By Karine Aghajanyan 

Watch Yerevan from atop the Cascade Complex

Yerevan is a beautiful city with nice buildings, but sometimes stress and annoying routine can make you ignorant of its vibrations. Thus, you need to look at its panorama so you can feel the spirit of the city. Enjoy the peace and quiet. Small cities can be maddening and stressful at times, but the peacefulness they harbor on a frosty winter night is pretty fantastic.

Explore Yerevan’s architecture: walk around places where you have never been

You can find amazing old and new buildings that you have never seen before. Yerevan is a small city, but there are lots of buildings that are removed from the immediate reach of the streets or bus stops. This is especially true now, when there are construction projects going on here and there and you can’t recognize the neighborhood you knew before.

You will find gardens, shops, restaurants, art, or other random wonderful things. For example, I accidentally came across the Holy Mother of God Zoravor Church for the first time in a courtyard north of Pushkin and Ghazar Parpetsi Streets. You can take time and visit each district separately for a full day of adventure. Yerevan has 12 districts, which means it will take some time to explore, but rest assured you will find interesting buildings.

It is worth visiting the B1 Quarter, also known as Bangladesh, which is situated in the south and west of Yerevan. It is massive, intense and filled with Soviet apartment complexes. Seeing those buildings squeezed together generates a very interesting perspective. There is also a cool acoustics effect surrounding the area: it is silent and unusual compared to downtown.

Another interesting exploration would be to visit the Noubarashen prison in Yerevan, which has a rather depressive energy embedded in its old architecture; especially since it hasn’t been renovated for decades.

 It would be also interesting to visit the factory building in Zeytun; the ALMAST electronics store building has a sculpture of a Communist working class woman and a man.

Finally, you can visit the area around the Gortsaranayin subway station, which has lots of abandoned and non-operating factories. It can be a nice place for a rather edgy photo shoot.

Hang out with senior citizens

They have great stories and sometimes are looking for the company. They have seen lots of things in their lifetime and are open to talk about anything. You will be amazed at the degree to which an old lady chatting with her friend or an old man playing chess with his mate are aware about life, relationships, politics, the economy … just about anything.

You can share your knowledge with the older generation and get bits of wonderful advice from them in return. You can literally go to any park or playground in the yards of the city, which have the so called “bisetka”s (park gazebos) and meet senior citizens hanging out there. Usually they will be playing backgammon, chatting, or arguing about politics. There is a lot to learn from this community as its members hold a memory of a past that can give a newcomer links to the present.

Another option is to visit retirement homes and cheer up the residents by bringing them cake or fresh fruits to share. There are four state retirement homes in Yerevan and all of them are meant to host 1,050 senior citizens. Retirement House №1 is situated in Haghtanak (Chorord Gyugh), 2nd St., 45 Building. Another one, Nork Retirement House, is in Nork-Marash administrative district of Yerevan on Armenak Armenakyan St., 197a Building. Make sure to be prepared to hear lots of interesting stories!

Explore the Blue Mosque

There is an operating mosque in Yerevan which is amazing. Due to the secularist policies of the Soviet government, religious services at the Blue Mosque were stopped. In 1931 it was used to house the Museum of the City of Yerevan. In 1990s, the mosque underwent a major restoration funded by Iran. This mosque is considered the heritage of the once large Azerbaijani community of Armenia, so why not feel the breath of the history of a once diverse culture that was part of the old city. There is also a permanent exhibition of Iranian traditional art in the mosque and anyone interested can walk right in.

Buy and read a random local newspaper 

While you can find anything you need just by searching for it on Google, you must admit that having a paper in your hands with bits of news, analytics, TV shows, small bits of everything, and a crossword can be a great feeling. There is much to discover with a hard copy of a newspaper as opposed to an online version of it. Plus the ritual of reading an actual paper can be inspiring! Newspapers like Aravot, Zhoghovurd, Hraparak, 168 Zham and others can be found in press kiosks next to almost every bus stop.

Go to Davitashen Bridge

Stand on the very top of the bridge from one side and watch the cars pass by. It’s a very relaxing experience, especially during sunset. You can see the Hrazdan canyon and couple of adjacent districts from this point of the city. And don't forget to stop by the artists’ residency on 13 Hrachya Kochar Street: Art Laboratory which is a cultural NGO that was founded in 2007 by a group of contemporary artists. You can find about the upcoming events on their website: www.artlabyerevan.com.

Watch experimental and non-professional theatre pieces performed by theatre students

You can watch students of the University of Theatre and Cinema displaying their best form at Yerevan’s Puppet Theatre. More information can be obtained at (www.armpuppet.am) or get updates from the Facebook group “https://www.facebook.com/groups/1612895142269047/”. They are the new generation; reflecting youthful dynamics in their plays and scenarios which they write themselves. You can meet them after the play and maybe even be invited to go out for a drink!

Make a picnic or just have sip of fresh air in parks

You can find up to 20 parks in different districts of Yerevan. You can grab a book or a couple of snacks to take with you. Don’t hesitate to spend time alone in the park; it is a nice way to feel connected to nature for a while. Check out Tumanyan Park, Lovers’ Park, Komitas Pantheon Park, Victory Park, Children’s Railway, and Saryan Park.

Have a drink

There are several old and new pubs and clubs where you can have drink and enjoy some quality time with your favorite music. The places I prefer to visit are Process Pub (crossroads of Tumanyan and Saryan) and Uptown club (19A Koryun Street). If you want something more fancy and are in the mood for jazz you can also visit the Malkhas Jazz Club (52/1 Pushkin Street).

Take photos or ask people to take yours

There are some rather unique places where you can take photos. It can be great way to document your experience. Check out the Children’s Railway located on the other side of the tunnel behind Karen Demirchyan Boulevard (Malibu Park) and the valley beneath Victory Bridge. Think of some creative, hilarious pictures you could take with people in the community.

Go to “weird” museums

Did you know that there is a geology museum in Yerevan which exhibits different types of stones? And it has a giant mammoth skeleton right in the middle. Yes, you can visit weird but fun museums you have never been to before. The Geology Museum is on 24A Marshal Baghramyan Avenue, near the National Academy of Science. It is also worth visiting the Woodcraft Museum, with interesting and unusual wooden handworks, on 4 and 2 Paronyan Street.

Go ice-skating

The ice skating rink at Swan Lake in downtown Yerevan near Opera is now open. Professional coaches are there to train beginners. There is also a medical service unit on hand to provide  aid in case of accidents. The rink ticket prices are $1.20 ifyou bring your own skates and $2.40 if skates are rented. The rink is usually open every day from 11AM to 11PM.

KarineAghajanyan is a freelance journalist and writer with many years of experience in human rights education and social work, moreover she studied Law and Political Science in Armenia. She is also a feminist activist.