We woke up late today, a bit of laziness with the weather and the chaos of the holidays making us just want to sleep and stay inside. Getting out around midday isn't something we're all that proud of, but we have small moments as of late to relax and do different things. Around this area of Armenia, it's a bit more traditional, more quiet, a smaller city but rich in history. We first visited the museum which was full of beautiful items -- I'll post about those tomorrow in a separate post. From there, we decided to grab the usual from the local Coffee House by the side of the street, looking around at the various stray dogs running through, crossing the roads in frequency and clearly looking for their next meal. Shops have opened again, Christmas decorations are everywhere. People coming and going in the stores, though there aren't a lot of options in the first place. Walking through them, most of the men's section contains the darkest, off-brand clothing you could imagine. One of which was some butchering copy-cat of the Calvin Klein name. It's odd, despite such a small city centre, it contains a lot of different faces passing by. Something akin to a videogame in which fresh characters appear around every corner.
After coffee, we decided to roam some areas we hadn't yet, stumbling across a store that we purchased a few snacks from; a few short moments later, down a road full of Soviet era apartment buildings, coated in grey and rust, we had our first bad engagement with the stray dogs of the nation; having a group of them run up to us, not just barking, but snapping and ready to bite. I had to extend my leg out, ready to kick it in the face, swinging a few times and more than prepared to let it feel the strength of a hard boot. It wasn't alone, but one in particular really came at us. So much so, that locals in the area even stepped in to help distract them. One person even suggested to carry a knife in the area, having himself experienced their not-so-friendly attitude in the past. I used to do this back in England, carrying around a cheap Leatherman not just for protection during lonesome walks in the countryside, but for any camera tools that may need a bit of a tweaking. The thought of doing so again came to mind with that advice. We had to walk back this same direction, but chose to do so on the other side of the road.
I'm noticing more love for Armenia's roughed-up sides as of late. The old Lada cars that run through the roads, small and in various colours and wear. Some covered in rust, some customised with different attachments for different reasons. I keep photographing them out of love for the history they hold, as they are no longer being made anymore, though I have been told that even a very good quality Lada will cost around $1,000. The thought of saving up a bit more and buying one in the future came to mind, upon obtaining a driver's license here in Armenia first. These cars make the mood of an environment, where gas and water pipes traverse through the space from above. Rugs and clothing hang from different coloured and styled balconies from the inhabitants over the years, each with their own preferences in designing a home. It's an aspect of dense living that is quite interesting to see, how close people live to one another, yet how different things still are, even visible from the outside.
On our walk home, the rain began. Little droplets hitting the floor, some landing on the small LCD screen on the camera. Not enough to put my coat's hood up, unfortunately. A glow from the streets that were now starting to empty was visible. Cars with more intense lights, strong orange light filled the roads in the horizon, a mixture of the more grey and blue tones from the clouds and darkening natural light.