Armenia or Azerbaijan? Both have much to offer curious travelers

 

Bread hot from the oven at a roadside rest stop between Georgia and Armenia 

"On your first day in Armenia, you are a guest. The second day, you are a friend. The third day you are a relative." - Old Armenian adage.

Armenia or Azerbaijan? 

Although the former Soviet republics sit side by side in the Caucasus, a mountainous region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, visitors to one can't travel to the other without passing through a third country. 

With war upending a fragile, decades-old truce, the reasons why this is so are in the news again. Each country claims the right to control the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave bordering Armenia, but officially inside Azerbaijan. It was here and in surrounding territories where Armenian forces prevailed in a war in the 1990s that displaced 8,000 Azerbaijani, many of whom fled to the capital of Baku to live as refugees in their own country.  

For the average traveler unfamiliar with the political history, it can be frustrating to be so near and yet so far from neighboring countries that would appear easy to visit. 

That's what my husband and I discovered while visiting neighboring Georgia six years ago. We settled on taking a mini-bus from Tbilisi to the Armenian capital of Yerevan. Visiting neighboring Azerbaijan would have required backtracking through Georgia, so we saved that until 2018 when we traveled through Uzbekistan in Central Asia, and caught a short flight from there to Baku.

Both cities were fascinating places to visit, for their history, natural surroundings, pre and post-Soviet architecture and a population of energetic, well-educated young people.

Now, sadly, national attention is focused on the two countries, not because they dazzle as travel destinations, but because fighting once again has erupted over territorial disputes.

Turkey, which sealed its border with Armenia in 1993 to show solidarity with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, backs Azerbaijan in the current conflict. Russia, which considers the territory around Nagorno-Karabakh a land bridge to the Middle East (Nagorno-Karabakh shares a boarder with Iran) backs the Armenian forces.

Cease fires and negotiations brokered by Russia, France and the U.S. will hopefully lead to a renewed truce, but already many lives have been lost. Baku's vibrant downtown main streets have been darkened with giant screens playing video footage of drone strikes by Armenian soldiers.

Until the news of the war hit the front pages, most Americans probably could not find either country on a map. That's a shame, because like most all the former Soviet republics, they offer incredible value and a rich and diverse cultural buffet. You're not likely to meet many Americans, but you will encounter tourists from Iran and other parts of the Middle East. 

I look forward to the time, post COVID-19 and post-war, when adventuresome travelers can again have the chance to explore both countries. In the meantime, here's a recap of some of the highlights of our trip to Yerevan in 2014 and Baku in 2018.

Yerevan's historical center

So much to say about Yerevan, the capital of Armenia in the South Caucasus. The feeling here is young, hip and energetic, with a hint of the Middle East (Iran is about 200 miles away), in a former Soviet republic coming of age. As usual, one of the best parts about being here, apart from the food, is the friendliness of the people. Armenia's shared border with Iran plus its history of being ruled over the years by Persia (present-day Iran), the Ottoman Turks and Soviet Russia, makes for an interesting mix of people and cultures.

Soviet-era monument 

Unlike Tbilisi, Georgia, which had more of a village feel, at least in the old town, Yerevan is more spread out, with wide boulevards, parks and public squares filled with larger-than-life statues. Architect Alexander Tamanyan developed a grid plan for the city in the 1920s when the Soviets we're flush with cash.The main avenues point in the direction of Mt. Ararat, where Noah's Ark is said to have landed after the floods. 

Armenians claim the mountain as their own and treasure the views from here, even though Ararat lies in what now is Turkey. Surrounding elegant rose-colored museums and government buildings constructed in the late 19th and early 20th century, are lighted fountains and sidewalk cafes decorated like outdoor living roooms.

The State Museum of Armenian History and National Art Gallery, dominate the former Lenin Square, along with government buildings and a Marriott Hotel. We were surprised to find most of the museum explanations in English. Like visitors to the Louvre in Paris who head directly to the Mona Lisa, we were most interested in seeing the world's oldest leather shoe, on display in a lighted glass case. The 5,500-year-old shoe was discovered in a cave by a team of archaeologists a few years ago. The shoe, made of a single piece of cowhide leather was shaped to fit the wearer's right foot. No pictures allowed.

Armenian pizza 

Of course we enjoyed the food, more Middle-Eastern than Georgian, with lots of grilled vegetables, and dishes incorporating walnuts, apricots and pomegranate. Armenia's specialty is  Cognac. Travelers can take tours and enjoy tastings at the Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory on the grounds of a former Persian fortress that once housed a mosque, gardens and underground tunnels used to get in and out of the city safely. 

