| Sanne and Marieke joined Babett and I in Stepanakert, we walked around the city and went to a bar with some Armenian guys. m The next day we visited an out of the way monastery that was on the front lines of the recent war, and we also visited the town of Shushi. |
I love the clotheslines everywhere 982x1546 01_Stepanakert_alley.JPG |
The BBQ is a big part of Armenian cuisine, even if you live in an appartment block 1200x900 02_BBQ.JPG |
1200x900 03_Backstreet_in_Stepanakert.JPG |
We ran into some Armenian guys, musicians. The little guy there is Artur, he's about 150cm tall but definitely the leader of the group. His friends call him "Putin," after the diminutive Russian president. 1200x900 04_Night_out.JPG |
Marieke was obviously overjoyed at getting all that attention from the guys. 1200x900 05_Popular_Marieke.JPG |
Next morning we took a taxi and went on a little tour. 1200x900 06_Coolifying_the_Lada.JPG |
The last bit of the road from the village of Karmir Shuka (Red Bazaar) to Amaras monastery had to be made in this old Russian Uaz. By the way, after I lent my camera to Babett, that pig quickly became the most photographed farm animal in all of Karabagh 1200x900 07_Karmir_Shuka.JPG |
1200x900 08_Steering_wheel.JPG |
Amaras Monsastery's biggest claim to fame is that Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet, taught here in the fifth century 900x1200 09_Amaras_Vank.JPG |
Note the bullet holes on the wall with the cross 1200x900 10_Main_church_in_Amaras_monastery.JPG |
Volodya, the man on the right, was the owner of the Uaz, and he had many stories to tell from the last war. I forgot the other old-timer's name, but he was a caretaker of the monastery. 1200x900 11_Our_guides.JPG |
This sealed entrance in a small catacomb under the monastery led to a 500m long tunnel, through which besieged defenders of the monastery would smuggle food and supplies 900x1200 12_Secret_tunnel.JPG |
