BLOG: A SPOTLIT VIEW IN YEREVAN
By Jill Worrall

New Zealand Herald, New Zealand
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Sept 24 2007

This is the first time I’ve stayed in a hotel of such architectural
merit that my window has been spotlit. I didn’t realise the front
of the Marriott in Yerevan, Armenia, was floodlit until I opened the
curtains the first night and found myself bathed in orange light. I
wasn’t really dressed for such a public appearance so had to dive
for cover.

But, when suitably attired, I’ve spent many entertaining minutes
watching life whiz by on Republic Square (formerly Lenin Square)
beneath my window. The square is actually more of a hexagon surrounded
on all sides by buildings of monumental proportions, including the
Marriott.

Across from me is the central post office and Finance and Economy
ministry with its clock tower, and to the left of it the colonnaded
National Gallery.

Three lanes of traffic hurtle around a central roundabout of black
stone which once was home to a statue of Lenin. Well, it hurtles
sometimes, but not when a wedding party arrives.

First comes the stretch limo for the bride and groom – sometimes they
are standing up, heads poking out through the sun roof, the bride’s
veil billowing out behind and on occasions engulfing her new husband…

Riding shotgun is usually at least one video photographer hanging
precariously out a window. Behind them follow the cars of the wedding
guests, horns blaring. Everyone must make three circuits of the square
which effectively paralyses all other traffic.

Late one night, when the wedding parties and most other traffic
had disappeared I could see shadowy figures moving around a long
rectangular pool in front of the gallery.

Suddenly illuminated jets of water shot skywards – Republic Square’s
musical fountain was under renovation and clearly the new sound and
light show was being rehearsed as much under wraps as is possible
when you are working with 10-metre high plumes of bright blue water.