By Marlise Kast-Myers
My husband Benjamin and I land in Yerevan, the capital and largest city in
Armenia, at 1am and, despite the arrival time, jet lag has us wired, chatting up our driver about everything from politics to population. Nodding, he asks ChatGPT for answers.
Armenia has a population of roughly 3 million, of which Yerevan is home to roughly a third. As we roll into our hotel, it seems most Yerevanites are out that night. Even in the lobby of The Alexander, the bellman explains that Armenia is a late-to-bed, late-to-rise culture.
Acclimating our senses the following morning is a rooftop breakfast served by a gracious staff who introduce us to Armenian coffee – finely ground into a powder and brewed in a jazzve pot. Ruby pomegranate juice brightens the table beside yogurt, figs, honey, olives, pastries, brined cheeses (chanakh and lori), cured beef (basturma), and other local delights.
Following breakfast, we meet Lusine Guin Dalera, our guide and owner of Next is Armenia. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she launched her business, which gained traction with viral videos introducing the “other side” of Armenia. Over the next five days, she will be our driver, translator and historian.
Within minutes, she is walking us through Yerevan, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Founded nearly 2,800 years ago, Yerevan became the capital of the Armenian Republic in 1918. Situated at the crossroads of empires – from Persian and Roman to Byzantine, Arab and Ottoman – it has long been shaped by conquest and survival. At first glance, their story of resilience is not something that could be seen.