Day 7 (July 17, 2022): Scooters, beach, dolphins and lights!

Sun-wise, it was not the best weekend in Batumi.  But, given the 36-37C heat we had in Tbilisi, the 23C temperature felt great,  And the cloudy sky made for a comfortable condition for exploring the city.

After breakfast, we set out to rent a bike, but opted for electric scooters instead.  We rented them in Miranda Park, at the entrance to the port of Batumi, and rode them all the way to the airport, at the end of the 7km Batumi Boulevard.  We stopped along the way to admire the luxury towers that line the Blouevard, as well as some statues and the beach.  Round-trip, it was 14km and took one hour, 20 minutes.  We had a ball!

After a break we took the 2.6km cable car from the port of Batumi to Nauru’s Hill for the city views.  We shared the cable car on the way up with two guys from Moscow.  Avoiding any condemning, anti-Putin banter, it quickly became clear that they were on the hunt for a new country to live in.  On the way back, we shared the cable car with a family from Saudi Arabia and despite the language barrier, enjoyed some banter with them.

It was then time for some R&R by the Sheraton’s pool and a quick encounter with the Black Sea, followed by a soothing time in the Sheraton’s Turkish bath.

The evening was taken up with a show at the Dolphinarium - which left a smile imbedded on our faces for the entire night! - and a viewing of the musical fountain and light show on a man-made lake in the heart of Batumi’s resort development.

We feel like we’ve really gotten to experience the key things that Batumi has to offer, despite the Disney-esque aspect of the city.

SCOOTER TIME:

Some sights along Batumi Boulevard during our scooter tour. 

“Penny Farthing” statue. 


“First Love” - bronze, concrete and glass, 2012. 






Highlights of the buildings along Batumi Boulevard. 

The iconic Orbi Center towers. 


The curved building is the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel   


Some of the modern designs are just a wee bit overdone. 




Not all that glitters is gold. Batumi has its less glamorous oceanfront areas, too. It is, overall, an eclectic mix of old and ultra modern. 



Riding some sort of personal transportation device down the 7km Batumi Boulevard is the top TripAdvisor thing to do in Batumi. We opted for scooters. We were a little apprehensive at first but quickly got the hang of it.  We did 14km in total, in one hour and 20 minutes. 

CABLE CAR TIME:

Some views of the city from the heights of the Batumi cable car: 







The view of Batumi from the upper cable car station,  high above the city. 

WATER TIME:


The Sheraton pool provided a spot for a mid afternoon snooze. And then it was down to the beach. 


Batumi Beach is a pebble beach. Very hard on the feet if you don’t have reef walkers. Not a speck of seaweed or garbage to be found anywhere. And the water is incredibly clear.



And that was it: the moment of full impact with the Black Sea!  Ouch, those rocks were brutal on the feet!


After the pool and ocean dip, it t was time for the Turkish bath at the Sheraton. In a Turkish bath, you typically sit around the perimeter of the room and dump bowls of very hot water on yourself from the basins along the wall. They you lay on the circular marble area in the middle, which is heated. Some Turkish baths (not this one) offer a deep-cleaning scrub-down service. 

DOLPHIN TIME:

We have seen dolphin shows before, and part of us doesn’t support the idea of dolphins in captivity being used to entertain. However, we put all that aside and decided to go see the show at Dolphinarium anyway. It truly was a wonderful spectacle of eight incredibly trained and affectionate dolphins.



FOUNTAIN AND LIGHTS TIME:

We ended the day - and our stay on Batumi - by watching the musical fountain show in the heart of modern Batumi. The lights on the towers give the effect of a very futuristic city.



Orbi Center’s three towers are perhaps the most iconic of Batumi. Here is one of the towers light up tonight in four colour schemes, reflected on Ardagani Lake. 
. 

The Courtyard By Marriott Hotel and some other buildings reflecting tonight on Ardagani Lake. 





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