Off to the Botany

On the second day in Batumi, we mainly want to spend time at the beach, as we are somewhat exhausted from all the adventures (and the drinks from last night). The nice lady from House on the Sea gives us a tip: Shukura Beach.

So for the first time on this vacation, we unpack our swimwear and head there. The path from the parking lot leads down through jungle-like terrain, with banana trees and palm trees everywhere; it's wonderful. However, upon arriving at the beach, we are disappointed - there's shade, a concrete area that isn't inviting, and a few equally puzzled tourists standing around. We decide to visit the Batumi botanical garden today, which is on the way home and is supposedly supposed to have a beach as well.

The botanical garden is truly beautiful; it is not a compact, well-kept garden like we know from Scotland or Madeira, but rather a huge area that invites wandering and lingering. A bit annoying is the zipline that runs across the garden - I generally like ziplines, but you can hear the loud noise of the pulleys everywhere, which is a bit bothersome while relaxing.

Since there is no beach anywhere, we leave the garden from the opposite side (towards Batumi), where there is an unappealing but more extensive sunny stone beach with a view of Batumi. We settle down there and enjoy the afternoon.

On the way home, we look for taverns and find a highly-rated Italian restaurant near our accommodation. Unfortunately closed, damn. Right next to it is also a well-rated Georgian place, so we try it. And what can I say; it's the worst meal of the whole vacation and surely ranks among the top 10 worst meals of my life.

The meat is tough as leather, the wine sour as vinegar, yuck, we grab a few beers and drink away the horrible taste. Avoid the restaurant Makhinjauri, it's better to go into the city to eat.