Day 7 April 19, 2026 Goris Armenia to Dilijan Armenia
Our first stop is up the hill out of town at the view point. From here you can see the town and the surrounding mountains. The tops of the mountains still have snow.
Off on a side road we go to the Wings of Tatev. This is a 3.5 mile long cable car that crosses to valley to the town on the other side. This holds the Guinness Record for the longest cable car across a single expanse. We catch the first ride of the day along with a few other folks. The car goes a max speed of 36 km/h. The car holds 25-30 people with all standing. The crossing takes about 15 minutes.
We proceed to walk to the Tatev Monastery. Today is Sunday and people are coming to receive a blessing from the priest. He is very popular with locals and other Armenians. A military post is nearby and several of them are visiting as well. Several vendors are open selling souvenirs and food items. A couple of puppies are playing near the vendors.
By the way many dogs run free and don’t belong to anyone. Many have a tag in their ear which means they have had their shots and have been neutered or spayed. We were told it was safe to pet them but not necessarily the best thing to do.
We rode the cable car back to get on the bus. We are headed to a pottery maker to see his craft and to have lunch at his home. He makes most of the pottery for the village in the traditional way. The garage has been converted to his studio. The walls are lined with shelves containing pieces for sale. Some have been glazed and some not. He had a very interesting salt container. It is made to represent a woman. The vessel has two arms, seven hair braids and a heart. After watching him shape several pieces we went upstairs to have lunch. His wife and some helpers prepared the meal. She is the art teacher in the high school. She has also written a small cookbook.
The bus is parked adjacent to the war cemetery. All the graves here are men killed in war. The grave stones are black and have the man’s picture. A small vessel is for flowers and another to burn incense. The cemetery is arched and made of terraces.
We drove through an area where Molokan people live. Our guide says they are similar to Amish people. They don’t embrace technology or modern conveniences. They are very honest hard working people. They are great project formen because they are very good with time lines and budgets. Molokans believe in the equality of all people, and reject church hierarchy and veneration of icons. They place emphasis on Lent and Easter, the latter of which is the main event in Molokan religious observance. They orginated in Russia and have remained loyal to Russia.
We continued our drive up the mountain. Everything but the road is snow covered. We came to a small turn out. A short distance away buried in the snow is a caravan lodge. This would have housed caravans traveling through the area on the Silk Road. It was difficult to see because it is built into the mountain and covered with snow. A few of the brave members of the group walked down the path to take a look. The snow walls on either side were as tall as them. The weather was raining and miserable. Connie stayed in the bus but Rob went. The structure was dark inside so not much to see.
Back down in the valley we stopped for a break at a cemetery with some old graves as well as new ones. The grave stones are quite large usually.
The mountain roads today were not for the faint of heart. Glad motion sickness was not a concern. The roads are two lanes wide with no shoulders. The turns are tight especially for the bus. You really wonder why there aren’t more accidents. Really glad they didn’t have snow on them. You can understand why they don’t do tours in the winter.
Our hotel is out of town. We were told you could take a hike in the time between arrival and dinner. Just be sure to get on the correct trail. The bears are out of hibernation and are in the area. I don’t think anyone went for a hike.
Spoffords Travel 