Areni
From Yerevan, we cycled some mountains in terrible heat, until we reached Areni.
Highway in the morning. Temperature is still nice.
Mount Ararat in the distance:
Going into the mountains:
Superb views, but the heat was really brutal:
We ran out of water in between, because there were no springs on this route. Luckily, many cars stopped and gave us water, juices and fruit. Thank you so much!
We reached the top of the mountain just in time before a big thunderstorm. It was perfect, there was a little hut and a spring with fresh, cold water. Perfect to get some rest and wait for the storm to pass. While we sat there, lightning struck really close to us, possibly into the spring with the steel pipes. We could really feel the electricity in the air. That was a bit scary, but the storm was over soon and we could continue our route to Areni.
Unbelievable landscapes once again:
Another one of these dangerous roads...
And even more superb views:
In the evening, we reached Areni and found the perfect place to stay. It was a small family run bungalow park in the middle of nowhere.
It had a private lake:
A fish farm:
And lots and lots of fruit trees! We came at the right time, everything was ready to eat. They really had everything: Mulberries, Cherries and many varieties of apricots (Armenia is famous for its apricots):
"Main road" of the bungalow park:
Inside of one of the bungalows:
We really had a great time here. It is a very unique place in beautiful scenery, run by very kind people. We ate huge amounts of super tasty fruit and were even invited for delicious barbecue. Thank you so much!
