Hiking Trip in the South - Day 7
Day 7 - Ausflug nach Gjumri – die Stadt des rotbraunen Tuffsteins
As the cultural capital of Armenia, Gyumri’s traditional architecture and rich history will make you fall in love with the city. Gyumri is considered as a city of crafts, a city of generations of master blacksmiths, coppersmiths, tinsmiths, jewelers, and stonemasons who learned their crafts from their fathers and grandfathers. Kumayri district of Gyumri stands out for its authentic architecture with wooden balconies and doors and buildings constructed of black and red tuff. Gyumri has its own dialect (as any other region of Armenia) which is very popular in the whole country.
We will have a guided walking tour through the historic parts of the city. Our walking tour will also cover sights such as main public square, Surb Astvatsatsin or ՙՙSeven Wounds Church՚՚ (1882-1887), Holy Saviour’s Church (1858-1872), old city and Abovyan street with authentic architecture, black fortress (an abandoned Russian imperial fortress from the 19th.) and Mother Armenia Monument. It is worth mentioning a few words about the ՙՙSeven Wounds Church՚՚. The church operated even during the Soviet times, together with the Mother Cathedral in Etchmiadzin when all the other churches in the republic were closed. Moreover, three churches were operating at the same time: the Armenian Apostolic, the Armenian Catholic, and the Russian Orthodox.
During the tour, we will make a stop at a pottery shop to get some traditional souvenirs. We will visit the local open-air market to taste some delicious Armenian fruits. We will also stop at a studio with Armenian interior and traditional costumes you can have a look at or even try them on. After our tour, you will have some free time in the city for yourself.
We will have a break during our walking tour to have a light lunch.
We will have dinner in a traditional Armenian fish restaurant. After dinner, we would drive back to Yerevan.
