My first visit to Yerevan, Armenia

As you might have seen on my other blog posts, I travelled to Armenia recently to do a story on tuberculosis. A month ago I knew next to nothing about the country, but now I can proudly tell you a bit about it! It was the first state to adopt Christianity and it lies in the Ararat mountains, where, and you can believe this or not, Noah's Ark is said to have come to rest. The Armenian diaspora is huge - eight million Armenians live outside the country. The population stands at about three million. The best time to visit Armenia is spring time. There are heaps of monasteries scattered around the country. The food is great - lots of grilled meat. The best bar I have ever been to is in Yerevan. It's a sub-terranean joint called the Rock Bar, click here. It's run by a really friendly couple (they'll always call a cab for you at the end of the night) and their library of music DVDs is never ending. Be sure to order a Rock Shot if and when you get there. This is stunning Mt Ararat... ...and it is much loved by Armenians. I took this photo at the popular weekly Vernissage flea market, it is heaven for treasure hunters.