9/3: Batumi's Botanical Gardens

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The most economical means of transportation between cities and villages and also in and around towns in this part of the world is a marshrutka, a 12 seater van that can cram up to 20 or so people in it for in-town trips as we've experienced! All the cities we've been to so far in the region also have had a fleet of city buses but the marshrutkas, being so small, offer another option. They have regular routes like buses but not necessarily defined pick up and drop off points. It's more a case of hailing one on the street. We wanted to visit the Botanic Gardens north of Batumi and could have taken a taxi for about $10 for the 30 minute trip but opted to take the marshrutka for the experience, convenience as well as the fact it only cost us each .40. Since we'd gotten on near the beginning, we were among the lucky ones and had seats, an added bonus.

The gardens, one of the largest botanical gardens in the former Soviet Union, were located on a hillside called Mtsvane Kontskhi or The Green Cape overlooking the Black Sea.

Only in Georgia have we seen pavement that looks like it's supposed to be a boardwalk complete with a wood grain, knot holes and nails! The pedestrian part of the famous Batumi Boulevard that I wrote about in my last post was exactly the same. The marshrutka left us off at the very bottom of the 108 hectare area park so it meant we had a steep climb before discovering each of the nine gardens near the top of the hill.

There were lots of greenery and forests but very few flowers for a good chunk of the park so this one grabbed my attention!

According to the tag, this feathery pine strobus is a native of North America but I don't recall seeing it before. While walking past these trees, we could hear the waves crashing against the beach far below us.

This was one of the gardens' several viewpoints where we had amazing views of the turquoise waters of the Black Sea.

In the distance, we could see people swimming off the side of their sailboat with no one else anywhere around. I can't imagine life getting much better than that if you're a sailor.

Anyone reading this know what these were and whether they would do well in a Colorado garden? They looked so pretty.

Lil Red, Whenever I see unusual benches I think of you. You came to mind because I wouldn't have wanted to sit down and lean back on this bench by mistake as I would have tumbled down the hillside until my fall was broken by a tree!

There must be lots of beautiful stands of bamboo near Batumi because we could have bought any number of souvenirs made of bamboo in the city. We just didn't need a bamboo mug, though! I only noticed bamboo trees in the Himalaya Department or section of the Gardens.

This was another area where I was careful not to step too far back in order for Steven to get a better shot!

The small square was named in honor of Iason Gordeziade, a Georgian agronomist and decorator who studied and worked in gardens all over Europe and then traveled to China and India to broaden the scope of his knowledge. Under his supervision, the swampy and weedy hillside eventually became the Batumi Botanical Gardens. We had also seen a statue of Gordeziade on the Boulevard yesterday. 

I am sure this little garden would have been so much prettier a little earlier in the season when everything was blooming.

Once we got to the top of the hill, we saw a profusion of flowers that looked lovely.

On one side of the road was the Australian Department or section; on the other, the sea side, was the New Zealand Department.

This is one of my favorite shots of Steven I have ever taken of him.

The memorial honored Andrey Kranov who founded the Gardens because he thought the climactic conditions in Batumi were most favorable for the growth and cultivation of subtropical and some tropical plants.

The Japanese Garden was in a very hilly section of the Gardens but it was so worth making the extra effort.

Since being in the Caucasus region, we have noticed many street sweepers and gardeners using this sort of broom that appeared to have been made of branches tied to a long pole.

Another stand of bamboo trees:

I can't tell which version of this flower photo I like better - the lighter or the darker - so I have included both.

We had seen many people enjoying the Gardens from the comfort of a train or tram so they didn't have to contend with the hilly terrain. A wedding party had commandeered a couple of them in preparation for a wedding atop one of the prettiest spots in the Gardens, the same spot where we'd taken our selfie earlier.

Spending a couple of hours wandering around the Gardens had been a lot of fun and was a good way to get some exercise in on those hilly paths!

Next post: An exciting evening at Batumi's Dolphinarium!

Posted on September 9th, 2018, from Baku, Azerbaijan.