7:10 local time Wednesday evening, and I’m in the restaurant of the Golden Palace Hotel in Yerevan, my abode for 2 nights until I can return to my first hotel. This is the only(?) 5-star hotel in the city, and it certainly looks and feels that way. Far above my norm. But, it is deserted. There is a couple dining across the room and, otherwise, I’ve only seen one guest. The impression after my first hour is that I would not stay here again. The first reason is that it is across town, on the main hill, and there are no shops or other attractions to walk to. So, not only is the neighborhood boring, but one must dine here or use a car or taxi to head down the hill. The other problem, and the killer of the deal, is that there is no internet in the rooms. There is wifi in the lobby but, of course, I would be much more comfortable upstairs. Plus, I am not going to use Skype from the lobby. The wifi does not extend to this restaurant. But, it is only for two nights. And maybe, when I check later, the TV will pull in more channels than my first hotel.
The reason why I was booted out of my hotel for two days became obvious this evening – we went to retrieve my luggage, and a large bus of German tourists had pulled up. This city seems to be popular with that nation…I am hearing German spoken all over.
For those curious ones, I am dining on a fresh (local) tomato/cuke/spinach/soft feta salad, local lake trout with veggies, a chocolate brownie, and my first Armenian beer. And fresh Armenian bread, of course. Can’t complain.
A piano player just started in the lobby, and the music is penetrating the restaurant walls. They really do seem to be trying hard here…perhaps the hotel just opened, or perhaps the location is just too relatively inconvenient. Hope the restaurant staff isn’t surviving on tips.
The last two days have been a tiring whirl. Training is draining, whether one is listening or delivering, And the participants are a little less prepared than I had guessed…most are very junior lenders who have been in their positions for less than a year. Because of the need to go over some material in more detail, and eliminate some other parts that I’ve judged to be worthless to them, I have had to substantially rewrite my approach each of the last two nights. Tomorrow should pretty well go as originally scheduled.
The trout just arrived – whole. I hate having my dinner stare at me. He seems pissed. Maybe tomorrow night will be something benign, like spaghetti.
It has hailed each of the past three days, and residents are really complaining about the weather. This is unusual for Yerevan in October. We have already exceeded the average October rainfall.
Traffic here is quite manageable…drivers obey the traffic lights, stay in their lanes, and do NOT just back up on the street when missing their turnoff. Much better than Baku. Downtown parking is a problem, but they do no use the sidewalks for parking. The only thing to be alert about walking in a crosswalk…drivers obeying a turn arrow do not feel obligated to yield to pedestrians.
My hosts (training managers at the bank) took me on a brief tour of center city on the drive here…shopping seemed robust and storefronts and buildings clean and updated. The opera house was most spectacular…if there is a production this weekend, I shall take it in. I sincerely hope the weekend weather cooperates so some good pics can flow your way.
This server also looked at me twice when I ordered Armenian (essentially strong Turkish) coffee without sugar. Obviously a very unusual request.
Coffee is here, dinner is over, and I shall tie up this missive and retire to the lobby to upload it, check email, and (hopefully) IM with Nancy. Have a great day, everybody. Back in the States in 10 days.
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