Batumi (GEORGIA) - აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა

Batumi (Georgia)
13 September - 15 September 2016

After a few eye opening and wonderfully surprising days in Tbilisi we jumped a train heading west and dialled in the Black Sea resort and port city of Batumi. To me this was another one of those 'mythical' style stops, a location that my mind had somehow conjured up images of for years but due to the tyranny of distance, and lack of association, there was no real hope of me making a visit. The Black Sea had always been one of those places, not the city of Batumi itself, just to be clear. As massive body of water, that's almost lake like, the narrow t only has the narrow straits of the Bosphorous to redefine it as a marginal sea of the Atlantic ocean rather than being a grand lake. What can I say, geography has always been a fascinating topic for me.

                                                           Trouble in Batumi ;)

Batumi - Georgia

The fantastic wines of Georgia - a great accompaniment to ALL the FANTASTIC Georgian food

Blue Steel in Batumi - Georgia

Sunset on the Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

The Awesome Foursome - Batumi - Georgia

When this photo was taken Inga & I weren't engaged and Davis & Annija weren't even a couple ....

Absorbing the rays on the Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Lunch in Batumi - Georgian food and wine is just outstanding

A few years prior Inga had been to Batumi with her family and had sent me photos of a city that at the time I couldn't reconcile with its geographical location. What I saw was a striking city of modern architecture, sidled up to a calm, greyish looking sea. Even more dramatic at night, the lights of the city were blinding in their brilliance. Here was a city of the 21st century in the age old country of Georgia, modern and proud.

Batumi is known as the 'Pearl of the Black Sea' and is located in the autonomous Republic of Adjara. Another fascinating piece of information in that this region, pressed up against the border of Turkey and bounded by the Black Sea is effectively a DIY region. Which got me to thinking, could Batumi actually be a capital city in waiting? Could Adjara actually become a country in the near future? My only guess is that if there's a willingness by the people then there's no reason why it couldn't happen.

Running tracks and bike paths in Batumi - Georgia

Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Black Sea - Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

The Alphabetic Tower - Batumi - Georgia

This 130 metre high structure symbolises the unique nature of the Georgian language and combines the double helix design of DNA into its own design

The Alphabetic Tower - Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

The Batumi skyline

This city is of course different to Tbilisi. Sleek, shiny and new, there's a Gold Coast type of feel about the place. Apparently there's been a lot of work that has taken place in the city over the last 10-15 years. One of the most visitor friendly pieces of work is Batumi Boulevard or the Batumi boardwalk, which is a 7km stretch of beautified beach side walking track that has nice bungalows, cafe lounges, restaurants, children's attractions, sculptures, etc. It's a great place to walk at any time of the day but particularly at sunset. And whilst this isn't what we'd commonly thing of as a beach in Australia (since when is a stone beach really a beach?), for those that live here I assume it would be a real pleasure.

Batumi - Georgia

Night antics - Batumi - Georgia

Batumi - Georgia

Davis - our Georgian taxi

Batumi - Georgia

The thing about Batumi is that once you get away from the boardwalk and have dealt with the plethora of casinos, then the modern buildings themselves can only hold your interest for so long before you yearn for a little bit more substance. Of course outside of Batumi the country side is wonderful and there's a lot of satisfaction derived from those looking at the city for a launch point for something in the 'eco-touristic' domain but because we only planned a limited stay in this area we only really intended on seeing this city. Still, no complaints from my end, it was definitely worth the travel time and having the business card of Batumi in my back pocket.

Batumi - Georgia

Georgian style coffee, heated in sand pit in the back of someone's car

Flying dolphins - where else but Batumi - Georgia...??

One of the truly cool events of the stay here was the fact the Davis and Annija actually started their relationship whilst in Batumi. All it took was a few dolphins, a nasty down pour, some violent lighting, evil thunder, and hey presto, tomorrow (18 MAY 2019) is going to be their wedding day. So with that said, here's my best wishes to them! All the best for their future and a toast to where it all started, under a blanket of grim cloud & nasty thunder. All it took was a simple hand hold and the rest, as they say in the classics, is history. Personally, I am very happy for the both of them, a fun loving, nice and genuine couple!