The Telegraph on Thursday, November 11 unveiled an
article about Armenia and its capital, Yerevan, one of the world’s oldest
continuously inhabited cities. “You know you’re in wine country the moment you
arrive at Yerevan airport. You can’t really miss it as there’s a 20ft high
inflatable wine bottle parked outside the terminal,” author Frank Gardner says.
“A Christian country sandwiched between predominantly Muslim Turkey, Iran and
Azerbaijan, Armenia likes its alcohol.” They also produce what they say is the
best brandy in the world and driving into town the advertisements are
everywhere for brandy and cognac, he says. “Yerevan is a delightful capital.
Its wide, leafy boulevards are lined with cafés and wine bars where Armenians
like to sit chatting late into the night. “Armenians from the large overseas
diaspora who visit for the first time are said to be pleasantly surprised by
how modern, safe and civilised Yerevan is, and then rudely disappointed to find
the suburbs and roadsides littered with the hangover detritus of the failed
Soviet economy.”
When you look up to the horizon, Gardner says, there,
towering over everything, is the magnificent, awe-inspiring snow-capped peak of
Mount Ararat, 5,165 metres high and just across the border in Turkey. “It used
to be ours,” lament Armenians.
The author then goes on to recount his visits to several
of the most beautiful sites in the world’s first Christian country, including
the monastery of Khor Virap, the Hellenic-style temple of Garni and the
monastery of Geghard, also giving an insight into his experience during the
wine festival in Areni.
Related links:
The telegraph. Why Armenia might be Europe’s best-kept
secret
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder
Not: Yalnızca bu blogun üyesi yorum gönderebilir.