Lake Sevan, Armenia
We left Dilijani and took the road up the valley to the pass towards the pass at an altitude of 2,114 metres to reach Lake Sevan. There were multiple hair pin bends to negotiate. Frida was struggling on some of the steeper stretches. Luckily for us, we didn't have to cross the pass as a new approach road and tunnel has been cut through the rock. It hdulesaves a ot of time, distance and fuel.
We dropped down to the shore of the lake. Its surface currently stands at an elevation of 1,900 metres. Its surface dropped 20 metres when Soviet engineers installed an HEP plant on the outflow. In recent years and combined with a lot of environmental campaigning, the lake level has risen two metres.
Soviet engineer plans to harness more of the lake's HEP potential and reclaim land for agriculture, which would have also reduced the area of the lake to just a sixth of its former area, were luckily never inplemented.
A view of the Free Beach near Sevan looking down from the Sevananasnk Monastery.
The Sevananank Monastery.
A detail of the door and the surrounding carvings.
A close up of the carvibgs on the wooden door.
Another view.
A smaller chapel on the same site.
A view across the lake to the south.
The monastery was originally built on an island in the lake. Since the water levels dropped, the buildings now sit i[on the end of a thin peninsula.
An iconic Soviet vehicle, a UAZ 452, also known as a 'bukhanka', meaning a loaf of bread as the shape is similar.
The Vaskenian Theological Academy and behind, out of sight, the St Jacobs Chapel.
There had been a brief lull in the showers as we visited the Sevananank Monastery. Just as we were gettng back to the truck for lunch, the heavens opened. Our schedule was to circumnavigate the lake and spend a night in a bush camp.
Whilst we prepared lunch in the rain, there was a ground swill of opinions against another wet bush camp. Three people opted to leave the trip and had booked a taxi to get to a hotel in Yerevan. The mutiny had started. Thr rules are very clear. If everybody votes to change the schudule, then it will happen as it is our trip. But if just one person votes for the schedule, in this case not to pay for an upgrade to a hotel, then the schedule will be followed and people are free to leave and do their own thing.
John was commandeered as the leader of the mutiny. He checked with every passenger, and everyone was prepared to pay for an upgrade from a cold, wet, bush camp to a dry, warm, confortable hostel. He confronted Mark, who readily agreed and got on the phone to arrange things.
We had lunch as Mark got talking on the phone.
By the end of lunch everything was arranged. The Envoy hostel had sufficient space for all of us and even space for some upgrades. We set off tpwards Yerevan. It was still early in the day so we could fit in some more site seeing. There was another monastery and being in doors, we could visit and not get too wet.
On the road to Yerevan, there were two hail storms. We were all thankful that we had changed the schedule. On the outskirts of Yerevan we turned east and drove to Geghard Monastery. It is the oldest cave church in Armenia dating from the sixth century. En route, the weather changed. It stopped raining and the sun came out to raise the mood of the group.
We parked and climbed the hill to the monastery.
There are three crosses on the hill overlooking he site. The largest is just off centre of the photo.
The doorway.
The spire.
A beautifully carved doorway...
...and another.
One of the entrances to the caves.
A pillar...
...looking up at the dome.
At the back of the monastery , the river was a boiling mass of muddy water due to all the recent rain.
A view across the valley...
...and down the valley.
We left the monastery and started back towards Yrervan. We stopped at the Fortress of Garni. The entrance,
The temple....
...a side view...
...inside...
...and looking across the valley.
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