Dilijan Heaven

Dilijan totally changed my attitude about Armenia. It's mountainous and heavily wooded. It was a former Soviet artist community and it still is. I hiked up the hill from where I was dropped off to the Dili Villa and I immediately relax.

It's surrounded by pines and low mountains in the background. The place is owned by the director of a local art school. He speaks French and his wife speaks English. They weren't there when I arrived but their son (a graphic artist) and his adorable wife were. Anna makes me a pot of tea and puts out pastries, crepes rolled around cream cheese and several homemade jams. I sit in a room filled with art work.

I'm the only one there. I pick the best room next to the balcony that has a very comfortable swing where you can enjoy the views. My bed is the best I've had in, at least, several weeks. It's firm, double bed with a soft comforter that's needed in this cool weather. I bargained down from 14k to 10k ($27). It's ten times better than that hotel I was just at.

I take a walk through the village on a stone path that's seems to go endlessly. There are lush green hills that are thick with the forest. The wooden homes look like the ones in Switzerland and that's what Dilijan is called: the Switzerland of Armenia. I have been to several places in the world that are called that. None of them really look like Switzerland but you get the idea.

There's a charming artist area with lots of arts and crafts and a darling cafe where I have a beer and a snack, and what a snack! A cucumber yogurt dip with mint and raisens. I also have marinated olives in pomagranite juice and walnuts. There are many interesting things on the menu but I don't want to eat too much. I having Anna make my dinner.

I go to the tourist information place to find out about hiking trail. I see another English speaker there but I ignore him. I think he's German and I see enough Germans.

He's not and he's staying at the Dili Villa also. Barnie and I end up having many conversations on the lovely balcony. He is a wealthy neuro psychologist from Sydney. He lives next to Cate Blanchette. We're the same age, the same wild streaks as youth, the recreational use (if you know what I mean), the same music: Lou Reed, Tom Waits and books. But he's now rich and I'm not. He supplies the beer and wine.

As I thought dinner was great: wild mushroom soup, cured meats and sausages, plenty of different salads, and roast chicken with grilled tomatoes and potatoes. I'm going to jump ahead and tell you about the next night's dinner: tarragon barley soup, more wild mushrooms - this time with potatoes, (Barnie and I almost fight over them.), vegetable egg patties, herbed meat balls with green beans, marinated salad, and grilled aubergines.

I didn't want to not like Armenia. The people have suffered tremendously and I wanted to like them. It's my own fault. I should have come directly to the mountains.