Sao Paulo (short layover) 2017

30 hours in Sao Paulo (August 2017)

• I will give some ideas of plans or places to visit for a short layover in Sao Paulo
• I used metro and buses within the city but Uber is also popular 

Main places visited:

• Ibirapuera Park
• Liberdade
• Sao Paulo Cathedral
• Central Market
• Vila Madalena
• Brazilian football (Allianz Parque: Palmeiras)
  
• Even if Sao Paulo is more and industrial city and might not be the most touristic city in Brazil, I still enjoyed it a lot
• During the day you can enjoy Ibirapuera Park
• The vibe is great, with people relaxing and practising all kinds of sports
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• At the park north exit you can observe the Monumet to the Bandeiras (17th century settling expeditions into the interior of Brazil)
  

• Liberdade is home of the largest Japanese community outside Japan
• The Japanese influence can be appreciated in some streets
  
• Street markets in Liberdade are very popular
  
   
• Sao Paulo Cathedral, built during early 20th century, is one of the iconic pictures in downtown
  

• Manuel Nobrega square is also popular with several official buildings and plenty of young people practising skateboarding
  
  
  
  

• In that square you can appreciate the "Impostometro", an initiative to be transparent towards the population with regard to taxes collected during the year
  
  
• A few streets further you can visit both the Central Market and a huge market in the streets nearby

• In particual I loved Vila Madalena, one of the best areas for nightlife, both for bars and street concerts
  
  

• Streets in Vila Madalena are very popular for its graffitis all around (Beco do Batman area specially)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• The activity I loved the most in Sao Paulo was to attend my first South American football game
• I went to a Palmeiras game in Allianz Parque
• Palmeitas lost 0-1 against Atletico Paranense but the atmosphere was totally worth it

• Here you can appreciate the amazing atmosphere at the satdium. I wish I can attend a game of Copa Libertadores some day

• Hope I have given some useful ideas :)

Armenia 2017

Armenia & Nagorno Karabakh (8th-14th August 2017)

Aim of this post:

• I explored Armenia in a family trip and I will share the experience and give tips
• We rented a car for approximately €30/day including insurance
• Roads are not in the best condition but a regular car takes you almost everywhere
• Most attractions in Armenia have no cost, tours offered are also quite cheap and food and accomodation is really affordable
• At the end of the post I will detail which places I liked the most 
• The post will be very visual and short in text

Places visited:

• a) Yerevan (including Geghard, Garni & Zvartnos Cathedral)
• b) Khor Virap
• c) Noravank
• d) Jermuk waterfall (including Shaki waterfall & Zorats Karer)
• e) Tatev (including Devil's bridge & Khndzoresk bridge)
• f) Nagorno Karabakh (Shushi, Stepanakert, Gandzasar & Dadivank)
• g) Sevan lake (including Hayravank & Sevanavank) 
• h) Gyumri

a) Yerevan (including Geghard, Garni & Zvartnos Cathedral)

• Bus from the airport to city center costs only 300 dram (0.5€) and there are taxis starting from 2,000 dram. However taxi drivers will start asking for much higher prices
• Main places visited: Republic square, Blue mosque, Freedom square & Cascade complex
  

• Republic square: central town square of Yerevan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Blue mosque: 18th century mosque acting mostly for Iranians living in Yerevan
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Freedom square: locals go to this park, where the Opera is found. There is a popular painters park as well
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Cascade complex: giant stairway which offers great views of the city. Inside the complex (free access) there are escalators and several pieces of art
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Due to several recent conflicts, around 55% of the country are women so it is also a popular destination for men or friends looking for party
• There are several visits near Yerevan within 1 hour drive. We visited Geghard, Garni and Zvartnos Cathedral
• Geghard: medieval monastery partially carved in the mountains and surrounded by cliffs (free access)
  
  

• Garni: the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded Temple in the whole former Soviet Union, dated from 1st century AD but reconstructed a few decades ago (approx €3)
  
  
  
  
  
• Zvartnos Cathedral: 7th century Cathedral in ruins nowadays (approx 1€)
  
  
  
  

b) Khor Virap

• Monastery from the 7th centurylocated in Ararat Valley with magnificent views of snowed mountains, less than 10km from Turkish border 
• It is one of the most iconic pictures of Armenia (free access)
  
  
  
  
  

  c) Noravank

• One of the most beautiful drives in Armenia through a narrow gorge leads to Noravank monastery, 13th century (free access)
• One of the churches is a two-storey church which allows access to the second floor
  
  
  
  
  

d) Jermuk

• Jermuk is a popular holiday destiantion for locals full of green areas, including the popular Jermuk waterfall (free access)
  
