Escaping Armenia via the Last Monastery—But I Couldn't Help but Laugh at the Unexpected Situation

It is finally the last day of my stay in Armenia. From here, I will return to Georgia by land.

Thanks to a few days of rest, my stomach has settled down a bit. Today's travel alone will take over six hours. Diarrhea on the way is out of the question. Please, hold on, my intestines... (*For details on my poor physical condition, see the following article: Experiencing Culture Shock from Armenia's Unique Religion and Culture)

We departed from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and took our first break at a service area in the suburbs.

There, the guide showed us the bread that is supposedly the origin of the melon pan. I had heard about it on my first day in Armenia, and here too, the guide proudly claimed that the Japanese melon pan also originated from them.

The structure of being wrapped in cookie dough on the outside certainly resembles a melon pan.

Please, go ahead and eat. This is the melon pan made in Armenia.

No, no... hmm, what should I do? I have been almost fasting for the past few days. Eating this now is too dangerous...

But since I'm here, I decided to try just one bite.

Hmm, the cookie dough is indeed crispy and has a subtle sweetness. If I ate it with my eyes closed, it wouldn't be strange to mistake it for a melon pan.

However, as expected, I ended up rushing to the restroom immediately after this.

Now then, we are scheduled to visit several monasteries on our way back to Georgia today as well.

The first place we visited was Goshavank Monastery. This is also the familiar type of monastery standing alone in the mountains.

This place also has quite an otherworldly feel.

When I went inside, a monk was just talking with a visitor. I saw scenes like this many times in Armenian monasteries. Perhaps there is a culture where monks and lay believers can talk quite casually.

The scenery seen from the monastery. Mountains, mountains, and more mountains. I'm not surprised anymore. It is truly a pilgrimage.

Passing through gloomy Soviet-style towns, we drive along steep mountain roads.

With every passing minute and second, the end of Armenia draws closer, and Georgia gets nearer. I am overjoyed by that. What a ridiculous situation. Why did I even come all this way? I can't help but laugh at myself.

The next stop is the final destination in Armenia, Akhtala Monastery.

Well, this is the end. I'm sure this place will be the same as the other monasteries. I was in a state of half-resignation, thinking I would just get through it and return to Georgia quickly, but I was about to be surprised here.

Just from the entrance, I feel an atmosphere different from what I've experienced so far.

What is this place...! No! It's clearly different from everything I've seen so far!

The moment I stepped inside, I felt something spiritual.

A wide, high space built with large stacked stones. It has a sense of weight, yet it doesn't feel oppressive. Rather, it exudes a sacred atmosphere.

I see. Conversely, that means all the monasteries I've seen until now had a sense of pressure. It only just occurred to me now.

And this Akhtala Monastery is said to be the only church in Armenia where frescoes remain.

Indeed, traces of these frescoes can be found everywhere on the walls of this sanctuary.

And looking at this central altar, I couldn't help but let out an 'Ah'.

The icon was in the Orthodox style.

It wasn't the Persian-style icon I had been seeing. What on earth could this mean?

When I asked the guide, they said that this region was once part of Georgia for a period.

Hearing that, I laughed. Oh, is that what it was!

The first Armenian church where I thought, 'I like the atmosphere of this church. I want to stay longer,' was, of all things, of Georgian influence.

I laughed at how much I must be craving Georgia.

The structure of this monastery and the interior decorations are indeed, when you think about it, in the Georgian Orthodox style. That is why I was so moved by this church.

With this, I was convinced.

I suppose I just really don't get along with Armenia.

Now, it's finally time to head to Georgia.

Almost there! I can go back to Georgia!

The fact that the words 'I can go back' come out shows just how much of a sense of home and comfort I felt in Georgia.

In the end, I never did understand Armenian churches. I only felt a sense of discomfort.

And the sense of ruin from the Soviet era is just too intense. That, too, kept gnawing at my heart.

Now that I am finishing my time in Armenia, I think about it once more.

I still feel that in Armenia, there is a sense of disconnection in the continuity of history and spiritual matters.

Armenians value the antiquity of their history and take pride in it.

However, I felt as though it had stopped there. I could not feel a continuity from that past to the present.

The antiquity of history is certainly an important element for a culture.

But isn't it just as important to consider how it changed over time and how it connected to the present?

That is what I felt.

Of course, this is merely an impression I formed during my short stay.

There is no way to understand a country in just a few days or so.

But what I felt here will have a major impact on my upcoming stay in Georgia. And I will continue to laugh about this difficult stay in Armenia.

I didn't understand it. It was full of discomfort. It was painful. Even so, I feel from the bottom of my heart that I am glad I came to Armenia.

I was able to experience a world completely different from the one I live in. It is rare to encounter an otherworldly place that makes you physically ill.

And the 'incomprehensibility' I felt at the Armenian church. I want to cherish this feeling. It is impossible to understand everything. Accepting that 'what you don't understand' is 'not understood' is also an important thing.

My stay in Armenia left a powerful impact on me.

I highly recommend visiting here if you want to experience an otherworldly place. You will surely make yourself physically ill, too.

Now, I am finally heading toward the Caucasus Mountains, the greatest destination of my journey.

There, I would gain major insights not only about Tolstoy but also about Dostoevsky.

This article is a reconstruction of the following article previously published on this blog.

Following the previous article, in this article I talked about the culture shock I personally felt in Armenia. Of course, I did not intend to state anything negative about Armenian Christianity or culture. It is simply that I was surprised by the differences from the religions and cultures I have experienced until now.

I feel that encountering a world overwhelmingly different from my own is an important experience for getting to know myself.

That concludes "Escaping Armenia via the Last Church—But I Couldn't Help but Laugh at the Unexpected Situation."

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