As a rule, I don't use photos of others, but I felt a strong urgency to use the following ones, which I stole from the Facebook page of former President Mikheil Saakashvili (thanks, Els). Just because they're so awesome.
In 2004, just after the Rose Revolution, which ended a decade of chaos in Georgia, the new President peacefully retook Ajaria for Tbilisi. Ajaria is the region in the South-west, on the border with Turkey. An ambitious renovation project was started in its capital, Batumi. The city of 200.000 gets the lion's share of its income from tourism.
It's obvious that Saakashvili deems his work not finished yet. This is the current skyline of Batumi:
I think it's still quite impressive. Considering that when I visited Batumi first in 2009, the Sheraton Hotel was the highest building, with its fourteen storeys. And it wasn't even finished yet!
It is said that the hotel was inspired by the Alexandria Light House. I think it looks rather similar to the 'Stalin towers' found all-over Easter Europe. Anyway, by now, five years further, the hotel looks almost pathetic, and at least out of place, in between Batumi's new acquisitions:
And I don't even know what this yellow submarine contender is supposed to be. A university building, really?
I don't know either why the Mestia airport building (Svaneti) wins all these international architectural prizes. It's supposed to represent a Georgian drinking horn (famous, because you can drink it only all at once). But well, I post the Saakashvili picture (he's great with Paint, by the way) because of the McDonalds building on the left. Imagine: McDonalds as World's Best Commercial Building!
This is the Alphabet tower, glorifying the Georgian alphabet, which is of course worthwhile glorifying:
I would say the Public Service Hall in Batumi is relatively civilized, if you compare it with its mushroom-equivalent in Tbilisi:
To conclude, some random impressions from Batumi. I think you got the idea.
Only in Batumi.
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