Onward to Armenia (Finally....)

 It was time to move on to Armenia.  We had planned to spend more time in Georgia exploring the country but, fate had other plans.  As you already are likely aware from previous posts, I have an Armenian heritage on my father's side.  My grandparents arrived in the USA as a result of deportations from their Armenian lands in Turkey which left them country-less in their home lands.  The Armenian government has been actively assisting those who were displaced by offering repatriation to Armenia.  I took advantage of this program by visiting the Armenian Embassy in Washington, DC back in December of 2025 and applying.  While we were in Sivas, Turkey, I received an email notification from the offices in Yerevan that I had been given citizenship to Armenia.  

 With this exciting information, I realized that getting my passport and citizenship papers was of the utmost importance going forward.  Knowing this, we began an accelerated trip out of Turkey so that I could spend the time needed to complete the necessary bureaucratic processes associated getting my official documents processed.

 We booked first class passage on the overnight train from Tblisi, Georgia to Yerevan, Armenia.  While we could have flown in 45 minutes or taken a bus in about 5 hours, we chose the train instead to enjoy some comfort and luxury of our own private bedroom onboard this extremely scenic route.  The train left at a comfortable time of 10:40pm but was already in the station when we arrived at 9:30pm.  This meant we could hop on board with no waiting what-so-ever and get relaxed before departure.

The train had three classes of services, all sleepers and no coaches.  The third class sleepers looked like something out of an early black and white film from the 1940's with sets of two beds stacked in rows in an open plan car that left little to privacy.  The second class cars featured rooms with four beds which meant, as a couple, we would share with two others.  No thanks.  We chose first class with two lower beds and a room that was our own.  The cost?  $75 USD each.  I can't even go coach from Boston to New York for that price!

 The train pulled out on time and we would spend the next 12 hours traveling a total road distance of about 150 miles.  That seems pretty darn slow, and it was.  I think the top speed on the train was 60 mph and we only managed that just as we were approaching the suburbs of Yerevan.  The rest of the time, the train was doubling back on itself, covering probably an extra 50 miles of zig zags up and up through the mountains.  It was incredibly scenic and we traveled through wild country where we saw no roads.  The rest of the time was spent at the border crossings.

 The border crossings deserve special attention.  Exactly two hours out of Tblisi and 60 miles of track for what amounted to 30 miles distance as the crow flies from the city , we arrived at the border town at the southern edge of Georgia.  As it turns out, we had to get our passport stamped in order to leave the country and to enter Armenia.  At 12:40am, the train attendant started knocking on doors to wake us up and make us aware that we were at immigrations.  We were told we would have to get off the train, car by car, to each be processed outside at the station.  Since there were 12 cars on the train and we were second from the last car, we had a long wait.

With our passports at the ready, an hour passed and we fell back to sleep with our room door open so that we could heed the call when we were ultimately summoned.  At about 1:30 in the morning, our car was called and we stumbled off the train in malfunctioning apparel and a variety of states of soporific drunkenness, onto the station platform and shuffled as a team of zombies toward the bright lights of the immigration officers in the small booth at the station. 

 One by one, we had our pictures taken and our passports stamped.  And then, one by one, we shuffled back onto the train and into our respective rooms and beds.  I arose briefly as the train lumbered out of the station at about 2:00 am to gaze out the window to see security guards shining bright flashlights under the train to assess, perhaps, if someone might have decided to exit the country using some sort of gymnastics to levitate themselves beneath the coaches.  I thought it bizarre but, being exhausted, quickly exchanged whatever thoughts I had for those that I could entertain in dreamland.

 We clickety-clacked along with gentle swaying as I drifted off into a contented sleep.  It was another hour before we reached our next station, our first inside Armenia, where the train stopped again for immigrations and entry into the country.  As before, the train attendant came through and knocked on our doors, waking us up and asking us to have our passports out and ready for inspection and stamping.  In this instance, we did not need to get off the train.  Rather, the immigration officials came ONTO the train and went again, car by car, from the front car back through to reach ours about 45 minutes later, waking us up again in the process.  We handed our passports, were asked where we were from, had our passports stamped and returned to us.

 I was thankful to not have to get off the train and for such an easy entry into the country.  Unfortunately, my appreciation was short-lived and my re-entry into slumber-land equally so for, about a half hour after this event, there was a knock on the door and we arose to find that there was a customs agent standing in the doorway.  He simply asked if we had anything to declare, to which we unanimously muttered something that sounded like "NO" (not really sure as we were half asleep).  He seemed satisfied with whatever apparent grunting sounds we made and bid us adieu to then pass onward to the next train cabin.

By now it was past 4:00am and I immediately fell back to sleep.  Gary had fallen asleep before I even had a chance for my head to hit the pillow, and for this I was quite envious.  My envy did not live much longer than 30 seconds because I was out like a light the moment my head went horizontal.  I had a good sleep until about 5:30 in the morning when the sky began to brighten for sunrise.

 I looked out the window and could not, after seeing the amazing mountain scenery and our train perched upon the edge of a ravine overlooking a raging river below, get back to sleep.  I certainly did NOT want to miss the amazing terrain and the even more amazing engineering feat to build tracks along the sides of cliffs, over tall bridges and through an innumerable number of tunnels cut through the mountains.

 We watched the sun rise and the lands change from mountainous to flat agricultural terrains and ultimately to suburbia as we approached Yerevan.  At about 10 am we rolled into the station, alighted onto the platform and ambled into the large Soviet era central station. Since we could not check into our Air BnB until noon, and since there just happened to be a beautiful piano in in the central pavilion that was open to public play, there was an impromptu concert for those who happened to be in those halls over the next hour or so.  I so miss my piano back in the states.  This was the perfect quick fix to that specific ailment.

After settling into our Air BnB, we took the opportunity the next morning to head down to the Repatriation Services building in central Yerevan to discuss my next steps.  They confirmed that I was way ahead of the game and already had my appointment set up for an upcoming visit with the passport department on Friday. While there, they indicated that there was a volunteer organization upstairs that we could discuss opportunities for providing our expertise and services within the country.  The conversation we had with them led us to find out that we could be part of free language lessons, dance classes and Saturday excursions to a variety of fun places with other volunteers in a shared van.

 Things are moving in a very positive direction and hopefully that momentum continues for our next update here in Yerevan, Armenia