Privately-owned until it was nationalized by the Russians, the factory was abandoned after the collapes of the Soviet Union in 1991. It reopened again in 2002 under the ownership of a local politician and arm wrestling champion, and now produces fine Cognacs sold all over the world, but mainly in Russia. 

Armenian flute maker 

A day trip into the countryside with Envoy Hostels led us to Kolya Torosyan, above, a musical instrument maker in his 80s. He lives in the village of Byurakan on the slopes of Mt. Aragats, the highest mountain in Armenia. He carved this traditional flute, called a duduk-doodook, from apricot wood in a closet-size workshop in back of his house. The flute has a warm, low-pitched saxophone sound. It now hangs in our living room in Seattle as a remembrance of a very special trip.

Baku

Anthony Bourdain traveled the world for his television show “Parts Unknown,” so it’s a shame he never made it to Baku, the oil-rich capital of Azerbaijan, boarded by Iran, Russia and Armenia in the South Caucuses.

Old Town Baku with one of a trio of modern "Flame Towers" in the background

From land-locked Uzbekistan, we flew across the Caspian Sea to experience one of the ex-Soviet Union’s most prosperous cities situated along the old Silk Road trade route linking China to Europe. Baku’s old city, hidden behind iron gates and medieval walls, evokes a colorful past. Outside the walls is the modern city, filled with one-of-a-kind new office towers, museums, fountains and parks. 

The government banned Bourdain from coming here because he filmed a TV show in  Nagorno-Karabakh. The  Azerbaijan government prohibits anyone who visits Nagono-Karabakh from entering the country. It’s the first question the government asks on its visa application. Lie and they find out, you’ll be denied entry, even if your visa was approved.

After prospering as a Silk Road stopover for traders carrying carpets and silk to the west, Baku’s fortunes rose again during an oil boom in the late 1800s. Wealthy merchants from Europe, Russia and the Middle East created a multi-cultural society where Muslims, Christians and Jews mixed an even inter-married. The country enjoyed just two precious years of independence between 1918 and 1920 after the fall of the Russian empire and before the rise of the Soviet Union. During that time, Azerbaijan established a parliament, and became the first majority-Muslim nation to grant women equal political rights with men. 

The Flame Towers are covered with the LED screens that display the movement of fire visible all over the city.

Preserved behind fortress walls is the old city, while just outside the walls are European-styled buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries and futuristic skyscrapers from the 21st. 

Baku is surprisingly affordable for being an oil-rich city that attracts international business. Public transport was a bargain. Our seven-room boutique hotel with all the mod-cons and a heated bathroom floor i was $100 a night. A half-hour ride on the new airport Express Bus to town was $1.60. A subway ride cost 15 cents. Dinner for two - olives, bread fresh from the clay oven, soup, salad, a platter of grilled vegetables, roasted chicken and wine -averaged around $17. 

Some call Baku the Dubai of the Caucasus, but I think it’s a far more interesting city, given its history and combination of Soviet-style, European and modern architecture. We took an excellent two-hour free walking tour with a volunteer from Baku Explorer. The majority of  people are Muslim, but most practice a version our guide called “Islam Lite.” Almost no one wears a head scarf, and cafes and restaurants serve alcohol. 

Baku metro station

Above is the Icherisheher station in the old city. Underground, the station preserves the original Soviet architectural style, similar to what we saw in Tashkent in Uzbekistan, although customers use reloadable plastic cards instead of plastic tokens to pay for fares. Above ground, the design in more in sync with modern times.

The Carpet Museum in Baku 

Carpets on display

Museums showcase Azerbaijan’s history as a center for literature, art and textiles. There’s a national museum of literature, named for it’s most famous poet, Nizami Ganjavi; a Museum of Miniature Books filled with 3,000 titles displayed in glass cases; and my favorites, the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, shaped like a rolled-up carpet; and the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, an art museum and exhibition center, known for its flowing, white curves, and excellent permanent exhibit on the history of art, music and crafts in Azerbaijan.

