Maria Lapuk is the spokeswoman for the Russian “Odnoklassniki” social network. It turned out that Masha liked our country so much that she agreed to make a special project for us and tell people who have never been here about Armenia.

To make Masha’s stories more vivid we have chosen the pictures of Alexander Tyagny-Ryadno, a Russian photographer who visited Armenia on Mediamax’s invitation in 2006.

You can read the 1st part of the project here.

Part 2: When hospitality is not merely a word but a tradition

Garni

The necessary part of any tour is a visit to Garni, a heathen temple dated back to I B.C. , which is not only an architectural monument but is also an acoustic miracle. The singing inside the temple is heard even at the entrance, where you must stop and think that these stones are about two thousand years old, they stand there and serve their purpose.

The last time I was so deeply impressed was in Regensburg. There are gates there which were made of no “nail” over 1000 years ago and date back to Roman conquistadors.

Then you have to slowly walk to Garni, enjoy the impressions of an untouched corner of earth overlooking a vast plateau ten meters above the ground. When I saw it, I immediately thought I would like to have a house there, but I’m afraid there may be some problems with Wi-Fi.

Photo: Alexander Tyagny-Ryadno.

Now a few words about the acoustics. People could do magic 2000 years ago – the sound not only intensifies here but also splits into thousand voices, then comes together somewhere above and falls down on the listeners. I wish I could listen to Italian piazza here. I think the singers wouldn’t believe their ears on such an amazing scene. After the stunning concert you should go to a precipice outside the temple and see how mathematically true nature can be. The walls of the precipice consist of regular hexagons stretching from the mountain river up to clouds.

This kind of phenomenon exists also in Scotland – the Giants' Bridge. They say, once upon a time, thousands years ago there lived a kind giant in Ireland and an evil giant in Scotland, who always offended the Irish one. And once revenge and inability to swim forced one giant to build a bridge leading to the other. But at night the bridge was destroyed by a neighbor who decided to try it. Only the beginning of the bridge made of hexagonal basalt columns has survived to our days- the Giant’s Bridge, which is UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the wonders of nature… You can see such hexagonal wonders near Garni too. Nature is really regular and precise as the mathematics itself.

After an entertaining trip, you should visit a café overlooking the plateau on the right side of the entrance and enjoy a cup of coffee. This is also a mandatory program, otherwise the impressions will be completely wrong.

Geghard

This is the name of a monastery situated in the mountains and built in IV century. I will not go deep into history  as every guide will tell you about it. I would like to tell you about my impressions of what I have seen in Geghard.

Photo: Alexander Tyagny-Ryadno.

The temple is in fact very heavy. I couldn’t understand this impression until someone told me that one of the lances that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross has been long kept in Geghard. And it is the only one of many artifacts dating back to I A.D. that have survived to our days. And such a wonderful place exists in Armenia!

Here, in Armenia, I understood that people living in this country are really great. My mom asked me to bring her green walnuts. In central Russia walnut trees are exotic. When I saw a woman selling walnuts I asked her where I could find the green ones. She was really surprised and asked me why I needed them. Then she went to a tree and gathered a whole bag for me and took no money as the walnuts were for a mom.

The other story is about hospitality, which is not merely a word in Armenia but a tradition. Once, it was a very hot day and we were driving on the highway. The trip was long and we had to leave early in the morning, so  we had no time to for breakfast. During the whole way we wanted a cup of coffee but all the cafes were closed at that time. We stopped in a small village. My friend went up to girls selling fruits and asked for a cup of coffee.

Photo: Alexander Tyagny-Ryadno.

A few minutes later we were already sitting at a small table on the roadside with a nice tablecloth, fresh coffee, fruits and candies. I still don’t understand where it all came from on the roadside. This is the Armenian hospitality - not for money and not because it’s necessary. It is a simple hospitality! Such things still surprise me in Armenia.

Part three coming soon.

Text: Maria Lapuk – especially for Mediamax

Photos: Alexander Tyagny-Ryadno.