Found a gem of a ruin of an ancient monastery which we had to hike 45mins to get to (tested my newly healed/healing achilles!) our guide was Hasmik who was a local to the area which was a bonus! We were out in a small farming village of Dsegh

I joined a bus full of Armenian Repats who I got to know who ended up being from all around the world, lovely people!

Lori region info

The roadtrip was from Yerevan to Desgh in the Lori Region

Total driving time is around 3hrs one way

We first drove to Aparan, which is only around a 1hr20min drive and had pitt stop at the FAMOUS Gntuniq Bakery food court where they make fresh bread and have irresistible mouthwatering cakes and food galore!

The place is now so crowded with touists from everywhere wanting to see the way they make their fresh bread and dive head first into the bread kilns!

The roads out of Yerevan are perfect to drive on
Love these little cars! There are more and more as you leave Yerevan
A new church monument near the Alphabet monument
Beautiful mountains in the background heading towards Aparan
Aparan – a great rest stop for all those going to the North of Armenia
Gata galore!
FRESHLY baked bread waiting to be eaten

Absolutely freshly baked bread pulled out of the kiln!

HELLO!! Mmmmmmmm…..
Armenian baklava sweets made with filo pastry and nuts
Black forest cakes
More baklavas!
Savory snacks

Back on the road again!

…. Annnnd moving haystacks! they stack them small to large yet they manouver the streets like damn professionals! Not one piece of straw out of place 🤣🤔
Passing through tunnels
And on to Vanadzor… pass by quickly but it was busy and bustling town

COAF – Children Of Armenia Fund

Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that employs community-led approaches aimed at improving the quality of life in rural Armenia, with particular focus on children and youth

What started as a singular infrastructure improvement project in Karakert has grown into a holistic initiative aimed at eradicating poverty. Through the delivery of education, healthcare resources, social services, and career training, in conjunction with economic and infrastructure initiatives, COAF has made an impactful difference in 82 communities across Armenia and Artsakh. To date, our innovative programs and projects have positively altered the lives of over 107,000 individuals in six regions of Armenia and Artsakh.

COAF website
https://www.coaf.org/our-story/
We got to the centre which was a very white and cement themed modern building – 1 level from the outside which goes down a couple of levels underground
A quite modern complex – clean, sterile and white
Through the war they helped many families get back on their feet
The auditorium where the children gather
1 level underground – The exercise room
The kids art room full of colour!
The robotics teacher, we had a good chat to him and he talked through his role and helping the children
We had lunch at the “Concept Hotel” onsite next to the centre

DSEGH

We arrived after a short yet twisting turning drive down a small and windy country road to the village of Dsegh

The village itself is located on the right bank of the river Debed and is one of the oldest populated areas, the mention of which comes from the 7th c.

BARDZRAKASH MONASTERY

I wasnt sure what to expect on this trip and I was happy that I hadnt been to this monastery before, but we got dropped off at a small village in the “town centre” and started to walk through the farm land towards the trees…

The main town centre roundabout
We walked passed many farmlands with animals and had random friendly dogs follow us around

When we were walking down one of the country lanes, one of the farmers poked their head out of a window and shouted out in Armenian “HEY! Where you’all going!?” We told them where and next minute… we see a tiny little white russian half broken mini car race by us and we walk a bit further at the end of the paddock we see the car and they had set up a little stall selling over priced water and tourist objects 😆 what a legend! Lol

Thats the cheeky farmers car! and the stall behind just as we enter the woods
We walked across a field full of beautiful colours of untouched nature ❤️
45min hike through gorgeous woods

The Monastery of Bardzrakash St. Gregory, a former religious complex dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator, the first leader of the Armenian Church and patron saint of the Armenian people

We got to the monastery complex and wow what a beautiful shock!

The beautiful derelict and fallen apart once loved monastery was awesome to explore!
I cant imagine how this church was made in such a remote area… It is now sadly crumbling away to destruction, being held up just by literally pieces of trees and wood to stop the arches from falling down – so sad to see!
The details of the crumbled and broken pieces have been so beautifully made – like it was done by some form of advanced laser printing technology
Someone had made a little chapel in one of the abandoned tiny little rooms and had pictures of Jesus and crosses along the sides with candles

We ended up having a fantastic day out! Made many new friends who are all like minded and adventurous and interesting

I loved Dsegh and the monastery, would love to recommend people to explore this off the beaten path gem and enjoy the relaxed surroundings 🙂