Unexplored Gagra. What to see in the vicinity of the city

Six kilometers from Gagra is Mount Mamzyshkha, its height is 1876 meters above sea level. Eight months of the year the peak is covered with snow, but the rest of the time life is in full swing here: tourists climb to the top, and shepherds drive their cattle to the alpine meadows. The peak was also loved by extreme sports enthusiasts. The fact is that Mamzyshkha is an ideal place for paragliding. The flight may take up to 30 minutes.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a road was paved for phaetons to the top of the mountain. IN Soviet era this winding serpentine 30 kilometers long was covered with asphalt. They planned to build on the top of Mamzyshkha ski resort and bring a cable car to it. However, these plans were never destined to come true. But the engineers still managed to set up observation platforms along the road.

In clear weather, from two passing platforms - at an altitude of 300 meters and 975 meters - a picturesque view of the Black Sea, Gagra, Pitsunda and the village of Alakhadzy opens. Excursions to Mamzyshkha in the evening are very popular, when you can admire the sunsets.

• Anacopia

Anakopia fortress, the residence of the first Abkhaz kings and ancient capital Abkhazian kingdom, located on the top of the Apsara Mountain on the territory of modern New Athos. This place is famous not only unique monuments history and culture, but also picturesque views of the azure sea and snowy peaks of the Caucasus Mountains.

You can get to the territory of the historical and cultural reserve either as part of an excursion group or on your own.

In 2008, eastern watchtower the citadel was reconstructed, on its top it was equipped observation deck. You can only get here on foot; the climb will take up to forty minutes. You can leave your car in the parking lot near the ticket office, which also offers a beautiful view of the New Athos.

• New Athos Monastery

Another point in the seaside New Athos is the Simon-Kananitsky monastery at the foot of Mount Athos.

A winding serpentine along the monastery olive garden leads to the holy monastery. The asphalt road makes it quite comfortable to get to the monastery by car. The famous “Path of Sinners” also leads to the monastery. According to legend, those who walk this path on their knees will receive remission of sins.

There is a small observation deck near the walls of the monastery, which offers views of the monastery gardens, Apsara Mountain and New Athos, buried in lush subtropical vegetation.

• Stalin's dacha in New Athos

Stalin's New Athos dacha (the leader had five in total in Abkhazia) was built in 1947.

Stalin came to this dacha six times between 1947 and 1953. After the death of the leader, the dacha continued to be used as a government residence for many decades. The facility is now open to the public.

Excursions are held here for tourists, from which you can learn about underground passages, secret government communications and why the “father of nations” moved from bedroom to bedroom at night.

Despite the fact that Stalin's dacha is hidden in the greenery of huge eucalyptus trees and is not noticeable from the outside, it offers a picturesque panorama of the coast.

Entry to the dacha is possible either from the New Athos Monastery or through the Gosdachi checkpoint on Lakoba Street in New Athos.

• Sukhumi Mountain

Samaata rhu. This is the original name of the mountain, which in different historical periods was known as Bald Mountain, Chernyavsky Mountain or Sukhumi Mountain. Sukhumi residents often call it a “funicular”, although there is no ski lift here, but the talk about its construction, apparently, did not go unnoticed.

From here you can see both the city and its romantic surroundings, small houses scattered across the picturesque hills.

You can get here along a serpentine road by car. The ascent on foot will take up to half an hour.

Perhaps the most popular view among tourists is the panorama from the observation deck on Lake Ritsa.

Alpine Lake Ritsa is located in the north-west of Abkhazia at an altitude of 950 meters above sea level. A picturesque road leads to it along the bed of the Bzyb, Yupshara and Gega rivers through the Yupshara canyon. This is a place of power with which many legends are associated. The Abkhazians believed that the area around Lake Ritsa had magical powers.

On the northern shore, away from prying eyes, another one of Stalin’s dachas in Abkhazia is hidden in lush vegetation. If you wish, you can take a short boat trip from here on an old boat.

Gagra is surrounded on three sides by picturesque natural landscapes. For this reason, several observation platforms are equipped in its vicinity, allowing tourists to enjoy the beauty of the nature of Abkhazia. The locations for their equipment were chosen so that they would offer amazing panoramic views of the surrounding area that would amaze tourists.

Mount Mamdzyshkha

The height of Mamdzyshkha is more than 1800 meters. Thanks to this, she became best place for the equipment of two observation platforms. If you use binoculars, from the second you can even see the distant Sukhumi Cape.

