Flight to Yerevan 2007

I wrote this the second day I was in Yerevan, and although I intended to keep a journal the entire time I was there, I didn't have access to a computer, so this is the only bit I wrote "on-site". I've vowed to take a laptop next time I go. I may publish more thoughts from different events on the trip later, for now my trip to Yerevan:

Well I didn't get to write about my first day right away so I'm writing it on the second. Needless to say it was a long trip to Yerevan, with an 8 or 9 hour layover in Munich. Thank God my dear friend from college, Paul is a native of the region, and was so generous to meet me at the airport and show me around Munich. We had the pleasure of starting the afternoon (though for me it was about 1 am) at a biergarten near downtown Munich. When the glass came it looked more to me like a gallon milk jug, but I drank with pleasure. It had been a long walk from where we parked, through wooded trails and open fields along a river in which nude men and women were swimming, students were studying, and laying out under the sun.

Needless to say I was thirsty, and as I was chugging down the massive quencher, couldn't help but notice the flavor of lemon. I asked Paul what it was and he explained that you can buy the beer mixed half lemonade / half beer (called a "Russian") which he did with the hope we wouldn't get smashed (especially since he was driving). We spoke of his work on a golf course in the town of Seeshaupt in the South of Munich and of course friends and family. After we emptied the glasses we headed to the car, this time under more shade trees since the sun was really burning now. We drove into town and Paul showed me the old buildings and what everything means.

After some more walking, drinking and talking we went to the Olympic Park where the summer games were held in 1972. I couldn't help but notice how modern the architecture of the stadiums was, with its open air, but clear glass covered roofs, it looked like something that could've been built yesterday. The most prominent structure however, was the Olympic tower, on the top of which was an antenna, dual-level lookout and restaurant. We took the elevator to the top and explored the lookout. About half-way up the ceiling-height glass windows were white stickers which outlined buildings and other structures in the background and gave a short description, and closer to the top were names of cities around the world which were in the direction you were looking. I saw London, Paris, New York, and so on, and as I continued, almost unexpectedly, jumped out "Istanbul", by whose name I had read a book by Orhan Pamuk on the flight. As I continued walking several steps, I again looked up, but naturally saw no "Yerevan". While these things never surprise me, they somehow always disappoint me. It did however, compel me to wonder what was literally over the horizon, waiting for my arrival in only a few hours.

I dream always about the bright future I believe our Armenia has for itself, and often daydream about what developments are taking place between my visits. I was exhausted and was literally fighting to keep my eyes open. We soon left and headed back to the airport (in places at a swift 160km/h) in Paul's VW. I slept for about an hour before the flight, when I woke up an old Armenian woman who had been sitting across and several seats down from where I was laying next to Gate H46 was standing over me saying "Vergats tgha jan, gnalu zhamanakn e" (Get up dear boy, its time to go). A bit confused I turned to the gate and saw that the last 5 or so people were boarding. I dragged myself on, thankful to that dear soul who saved me from missing my flight home.

As our plane was preparing to take off the pilot informed us that the air conditioning system had problems, by the time we switched planes we were obviously about 2 hours behind schedule, while others were angry I couldn't help but smile inside, thinking this means I'll arrive around 6:30 am, in time to see Mt. Ararat as the sun peaks over the horizon, with this happy thought I again slept...When I woke up the captain was announcing our descent to Yerevan and arrival in about 30 minutes. I watched the lights of villages below, and soon could make out the lights of a larger town. At first I thought Gyumri, but as I gathered my bearings I realized that at our height there was no way Gyumri was that close to Yerevan. Then in the distance I could see those haunting lights. For anyone whose been in Yerevan at night they know that on both sides of Masis (the larger or the two Ararat Mountains) there are 4-6 bright lights shining towards Yerevan. From what I had been told in 2004 when in Yerevan, these were shining from a U.S. Military base on the mountain, a veritable slap-in-the-face (one of many) from her thieves. I now realized the town in the foreground was Etchmiadzin, where later that day both my daughter and my brother would be baptized. It had been a long journey and my emotions swelled, but as the wheels smoked and squealed I was again at peace... it felt good to be back in Armenia.