At Sanahin

Here's a photo of me buying candles at Sanahin monastery, located in the northern part of Lori, courtesy of Julie Dermansky. Sanahin is truly an amazing place, not only for its awe-inspiring architectural design but for its lovely picturesque scenery. It is by far one of my favorite monasteries to visit, along with Haghartsin located just outside of Dilijan and Datev, which is in Syunik down south. From Yerevan it takes about two or two-and-a-half hours of straight driving to get there, depending how fast your vehicle moves, but for anyone visiting Armenia this summer it should definitely be on your list of places to see. Northern Lori is mostly forested and the main road runs alongside a river that continues across the Georgian border--in other words it's a fantastic drive. It is also possible to visit the birthplace of celebrated writer Hovhannes Tumanian as well while you're up in that area. See my previous post about my most recent adventures there.