Reviving Armenia's "Switzerland" resort town of Dilijan – The Huffington Post

Driving about 90 kilometers northeast of Armenia's vibrant capital city of Yerevan, the highway narrows into mountainous roads as you enter the Tavush region famous for its resort town of Dilijan. The unseasonably hot and humid summer has vacationers flocking to "Armenia's Switzerland" from across Armenia and bordering Georgia, Russia and Iran, as well as from various parts of Europe. They come seeking what affluent folks of Transcaucasia sought when they built their summer villas here -- the crisp, alpine mountain air of unspoiled forests, preserved national park and lakes and to bask in the natural healing springs. In fact, Dilijan mineral water is bottled and marketed throughout the country.

Dilijan's winding mountainous roads are dotted with roadside vendors selling locally picked mushrooms in large bowls and corn on the cob, known here with its Russian word googooroz. As the heavy mist on the road settles in even thicker, we stop at a makeshift roadside grill where a woman vendor opens the top of a steaming pot and asks us to select the cobs we want for about $1.50 each. She drops the selections on a plastic tray, rubs them with a stick of butter, sprinkles salt and drops them into individual plastic bags before handing them to us. The warm, juicy sweet corn really hits the spot after an exhausting trek of nearly an hour and a half drive through winding narrow roads.

The town of Dilijan is terraced in levels and hugged by natural beauty of its surrounding forests and mountains - the rushing waters of the Aghstev River winds through the lower level of the town.

At the town center rotary I pop into a few hole-in-the-wall cafés that offer limited selections. Behind the rotary an expansive shallow man-made lake stands empty and its surrounding park is overgrown with moss. Some of the Armenian tourists pose for photographs before a three-man statue paying tribute to an epic movie "Mimino". Across the street stands the white, five-edged monument built on the 50th anniversary of the Soviet rule. The town's 12,000 population has dropped from its 24,000 in late 1980's. Lessening tourist rates has given way to rampant unemployment and increased emigration -- and that's evident from numerous empty storefronts and homes for sale.
 

Across the town square, at one Getabnya Street, I find the 1896-built Dilijan Folk Art Museum - a two-story traditional Dilijan residence of princess Mariam Tumanyan. Rooms full of antique rugs, regal jewelry and period furniture offer the visiting tourists a view of Dilijan's past glory. Further down, on Sharambeyan Street, sits the Tufenkian Foundation's "Old Dilijan" compound. It captures and brings to life the bygone elegance of Dilijan with newly built homes and store fronts true to the town's authentic signature architectural designs of wood-carved railing balconies with windows sporting elegant wrought iron railings created by local Dilijan artisans.

Away from the center, walking up Myasnikyan Street, an imposing building houses the newly renovated Geological Museum and Art Gallery -- a two-story, marble floor museum exhibiting a collection of early works by Armenian and Russian artists and excavated artifacts from the region.

At sundown the restaurant's adjoining deck has just the right breeze for our after-dinner Armenian coffee with apple pie dessert - not to mention perfect views of the surrounding mountains.
 

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