| The Caucasus - My Journal |
A Night in Harry Potter
Yerevan, 2nd September
After my jaunt in the deep south, I returned to Yerevan for a few more days. I'd only intended to spend two nights, but Garo kept crying like a baby, so I stayed for three before I said goodbye to Armenia.
Most of Saturday was taken up by the bone-grinding Mashrutka journey back to Yerevan. However, it wasn't long before the Saturday night entertainment began and I was shaken back into life. One of Teny's friends worked for an event company that was responsible for the launch party for Yerevan's newest club, a club called "Harry Potter" (Yep, as soon as their lawyers find out they'll go apoplectic).
After a quick shower and change, I wandered over to Teny's house to wait for the others to get ready. While I was waiting, I passed the time having a few glasses of wine and some fantastically tasty French cheese with Teny's relatives. After about 30 minutes, everyone was ready to go and we jumped into the ordered taxis.
The club was located a little out of town, and as soon as we got there, it was clear why they'd chosen the location. The club had been custom built as a small castle, complete with a moat and drawbridge! From the outside, it looked really impressive, as though it was an actual ancient building! The front of the castle was plastered with giant posters of Harry Potter and his cast members and signs on the front were written in the distinctive "lighting" font. On the inside, various pieces of Harry Potter memorabilia and copied props completed the decor. The initial impression of the place was pretty good...and when I found out that a round of 4 beers cost less than 3 pounds, I was very happy!
However, as the evening progressed, despite the pretty good music, the whole atmosphere just didn't seem right. The inside of the building felt more like a themed restaurant than a top, new club. Also, even though it was the launch night, the place was still barely half full. Yerevan didn't seem to be ready for a new "super-club", or it was ready, but Harry Potter just didn't fit the bill. As we left early I felt a little sorry for the guy who'd invested considerably in the place...
We continued the night at an older and very popular club, different in every way. It was a cramped, underground and basic place. But it was packed, hot and alive, things that are much more important to the success of the club. The dancing continued into the small hours and my last "big night" in Yerevan was a good one...
|
