Yerevan, Armenia

This is a picture, courtesy of Paul from admin, of Mt. Ararat (and lil' Ararat) in Yerevan, Armenia. Isn’t it beautiful? I went there for a 2-day conference at the end of February. This area of the world is really fascinating: culturally, geopolitically, & architecturally (in a sovietic aesthetic sorta way). I even managed to get in a run up the Cascades (500+ steps!!) of the brand new Cafesjian Center for the Arts. The best part was getting to see Ferdinando Botero statues on the lawn- I LOVE LOVE LOVE BOTERO!! But then later that afternoon, any benefit from running was negated when I bought and promtly inhaled an ungodly amount of dried fruits with nuts dipped in chocolate from the aproposly named candy store, Grand Candy.
For some reason former soviet countries like sword wielding amazon statues overlooking their major cities. Apparently, it symbolizes the protective mother, Armenia has theirs as does Georgia (however, Queen Tamara, in Tbilisi, has a glass of wine in her hand which, according to my Georgian companions is an obvious indicator that they are a more hospitable people than their neighgbors to the south east). I also picked up some famous Armenian cognac, which hands down is superior to the Georgian variety (sorry Tiniko and Dali but you have the market on wine in these parts)! The last night there, after dozens of presentations and debating issues ad nauseum we had a delightful dinner celebration at a traditional Armenian restaurant where the alcohol flowed freely, the BBQ was outstanding, and we all danced til the wee hours of the morning.
On the return trip we stopped at Lake Sevan, one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world..Ah, the Caucasus!! What a fantastic place and incredible people.