We spent over 6 hours in a Marshrutka shared mini-bus to Batumi. En-route the driver stopped to put a clay pot on the roof. There was a big argument later with the owner when the pot cracked from the rough roads. The driver was stopped and fined by the police twice. The first time when overtaking he had to break and rejoin the line of vehicles when a car came the other direction. It just happened to be a police car so he was fined for dangerous driving. Shortly after that he was stopped again for speeding. Not a very profitable trip for him.
Batumi is on the Black Sea coast. It’s like a combination of Dubai and Blackpool if you can imagine that. There’s a lot of construction of fancy tall buildings, but also a lot of seaside tat and Torremolinos style restaurants.
According to Greek legend, Jason and the Argonauts stole the Golden Fleece from around here in what is now Georgia. The Kolkhi people fixed sheeps’ fleeces into the mountain rivers to catch small particles of gold. The fleece was then hung out to dry before then shaking the gold particles out. This is believed to be how the legend of the Golden Fleece originated.
One of the famous landmarks is the Ali & Nino statues. There is the usual forbidden love legend behind it. They rotate slowly and the figures meet and then pass though each other. Very romantic!
