A rainy morning at Yerevan Bakery, then Garni’s 1st-century pagan temple, the basalt Symphony of Stones, a UNESCO rock-cut monastery at Geghard, and lavash baked from scratch — all for $36 USD.

From a 7:05 AM Tbilisi departure to Yerevan by nightfall — crossing two borders, exploring the 10th-century UNESCO Haghpat Monastery, standing at Lake Sevan’s shore, and discovering Mother Armenia’s Stalin-to-statue history.