built buildings to last, though those buildings now fly the Armenian flag. Sprouting off of the grand avenues are dusty streets, lined with decaying apartment blocks and half-finished construction projects. The place that really represented Armenia to us was the Cascades - huge white steps in the center of town, dotted with sculptures and fountains. They are truly impressive and as you climb and climb them, they suddenly just stop. A huge section is unfinished and has been under construction for a decade or so. After a detour on some gravelly roads you finish the climb at a wide plaza with a tall tower. To your right is a park that used to house a huge statue of Jozsef Stalin. Now Stalin is gone and replaced by a sculpture of Mother Armenia, a woman warrior holding a sword.
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| Park in Yerevan |
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| Cascades |
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| Cascade construction |
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| Mother Armenia |
Armenians are quick to fly their flag and erect their statues because, since 1990, they finally have a country to call their own. Before the Soviets took over there were the Ottoman Turks. Before them came the Persians and the Byzantines. Armenia has been ruled by foreign powers for ages, and Armenians have been broken down for just as long. Now they are trying to rebound, furiously flying their flags. Recovery seems slow, but in Yerevan you can spot a Lexus and a BMW here and there.
Around Yerevan there are signs that say "remember and demand." The slogan refers to the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian genocide. Over 1.5 million people were killed and they are honored at the Genocide Memorial and Museum.
Note: I learned that 43 U.S. states have recognized the genocide, but since Ronald Reagan, U.S. presidents have refused to use that term in fear of alienating Turkey, our ally and the perpetrator.
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| Genocide Memorial |
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| Brian gazes at Mt. Ararat from the Genocide Memorial |
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| Remember and demand |
Trying to find a better life, Armenians have emigrated all over the world (much like the Irish, the Polish and so many others). Famous Armenian-American Kim Kardashian visited Yerevan a couple of years ago. Some developer gave her a big house, in case she ever wanted to come and live in Armenia. That seems silly - she could just stay at the Elysium Gallery instead.
The constant reminder to remember and demand keeps the Armenians on guard, proud, conscious of who their enemies are, wary of who else might want to invade. Mother Armenia, sword in hand, watches over the city ready to defend them. Maybe the campaigns were not working, because people were all very kind to us and not demanding at all. Every Armenian man seems to wear a black leather jacket. Every Armenian woman seems to wear heels and heavy makeup. They didn't look like they were from Wisconsin, but they did show us some Midwestern kindness.
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