I awoke to a crisp morning in Dilijan, Armenia. We were staying at the Tufenkian Old Dilijan Complex which was actually pretty cool. The buildings were very rustic looking.
We were in Dilijan which is a touristy town during the winter off season, so we seemed to be the only guests in our hotel. The hotel breakfast was funny because it was free and there was infinity food.
The staff had chosen our seats to be facing each other but at opposite ends of the dining room. I assume to give some space for my creativity to really flourish.
Legit if I got up and two more people sat down in succession after me I don't know that we could eat all of this.
We attempted to visit a local museum but it was closed. Sad.
There were a few characters gathering snow nearby though, like this Lenin.
We hopped in a cab to take us to our next destination. Our driver Tatul spoke a bit of English and kept calling us "bro". He was a bit of a slithery character and was trying to get us to book another farther away trip with him. I took his phone number so that he would drop the subject but I did not intend to call him.
Haghartsin is a medieval Armenian Apostolic monastery built between the 10th and 13th centuries.
There were some bees around sleeping the winter away in their boxes.
There was a honey house.
Mike bought some very expensive honey and I think immediately regretted it. We both got some mead that was bright green. I think it had some herbs in it of some sort but I hated it to the point that I whipped my cups' contents off the balcony as I didn't want to seem rude but also couldn't suffer another sip.
Back in Dilijan we relaxed at the artsy Cafe #2.
I thought the illustrations on the menu were very fun. I liked this place a lot.
There were lovely views of frozen Lake Dilijan from the cafe window. On our journey to this town we'd tell people were headed to Dilijan and they would kind of laugh and say that the place was more for romantic getaways or couples on their honeymoon. It is a beautiful place so I definitely see what they mean, but also I do what I want. So there's that.
A coffee, a tea, and an oatmeal cookie plus service fee was 1,650 Armenian Dram or $4.21. I thought that was very reasonable.
We visited a Dilijan visitor center near the cafe. I thought the font was very funny and looked like it said "DILF".
I had a nice check-in with Big Ern back at the very rustic and historic hotel.
Later that night we had dinner at Kchuch.
They specialized in cooking using a kchuch or clay pot in an oven.
"Lamb shank with black plums and honey
One of the most popular dishes of Kchuch found its source of inspiration in Moroccan cuisine. Moroccan chefs are experts in combining tastes. One can endlessly learn from their mastership. Lamb shank with black plums has found its place in Kchuch menu from the first day on. Moroccan Tajine Lhem Barkouk is a masterpiece for meat and sweet fusion, which now has its Kchuch-style interpretation. The perfect balance of ingredients and spices is adapted to the Armenian palates. The dried black plum as a Dilian specialty and the local honey of the Tavush region provide a unique sweetness, while various spices highlight the piquant tint of the dish. This is the most complicated and yet the most in-demand clay pot dish in Kchuch.
Goes perfectly well with bulgur and grilled potato wedges. "
They had a baked banana, chocolate, and marshmallow dessert that transported me back to our Missouri park covid camping days where we often grilled similar treats.
