ON THE WAY TO ARMENIA

     I am backing up a bit as I did not in the previous post have pictures downloaded from my camera.  After spending one night in a hotel in Washington DC my Peace Corps group flew to Vienna Austria. We had a twelve hour layover there after arriving at 8:00 a.m. Austria time. It was an exhausting overnight flight where I sat next to a group of Russian children, ages 10-13 or close thereto, who played video games all night and thus I had no sleep.  But, upon arriving in Vienna Ian was there to meet me at the airport.  We spent a most wonderful day together. 

Ian and me in Vienna.  It was very cold that day and I am wearing Ian's scarf.

     This is my very first trip across the ocean to Europe or anywhere outside of the United States so it was a momentous occasion for me. We walked for miles, took a bus tour of the city and visited a few beautiful cathedrals. 

A market place in Vienna

 

Cathedral in Vienna

 

     I had to be back at the airport at about 7 p.m. and I was exhausted. We went to my hotel room in Vienna, slept showered and went to the airport for dinner.  Ian left me there and took an overnight train back to Berlin.  It was hard to leave him. I hadn't seen him since Christmas.

 

 

Evening in the airport getting dinner - Vienna

 

     It was a three hour flight to Yerevan from Vienna. We would arrive about 3 a.m.

 



 



 

 



 

FIRST DAY IN ARMENIA

First Day in Armenia at Zvartnots Seventh Century Temple

     It is about 5:00 in the morning Armenia time on August 28th 2014.  I am the second from the left in the first row. We have arrived, A22 Peace Corps group, i.e. the 22nd group to arrive in Armenia. There are 38 of us here. Only 6 of us are over the age of 60 and the rest are under the age of 32, the youngest being 21.  At this point we are all exhausted having been up for over 24 hours. We were brought to this temple at 3 a.m. via bus from the Yerevan (capital of Armenia) airport and have waited here for the sun to rise.  We have had black coffee and a piece of Gata - Armenian sweet bread.

 

     This is my first posting on my blog dated September 28, 2014, my 64th birthday.  I am now in the town of Berkanush in Ararat Marz, Armenia.  I am happy to be here, having waited 43 years to be in the Peace Corps.  Some dreams do come true.