Gandzasar

Armenia (and Karabakh) has lots of monasteries. I mean lots of them. After a while you start to think, really how many more could there be. But they each have their own special charm- whether it be the location, the type of stone it's made out of, the acoustics, or whatever else that makes it special. 

Gandzasar was a really special one. Just the name is enough to heighten your expectations- Gandzasar means treasure of the mountains. And it really is a treasure. We got there during the day when it was completely covered in fog. It had a dreamlike atmosphere surrounded by all those mountains and fog.  The church used to be a strong religious and political center for the administration of Karabakh because Armenia was stateless for stretches of time throughout its history. When there was no state, the church was the state. 

During the Karabakh war a missile struck the side of the church. The priest went  out and defended the church all night long  until the troops finally got there in the morning. Thankfully the missile didn't explode, and the casing is still in the side of the church- as a reminder. 

As I said, we got there during the day and went inside to have lunch. When we reemerged a few hours later, it was completely dark outside but all of the lights surrounding the church were lit up. It was as if God had lit it up. It was one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen, no photograph can do it justice. As for lunch, that included another Karabakh specialty-jingyalov hats (jingyal bread). Jingyal is an herb, and the dish is essentially two pieces of flat bread stuffed with seven types of herbs, of which jingyal is the only mandatory one.  The rest are seasonal. Being the amateur foodie that I am, I've tried countless different types of food in my life- ranging from the cheapest to the most expensive. Even the Frenchest French chef has got nothing over this jingyal stuff. It's like a green field exploding in your mouth. Absolutely one of the greatest sensory experiences of my life!! I can't talk enough about this bread. If I could vacuum pack it and bring it back, I would send boatloads.  I know it doesn't sound like much, just bread and greens, but it really has to be experienced firsthand. No amount of explanation can make you understand the essence of it. Such perfection....

(Images from top: All that fog- looks like a volcano, the landscape around the monastery, Gandzasar during the day, the surrounding village, our lunch room, the utterly perfect perfection that is jingyalov hats, Gandzasar as God wanted you to see it)!