Halfway down the Danube

Lookitthat!

Ararat again.

Okay, y'all are probably getting sick of hearing about the mountains by now. But it bears repeating, because it's such a huge presence here. Ararat just... looms over Yerevan, like nothing I've ever seen anywhere else.

First time I saw it? Third day here, I was walking to work. (Which is two miles and takes 38 minutes, by the way. So I won't be walking regularly.)

Turned the corner and started down the hill, and whoa: there's this snow-capped, perfect volcanic cone, right in front of me. Like a child's drawing of a mountain, you know? Just, wham, there. Very impressive.

So I thought, well, that's the famous Ararat. Very nice. And kept walking...

...and guess what: it wasn't. That was little Ararat. Little Ararat is a completely different mountain, smaller and further away. It sits next to Big No Kidding Ararat like a dog at its master's knee.

I didn't realize this, but when I walked a few more yards down the hill, I got a clear line of sight, and: Oh my God. Ararat is just... huge. Smaller mountains to left and right just serve to emphasize. Okay,

I would post a picture, but I can't imagine one doing it justice. I think you just have to come to Yerevan.

Okay. There's more to say about Ararat -- the history, and why no Armenians live there now, and how it's a constant reminder of certain things -- but enough of that for now.

Let me thank Carlos (and Noel!) for keeping the blog fires burning. They may have to carry us a bit longer, because we still have no internet access at home. So, to post, either I have to take a few moments at the office after work hours (as now), or Claudia has to sit in the Marriott lobby cafe. Neither is ideal, so our posting may be patchy for a bit.

Also, I'm in a new job. It's a promotion, with a fair bit of new responsibility. So that's going to hit my posting time too.

But we're still here, and we'll still be blogging. And thanks to all of you for coming along.

Posted by douglas at April 5, 2006 06:30 PM