For our first morning in Armenia, we had a relaxing breakfast at the hotel with many options: fruits, breads, eggs, pastries, dried figs and rojig (similar to a very thick fruit roll up with walnuts inside), ham and cheese, chicken kebab and feta salad. The coffee from the automatic dispensing machines left a lot to be desired after two weeks of Italian espressos and cappuccinos.

We started siteseeing at the Vernisage, the city’s outdoor market. Stall after stall of vendors selling jewelry, chatchkes, backgammon boards, and skewers to grill meat.

It reached 100 degrees today so we stopped for another bad cappuccino and a peach iced tea which was very good.

From the Vernisage we walked into Republic Square, marveling at the buildings and foundations, reading a bit about Armenian history outside the art museum, and in general just taking in the surroundings. Benches throughout the city are decorative and carved with the word “Yerevan.” The buildings are a mix of Soviet-era architecture, looking like spaceships from Star Wars, built with travertine stone, or something a bit more modern, like you’d find in any major European city. There are so many shops and stalls selling fruit smoothies, ice cream, and iced tea. Outdoor water fountains are plentiful and the water is ice cold. We’ve heard a lot of languages spoken: Russian, French, German, English and even seen some Asian tourists.

We walked through an underground shopping plaza and saw the exterior of the Opera House. Lunch was at Falafel Food Court for under ten dollars: a lamejun (Armenian pizza), a chicken shawarma sandwich, and a grilled mangal khachapuri which was like a giant cheese filled breadstick, a sparkling water and a beer.

We then went to the Cascade, a Soviet-era stone complex of outdoor terraces, fountains and art displays. Nearly 600 steps to get to the top but thankfully there’s an escalator inside the Cascade to reach the top and then we could walk down. At the top of the Cascade there are sweeping views of the city of Yerevan and then an unfinished section as the USSR paused work on the Cascade when they needed funds directed to the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Work is underway now to complete the structure which is mostly an art gallery but used for lectures and events as well.

Very hot after the walk down the Cascade, we paused for a beer before walking back to the hotel to enjoy the rest of the afternoon in the hotel pool.

For dinner we ate at Anteb: hummus, fatoush salad, a spicy Anteb lamejun, and adana kebab. It was all delicious and we’ll definitely go back.

Late night we watched a bit of the music and light show at the fountain in Republic Square and then caught up with two friends at the outdoor bar at the Marriott. I have a feeling we’ll be spending a lot of time there throughout the trip as it’s a central meeting place for a lot of the event’s activities.