Weekends here are marathons; on the bus, off the bus, around the monastery, on the bus, off the bus, through the temple, on the bus, off the bus. (Repeat again tomorrow). It makes it hard to settle into any place and get an idea of what its all about. This, I am gathering, is par for the course.
Garni, however, broke the vicious cycle. Rushed as we may have been, this last-standing pagan temple just outside the city limits is a quiet tribute to a past when things were peaceful, simple and void of Christianity. Greek influences scattered in the Armenian countryside.
Steps toward the altar are tall; and like trudging through mid-February snow in Vermont, the ascent is satisfying. Garni is like a one-room schoolhouse. It is delightful in its simplicity as it tugs for you to imagine yourself learning communally inside its thick walls. It does not outshine that awe in the sprawling college campus, nor the reverence of Christianity. Garni reminds visitors that things were difference once and that was great too.
“Samantha,” Vram, our tour director said, “You are right at home here because like Garni, you are both Greek and Armenian.” Yes, Vram, at Garni it did feel like home.
From 12 Amiryan St. Apt.54,
Samantha
p.s. This morning, on my return run, I braved the rowdy pack of dogs in my alley. I walked by them instead of looping around the building. I proceeded quietly and they didn’t make a sound. What a triumph! Slowly, surely, assimilation
Garni, however, broke the vicious cycle. Rushed as we may have been, this last-standing pagan temple just outside the city limits is a quiet tribute to a past when things were peaceful, simple and void of Christianity. Greek influences scattered in the Armenian countryside.
Steps toward the altar are tall; and like trudging through mid-February snow in Vermont, the ascent is satisfying. Garni is like a one-room schoolhouse. It is delightful in its simplicity as it tugs for you to imagine yourself learning communally inside its thick walls. It does not outshine that awe in the sprawling college campus, nor the reverence of Christianity. Garni reminds visitors that things were difference once and that was great too.
“Samantha,” Vram, our tour director said, “You are right at home here because like Garni, you are both Greek and Armenian.” Yes, Vram, at Garni it did feel like home.
From 12 Amiryan St. Apt.54,
Samantha
p.s. This morning, on my return run, I braved the rowdy pack of dogs in my alley. I walked by them instead of looping around the building. I proceeded quietly and they didn’t make a sound. What a triumph! Slowly, surely, assimilation
1 comment:
No doubt it is through the eyes of the traveler that one sees anew but those photos of the Armenian people foretell deeper truths. Keep searching. The sense of place and people takes time and intention. I know your heart can see much. What beautiful impressions you have to share with us! Thanks for the effort. We are better for knowing what a bus ride in Armenia is like, what the dogs are like, what the heart is like.
Much love,
Mama
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