After only a few meters across the border, we already notice differences between the two small countries. Armenia seems much more "Soviet" than Georgia. The streets are full of old Ladas - people drive much more relaxed than in the neighboring state in the north (how much I don't miss the traffic in Georgia haha), many buildings are empty, there is coffee everywhere...
Rave in an old concert hall
Almost every village has old, decaying buildings. Some of them are sanatoriums from the past. These buildings are usually hardly used anymore. However, there is a group of young people who have devoted themselves to this and started to throw parties in them. We visit one of them near the mountain village of Dilijan. The "Dilijan Composer's Unit" consists of many different small bungalows, which could be visited by all kinds of musicians from the Soviet Union. There they and their families could vacation, relax and compose. As late as in the 80's a big concert hall was built. It still stands today, is in pretty good condition and at the end of September a huge experimental music festival (Urkavan) is supposed to take place here (but it won't, the war came in between).
Getting ready for our first rave in a long time. Although there's all sorts of other experimental music being played as well. Around 100 people show up, maybe more, the lighting is gloomy and the grounds are huge. We dance through the Soviet building, are spooked by the toilets, drink cheap beer, admire all the styled people and go to bed way too early because we have plans to fly on the next day. Shortly after breakfast, however, we take another look at everything in the light. A few people are still dancing, the last DJ gives everything.
Paragliding in Armenia: Aparan
We meet Tigran and Harutyun from the AeroClub Armenia near Aparan, where they take us to the launch site. Our van can't climb the bumpy road and the two 4x4s from the AeroClub are full, so we just cling to the roof from the outside and hope that we won't fall off. Luca pulls out his cell phone to film the adventurous ride. A few hundred meters later, he notices that our car key fell out of his pocket. Fortunately, only a short moment of panic, because he quickly finds it again. Our lucky duck. The view is spectacular, but quite brown - typical late summer here. The flights are pleasant and we soar a bit, sometimes finding thermals. On landing we are greeted by the cheering village children. We can spend the night directly on the landing site - we are the only ones here.
Tigran is the only acro pilot of Armenia, and certainly the youngest tandem pilot in the country. The next day they come again with new tandem clients. Also a Swiss tour group arrives - they are here for a week to fly. We drink coffee and chat a bit. At the landing site, everyone shares the food they brought with them, and Hagop - a 20-year-old pilot with a Syrian passport - tells us why he cannot apply for the Armenian passport (mandatory military service), nor can he travel with the Syrian one. He is stuck between bureaucratic decisions and passes his time by riding his motorcycle and flying.
Sometimes the path to the launch site is as adventurous as the flight afterwards 
the late summer colors Armenia in brown 
Who is that flying overhead? Is it Bibi? 
Welcoming committee: the children from the village 
Many questions Luca does not understand at all 
Grand opening of the Parabundos Café at the landing site 
Tigran tells us a lot about Armenia and his passion: flying
Aragats and Yerevan - a stopover
Actually, we wanted to fly over the huge Lake Sevan - for which apparently perfect conditions prevailed for many weeks. Only, of course, just not at the moment. The wind comes from the wrong direction for the next few days. So we use the "won" time and drive to Yerevan to get our Iran visas, but first climb the Aragats.
The Aragats volcano has a total of four peaks, the highest of which is over 4000m. We can drive up to over 3000m and park at the "Cosmic Ray Research Station", a meteorological station, which is apparently still in operation, even if it hardly looks like it. Further back on the site at least some buildings are decaying again. It all looks pretty creepy and abandoned, but exciting enough to take a closer look.
We also meet a group of six hitchhikers from the Czech Republic. One part of them wants to hitchhike all the way to Iran, the other part to Iraq (if you can read Czech, you can learn more about them here: https://www.stopujemevychod.cz/). We pack all six into our van the next morning and drive together to Yerevan. Grateful we are not only about their songs, but also about the route, which is only downhill... so heavily loaded any other direction would have been simply impossible. Before reaching the city we visit another old abandoned scientific station - or at least we try to. It's the location of a Festival that happens next week, so we are not allowed onto the main area. With the drone, we can still see some of it.
In Yerevan we say goodbye to the funny group and devote ourselves to an unfunny topic: the Genocide Museum. A part of history that is still not recognized by Turkey. Very recommendable visit. But also the city itself is recommendable. Almost everything is within walking distance, we need the car only to get the visa at the Iranian embassy (absolutely no problem). There are vegan restaurants, a lot of art, a lot of political corruption that can be seen on unfinished buildings. Here, too, everything oscillates between Soviet monumentality and "hip" West. Kind of torn and unclear and unfinished, but memorable....
Paragliding at Lake Sevan and war
We stay a few more days on the shore of Lake Sevan, meet cyclists from European countries on their way to the East, relax, write, cut videos and wait. And then finally we can fly! On our way to the landing site we meet Deniz and Polina with their dog Grom from Russia and even Oto arrives with his friend from Georgia to fly with us. Since the accident in Gudauri in July 2022 paragliding is still prohibited there. So we are quite a big group and motivate each other. The weather is super pleasant and everyone can stay in the air for a relatively long time.
After landing we go to Wishup Shore at the edge of Lake Sevan, for a landing beer, a few stories and the agreement to make a multi-day trip together, maybe next weekend. In a good mood we say goodbye - with the plan to drive around the lake and meet again in a few days. But that is on September 12 and on September 13, 2023 we wake up to the news that bombs fell 10km from our sleeping place.
How do you deal with something like that? Nonstop reading of the news? Of course. Contacting all friends who might know more? Surely. Stay? I don't know. Soldiers are dying a few stone's throw away from us, in an area we want to cross to get to Iran. Now, for the first time, everything sounds like shit. We turn around, drive back towards Yerewan and end up at the "3G" campsite. We and seemingly all other Europeans who are still in the country. Also Deniz and Polina show up here again. We use the time to inform ourselves, to be in contact with travelers who are on the road in the south of the country, and to repair our heater - since the trip to the Aragats (3000 m.a.s.l.) it doesn't work anymore.
Waiting for flying weather 
Bibi over Lake Sevan 
The morning after Azerbaijan's attack on Armenia 
one of the targets was not even 10km away from our idyllic sleeping place 
The campsite becomes a workshop for us 
Bibi in action 
Our helpful neighbor, Niels a.k.a. "Muddybumper" 
The heater we have sooted on the Aragats - now it shines again
Turn around?
At some point we decide that we don't want to drive through the south. The situation seems too uncertain, it would be too naive and dangerous. Instead, we drive back to the north. Together with the two Russians we walk through Gyumri, meet friends of theirs and get to know the history of the city better. When we say goodbye to them, they tell us that they are planning to return to Russia. As we learn later, they don't get there, because just before they want to cross the border from Georgia to Russia, Putin called for tightening the military draft. So, without further ado, they stay away, Polina gives up her job, and they rent a large house to host other refugees from Russia.
We drive to the Apri National Park to enjoy the late summer rays for a few days. Afterwards we make our way to Eastern Turkey. However, because of the long-standing conflict, the borders between the two countries are closed, so we also have to go back to Georgia first to be able to enter Turkey again. We still have about 3 weeks of Turkey visa left before we have to decide where to go next. Because at the same time, when the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan breaks out, Mahsa Amini dies in Tehran - a death whose effects on Iran were unimaginable at that time.
English (UK) 
Deutsch