Yerevan is happy on its birthday, it has the glitter on its face. The streets are crowded, music is everywhere, many guests, much treatment, expensive fire-works. We celebrate it luxuriously, we can even say we are showing up, we are not economizing on anything.
Now Yerevan is celebrating its birthday with a new mayor, new council of aldermen, with new projects, to cut it short – in a new manner.
Yerevan is worth it.
But I have to leave the topic a bit aside, and say how typical it is of us to celebrate a birthday in a restaurant by borrowing money, and the next day we notice upon going out of the house that there are holes in our shoes, but we don’t pay attention to that. We meet our neighbour in the elevator, who reminds us of the borrowed money, but we do not pay attention again. We come out of the building, we see that they cut the tree in the yard and we don’t pay attention, we pass by the garbage accumulated at the building escaping the street animals gathering at it, and we don’t pay attention again.We go slowly, we take the phone out of the pocket and share the photos of the restaurant in Instagram.
Yerevan jan, I wonder what presents you would love to have on your birthday?
You surely would love the green zones be improved, so that you could breathe deeply.
You would want the public transport not torture the residents every day, taking into the minibuses 32 people instead of 12.
You would want your elevators not to be used at the expense of people’s lives.
You would want your yards be lighted at night.
You would ….
138480000 AMD was spent from the budget for Yerevan’s 2800 anniversary. I am sure the web will be exploding in tons of anniversary photos.
Yerevan jan, happy birthday! I wish you be “more improved” in my coming photos.
Kukuruznik (Corn building) doesn’t exist. This Palace of Youth was demolished in 2006. The emptiness after its demolition is not filled yet.
Aragil (Stork). This restaurant constructed in 1960s was one of the pieces of architectural heritage of Armenia. People used to enjoy the wonderful view opening over the city from this building.
Tornado. When entertaining on the carousels of Haghtanak (Victory) park the citizens rather pay attention to the existence of the usage permission.
Aram 23. Walking down Aram street one can see how the newly constructed buildings swallow the old Yerevanian houses.
Transport. The nervous hours of the city transport are 17:30-19:00. This everyday pressure seems to reach to the last stitch of our patience.
Paros (Light house). The forest-park of “Paros” was the only one in its greatness in the quarter Malatia-Sebastia of Yerevan. Two years ago a part of the forest was sold. The private owner divides it into pieces and destroys the park bit by bit.
Nubarashen. In the biggest garbage site of the city there has accumulated 9 million tons of garbage. It is like a city cancer.
River Getar passing through the heart of Yerevan. The natural course of the river is closed over by concrete and it unfortunately serves as an open air sewage system.
A yard. The new apartments and garages being built today in the yards of Yerevan occupy the areas of playgrounds for children and green zones.
Animals. In the streets of Yerevan one can always encounter stray animals sleeping here and there in the yards and parks, who find food in garbage and avoid people.
“This photo story was funded through a Department of State Public Affairs Section grant, and the opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the Author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of State. “