Baku, Azerbaijan / Yerevan, Armenia, June 16 - 17, 2014

My somewhat rushed lecture at Tbilisi State University on Wednesday morning (June 16) went well. The students were a lively crowd and asked good questions. Unfortunately there was not much time to linger as the mini bus to Yerevan was leaving at 1pm. Or so we thought. Arriving at the mini bus station we learned that the bus was full up already but a van offered to take us for a higher price. Soon a most lively discussion developed between the Japanese tourists who were already spreading out in the van and us who wanted to get in without being packed into the far back. Then another few people got involved and it was a most excited and rather loud to and fro. Needless to say George and I didn't understand a word but were able to guess most of the unpleasantries exchanged. Then two more people had the bright and very welcome idea to suggest sharing a taxi to Yerevan with us. This proved to be only slightly more expensive and much more enjoyable as well as comfortable. The mini bus owner was less than pleased as he lost our fare, the Japanese were delighted as they could continue to occupy the best seats, and we were happy too.

The journey took some 6 hours with plenty of breaks inbetween. It was really like a sightseeing tour through the gorgeous Georgian and Armenian countryside. Rolling green hills, deeps valleys and an impressive mountain range could be seen in Georgia. Entering Armenia the country side began to look poorer and a little harsher but this soon gave way to more rolling and even greener hills, some deep gorges and a few scenic rivers. The journey took us past the snow peaked Mount Aragat and we stopped several times to take in the beautiful view. In the distance one could see Mount Ararat (yes the one which hosted Noah's Arch on its peak allegedly) which actually is already across the border in Tureky but it looks as if it was just round the corner. Eventually Yerevan came into sight in the valley below us. A city of two million that revealed itself as being a happy compromise between the somewhat over-modern and brash Baku and the somewhat shabby Tbilisi.

Even the hotel where the taxi driver deposited us has a lot of character, being one of the manor houses from early in the previous century. It's run by Family Care, a charitable organization. Our guest house is surrounded by a number of much more modern and much more ugly, high rises and, unfortunately, is threatened by demolition to give way to a shopping mall.

Walking into the impressive and generously large city center in the evening, the Yerevan symphony orchestra welcomed us with the sound from Beethoven's Ode to Joy. A concert in the symphony hall was being broadcast to the hundreds of people outside the building. Some of the subsequent tunes created a romantic atmosphere but somehow George wasn't quite the right person to enjoy this with, lol.

Yerevan's city center is a buzzing hub of activity. The opera house is particularly impressive and just behind it there are many delightful restaurants and coffee houses. Of course right now everything is dominated by the world cup and huge screens and overly noisy loudspeakers that ensure that it's impossible to have a conversation undistracted by the football events on screen. Strolling through the streets of Yerevan, even George could not refrain from commenting on the many attractive and very stylish and trendy female inhabitants of Yerevan.

The next morning (June 17) was filled with a visit to Yerevan's History museum, just in the middle of the big square leading in the middle of the center, and a prolonged lunch. The History museum is somewhat disorganized and they seem to be keen to save on electricity as the whole quite beautiful neo-gothic large building is kept rather dark.

4pm my lecture at the American University of Armenia. I talked on US foreign policy toward Russia mostly. And it caused a very lively debate. Once again, there were quite a few pro-Russian and anit-Russian people in the audience. Students and faculty lingered on for a long time and asked some quite challenging questions. But according to George I seem to have tackled them well. At least no one shouted any abuse at me afterwards.