The first platform is located at an altitude of 300 meters and is a spacious balcony equipped with railings. From here you can see all the surroundings of Gagra and take spectacular pictures against their background.

The second is located at an altitude of 900 meters, located in the center of the serpentine leading to Mamdzyshkhi peak. You can get to these sites as part of excursion programs or on your own. The panoramic views of Abkhazia during sunsets are a very spectacular sight, so in the evening it is quite crowded.

Observation platforms in the Tsikherva River gorge

The Tsikherva Gorge divides Gagra into two parts, Old and New. It is in it that the famous cave of Evpatiy, a monk who lived here in the 6th century and is still incredibly revered by the Abkhazians, is located.

Hi all!

At the beginning of August, my family and I decided to take a car to the sea, and not just anywhere, but to something distant and previously unknown to me Abkhazia - Apsny - the country of the soul. All and sundry tried to dissuade me from this idea - they say there is devastation, robbery, theft, etc. But I went. And - I’ll tell you - I didn’t regret it... Quite the contrary - I left a piece of my soul in Abkhazia...

We went specifically by car - to see as many sights as possible, of which there are a huge number in Abkhazia. The trip was divided into 2 parts - we lived in Gagra for 5 days, in New Athos for 5 days, and almost every day we went somewhere. I, like a child, looked at everything with wide open eyes, such a charming impression. I plan to write a review of the country as a whole later, but for now I won’t litter the airwaves with details and will move on to the actual topic of the review - city ​​of Gagra ( or Gagra, as it is also called)

So - Gagra, the city is deservedly considered the pearl of Abkhazia, where the entire Soviet elite rested, and which was undeservedly forgotten after the Georgian-Abkhaz war...

A little history

Gagra or Gagra (as the city was called in the USSR) is a relatively small locality. About 12,500 people live there permanently. This is a resort town with no industry. The official birthday of the city is January 9, 1903. Gagra was immediately conceived as a resort. The ideologist of its creation was the Prince of Oldenburg, from the royal Romanov dynasty. He decided to found “Russian Monte Carlo” here. And he partially succeeded. Before the arrival of the Russians, these territories were inhabited by ancient Greeks, Genoese, Turks and other nationalities.

Gagra is the first city from the border with Russia (we crossed the border easily and naturally, in about 15 minutes - although it was late at night) - only 22 km.

By the way, I want to immediately dispel myth No. 1 - that it’s scary to walk around the city at night, you might get attacked, etc. - they can only approach you with the question - “Is everything okay with you and do you need help?”

We stopped near one of the cars with a “housing” poster, and within half an hour a polite Abkhazian showed us several housing options, from which we chose the closest to the sea - only 1.5 blocks, haggling for 2500 for a room for three with amenities in New Gagra.. I will attach a photo below. It may be expensive - but August is the hot season, and it’s close to the sea... For those who want to save money - rooms without amenities are about 500 rubles per person.

And I want to start the photo report with the sights.

Just before entering Gagra we are greeted by an observation deck with wonderful views of the city and the sea.

Colonnade in Gagra

one of the calling cards not only of Gagra, but of the whole of Abkhazia. The colonnade is located in the Old Gagra area not far from the Primorsky Park and the Gagrypsh restaurant. The Gagra colonnade opens the entrance to the city beach, which stretches along the entire city. In total, the colonnade has 4 towers connected by small arcades (8 arches each). The total length of the colonnade is more than 60 meters.

Cinema "Gagra"

located on Primorsky Boulevard. The building began to be called a cinema under Soviet rule; before that it was called the Winter Theater, which was built in the middle of the 20th century. The architect is presumably Z. Tsereteli. The cinema was heavily damaged by Georgian artillery during the hostilities.

This is such a beauty from the outside - a beautiful palace...

And such devastation inside...

And another selfie spot

Seaside Park in Gagra

founded in 1902 and designed by architect Shervinsky. Plants for the new park were brought from all over the world, including southeast asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America and Syria. In total, more than 400 species of plants grow in the park. The Primorsky Park stretches for six kilometers along the Black Sea coast and occupies a substantial territory - more than 14 hectares.

Abandoned cable car in Gagra

Lower station cable car located in Primorsky Park. The electric cable car was designed in 1904 and built in 1935. Previously, the cable car transported vacationers to one of the most popular boarding houses in Gagra - "Skala".

I expected to see lonely abandoned booths hanging out here, but they were all removed - apparently, restoration is being prepared.