Armenia: New Friends and High Places

Starbucks Not. The Cafe Flagman near our hotel is our new hangout. It's all outdoors, with tables and comfortable sofas shaded from the sun by awnings made to look like sails. This is an interesting theme given that Armenia is landlocked, but I guess it's OK to get by with visions of the sea to go with these sunny skies.
We stopped here for dessert one evening, again for coffee one morning, and today to use the Wi-Fi, and catch up on writing. The hostess in the pink blouse was shy about using her English. At first we thought she didn't want to bother with us, but today when we walked in, she smiled and asked, "How are you?'' I think that makes us regulars.
We continue to enjoy meeting the people here in Armenia, thanks to some helpful connections made locally and through friends in Seattle.

A day trip into the countryside with Envoy Hostels led us to Kolya Torosyan, above, a musical instrument maker in his 80s. He lives in the village of Byurakan on the slopes of Mt. Aragats, the highest mountain in Armenia. He carved this traditional flute, called a duduk-doodook, from apricot wood in a closet-size workshop in back of his house. The flute has a warm, low-pitched saxophone sound. Soon it will be hanging

on our wall at home as the latest addition to Tom's musical instrument collection! The weather in Yerevan has been in the mid-70s and sunny most of the time, but at 10,500 feet, Mt. Aragats still has snow. It took our van quite a while to negotiate a rocky, uphill road to the top where we stopped briefly for a short walk and

photos before heading back down for a stop at the Amberd Fortress and a three and half mile hike to Byurakan. What remains of the fortress was finished in the 12th century after it was captured from the Turks. It's good we were here in May because the area is usually inaccessible because of snow. We were also able to walk to a church built sometime in the 11th century by Armenians. Armenia claims to be the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD. The official church is the Armenian Apostolic Church. It has a spiritual leader, similar to the Catholic pope, who lives outside of Yerevan in Etchmiadzin, the "Vatican City'' of Armenia.
Our hiking guides, two sharp young women in their 20s, lead the way along a steep path through fields of wild poppies to a river and waterfalls. It was tough-going in some places, at least for us. The others in our group were in their 20s and 30s. But we managed to keep up, with stops along the way to smell the wild oregono and fennel.

Thanks to a co-worker at The Seattle Times with a friend living in Yerevan, we visited the Maran Winery, below, for one of the most enjoyable wine-tastings I've ever experienced. Anna Israelyan, the online editor of a newspaper here, organized the whole evening for us and another journalist friend.

We began with a walk through the vineyards, then it was down into the cellars for snacks and a relaxed evening of tasting and talking. The owner and his son spent two hours with us, opening bottle after bottle, as they explained the history of wine-making in Armenia. According to Biblical legend, it dates back to grapes planted by Noah on the slopes of Mount Ararat.

Anna, on the right, did a two-week internship at The Seattle Times a few years ago. I regret that I didn't get to know her then, but was glad to have the opportunity to meet her here in Yerevan. Sadly, the print media isn't doing any better here than in the U.S. Just for fun, here's a photo showing how to spell "newspaper" in Armenian.

We took the minibus back to Tbilisi before catching a flight to Istanbul, and it was a much better ride than we had coming to Yerevan. There were just nine people on the bus and little baggage compared to 18 people on the way in with suitcases stuffed everywhere. The rest stops were vastly improved. "Five minutes,'' our driver said when he pulled into this bakery. It was barely enough, given the crowds. Women were holding their arms out for stacks of these big rounds of bread fresh from the oven. We managed to squeeze in line and come away with a warm chocolate muffin and four cookies for a total cost of of $1.

A warm welcome in Armenia

"On your first day in Armenia, you are a guest. The second day, you are a friend. The third day you are a relative." Old Armenian adage.

So much to say about Yerevan, the capital of the Republic of Armenia in the South Caucasus. The feeling here is young, hip and energetic, with a hint of the Middle East (Iran is about 200 miles away), in a former Soviet republic coming of age. As usual, one of the best parts about being here, apart from the food, is the

friendliness of the people. Armenia's shared border with Iran plus its history of being ruled over the years by Persia (present-day Iran), the Ottoman Turks and Soviet Russia, makes for an interesting mix of people and cultures.

The woman above, who asked Tom to take her picture, is the second Iranian tourist with whom we've had a chance to chat. She came to Yerevan to apply at the U.S. embassy for a visa to visit the United States, but said she was turned down because she was single. She was disappointed, but all was not lost: She was enjoying her time in Yerevan where she didn't have to worry about wearing a head scarf or covering her arms.

