We were invited to test drive Peugeot’s renewed 208 model before Ramadan Feast. The route the French automaker set for the test drive was quite interesting.. We traveled between Trabzon and Batumi with cars.
How Many Kilometers Between Trabzon and Batumi?
Trabzon’ We enjoyed the view while experiencing the completely renovated 208 on this track of approximately 280 km from Batumi to Batumi.. Trabzon-Batumi is a very attractive route with its unique green nature and rich food culture.. Moreover, considering the ease of entering Georgia without a passport only with an identity card, it is not surprising that the popularity of this destination is increasing day by day.
Places to Visit in Trabzon and Trabzon Taste Stops
Our first stop after our flight arrived in Trabzon was Suleyman Restaurant. After a local breakfast and a short briefing, we set off immediately.
We did not have the opportunity to visit Trabzon in detail, as we had a long track to complete during the day.. However, if you happen to come here, do not leave the city without visiting the Sümela Monastery, Hamsiköy and Torul Karaca Cave.
Trabzon Flavor Stops
There are places in Trabzon that you should not go without seeing, and there are also flavors that you should not leave without eating. Along with the famous pitas, you can eat rice at Trabzon’s famous rice cooker, Kalkanoğlu, and enjoy the famous dry beans in Hüsrev or Akçaabat meatballs in Akçaabat. You can taste it. Beach Road
After we tasted some of these delicacies at breakfast, we bought the cars and set off.. After buying the cars in Trabzon, we found ourselves on the Black Sea Coastal Road opened by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2007.
Starting from Samsun and ending at the Sarp Border Gate. Covering a 542-kilometer strip, this road was built to increase trade and tourism in the region.. However, since the day it opened, this road has received serious criticism.. The main reason for these criticisms is that some parts of it collapsed during heavy rains and that it could not easily evacuate rainwater in some cities due to the road after floods.. Again, this road is shown as the reason why we can’t see any beach until Batumi along the way.
Trabzon Batumi Road Impressions
On the other hand, it is undeniable that this road between Trabzon and Batumi eases the traffic and makes it possible to reach Batumi in a short time easily.. The green texture of the Black Sea embraces you along the way.. Everywhere is green as can be. However, it is thought-provoking that we could not come across a beautiful man-made structure from Trabzon to Batum when nature was so beautiful.. Unfortunately, the more beautiful the nature is along the road from Trabzon to the Sarp border gate, the more ugly the buildings are.
My Impressions of the Peugeot 208
We set off from Trabzon with the 1.6 liter petrol 120 hp fully automatic transmission version of the Peugeot 208. The new exterior and interior design of the car is quite enjoyable.. Especially the multimedia system, which resembles a digital touch screen tablet inside the car, is worth seeing.. This multimedia system is used for the first time in the 208 model in Peugeots.
The panoramic glass roof is a detail that adds an extra dimension to the interior.. On the other hand, to tell the truth, I cannot say that I enjoyed this engine of the car we used in the first place.. The performance of the car on hills and sudden accelerations did not satisfy me.
The 1.4 liter eHdi 69 hp diesel engine option, which will be sold at the same price as this car and which we tested after the Fırtına Stream much better alternative. Moreover, driving is more enjoyable as well as economical.. The fuel consumption of the vehicle, which is 3.5 liters per 100 km in the city, decreases to 3.1 between cities.. But if you say you love gasoline cars, the 1.6-liter 156 hp engine option may be just for you.
Places to Visit in Rize and Rize Taste Stops
Zümrüt-ü Anka Boutique Hotel
Our first stop on the Black Sea Coastal Road was Zümrüt-ü Anka Boutique Hotel in Rize Derepazarı. It is recommended that you taste the old man’s baklava at the Zümrüt-ü Anka Boutique Hotel, where we took a tea break in the beautiful scenery among the greens.. Considering that the hotel is surrounded by its own teapot, you can easily understand why we took a tea break here.. If you have more time in Rize than we do, you can taste fresh fish and muhlama on the beach at Öz Balık.
Ottoman Organic Trout Facilities in Fırtina Creek
Ottoman Organic Trout Facilities in Fırtına Creek, our next stop for the fish section, since we have limited time What did we leave. There are many fish restaurants along the Fırtına Stream in Ardeşen.. For those who have time, Fırtına Creek is also a beautiful rafting center.
The view of the Ottoman Restaurant, where we stopped for lunch, is not the kind you can find anywhere.. With the view of the historical Timisvat Ottoman Taşkemer Bridge built on the Fırna Stream flowing among the greens, our trout fried in butter or baked on a tile tastes different.. Although there are other stone arch bridges along the Fırtına Stream, this bridge stands out from the others as it is the only stone bridge with two arches.. For those who have time after a taste break here, it is recommended to stop by Ayder Plateau, which is further down the road.
