Thinking Allowed: Turning two in the pink city

Yerevan (Armenia) is a pretty city where the Soviet architecture is offset by the use of local pink volcanic rock giving the entire city a cheery facade. Yerevan is a very green city with parks and green corridors sprinkled liberal all around. With its green spaces, endless cafes, and wide sidewalks Yerevan is a very walkable city. As we fritter our days away in this peaceful capital we can't help but compare it to our last two weeks in Tbilisi. Tbilisi is the more loved and happening city. And it was happening, and lots of fun. Still, we all agree we prefer Yerevan life. We like the walkability and parks of the city. Tbilisi was spread out along a river and into valleys making it a clunky city to move through. Yerevan, while also partly on hills, spreads out from the central circle of town. Tbilisi was hectic and loud with cars zooming and honking all over. Yerevan, though of a similar population to Tbilisi is a quiet city with less cars on the smaller roads. We can't seem to figure out how the same population can lead to such a different number of cars and noise and geographic size. We are staying outside the main part of Yerevan up on a hill. Our walk into town is via the long beautiful cascade staircase. Having to walk the cascades every day is a perk of our stay in Yerevan. We all feel fitter and our calves are bulging. We like the views we get every day and the stroll through sculptures, fountains, and cafes as we make our way down the hill.

Levana has turned two in Yerevan. This was an event she has looked forward to for weeks. Something about birthdays just clicked in the last few months and she was very well versed on the specialness of the occasion. We tried to make it special in the way she hoped. She is a bit of a sugar fanatic so we had crepes for breakfast and cake with ice cream for dessert. We went to the skatepark and rented scooters. It was a Sunday morning and the skatepark is located beneath a large church. Levana got to learn to scooter as the loudpeakers blared out the Sunday service. We paid a few dollars in the park so the kids could use a jumping castle. Levana was a big fan. We kept up her yearly birthday tradition (well, twice now) of going to the climbing gym. The owner of the gym pulled out a small pair of climbing shoes so Levana could climb properly. Finally, we watched part of the movie Annie. Levana, always a fan of music, was very into the film. Her favorite part of her birthday, though, was singing happy birthday and blowing out the candles. So we sang happy birthday over and over again to a cupcake with candles in it. Levi was overjoyed. And now we have a two year old. She is a child full of life and endless things to say. She really likes boats and now scooters. Olives are her favourite food. From Spain to Peru to Armenia, I wonder what sort of fun her next birthday will bring.

Aurora took this photo in a church and I can't figure out the science of why our eerie images appears on the wall behind us upside down. What's it a reflection on? Or are we just blessed?