Travels in Gyumri

Over the weekend I went with my tutor and his students from Yerevan State University to Gyumri, as city that lies 120 km from Yerevan. It's also Armenia's second largest city with a population over 160,000. The small city was hit by the 1988 earthquake that killed thousands. The photo below is taken from Freedom Square with All Savor's Church in the distance.



It was a fitting time to be in the city as Monday will be a remembrance day for those who lost their lives during the devastating earthquake. Gyumri also lies close to the Turkish border. The Wall St Journal's Joe Parkinson recently did a report on the potential economic benefits of the border opening from the perspective of Armenians from Gyumri.

http://online.wsj.com/video/a-bitter-century-armenian-city-left-behind/7433E2EC-3D08-4414-921F-7FB4990F1821.html

The Russian military patrols the border between Armenia and Turkey. Pictured below are the backs of three Russian soldiers.



I fell in love with the small city. Despite the sadness sown by the earthquake, a subtle beauty exists in the crumbling 19th century buildings. After exploring the town center, we made our way to the city's orphanage. More on that tomorrow.