Exploring Batumi

 October 8, 2021

Breakfast isn't included with the hotel;  but I need it anyway!  Ammar found out last night that it is located on the ground floor (which here in Georgia is called the first floor) and is 25GEL or about $8, so not expensive.  When I'm dressed and yoga-ed, I head downstairs.  My non-breakfast eater is having his first coffee of the day!

Downstairs I'm directed to the left where I find a small dining room with tables all beautifully set, but no food and no people, only the bar and bartender.  I go to reception and there is quite the backing and forthing before we arrive at the conclusion that I can go and sit down and someone will come (??) Sure enough, the young man behind the bar produces a menu.  It requires me to know the difference between and American breakfast, an English breakfast (so far I've got it!), a Turkish breakfast and an Israeli breakfast!  And there are some other options, like I could have khatchapuri or oatmeal or some other things that don't interest me.

Our glass elevator

No one here!

Yep, not looking in this direction, either!

Turkish!  Cheese omelet, tomatoes, cucumbers, two kinds of cheese, olives, honey, butter, jam, toasted and Turkish coffee!  Life is good!

The continuing series of unusual selfies!

More discussions with the reception lady coming to try to interpret and eventually pictures are produced!  I'm good with pictures!  The Turkish breakfast looks perfect and I can have Turkish coffee with it! It all arrives quite quickly, from some unknown source which is probably on the second floor with the casino, with my coffee and water and a basket of hot delicious toasted bread.  It's exactly as pictured and I don't leave a morsel!! 

Back upstairs we eventually decide that we need to get some exercise and fresh air and go exploring!  I'll learn later in the day that our hotel faces Europe Square, Number six on Trip Advisor's list!  And we can see the astronomical Clock which is Number 13 and Medea and the Golden Fleece! There are so many little architectural treasurers and details!  I'm just loving this!  And the sky is bright blue and the air is just warm enough and life is so good!  We stop into some shops and realize that one of them in an outlet store based both on the prices and the number of shoppers!  One of the souvenir shops is mostly pushing items we recognize from Turkey! (Been there, done that!) Subway sells espresso here! There is a bakery making that unique Georgian "boat" bread (Probably no one else calls it that!) and some has cheese in it!  Ammar gets two "boats".

Three, two, one, jump!

We may have just lost our PG rating!

Because I'm not really. a shopper, I don't know these are always made in Italy or if $50 is a good price!

Guess I didn't have to go up into the mountains!

We visit a bank for their ATM and even though two of the machines are labeled the same way, it's good that Ammar asked about them, because only one does international transactions! Out on the sidewalk there are lots of vendors of fresh fruits and vegetables.  We stop at one for bananas and a couple of huge peaches.  We think we are perhaps headed back toward our hotel when we encounter a crowd scene. Ammar is so much taller than I am that he has a better view and he says there are people crying! We've been hearing sirens and saw one woman running like crazy.  Now even I can see all the people and at least half a dozen. ambulances,  and police cars and fire trucks and yellow caution tape. Traffic is all snarled and I'm glad we aren't driving. When we are close enough to see it appears that there is a building collapse!  When we get home we'll learn that a five (or seven depending on your news source) stoory residential building has collapsed.  There are five to ten cars covered in debris an as of the 5:13 a.m. report three adults and one child had been rescued. It's walking distance from our hotel!! Perhaps we'll learn more later.

Somehow we have walked straight back to our hotel!  We go upstairs for a bit of rest and refreshment and we get into a political discussion.  I am learning so much about the Middle East.  Ammar wants to go to the barber (the man last night decided he was too tired for one more customer!) and to run a mysterious errand.  Also, when he was out last night he ran into a Jordanian man who used to be a tour guide and who now lives here in Batumi!  I guess he's at the same spot every afternoon, drinking coffee, and he invited Ammar to come visit, so he may be gone a while.

I'm researching the wonders of Batumi and catching up the blog. I think I've finally figured out how to save a map on my phone and use it later off-line.  We are in phone contact and Ammar has found his new Jordanian friend!  I'm so glad he has a chance to speak Arabic and take a break from English.  He never says anything but I'm sure it must be tiring to always think in another language!

Later on we both have massages scheduled!

Well it's been quite a while, my blog is caught up; I've read the email; I'm getting claustrophobic.  I can't get through to Ammar, other than to know that he met his Jordanian friend, so I leave him a note and go out walking!  There is so much to see and as long as I keep track of how many corners I've turned, I'll be fine!

Medea is getting some TLC!

The Fountain of Neptune

Can you spot Mickey D?

It's getting late and one of us has a seven o'clock massage!  I decide that it's me and I come home and take a shower.  I leave him a note and a text, and go downstairs at 6:50.  I pay the reception lady who almost knows what's going on - or at least can almost communicate it to me!  She leads me down some stairs and along a passageway, and points to a locker-kind of a room.  She tells me that everything I need is right there.,  Yea?  I guess? With no other instructions I go in and strip down to just my undies, since there doesn't seem to be a disposable pair.  There is a large towel and a pair of slippers, so I put them on and wrap up in the towel, lock the door, take my key, and sit on one of the tall chairs to wait.

Lena, from the Ukraine, comes along presently and guides me to her table, telling me to lie down face up. Hmm!  That's unusual!  She is just starting a glorious scalp massage when Ammar sticks his head in the door.  Oh Thank God!  He didn't run away to Jordan with his new friend!!  I'll get all the rest of the details later;  I know all I need to for now.

But speaking of being grateful? Thank you Spirit for teaching Lena the art of massage!!  What a treat and a delight!  She returns to the scalp massage and that morphs into a fabulous facial and pretty soon I just lose track of what she's doing!  I just know it's marvelous!!  The time flies, flies, flies past and oh, no, it's time to get dressed.  Lena asks me how old I am (?) and is amazed by my response!  She kisses her fingers to he lips (you know the gesture!) and says I have a very young body!  Thank you, Natalie, for all the years of yoga!!!

I go back to the lobby and Ammar is there waiting.  Lena needs twenty minutes to clean up for him so we talk a bit, then he pays for his massage and I go upstairs to luxuriate in my pain-free body!  When he's done he'll come get me and we'll go get something to eat at the most opulent MacDonald's on the planet.  We're both much too tired and hungry to do anything else and we've already talked about this not being a daily or even weekly occurrence!  Sometimes you've just gotta do what you've gotta do!!