“Batuuumi, herbaciane pola Batumi”… you know this old song about tea plantations in Batumi? The plantations are quite neglected nowadays but Batumi still looks quite good…
The Black Sea coast is a popular holiday destination for Georgians. During the long May weekend both Batumi and a nearby little city of Ureki were crowded. We stopped by in Ureki on our way – the little town is known for mysterious black and magnetic sands which supposedly have a positive effect on blood circulation and nervous system. They are also supposed to cure various illnesses. We were intrigued and decided to see the beach in Ureki for ourselves. It turned out to be in disastrous condition – empty booths and shops, closed hotels and the beach – the black sands are here, but I have never seen such a dirty beach! Black sands look cool, but I guess it’s better to come here in July.
on the deserted beach in Ureki — Maks is unhappy as it’s too dirty to play
deserted Ureki in May
We left for Batumi and drove along… I always thought Batumi was a magical place. I used to be fascinated by the name of the bus stop in Wilanów and remembered the words of the old song “herbaciane pola Batumi, cykadami dźwięczący świat …” (“tea plantations of Batumi, cicadas heard everywhere”). You need to see this city, considered a Georgian resort.
What is Batumi like today? It’s quite diverse: there’s plenty of luxurious hotels such as Radisson and Sheraton and even more being built (Kempinski Hotel, Trump Tower), a beautiful seaside promenade, lots of greens, and what Maks pointed out, modern playgrounds…
a morning on the promenade
original
wandering near the beach
something nice for everyone
Batumi is also full of charming little alleys with antique-looking lanterns and houses similar to those in continental Spain or in Mallorca…
But if you get further from the city centre, you’ll notice a general mess and chaos similar to some districts in Istanbul…
Have a walk by the sea and then get a little bit closer to the centre and find the Beer Bar – a locals’ favourite. It took us quite a while to find the place and the longer it took, the more I was afraid of ending in a filthy joint with a hungry Maks. Fortunately we found it. It’s impossible to miss the Beer Bar on the corner of Pushkin’s and Lermontov’s. The place is big, with a scent of delicious food inviting you to come in. There are also the locals. Is it bad? Most of them are men in different ages, sitting in front of big plates of Khinkali and smoking cigarettes. After seeing three men seating around a platter with around 30 khinkali I knew the place was worth visiting…
waiting for us
bread, delicious sauce and Maks’s chips
We order six khinkali, and a khachapuri and we get some bread with tomato sauce spiced up with coriander. The starter was so big, that we might have finished with it as well 🙂 Łukasz wanted to try a chkmeruli chicken recommended in our guide. It was worth it!
supposedly one of the best in the neighbourhood
We left the place absolutely stuffed and rolled ourselves through the city to the hotel as our next destination was Tbilisi – 400 km away. Fortunately we managed to take some khachapuri for the trip… 🙂
chaczapuri from the Beer Bar — one of the best we’ve had
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