Poti, Batumi, Kutaisi, and Chiatura

October 2-4, 2019:

POTI:

Poti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country.

Our guide/driver washing his car of the mud and dirt from up north

Soviet era World War II Memorial for the sailors of Poti

BATUMI:

Batumi, a Black Sea resort and port city, is the capital of the Georgian republic of Adjara. Batumi Boulevard encompasses a waterfront promenade with a park and beach. The old town district is lined with renovated 19th-century buildings.

Batumi Skyline

Batumi Fish Market:

Bought four fish for ourselves and our tour guide/driver at the Batumi Fish Market and had them cooked at the Balagan Restaurant next door. Our lunch also included beer, wine, salad, Georgian corn bread, eggplant, local cheese and fried potatoes.

Batumi Fish Market

Eating our Fresh Fish at the Balagan Restaurant

Batumi New Boulevard:

The New Boulevard area offers a rich infrastructure, including modern shopping centers, cafes, restaurants, medical facilities, sports clubs and much more.

Colosseum Marina Hotel

Upside Down House

Courtyard by Marriot

Dancing Fountains

Public Service Hall

Holiday Lux Sea Towers

Tower Restaurant

Batumi New Boulevard at Night

Dancing Fountains

Batumi McDonalds

Grand Gloria Hotel

House of Soup

Golden Palace Hotel Casino

Batumi Boulevard:

Vibrant green space along the Black Sea featuring musical fountains, exercise paths, cafes & bars.

Batumi Boulevard by Bike

Batumi Boulevard at Night

A Generation Z boy using his mobile phone while riding a Segway on Batumi Boulevard

Cafe Fantasia (Soviet era sculpture)

Fountains and Wedding Registry (pig-shaped building)

Summer Theater and Colonnade

Monument to the Internet (@ sign)

Love Sculptures

Georgian Wine Ice Cream

Central Mosque:

Batumi is home to a sizable Muslim community. The Central Mosque was commissioned by the family of Aslan Beg Khimshiashvili, a Muslim Georgian nobleman in 1866.

Central Mosque

Statue of Memed Abashidze, leader of the local Muslims (killed by Stalin)

Old Town District:

The Old Town district of Batumi, Georgia is a historic area that’s a blend of European and Asian cultures, with a vibrant urban life and stunning architecture.

Piazza and Clock Tower

Akinian’s House

Sabev’s House

Biniat-Ogli’s House

Ilia Chavchavadze Statue

Batumi State Drama Theatre

Neptune Statue

Astronomical Clock and adjoining buildings

Europe Square and Medea Statue

Street Art:

Batumi has a variety of street art.

Batumi Street Art

Saint Nicholas Church:

This Greek Orthodox Church is more than 150 years old and it is one of the oldest churches in the city.

Saint Nicholas Church Exterior

Saint Nicholas Church Interior

Holy Mother Virgin Nativity Cathedral:

The Church of the Mother of God in Batumi is a Georgian Orthodox cathedral, originally built as a Roman Catholic church between 1898 and 1903.

Holy Mother Virgin Nativity Cathedral Exterior

Holy Mother Virgin Nativity Cathedral Interior

Holy Spirit Basilica:

The Church of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic church that was constructed in the late 1990s by the Georgian architects Oleg Pataridze and Giorgi Baghoshvili and consecrated in 2000.

Holy Spirit Basilica

Batumi Cape:

Batumi Cape is full of interesting sights.

Ferry Terminal and Fishermen

Ali and Nino Statue

Alphabet Tower – DNA double helix design showing the 33 letters of the Georgian alphabet

Ferris Wheel Tower and Radisson Hotel

Ferris Wheel and Lighthouse

Chacha Tower and Fountain

KUTAISI:

On our second trip to Kutaisi we saw several different sights.

Meskhishvili Theater

McDonalds Kutaisi

Georgia National Museum of Military Glory

National Bank of Georgia and City Hall

Soviet era sculptures

Kutaisi Park

Foist (“Fast”?) Food

Arcade markets

Soviet era wall on the Kutaisi Market

Opera House Theater

Classical Gymnasium/Public School No. 1 (school for many famous Georgians)

Old Radium Theater

Street Art

3rd Public School

Tsulukidze Sculpture Garden

White Bridge

Boy taking my hat on the White Bridge before jumping in the Rioni River
(scene from Georgian Soviet era movie)

Bagrati Cathedral

Colchis Fountain again

Sports Museum

Big Cinema Hall

Alexander Puskin Street

Kutaisi Houses on a Hill

Georgian Mansion

CHIATURA:

Chiatura is known for its system of cable cars connecting the city’s center to the mining settlements on the surrounding hills.

Chiatura Soviet Era Cable Cars:

Soviet Era Cable Cars

Soviet Era Memorial:

Soviet Era Memorial

Katskhi Pillar Monastery, near Chiatura:

Hidden in the countryside of the nation of Georgia, the 130-foot Katskhi pillar of rock is home to one of the world’s most isolated churches.

Katskhi Pillar

Monk’s Cell

Cross on a Rock

Chapel at the base of Katskhi Pillar

Mgvimevi Monastery, near Chiatura:

The Mghvimevi Monastery is a Georgian Orthodox monastery in the western Georgian region of Imereti, near the town of Chiatura, partly carved into rock.

Virgin Mary (Cave) Church

Church of Jesus Christ

Chapel of Saint Katherine

Mgvimevi Monastery

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