Phoenicia

If you ever need to propose to someone while in Yerevan, Phoenicia is the place to do it. The restaurant is like a charming little cottage, located right next to the Cascade- perfect location. The cuisine is Armenian with a French flair. By Yerevan standards it is definitely on the more expensive side, but it's well worth it. 

The service is impeccable, the food is creative, and the wine is gigantic. I was served with one of the largest wine glasses I've ever seen. It was so cool. It's just too bad the restaurant was completely empty.

(Images from top: the outer door to the restaurant, the empty interior- hey at least we had the place to ourselves, Ani- my fabulous dinner companion, the mediterranean platter,  my imam baldi (an eggplant dish), the huge wine glass).

Malkhas Jazz Club

Yerevan has some really hip places...for example, Malkhas Jazz Club, named after the most famous Jazz musician in Armenia. This one is the brand new location, done up in a completely American style, with glass walls, bamboo, and showcases of their own brandy. 

The place offered cigars, cocktails, some really awesome ice- cream and great music. If you're ever in Yerevan, don't miss this place.

Paruyr Sevak

On the way back from Noravank we passed though the village of Armenian poet Paruyr Sevak. The Paruyr Sevak house museum is located there  among the grounds of his summer home. The house is in a very beautiful spot, surrounded by trees that he planted himself. Multi-talented guy. 

The museum showcased a mural of Sevak going through different stages of his life, it also had many of his books, office furniture and other nicknacks. He is buried on the grounds as well, with a big tomb stone commemorating the spot. 

(Images from  top: The walkway to his home, the entrance to the museum, his tombstone, office furniture, the mural, some of his books, check out the typewriter).

Noravank

The monastery of Noravank is located about two hours outside of  Yerevan, right in the middle of the mountains. If you did not know there was a monastery there, you would never think to look. It really is amazing to imagine how people built a monastery in such a difficult location hundreds of years ago.

The setting is what makes Noravank special. To get there  you drive through a beautiful mountain pass, with prehistoric caves surrounding the region. The monastery itself blends in so beautifully with the natural rock formations, it's like an outgrowth of the mountain. 

The site was also interesting because there were so many tourists there, both foreign and local. It is still so strange for me to see groups of German tourists around Armenia. I almost want to go up to them and say thank you for visiting Armenia and being interested in it. Since it was a holiday (the celebratory day of the first Armenian republic and the victory of Sardarapat), there were also lots of local Armenians visiting the monastery too, especially kids on field trips. 

(Images from top: the road to the monastery, the view of the surrounding landscape,  the monastery, the monastery up close with stairs leading to the top, the adjoining chapel, Armen climbing up the stairs, yours truly at the top, the view from the top- look at all the tourists, the candles inside, yours truly in the side chambers, Armen in the church, me in another doorway).

Ararat Brandy Factory

The one thing that Armenians know how to make well is Brandy.  Although  cognac was first created in France, the steps leading up to that process were first cultivated in Armenia. The Ararat Brandy Factory is one of the largest brandy producers in Armenia, with  their headquarters right in the city of Yerevan. Today, the factory is owned by the French Pernod Ricard group- bringing it up to international standards. 

It is a really interesting place to visit  because I learned lots of things I never knew before, both about brandy and about Armenia.

Lets start with the name: brandy vs. cognac. Just like champagne, you can only use  the word cognac to refer to brandy that comes from the Cognac region of France. However, the Ararat factory changes the name depending on where the brandy is being sent. In all of Russia and the CIS countries it is called Armenian cognac, whereas in Europe it is called Armenian brandy.  They say it is perfectly legal to do this, it's not just them trying to be clever. Who knows. Maybe it's  because they are owned by the French.

What makes Armenian brandy different from the French is the fact that Armenian brandy uses Armenian grapes and Armenian natural spring water- the brandy making process is the same, it is simply the ingredient variety that changes.

Another fun fact: As you may know, Winston Churchill was a big fan of Armenian Brandy. When  asked at age 91, what his secret to long life was, he replied: "Cuban cigars, Armenian brandy, and no sport!" My kind of guy.

Over 300 bottles of Armenian brandy were sent to him every year. It even helped save a life. One former brandy making expert was  exiled to Siberia. After this, Churchill noticed  a change in the taste and texture of the brandy. He called Lenin and ordered for the  brandy maker to be released from exile. He was released and  went on to receive the highest award in the Soviet union. See the magical things brandy can do.

Armenian brandy was introduced to the international market in a very clever way. The owner of the company hired  a bunch of volunteers, dressed them up in the finest clothes and sent them to the most elite, most expensive restaurants in Europe. They ordered  the most expensive foods and asked for Armenian brandy. When  the restaurants told them they had none, their response was pure disgust and outrage. It's safe to say that Armenian brandy made its way to Europe pretty quickly.

The storage room where the barrels are kept is an interesting place with its own walk of fame. Every time a foreign president visits the factory, he is asked to stand on a scale.  He can take back, for free, the same amount of brandy as his body weight. One very clever president had his bodyguard  discreetly place his foot on the scale behind him in order to increase the amount. The factory discovered  it a few days later when they replayed the footage. I really do wonder who that was. The President to take the most brandy home was Boris  Yeltsin. 

The factory even has a barrel dedicated to Karabakh. The barrel will only be opened when there is a final resolution to the conflict. It is the one barrel in the entire factory which they hope to open as soon as possible. It is the only place in Armenia where you can see the flag of Azerbaijan next to the flag of Karabakh.

Now for my favorite part, the tasting room. We got to sample three different kinds of brandy: Three star three years, Akhtamar 10 years, and Nairi 20 years.  As you can imagine it got progressively smoother (or we just got progressively drunker). In Armenia, brandy is usually accompanied by chocolate, in  Russia with lemon, in France with a cigar, and (according to our guide) in America with Coca Cola.  If you've ever wondered what the correct amount of brandy to pour in the snifer is, I can tell you. You have to be able to place the glass on the table horizontally without any of it spilling over.  How cool is that.

We left the factory very, very happy!

(Images from top:  the exterior of the factory, the inner courtyard, the waiting room, their collection of very old brandy- most of which is no longer produced,  yours truly in the owners chair, the storage room,  up close with the barrels,  Anita with the Karabakh barrel,  the tasting room,  Anita and her brandy,  yours truly very very happy, Anita adding some music to our tasting- she's a trained professional pianist, the snifer turned on its side with nothing spilling over- I thought that was the coolest thing ever)!