Gyumri & Harichavank Swinging Church

Gyumri is Armenia's second largest city and widely considered its cultural heart, known for striking 19th century architecture built from black and apricot volcanic tuff and for the resilience it has carried since the devastating 1988 earthquake. We spend the day tracing that character through the Black Fortress, a massive Russian imperial stronghold on the city's edge, the grand civic heart of Vardanants Square, and the strange, unforgettable Iron Fountain, often compared to a UFO. We finish at Harichavank, a 7th century monastic complex perched above a canyon in the Shirak region, its architecture spanning early medieval to 19th century styles.