My task today was simple: venture into the city, and purchase a birthday present in the form of a book. I figured it wouldn't be much of a challenge, that I would be done within a few minutes, and that long commute back home would be the majority of my time in the day spent. Though things were not as easy as that may have seemed. Yerevan's current trend of raining simply continued. Though not like the others. Today it rained. A rain so dense that I had to throw up all my hoods and take shelter for a while beneath the exteriors of cafes. Stray dogs emptied the streets immediately, with the exact same idea. Umbrellas came out, but the streets were just completely empty. Yerevan is by no means a big city to begin with, it has quite a small population. But I haven't seen it look this free before. I roamed entire main streets to myself, I found shelter where I could, though I was completely drenched from head to toe. My phone reached a point of being so cold and wet that the battery drained from 50% to 0% within 30 minutes, the final 20% disappeared in a matter of seconds. The rain was just relentless. I came prepared with that coat, though nothing else was waterproof. I could feel the cold still, that dampness around. So uncomfortable, and with fingertips a harsh red as they stiffened up.
I desperately wanted to capture more of the rainy day, but with a 35mm focal length, and such harsh rains, I rarely could take out the camera. It remained beneath the coat, zipped up and safe from the rainfall. I still tried to find brief moments in the rain where it may pause, finding fun moments where I had nothing else to do but stand, and quickly pull out the camera in hopes of capturing something. The heavy rain and the small crowd of people I found interesting, as they crossed neatly within the lines of the crossing. Something you don't always see with more people density, as they go out of that border in a hurry to escape the two crowds quickly morphing into one. Ladas as always remained in their plenty. I found the lighting beautiful for capturing them. Dark, earthly tones that they sat idle under. Muted light from the grey clouds above. I captured two that I found particularly beautiful. It definitely gave Yerevan a more dated feeling today. The colder weather, harsher old aesthetics. And the lack of people in their bright, modern fashion; though that last one mostly pertains to the Russian population here, as the native Armenians wear a strong black everything.
As much as I love the rain, I'm getting excited to feel the warmth of spring again. That golden light. That warmth on the skin. That no longer requirement of wearing multiple layers and preparing for rain. The removal of cold hands and cold ears. The replacement of spring clothing and cold drinks under the sun. Hearing the birds sing their morning songs, and the smell of bakeries pouring into the streets. I'm a little tired of everything being damp. Feeling like I can't explore and be outside for too long without getting too cold and wet. That longing to have warmth that welcomes you into the outdoors. The weather was picking up nicely recently; so I'm just left with one question regarding the recent rain: where did that come from?
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