Batumi train

The train ride to Batumi deserves a post. When we first arrived in Georgia they called it the "fast train", in comparison with the overnight "slow train". They have since discontinued the latter. But with speeds maxing out at 40 mph, "fast" is relative.

Sometimes the trains don't have a first class cabin, but when they do, it's worth the few extra lari. It means wider seats, more leg room, a better wifi signal and, of course, a free water bottle.

They just finished up construction on a new train station in Batumi. Size-wise it is a huge improvement on the former, but with the odd choice of blue-colored glass windows, they managed to make the construction look dated before it was even completed.

Batumi, with all its high-class luxury, is always fighting off a little tacky on the fringes.