Feasting on the south peak of Aragats: I have always loved nature and hiking, and as anyone in Armenia will tell you, hiking Aragats is a must do for any nature enthusiasts. A group in our program went alone to spend a weekend there and had a blast, but if you don’t have a big group to hike with there are plenty of Instagram hiking groups to join! Me and Hana went the weekend before exams, so we spent the hike reciting Russian poems, fairy tales, and folklore. The hiking group had plenty of Russian speakers, so by the end of it they were correcting our grammar and telling us new fairytales!
View from Haghartsin monastery: In the RLASP program, we are lucky enough to go on weekly Friday excursions to some of the most beautiful places in Armenia. One of my favorite places in Armenia ended up being Haghartsin monastery. It’s not too far from Sevan, but up high in the mountains and shrouded by mist and cloud and feels both gothic and holy at the same time. Beside the monastery is a honey shop from which you can by some of the best honey products, as well as honey ice cream.
Making lavash! As anyone in Armenia will tell you, the best lavash is fresh and handmade in a traditional oven. Bonus points for wearing the hat to roll it out. On our excursion to the Machanents Center we got to help roll out the lavash and watch it be made! It was definitely the best lavash I have ever had, and if given the chance I would only eat this fresh lavash for the rest of my life.
Noravank: Every time we go on a cultural excursion, I swear it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, and then we go on the next one and I have to amend that statement and Noravank was no exception. If I could go back to one place one more time, I think I would choose Noravank. Not only does it have the most stunning views, but the monastery alone is worth the obsession. Armenia has some of the most unparalleled and beautiful places I have ever seen, and Noravank takes the cake.
Sevan Writers’ House: a very famous Soviet brutalist architecture landmark, the Writers’ House is both a hotel and a restaurant. Since we were able to do some exploring on our own over the weekends, Hana and I spent two weekends here during our time in Armenia. It is affordable, has the absolute best lookout onto Sevan Lake, and is less than 500 meters from the beach. It's also right by Sevanavank Monastery, another famous must-see Armenia Monastery. This place holds some of my fondest Armenia memories, and the peace I felt journaling on the balcony in the morning after swimming is simply unparalleled.
Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program
Yerevan, Armenia, Summer 2024