Sarp Border Gate
Our next stop was Sarp border gate. As you approach the Sarp Border Gate, you feel as if the number of tunnels you pass through is increasing.. And of course, the trucks waiting in the right lane…
The Opportunity to Travel to Georgia with Only an Identity Card
As of 10 December 2011, citizens of both countries can only travel between Turkey and Georgia with their ID cards.. This has considerably increased the passenger density between the two countries.
Due to the intense interest, it often takes three or four hours to cross the border with cars.. The main reason for the density here is the Turkish side of the border.. While there are seven or eight box offices in Georgia, only three are working in Turkey.. An atmosphere of chaos prevails on the Turkish side of the customs offices.. A metrobus-style queue prevails at the counters.
While the Turkish side of the customs resembles the border of a third world country, which does not suit Turkey, a very modern customs welcomes you when you cross the Georgian Customs.. The queue at the toll booths takes place in a rather regular, humane atmosphere reminiscent of airports, unlike in Turkey.. It is really thought-provoking for Turkey that Georgia, which is far behind her economically, does not have a customs office.. If Turkey says that it is a tourism country, it would be beneficial for it to pay more attention to its customs, which are the showcase of the country.
My First Impressions About Batumi
Actually, when you cross the Sarp border gate, the difference between the two countries is instantly striking.. While it is almost impossible to find a flat area on the Turkish border until the border gate, Batumi is built on a very wide plain.. It’s as if the mountains end here with Turkey.. While it is not possible to come across a single beach along the way in Turkey, a beach welcomes you as soon as you pass the border gate in Batumi.. While it is not possible to come across a beautiful man-made architectural structure until Batumi, it continues along the beautiful architectural path in Batumi.
Batumi, which has been an Ottoman land for years It is quite surprising that there is such a difference between the Eastern Black Sea Region and the Eastern Black Sea Region.. Moreover, we learn that most of the construction activities here are carried out by Turkish construction companies.. It is a question that comes to mind in Georgia, why Turkish construction companies that have signed very important construction projects in the world do not show the same care and architectural taste when it comes to Turkey.
Batumi History
Batumi, which was conquered by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1564 and was under the Ottoman will for 314 years, After the Armistice of Mudros, it was first left to the British and then to the Georgians.. Batumi was an important holiday center of Tsarist Russia in the past, and of Georgia today.. Batumi is a city worth seeing with its wide streets, magnificent historical buildings, and the world-famous Botanical Garden.. During the summer, the city transforms into a 24-hour living center.
Las Vegas Casinos
The buildings from the past in Batumi, which lived in misery for a long time after Georgia declared its independence, reveal this misery.. However, with the arrival of Mihail Saakashvili as the President of the country, a restructuring process was entered in the country.. With the effect of free gambling in Georgia, Batumi has been playing to be the Las Vegas of the region recently. New splendid structures reminiscent of the buildings of the past are being built one after another in the city.. The structures of the old days are leaving their place to these new structures one by one.. It’s almost as if someone is playing Sim City (a computer game about urbanization) in the city.. It can be seen by looking at the construction activities in the city that the city is a candidate to erase all old scars within five years.
What You Should Know About Batumi
On the other hand, Batumi is an amazing city with many features. While Turks do not need a passport to enter the country, you need to have a passport with you to buy local currency from exchange offices.
You can see that many cars in the city do not have bumpers. The main reason for this is that Georgians can sell the bumpers of second-hand cars they bought from Europe for duty-free and expensive when they pass to Turkey.. This situation has created a new income for them.
Turkish businessmen who do business here also meet their automobile needs from here.. Since car prices are almost one-third of Turkey’s, they buy two cars here and give one to their spouses in Turkey and leave the other in Batumi.. They change their cars with their spouses every six months, and they do not exceed the legal limit of having a car with foreign license plates in Turkey.
Again in Batumi, they added additional rooms to the houses as families grew in buildings belonging to the communist era.. As a result, the buildings look strange, as if they were built with Lego from the outside.. On the other hand, due to the fact that the penalties in the country are quite high compared to Turkey, there is no security problem for tourists in the city.. As such, Batumi stands out as a candidate for rapid growth in tourism in the region.. The city’s airport, on the other hand, seems to be unable to respond to this growth potential in the medium term.. This may be an opportunity for Turkish companies specialized in airport constructions.
- As of 10 December 2011, citizens of the two countries between Turkey and Georgia they can only travel with their identity cards.
- Batumi is an important holiday center of Tsarist Russia in the past, and today it is an important holiday center of Georgia.
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