My love affair with Armenia began when I stepped into the old Zvartnotz airport in Yerevan in After a layover in Paris we were flying an Armenian airline to Yerevan. The flight was scary. The airplane seemed in disarray, with loose seats and water dripping from the sides.
However, we were impressed that Armenia had an airline. It was late evening when we arrived to Yerevan. The interior looked very tired and gave us an inkling of what to expect entering Yerevan.
We arrived at Hotel Ani just before midnight. The hotel was refurbished and tastefully decorated with Armenian-themed furnishings and interior design. I was not expecting to see a swanky hotel. Another jaw-dropping experience was when we went outside to have a late night stroll in Yerevan. The following morning, our first day in Yerevan started with a visit to the Genocide Museum, and from there we went around the town and saw many other monuments.
Traveling through the streets of Yerevan and seeing the multitude of stylish buildings β although in dilapidated condition β was overwhelming.
I grew up in Iran with a yearning for our homeland, because it was under the Soviet Union and a forbidden destination. Growing up, I had heard that Armenia had suffered under communism. But now in Yerevan I was seeing things that were against my expectation. It seems there was a gap in my education. So on my first visit to Armenia, I fell in love with the country. Armenia gave me an itch.