  
• I normally fo not recommend guesthouses or hotels, but I have to write about Azoyan Holiday Resort: the owners are incredibly nice and have created a lovely guesthouse where they serve amazing tasty food
• Continuing the tour towards the south you can visit other areas:
• Shaki waterfall: almost 20m waterfall located 6km from Sisian city (free access)
  
  
  
  
  
• Zorats Karer: also known as Qarahunj, is a prehistoric archaeological site near Sisian known as the Armenian Stonehedge. We found several people camping right next to this site (free access)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

e) Tatev (including Devil's bridge & Khndzoresk bridge)

• We visited Tatev monastery taking a 6km aerial tramway (5,000 dram per person, €9), but it can be visited by car as well (not the best road with plenty of curves but ok for sedan cars)
• The views during this 10 minutes ride are beautiful as well as the views from the monastery
  
  
  
  
• Tatev monastery (9th century) was not impressive in my opinion but views are worth it (free access)
  
  
  
  
  
• Towards Tatev monastery, even if we did not reach by car, we reached Devil's bridge where a beautiful narrow gorge can be enjoyed (free access)
  
  
  
  
  
• Right after Goris we stopeed at Khndzoresk swinging bridge, which connects with an ancient town built on the rocks where you can have a walk (free access)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Nagorno Karabakh (Shusha, Stepanakert, Gandzasar & Dadivank)

• Instead of coming back thorugh the same roads, we visited Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR), an area which appears as Azerbaijan in the map but is actually inhabited and controlled by Armenians
• While Nagorno has nothing special, I was very happy with the idea of being there, and reading about the conflict in this area (1990-1994) after separation of Azerbaijan and Armenia from the Soviet Union is highly recommended
• In the border the officials will ask you to reach the capital of this "Nagorno Karabakh Republic" in Stepanakert for the visa, which is €7 for up to 21 days
• In Stepanakert you will get the visa in 10 minutes at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (28 Azatamartikneri street), opened daily till 6pm but for weekends (reduced timings)
  
• Better ask for the visa in a separate paper as your entrance in Azerbaijan after visiting Nagorno will not be allowed
• The only current exit from NKR nowadays is back through Armenia, either southwest or northwest, as all borders with Azerbaijan are closed with militars at both sides
• Even if you "cross" Azerbaijan in order to reach Nagorno, you will not find any Azeri official as the area is controlled by Armenia
• Nagorno Karabakh's flag is displayed since the moment you enter the Republic
  
• The views crossing towards Nagorno are very similar to Armenia and in fact you do not feel a real difference
  
  
  
  
  
•  One of the first villages is Shusha, where a popular Cathedral can be visited (19th century, free access)
  
  
• Stepanakert, the capital of NKR, host the popular symbol Mamik & Tatik in the park "We are our mountains"
  
  
• A few official buildings and other areas can be visited in the city center
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Next day, still in NKR, we visited the are of Gandzasar, including its monastery (free access)
  
  
• While the monastery is not impressive, there is the Lion Rock nearby, just behind the hotel Tsovin Kar
  
• This area is a nice spot with a few simple attractions
  
  
  
  
• Last stop in NKR was Dadivank monastery, from the 9th century, where we were lucky to see a bunch of militars in some sort of celebration (free access)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

 g) Sevan

• Sevan lake is a huge lake in the Western part of Armenia
• It is a popular summer destination for locals who explore a few public and private beaches and nice views
• On our way we spotted Hayravank monastery, from the 9th century (free access), right by the lake
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The north part of Sevan lake is supposed to offer the best beaches, and we stayed near  Sevanavank monastery, also from the 9th century, which is located in Sevan peninsula offering great views of the whole lake
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We spent a full day relaxing in Sevan Lake even if the beach is not that nice
  

h) Gyumri

• Gyumri, second most populated city in Armenia very far from Yerevan, was our last stop in Armenia (our trip continued to Georgia but that will be a different post)
• Being honest, the city has not got mucn to see or do so I would not visit the city unless it is on your way
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• However, I would like to talk about another amazing guesthouse we stayed at: Armine´s B&B. Her owner, Armine, is such a charming person and treats guests so nice that she deserves a note here
• Actually, my second recommendation in Gyumri is thanks to her: Gyumri's Fish Restaurant. The place is magnificent, they have several pools with fresh fish, its sturgeon was delicious and the price is incredible
  
• After Gyumri, as I said, we drove towarsd Brava, last village before one of the borders with Georgia

Final recommendation about places not to be missed:

• Yerevan 
• Garni
• Khor Virap
• Noravank
• Shaki waterfall 
• Zorats Karer
• Tatev
• Khndzoresk bridge
• Nagorno Karabakh (time permitting)
• Sevan lake 

• We missed some spots on the Western and Northeastearn parts of Armenia so I cannot give my opinion on them
• Hope this helps :)