When the OSCE program managers asked me to go to Goris, my initial thought was that I didn’t want to go. I had written a report for them because I came to help the people of Armenia, admired the OSCE women and their project, and wanted to offer my thoughts on the handicrafts. But I also wrote the report because I was moving on and was ready to turn the page and get started with the new assignment. I mentioned that I did hope to get back to the Goris area at some point so I could see the Tatev monastery. And they said they would stop at the monastery on the way back if I agreed to go. I told them that if they also stopped at the Neolithic stone circle that I would ask MCA-Armenia if I could go. They agreed so readily that I was taken aback. Was that extortion? Hmm. Could I really be bribed? Hmm. Well, let’s say I was a good negotiator. Next stop, interesting job with flexibility and a high salary?
Tuesday was sunny – after driving that bargain, rain was not going to stop it. We had some coffee with the women of the Goris WRC and set off for Tatev. This is one of the more famous monasteries in Armenia, seen in many a postcard. Recently (last year?), the Italian government built the world’s longest cableway to get to it, in the hopes of increasing tourism. We had to take it because there was no time for the winding road. The OSCE managers asked us if we were scared, and I said no, should we be? We left the cable station and hung in midair for a while. The gondola made it back to the station and we waited a while before all systems were go again. We waited even longer on the way back – the repairs added about an hour to our trip. I hope they iron out the bugs before the tourists really arrive! At least we were at the station both times rather than stuck in the middle, dangling in midair.
Tatev monastery itself is quite impressive. There’s a huge oil press just outside – oil was a major revenue source for them. There are several small churches in the complex, each with distinctive architectural features. And there is a bunch of khatchkars, the “cross-stones” for which Armenia is known. Yes, there’s an element of “you’ve seen one monastery, you’ve seen them all,” but there are more I would like to see (two of them are UNESCO World Heritage sites). I don’t feel compelled to see them all, yet they are often in remote sites of great beauty – the better to defend them from the many enemies who came through.
I was afraid that we had taken so much time that we would have to skip the Neolithic stone circle, but they kept their word. I love Neolithic stone circles! Now I have seen them in Morocco, Spain and Armenia. This one is called Carahunge – which means “stone henge.” Coincidence? (Come to think of it, I have seen Stonehenge, too, so four!). Estimates are that this one is 7500 years old. And, as with others, this one lines up with the sun, moon and stars. Some of the rocks here have holes through which stars can be seen depending on the time of year. I loved it. There are some other Neolithic sites around the country, but this is the most intact. That said, I may find my way to more of them. If not, I’m happy that I saw this one!
When the OSCE program managers asked me to go to Goris, my initial thought was that I didn’t want to go. I had written a report for them because I came to help the people of Armenia, admired the OSCE women and their project, and wanted to offer my thoughts on the handicrafts. But I also wrote the report because I was moving on and was ready to turn the page and get started with the new assignment. I mentioned that I did hope to get back to the Goris area at some point so I could see the Tatev monastery. And they said they would stop at the monastery on the way back if I agreed to go. I told them that if they also stopped at the Neolithic stone circle that I would ask MCA-Armenia if I could go. They agreed so readily that I was taken aback. Was that extortion? Hmm. Could I really be bribed? Hmm. Well, let’s say I was a good negotiator. Next stop, interesting job with flexibility and a high salary? 
Tuesday was sunny – after driving that bargain, rain was not going to stop it. We had some coffee with the women of the Goris WRC and set off for Tatev. This is one of the more famous monasteries in Armenia, seen in many a postcard. Recently (last year?), the Italian government built the world’s longest cableway to get to it, in the hopes of increasing tourism. We had to take it because there was no time for the winding road. The OSCE managers asked us if we were scared, and I said no, should we be? We left the cable station and hung in midair for a while. The gondola made it back to the station and we waited a while before all systems were go again. We waited even longer on the way back – the repairs added about an hour to our trip. I hope they iron out the bugs before the tourists really arrive! At least we were at the station both times rather than stuck in the middle, dangling in midair.
Tatev monastery itself is quite impressive. There’s a huge oil press just outside – oil was a major revenue source for them. There are several small churches in the complex, each with distinctive architectural features. And there is a bunch of khatchkars, the “cross-stones” for which Armenia is known. Yes, there’s an element of “you’ve seen one monastery, you’ve seen them all,” but there are more I would like to see (two of them are UNESCO World Heritage sites). I don’t feel compelled to see them all, yet they are often in remote sites of great beauty – the better to defend them from the many enemies who came through.
I was afraid that we had taken so much time that we would have to skip the Neolithic stone circle, but they kept their word. I love Neolithic stone circles! Now I have seen them in Morocco, Spain and Armenia. This one is called Carahunge – which means “stone henge.” Coincidence? (Come to think of it, I have seen Stonehenge, too, so four!). Estimates are that this one is 7500 years old. And, as with others, this one lines up with the sun, moon and stars. Some of the rocks here have holes through which stars can be seen depending on the time of year. I loved it. There are some other Neolithic sites around the country, but this is the most intact. That said, I may find my way to more of them. If not, I’m happy that I saw this one!
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