On The Road in Armenia

On the return back from Georgia, it was pretty much the same roads back as we took on the way there. Though in the darkness of the early morning, watching the wind blow snow over the roads; some coated in walls of snow to the point where we had to slow down and weave throughout them. Whatever was in the horizon was pretty much nonexistent, our vision being nothing more than the brief few metres of light that extended beyond the car. I had never seen anything quite like that before, and it felt quite surreal. I had this want for it to simply never end. The excitement and feeling of adventure. Though at this point it was far too dark for any photography. I merely sat idle in the car and watched as it moved onward through the mountains. The sun slowly began to show some signs of its revival into day. A small hint of light was slowly starting to be seen above one of the far off mountains. A slight pinkish tone that appeared. Another fifteen minutes or so until there was a bit of light. At this point, it was early morning, about 5AM. 

We stopped off at a fuel station in an old factory town that had clearly seen better days. I mentioned it prior, as it's one of the factories that clearly thrived once in the Soviet Union. With Soviet era bus stops nearby with brutalist design, and that huge factory being the largest thing around. Coming into view immediately and towering over the apartment buildings nearby. It was an old, rustic town. I was curious as to how its current inhabitants felt about that space, what kept them there instead of Yerevan.  Perhaps it was the short drive, about an hour or two commute. Gyumri about forty minutes off. The sunrise was really starting now. The floor was coated in a layer of ice, and the food court nearby at this point was still closed. Not much sign of life around, people still barely starting their morning commutes on the motorway. 

As always, I wish I had more freedom here to roam around the area. Being driven from one place to another did mean I couldn't easily stop and explore. But I think this just means that I have seen a glimpse of some places, and now know I must visit them again to really witness their beauty and stories, all kept within the present, though showing signs of a rich history with plenty left untold. I love the idea that I can discover and retell such stories somehow.

I stopped at this point at walked around. Looking for something during our short break. There was nothing really going on. A small dog running around that was quite adorable, an old car that passed by that I captured on the digital camera. Oh, I should mention that all images in this post are shot on 35mm film stock, with my Canon AE-1. I wasn't sure how the images would turn out on film, the low light on a low ASA film stock being something of a concern, especially when shooting around snow where lots of light is bounced back up. Giving somewhat inaccurate readings on the light metre. A counter to this is to shoot with an extra stop or two. I found beautiful compositions in the area, empty roads that went nowhere, bending for no reason into the horizon. Old shacks that seemed to have never been open. 

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