HiveComb

The snow came to an end here in Yerevan, though it lingers on like some sad song that refuses to go away. While I love the snow, the streets contain a dangerous amount of ice. The most famous attractions of the city are close to being deathly. Walking around them is to slip and slide across the place, and to witness others doing so in similar fashion. For some reason, the city is quick to remove leaves through the autumn season, but has no interest in removing ice from the pavements during winter. That's sort of what you'd expect here. Even more when it comes to apartment complexes where one pays a monthly fee for supposed maintenance of the public spaces. While I have wanted to get out and do as much photography as possible, it has been hard. The weather beyond the ice has made it difficult with recent temperatures below -10 in Celsius.

It is unfortunate given I recently got the Mir 1v that I have wanted to go absolutely mad with. But walking around that city isn't the easiest thing to do. Despite that I tried to do so. I walked around all over throughout the past day, and I took these images in areas that kept me slow, dragging one foot after the other. Trying my best to not fall over and hurt myself or damage my gear. I had many near misses. So many situations where I'd slip over the ice, but never actually fall. Given the holidays are over but people aren't quite yet back to work, the city still feels a bit empty, and I quite like it. It feels peaceful. There aren't many people or cars roaming around, the noise is quite low. The streets almost feel like they've opened up for a select few. To those who dare attempt to navigate through them.

The sun continues to come out. Icicles cling to the sides and corners of most buildings, another threat that most fail to recognise. Most people outside tend to be foreigners, more Russians and other nationalities rather than Armenians, who have the better idea to remain home. People like me, however, we can't stay home. We are stuck, tormented by the want to get out and do something. Where home feels like a form of torture, and getting out is the freedom as we roam the streets in search of something to fill the void. A stray dog in the park at one point seemed friendly, to which it soon after growled at me and barked, itching closer to me in some strange attempt to display aggression; alone, within the woods of Victory Park, I had no choice but to shout back at it, that surprised it a bit. But here I felt the real isolation of the streets in such times. An encounter I haven't had before here.

I still plan on getting out and photographing everything. The ice won't stop me, nor will the tough weather. Now that the new year has arrived, I also need to get back into properly advertising myself and finding some ways to build the business up. It's about time I got my shit together.