Unlike Tbilisi, which had more of a village feel, at least in the old town, Yerevan is more spread out, with wide boulevards, parks and public squares filled with larger-than-life statues. Architect Alexander Tamanyan developed a grid plan for the city in the 1920s when the Soviets we're flush with cash.The main avenues point in the direction of Mt. Ararat, where Noah's Ark is said to have landed after the floods. Armenians claim the mountain as their own and treasure the views from here, even though Ararat lies in what now is Turkey. Surrounding elegant rose-colored museums and government buildings constructed in the late 19th and early 20th century, are lighted fountains and sidewalk cafes decorated like outdoor living roooms.

No MacDonald's or Starbucks yet, but I did spot a Cinnabon on National Street, a new pedestrian promenade, linking Republic Square (formerly Lenin Square) to the Opera House, and onto a development called the Cascades, filled with parks, gardens and hundreds of steps with fountains, galleries and sculptures donated by an Armenian-American philantropist and art collector.

I expected more of a language barrier, but nearly everything is written out in both Armenian script and Roman letters, and most young people speak fluent English. We arrived at the bus station after a five-hour minivan ride from Tbilisi (18 people plus luggage, but not as uncomfortable as it sounds), realizing we had no Dram, the Armenian currency. There was no exchange office or ATM nearby, so we knocked on the half-opened door of a dusty office that said "Tours,'' and woke the office manager who was napping on the couch. She opened her wallet and exchanged $20 U.S. dollars for us, shaving a few cents off the official rate for her trouble; then offered us candy, coffee and water before calling us a taxi.
First impressions: Everything is inexpensive here, even less than in Georgia. A taxi ride most anywhere in town is no more than $2. Most museum entrances are around $2.50. A beer or glass of wine is about $2, or slightly more on a cafe "VIP" couch. Our dinners are ranging between $12 and $20, including drinks. Tickets for a ballet performance at the Opera House were $15 for the best seats.

Hotels tend to be higher priced. Still, ours, the Hotel Town Palace, opened a few months ago by Lebanese owners in a little residential area near the university, is a reasonable $87 per night, including a breakfast buffet. The decor is a little strange - big leather sofas in the hallways that look as if they were imported from the Middle East - and no artwork or decoration anywhere on the walls. But the two young women who staff the front desk aim to please, jumping at the smallest request with offers to make phone calls or find out about anything we need.

The State Museum of Armenian History and National Art Gallery, dominate the former Lenin Square, above, along with government buildings and a Marriott Hotel. We were surprised to find most of the museum explanations in English. Like visitors to the Louvre in Paris who head directly to the Mona Lisa, we were most interested in seeing the world's oldest leather shoe, on display in a lighted glass case. The 5,500-year-old shoe was discovered in a cave by a team of archaeologists a few years ago. The shoe, made of a single piece of cowhide leather was shaped to fit the wearer's right foot. No pictures allowed unfortunatley.

Of course we've been enjoying the food, more Middle-Eastern than Georgian, with lots of grilled vegetables, and dishes incorporating walnuts, apricots and pomegranate. This meal included cracked olives

with lemon, walnuts and pomegranate juice; grilled red bell peppers, eggplant mixed with tahini; stuffed grape leaves and flat bread. Barbecued lamb, beef or chicken are on every menu, but we're staying away

from meat mostly and enjoyed the vegetables, nuts, cheeses, and of course, wine and Armenia's specialty, Cognac. Travelers can call tours and tastings at the Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory, celebrating its 137th anniversary this year. The factory is on the grounds of a former Persian fortress that once housed a mosque, gardens and underground tunnels used to get in and out of the city safely. Privately-owned until it was nationalized by the Russians, the factory was abandoned after the collapes of the Soviet Union in 1991. It reopened again in 2002 under the ownership of a local politician and arm wrestling champion, and now produces fine Cognacs sold all over the world, but mainly in Russia.

We signed on for an $8 tour and tasting with the delightful Monika Khachatryan, above, who spent more than an hour with just the two of us, walking us through the barrel rooms and explaining that the French were so impressed with the brandy produced here long ago that they agreed to allow the Armenians to call their brandy Cognac, a term reserved for brandy made only in the Cognac region of France. Notice her scarf. It's a "Pucci'' scarf which she wore when she noticed my name on the reservation list.

The best part of the tour, of course was the tasting. We first sipped a fortified wine made in 1924 that the factory donates to charity auctions where it sells for up to $6000 a bottle. At 19% alcohol, it was once considered "Cognac for women.'' Real Cognac is 40%. Since it was just afternoon, we limited oursevelves to small sips from 10 and 20-year old bottles, paired with slices of grapefruit and oranges and a square of chocolate. The only thing missing was the cigars!