Some Travel Notes From Batumi

Hi Steemians. I hope you’re all doing fine. It’s been a while since I shared some travel writings. Just want to put an end to it today by compiling something from my travel notes. Here we will look closely at the developing city of Batumi.

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When I go to my hometown (Rize, it's 1 hour away from Batum) during holidays, I definitely visit Batumi too and stay for a few days. In fact, not a very big city. However, it has become a tourist attraction center in recent years especially. I think one of the biggest reasons for this is tens of great casinos in Batumi. It is very popular among the countries of Caucasia as Las Vegas of Asia. Of course, another reason is nightlife in the city. But I can say that the nightlife there appeals to people that over the median age. For this reason I don’t recommend it to young travelers looking for crazy parties.

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It is possible to see long queues at the border gate at peak seasons. This can sometimes be annoying. There are 2 alternatives to go to Batumi city center from Turkey side while you pass by the gate. You can use taxi or minibus. It takes about 20 minutes to get the city center. If you have time, I would recommend visiting the botanical garden on the right side of the road before heading to the city center. Boasting one of the widest varieties of flora in the world, Batumi Botanical Garden was established in 1912 by the prominent botanist and geographer Andrey Krasnov. The garden collection comprises 2037 taxonomic units of woody plants, including 104 of Caucasian origin.

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After entering Batumi, buildings dating from the first USSR period draw attention. They were usually built with thick walls and without balcony to be durable in times of war. Although the buildings in the inner parts of the city are too old, the people say that living during the Soviet period is better.

The European Square, which was built in 2007 and is home to the Medea Statue, which travelers should visit, is located in the city center. Particularly in the summer evenings, the fountains of the pool where the local people and tourists spend time are giving a different atmosphere. The main square of the city, where you can easily reach by foot, is ideal for feeling the mobility and taking pictures.

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Alphabet Tower is located in the middle of the coastal park and made for the Georgian alphabet, one of the oldest alphabets in the world. It attracts attention with its architecture resembling DNA strands. The park is always very active for social activities and people who want to relax.

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The meal you see in the photo is Ostri. Ostri is a hot, spicy beef stew that is very popular in Georgia, both as a home prepared meal and as a dish in restaurants. First choice of Georgian people after hangover. There are many popular options in Georgian cuisine like hinkal, hacapuri, harco soup, lobio etc... By the way, Georgian wines are world famous. Especially semi-sweet red wines have a name in world wine literature. Georgia is the world's one of the oldest wine country with 521 grape varieties. If you go to Georgia, you should not return without buying at least 1 bottle of tasty wines.

Apart from what I wrote, there are tens of place to visit in Batumi. I will also talk about them in the next article. See you later alligator.