Armenia 2019: tour photos
Some impressions from various excursions during our Walking and study tour in Armenia, taken during the pilot trip in June 2019.
Mighty Ararat volcano across the Turkish border dominating the landscape of western Armenia. (Photo:... [info]
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Famous Khor Virap monastery with the twin volcanoes of Ararat in the background. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffe... [info]
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The smaller of the two Ararat volcanoes, 3925-m-high Kucuk Ararat (or Lesser Ararat). (Photo: Tom Pf... [info]
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Ghegam ridge, a young field of cinder cones and lava flows, is visible in the background behind a go... [info]
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Areni valley, famous for its caves and the Noravank monastery dug into ignimbrite. (Photo: Tom Pfeif... [info]
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View of the valley towards the west (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Trail leading to Noravank monastery. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Road in the middle of the Areni valley, with steep vertical cliffs. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Caves entrances in the cliff walls, leading to a large labyrinth of galleries and caverns, some of w... [info]
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Village girls playing at a fountain. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Armenia is truly a land of tasty and clear water springs, providing welcome refreshment in the summe... [info]
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On the way to the Smbataberd Fortress' ruins from the 5th century. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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View down to the valley we came from. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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View of the massive fortress walls (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Entrance gate of the Smbataberd Fortress (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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The fortification's main wall is still mainly intact (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Panorama from the fortress' walls (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Marina posing on the castle's wall (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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The fortress occupied the elongated, triangular tip of the mountain, providing ideal natural protect... [info]
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Along the path down into the other valley, volcanic dikes can be found cutting through sedimentary r... [info]
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Debris scree fans and green bushes on the opposite valley cliff. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Rugged cliffs of grayish rocks. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Menacing cloudy sky with mammatus clouds ( mammatocumulus) at the Selim Pass. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Inside the first room of the Selim caravanserai. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Part of the Selim caravanserai from outside (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Detail of the facade of the massive building (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Panorama from the pass at the Selim caravanserai (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Looking back to the south from the pass with peaks of the Transcaucasus mountain chain in the backgr... [info]
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Windy, but sunny day at Lake Sevan, the largest water body in Armenia and the Caucasus region. (Phot... [info]
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On calmer days and weekends, it is popular for locals to go bathing and sailing here. (Photo: Tom Pf... [info]
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Hiking over green meadows (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Red beautiful flowers (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Hiking to a viewpoint over Lake Sevan (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Gentle ridges are covered with grass, wildflowers and small bushes. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Purple flowers (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Blossoming thyme bushes (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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View from near the summit, about 500 m above Lake Sevan (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Flowers (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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View over the narrow part of Lake Sevan separating it into the Big (l) and Small Sevan (r). (Photo: ... [info]
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Butterfly (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Meadow (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Rapeseed flowers (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Purple flower (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Sea of daisies (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Sea of daisies (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Sea of daisies (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Meadow full of wildflowers (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Hiking to Dilijan, dubbed the "Armenian Schweiz" (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Sea of daisies (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Sea of daisies (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Sveta is happy to walk through so many flowers (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Goshavank monastery (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Incredibly filigree stone cuttings on a 2x1 meters decorative plate at the entrance; it took 10 year... [info]
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Interior vaults of the monastery (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Part of the large Gyumush-Dzhraber-Fantan obsidian deposit (Kotayk Province), one of the most impres... [info]
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Detail of an obsidian block (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Andrea for scale at the wall (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Close-up of obsidian pieces on the ground (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Obsidian veins in the lava flow breccia and pieces on the ground. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Marina for scale at the obsidian wall (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Amberd fortress, dating back to the 10th century, is located at 2,300 meters above sea level on the ... [info]
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View of the castle from the parking area (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Red poppy flower (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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View towards the massive castle walls with circular defense towers. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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View from the castle (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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String of purple flowers in the intensely green meadows (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Yellow flowers of wild fennel (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Small river gorge beneath the castle (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Ruins of the walls of the main interior room of the castle (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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The walls on the eastern side have mostly collapsed onto the slope below. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Remnants of cellars or cisterns beneath the main hall (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Detail of the wall constructed of massive stone blocks almost one meter wide each. (Photo: Tom Pfeif... [info]
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Trail leading down into the river valley (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Red poppy flower (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Exposed cross section of a thick lava flow, showing radial cooling fractures resembling a flower sha... [info]
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Small waterfall (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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At the side of the little creek. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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On the way up the other side of the valley (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Red poppies and purple flowers (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Reddish - brown lava rocks contrast with the intensely green vegetation (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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On the trail with the small chapel below the Amberd castle in the background. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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View down the valley (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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On the edge of the valley cliff (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Medieval remnants of a cistern(?) and small chapel along the ancient trail. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Aragats landscape (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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View of the valley towards the southern slope (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Yellow patches of plants on a rocky surface (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Preparation of lavash, the famous and very tasty flatbread of Armenia. Step 1: skillful hands shape ... [info]
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Step 2: it should fit exactly onto a special, oval-shaped cushion. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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Step 3: using the cushion, the flat layer of dough is pasted onto the hot sides of the special stone... [info]
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(Step 3 continued) (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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It takes about one minute only for the bread to be baked, sticking on the sides of the oven on its o... [info]
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Before it would burn or fall off, it needs to be harvested - Step 4. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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And so, the two experienced lavash-bakers produce about one to two per minute, piling them up next t... [info]
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Restaurant after our hike from the fortress (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer) [info]
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