The second part of our Gyumri excursion included a trip to Marmashen Monastery a few kilometers away. Marmashen is an 800 year old monastery surrounded by green pastures all around. It's literally in the middle of nowhere, kind of like a scene out of a movie. More cows than people.
The surrounding fields stretched out for miles in every direction giving it a surreal and peaceful feel. The monastery is well preserved along with the ruins of the rest of the complex all around. Coincidentally, the same day that we were there, the local children were participating in a community service activity to clean up the surrounding area. See, some good does get done in this country.
Our little country trek was complete with a picnic on the mountain, under the wind and rain. Priceless. It was simply priceless.
On the way back to the city, being the spyurkahays that we are, we decided to stop in the middle of the road and dance shurjpar under the rain. So very pagan. People drove by and looked at us like we were insane. Tell me, do you think any local person would be caught dead doing such a thing? Ahh, it was great...
(Images from top:Marmashen from the car, the multitude of cows, the monastery up close, Jennifer and I atop the ruins, local kids cleaning up, some local boys posing for us, our rustic picnic, yours truly with the matnakash, Armen and Mikhael- intellectual as always, working our way up the mountain, yes-we reached the top, posing near some old khachkars, shurjpar in the road)
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