Trip to Lori Region

These posts are all a little outdated, so I'll go ahead and continue the trend. Working backwards- here are some photos from a trip (4/8/06) the AVC and Birthright Armenia organized out to the Northern region of Lori, which is, in my opinion, the most beautiful region in Armenia. The land is verdant and the atmosphere peaceful and idyllic. I even made some friends...a few of the village girls gave me yellow daffodils in honor of "Beauty and Motherhood Day" which is an Armenian holiday on April 7th.





The pictures above are from Dsegh Village which is the birthplace of the famous Armenian writer Hovhannes Tumanian. It is not suprising that one who lived amongst such beautiful nature came to be such an inspired artist. He wrote the famous "Anoush" opera, and legend has it that the tragic conclusion of the opera, where Anoush throws herself over a cliff and ends her life because she can not be with her love, was inspired by the villagers who lived around cliffs and mountains near Tumanian's house. Luckily I didn't share the same impulse as that Anoush when I saw those cliffs!

Below are pictures from Sanahin Monastary. This monastic complex was founded in 966 AD! It, and another nearby monastery complex, Haghpat (which is a world heritage UNESCO site) are two of my favorite churches in Armenia. I think the photos came out well...