BY CATHERINE YESAYAN

This year, the official celebrations for Armenia’s Independence took place in Gyumri, Armenia. It was a good excuse for me to visit the lovely city, once again.

After arriving in Armenia, we decided to take a train to Gyumri. However, there were no pre-sale tickets available. Fortunately, a friend of mine was able to call in a favor from a friend – asking them to be at the station two hours early to purchase the tickets for us.

With our tickets in hand, we waited for the train to leave for Gyumri, at 9:15 a.m. The express train ride, which cost less than $6, took two hours and 15 minutes.

It’s heartwarming to see how much the country has improved. The train, and its two wagons, arrived on time, and was very clean and comfortable. We arrived in Gyumri, where we were welcomed by an array of Armenian youth distributing Armenian flags. And, thus, the Independence Day festivities began.

Click on the above gallery to view photos from Independence Day in Gyumri.