Hi everyone! This is the eleventh and final episode of my Caucasus series in which I travel through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.

In this vlog, I explore parts of the capital of Armenia, Yerevan, that are off the beaten track. The aim is to get an idea of the real Yerevan that you don't always see in brochures or magazines - the often forgotten parts, if you wish - that are essential to telling the story of the city. I am always very interested and curious to see where and how the locals live and go about their business, so please tag along for this exploration!

We start our walk in the area around Pushkin Street, then heading towards Mashtots Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Yerevan. The first planned stop is the Blue Mosque, an 18th century Persian Shia mosque that is currently the only active mosque in Armenia. Along the way, we notice more of the everyday life in Armenia, including lots of traffic, beautiful buildings made of volcanic tuff, flower stands and other interesting shops.

I enter the Blue Mosque and walk around the interior of the courtyard, noticing the impressive main prayer hall, library and gardens, as well as several artefacts on display. Various shades of blue such as teal and turquoise are present in the mosaic tiles, which contributes to a peaceful setting.

After leaving the Blue Mosque, the intention is to walk towards the Kond area, known as the Old Town and home to lots of art and graffiti. At first though, a beautiful building catches my attention. I ask a random person about the building and he mentions it is called 'City' - after closer inspection, I note it is called 'Yerevan City' and a supermarket (my understanding is that it was a large market area previously before it got renovated).

I then decide to head to Kond but seem to have some map reading issues! One thing is for sure though - I enter an area off the beaten track in Yerevan that certainly has a more local feel. I stumble across a local shop and decide to try an ice cream.

After satisfying my sweet tooth, I walk further towards Kond and meet a group of guys talking to me in German. I then notice some of the old buildings for which Kond is renowned for, as well as some graffiti which signals to me that I am on the right track. I also notice that some of the buildings are a little more derelict than in other parts of the city, but more affluent parts and beautiful cafes and restaurants are still prominent.

Whilst searching for the graffiti areas, I also continue to notice the prominent use of pink in the city - on the buildings, on the fences and in shop signs. And then of course there is the pink tuff buildings. No wonder it has the nickname the 'Pink City'!

You will also notice that I get lost quite a bit and seem to walk around in circles. I don't travel with data on my phone and my map reading skills need some serious work it seems! But, in my defense, I also get a lot of mixed messages from the locals. Maybe the language didn't help either. It is also a much higher area than the rest of Yerevan and means "long hill" in Armenian.

However, as a glass half full person, I decide to take the opportunity and just stroll around randomly. In the process, I stumble across some intriguing street scenes and really take in the atmosphere of an area that feels very different from what you'll experience in more glamorous parts such as Abovyan Street, Republic Square and Northern Avenue. I also interact with several locals along the way and somehow make my way to the graffiti alleys.

The final part of the vlog sees me explore the graffiti alleys and I also notice a lot of Armenians hard at work - the apricot-band of the Armenian Tricolour flag at display. The sounds of machinery and manual labour together with the visual display of art in this area do create a particular atmosphere.

Hope you enjoy this vlog in areas away from the main tourist parts of Yerevan. And I hope you enjoyed this Caucaus series!

Happy exploring

Willie

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