Gyumri-a village?

Oh, I was expecting such a village...After the way some fellow volunteers described Gyumri I was expecting something horrible. But in reality, it was like a cute little French country town-with its own mini hraparak (central square) complete with fountains.

The city of Gyumri has an interesting history. Many, many years ago-when the city was still called Alexandropol-it was the third largest city in all of the Caucasus. Yerevan was  nonexistent, so Gyumri was the artistic and intellectual center of Armenia. That all changed with the growth and expansion of Yerevan throughout the years; but, it changed most dramatically after the earthquake of 1988. Gyumri and the surrounding areas were completely devastated although the epicenter was in the city of Spitak. Walking around the city you can still see areas where the earthquake damage remains, like little pockets of rubble in old buildings and alleyways. The city has very interesting architecture because it is a mix of old pre-soviet buildings built right next to buildings constructed after the earthquake, which try to preserve the traditional style. The ironwork is particularly striking in all its intricacy and detail. 

The people are very friendly and welcoming, whether you walk into a church  and start talking to the caretaker, or join in on a game of dodgeball with the local children. Which of course we did. In Gyumri, the Armenian that they speak is distinctly different from the rest of the country. It is an idiosyncratic mix of eastern and western Armenian- which sounds quite strange if you've never heard it before. Armenia is such a small country, but it has subtle nuances like this which make travel throughout the country so interesting.

(Images from top: The hraparak of Gyumri, a park dedicated to war heroes, the men of Gyumri, the main church of the city-one of many, a local man in the Church trying to find his connection with God, the interior of the Church, Gapo being touched by the light, remnants of the earthquake, playing dodgeball with the local kids, Mandy yours truly and Ani by the fountains, Gapo riding the carousel, Gapo and the ladies of Gyumri-I don't know how he does it, Natasha Ani tour guide Mikhael Gabrielle and Paulene enjoying the sun).