Category: Travel

Culture, Travel

That time I went to the movies the same day the WHO declared a pandemic (and three other memorable cinematic experiences of 2020)

Every year I make a semi-serious New Year’s resolution to watch more movies. There are few things I enjoy more than watching films on the big screen, and even in our era of streaming dominance, I happily leave my house several times a month for public screenings.  The stay-at-home lifestyle of 2020 was good for my overall movie consumption but terrible for my in-person attendance. … Continue reading That time I went to the movies the same day the WHO declared a pandemic (and three other memorable cinematic experiences of 2020)

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Armenia, Travel

Celebrating Armenian Christmas at Etchmiadzin

Last weekend, on January 6th, it was Armenian Christmas. You might be asking yourself, why do Armenians celebrate on on this day? According to the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, until the fourth century, all Christian churches celebrated Christmas on January 6th. Then the Roman church decided to move the date to December 25th to override a major pagan feast. The Armenian Church, however, … Continue reading Celebrating Armenian Christmas at Etchmiadzin

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Armenia, Travel

Beautiful Armenian Churches, a Friendly Guide Dog, and Puppies!

After our previous day of adventure in Dilijan, Jessica and I had a wonderful sleep and then were treated to a massive breakfast in the hotel restaurant (sausage omelette, friend potatoes, bread, cheese, cold cuts, cookies, pancakes, apples, persimmons, Armenian coffee, and rosehip juice). We asked the hotel reception if they could arrange a taxi to take us to the nearby churches of Haghartsin and … Continue reading Beautiful Armenian Churches, a Friendly Guide Dog, and Puppies!

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Armenia, Travel

Visiting ‘Old’ Dilijan in Winter

This past Saturday, Jessica and I wanted to travel to the town Dilijan, about 100km from Yerevan. Dilijan is a small town surrounded by mountains and is popular in summer with both Armenians and foreigners. It is also home to many artist studios and galleries. The first step of our journey was confirming where we could catch the marshrutka (minibus) to Dilijan, as intercity marshrutkas … Continue reading Visiting ‘Old’ Dilijan in Winter

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Armenia, Travel

Ashtarak and Kasagh Gorge Churches

After two weeks in Yerevan, Jessica and I decided this past Sunday to get out of the city and do a bit of exploring. Choosing which churches to visit in Armenia can be a daunting task, but this time we settled on going to the town of Ashtarak, about 25km from Yerevan, as well as the surrounding churches along the Kasagh Gorge. We travelled to … Continue reading Ashtarak and Kasagh Gorge Churches

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Travel

Going Up Into The Mountains (and Having Much More Fun Coming Down)

One of great things about living in Geneva is that it is so easy to take a train up into the mountains. For me the hardest part is just deciding which mountain to visit. This time, we made the right decision. A few weeks ago Jessica and I woke up nice and early on Saturday morning to catch a 7:30 train to Montreux. Jessica was not … Continue reading Going Up Into The Mountains (and Having Much More Fun Coming Down)

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