Day 34 Armenia - Garni, Geghard, Lake Sevan, and Dilijan

On this day, we started our journey to Garni at around 9 o'clock with a pleasant temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. Armen, one of my Armenian acquaintances, offered to show us Garni and its surroundings. We went in his car, which was a relief after dealing with chaotic taxi drivers. It was nice to ride with a sensible person who used his car responsibly. I was able to enjoy the scenery without having to focus on the road, as I have been driving every mile myself, except for a few taxi rides within the city.

Garni is home to an ancient temple where the god of fire, as I understood it, was worshipped. Inside the temple, there used to be a water basin that was illuminated twice a year by the sun shining through a hole in the ceiling, creating the illusion of a moving statue in the background. People outside the temple would then think that the deity was moving.

The surrounding area of Garni is beautiful, and the journey is definitely worth it for the view alone.

Next, we drove to Geghard Monastery. The main buildings are carved directly into the rocks, which is an incredible feat. By the way, the color used to describe the columns in one of the interior rooms was derived from crushed earthworms.

Outside, we saw the typical religious stone columns that are common in Armenia. Today, I learned that none of the columns are symmetric from left to right, which I had never noticed before.

After a shared lunch, it was time to say goodbye. Armen, his brother, and his nephew welcomed us warmly, taught us a lot about the country and its people, showed us many things, and provided great support. It's a bit sad to say goodbye, as I have spent a lot of time with them. Thank you so much for everything!

We then continued our journey towards Lake Sevan with the van. However, when we arrived, it seemed too cold to swim, so we decided to drive straight to Dilijan.

At some point along the way, another gray-white box appeared on the right side of the road. I saw it, thought the speed limit of 71 was acceptable, and then, of course, it briefly turned orange. I have no idea, according to my daughter who is currently attending driving school, there must have been a 50 sign somewhere. But how am I supposed to know all that? Things were different in my time... I was just starting to enjoy how well the car responded to the gas...

Well, there's always something. But I didn't feel like dealing with it again. Someone will inform me at some point, maybe during the departure? I'm curious.

We then drove to Dilijan and stayed at the Green Garden Hotel again. I had already checked in there after arriving in the country. This time, Arman, the blacksmith and owner, provided us with a great apartment. Of course, there was also a secure parking space in the courtyard. I'm starting to feel like there's nothing to worry about in Armenia.

We had a delicious dinner in the garden, and then we sat around for a while. All is well.