5 Reasons Why You Should Visit ARMENIA Right Now

but everybody that means hello and Armenian and yes you guessed it right I am in Armenia right now and today my mission is to convince you to come and visit this compact beautiful land in the heart of the Caucasus so shall we get going let's go over the last few years as its neighbors Georgia and Azerbaijan grew in popularity as travel destinations Armenia remained the quietest of the three and yet it may just be the most surprising the number one reason why you shouldn't visit Armenia is its capital Yerevan now this is not a name that you would have had thrown around very much but this city is just so effortlessly cool it's may come as a surprise that Armenia is home to only 3 million people a third of whom live right here in the Arabic I think this is what makes the city feel so relaxed more like a town than a metropolis but it does hold some surprises right now I'm at one of the most popular attractions here in the Aragon this place is called the cascade and it's basically a giant staircase with some incredible views of the entire city and some really cool contemporary art let's check it out this entire complex was created as a public space for people to enjoy contemporary art in the heart of the city and if you dare to climb the entire staircase you'll be rewarded with a full view of this stunning mount ararat as you move through the city you discover its layers one by one there's the Soviet past there is the Christian heritage and remnants of Islamic history on top of all of this it's a pretty hip and happening spot with new bars and restaurants opening up on the regular but if you're more into the traditional stuff then right here markets like this you'll find everything that is great about Armenian foodie culture let me show you around the gun market is a busy marketplace for nuts and dried fruit these are some of the traditional products that come from the local region this right here this is to joke it's a traditional local sweet basically walnuts wrapped with a paste made out of dried fruits and nuts but casually people here call it the Armenian Snickers kind of looks like one right but I haven't really come here for the tasting sessions I've come here to chat with the locals Oh apricot nuts Wow [Laughter] as I made my way through the market the command taste met me everywhere I went the hospitality here in this market is absolutely overwhelming every single stall that I've gone up to people are saying please eat more more and more and more MORE you're a guest you have to accept the gift really good well some interactions were less expected it just asked me if Oliver who is behind the camera is I love you [Laughter] yerevan may not be the biggest or busiest city in the Caucasus but it makes up for that with its endless charm and super friendly locals as for our list of reasons to visit Armenia let's move on to the next one Armenia is also a great destination for culture and history junkies not many people know for example that it was the very first country in the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion here's a few great spots to check out all across the country here stands the temple of garni one of the last remaining pagan temples in the region in such good condition much like the temples you see in Greece it's 2,000 years old incredibly it was totally destroyed in an earthquake in the 16th century but rebuilt using the original materials 300 years later and this is hugg hudson monastery in armenian its name means the monastery of the plague ego dating back to the 13th century it's surrounded by beautiful lush forests and this is Savannah Bank a 9th century monastery with an incredible location overlooking Lake Sevan and this is Horvat up this monastery has roots dating back to the seventh century legend has it that there was once a saint imprisoned here for 13 years before getting released by saving the king and converting the entire country to Christianity since we're on the subject of history we should talk about another little known aspect of Arminius heritage my next reason for you to visit Armenia is for its wine this actually happens to be one of the oldest winemaking regions in the entire well the rolling hills of Armenia have provided fertile soil for great production for millennia already is the local version of Bordeaux and you can actually go and check out some of the wine cellars and the local wineries here let's go according to popular law there is a special secret to the sweet taste of Armenian wine the armenian oak barrels that had stored in are meant to give it that distinctive flavor not found anywhere else in the world I am really no expert on wines at all tastes really good even if you don't drink alcohol winemaking traditions in Armenia are still an important part of the local history and it's just fascinating to see how this used to be such a powerful wine region and yet these days not many people know about it our tasting session doesn't end here one of the best things about Armenia is the food Armenian food is a mash-up of influence from across the region it takes all the best bits from its Eastern European and Middle Eastern neighbors and to give you an idea of what the mountain food here is like the dish you see right here is called coochy coochy is a traditional shepherd's dish and why is that interesting well the wives of Shepherds used to make hoochie for their husbands as they went up the mountains for weeks and months at a time because it's such a convenient dish you literally take some meat mix it with some vegetables and you wrap it all in a big parcel of lavash lavash is the traditional flat bread you have to slice through to get to the middle of your hoochie lover meal the Gotama is a stuffed pumpkin filled with rice raisins and dried foods it's one of the more traditional dishes in Armenia served mostly on special occasions I'm really excited about the Capanna because it's literally like food confetti it's got everything and anything in it let's try oh and now for something simpler here we have jingle of hats which is the flatbread stuffed with butter and about 10 to 12 types of greens and herbs all from the local mountain all green on the inside these firms really taste like the mountain you might recognize DOMA from Middle Eastern cuisine these are basically grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat and served with a beautiful creamy garlic garnish super good so meaty and juicy amazing but there's one more thing about Armenia I need to tell you about and that is its nature probably the highest concentration of totally diverse landscapes I've seen anywhere and plenty of adventures to go with them this is be done and we're just about to go horse riding here in the mountains around Gork let's go the best thing about the Armenian outdoors is that they are practically untouched with so little tourism here there's a sense of nature at its most pristine anywhere you go be it mountain forest or lake it really makes you smile and all at this small gem in the heart of the Caucasus [Music] I guess that wraps it up I probably don't need to give you guys and your reasons to come and visit beautiful Armenia so I guess I hope to see you in Armenia next and I hope that you stick around for the next vlog

Channel: Eva zu Beck

Views: 872,161

Keywords: armenia, armenia travel, is it safe to visit armenia, armenia travel guide, caucasus, yerevan, what to do in armenia, where to go in armenia, what is the caucasus, where to go in georgia, georgia country, azerbaijan, where to go in azerbaijan, azerbaijan travel, caucasus travel, georgia country travel, georgia travel, solo female travel, female travel vlogger, unusual travel destinations

Id: zfl7ITJ8kGk

Length: 9min 6sec (546 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 23 2019