Prince of Oldenburg Castle

a unique structure located in Old Gagra. It was erected in 1902 according to the design of the famous architect I.K. Lyutseransky.

Upstairs is a hotel.

Yes, the prince was no fool - what a view from the window...

Abaata Fortress

oldest architectural monument Gagra. Built more than 15 centuries ago, either by the Romans or by a local tribe, it once closed the Zhoekvar Gorge and blocked the path from east to west for possible invaders.

At the beginning of the 20th century, by order of the Prince of Oldenburg, part of the fortress wall was destroyed and a hotel was built inside. Currently, in addition to the hotel, the Gagra Museum of History and Local Lore "Abaata" and a restaurant are also located on the territory of the fortress.

We didn't go inside, so these are the only photos

Restaurant "Gagripsh"

Opposite the famous Primorsky Park in Gagra there is the no less famous restaurant “Gagripsh” - a symbol of the birth of Gagra as a world resort.
The restaurant building was built from Norwegian pine by order of Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky, disassembled and brought to Gagra from the World Exhibition in Paris in 1902, and then assembled without a single nail. It was here that the grand opening of the Gagra resort took place on January 9, 1903.

Observation platforms on Mount Mamzyshkha

The mountain is located 6 kilometers from the city of Gagra. Height - 1876 meters. There are two viewing platforms on the road up the mountain. They offer a wonderful view of Gagra and Pitsunda and you can see Cape Sukhumi. The first site is located near the beginning of the route. It is equipped with a concrete balcony with railings. There is also a cafe here. The second, distant equipped observation deck is located much further along the road and higher.

Near the first observation deck there is a photo with this bear (we were allowed for free))))

By the way, you can get to the first lookout without any problems in any car - excellent asphalt.

But from the second observation point, almost nothing is visible because of the clouds...

But the car has been lying in the ravine since time immemorial...

And on the way down we ate blackberries straight from the bush (our stomachs didn’t hurt)))

These are the spiders on Mamzyshkha

You can also admire the beauty on the ring road

Monument to the victory in the Abkhaz-Georgian war

One of the attractions of the city of Gagra is the Monument to the victory in the Abkhaz-Georgian war of 1992-1993, which, according to statistics, claimed the lives of 4 thousand Georgians and 5 thousand Abkhazians.

Some tourists disrespectfully call him Chupa Chups...

Gagrypsh railway station

the old passenger station in Gagra, today is one of four operating stations in the city and is better known by its old name Gagra-Pavilion. The station belongs to the Abkhazian railway and is located in the center of the city of Gagra, in the northeast of Abkhazia. The station building dates back to the Soviet period, and since then it has not been repaired. Today it is almost destroyed

And again - from the outside we see a beautiful architectural structure

And inside... it's just a jungle...

View from the station windows

Gagarin Square

in the Middle Ages it was called “Abaata-Ashta”; competitions in the art of war were held here.

Today, both Gagarin Square itself and shopping mall in desolation. The building where noisy parties once took place is in ruins. There was nothing left except the concrete box.

Fountain on the square

railway tunnel...

And what are the beaches in Gagra.....

and palm trees on the shore...

And just beautiful views from the car window..

And cows on the roads... though not in the city itself - in the suburbs)))

And what a sunset it is in Gagra... As they say, everyone has their own... Mine looked like this:

And the lush vegetation of the subtropics...

Lots of tropical fruits

Mountain Mamdzyshkha or Mommy located 6 kilometers from the city of Gagra and actually towers above it. The height of Mamzyshka is 1876 meters above sea level. The entire mountain is covered with impenetrable forest, with the exception of the very top. Due to strong winds, only grass grows on the top of the mountain; this is already a zone of alpine meadows.

According to legend, Mount Mamzyshka received this name in honor of the first shepherd who climbed here, whose name was Mamz. He liked it here so much that he decided to settle here and start raising cattle.

In 1904, by order of the Prince of Oldenburg, a road leading to the top of the mountain was laid. The road was dedicated to the then reigning Nicholas II and was built according to the design of engineer I. Maruashvili. The length of the serpentine road is about 30 kilometers.

In Soviet times, it was planned to build on the mountain ski resort, including several tracks, a 100-meter springboard, cafes, restaurants, shops. It was planned to deliver tourists to the mountain by a 4,650-meter cable car, but due to understandable events, nothing of this was done.

Observation platforms in Gagra

There are two observation platforms on Mount Mamdzyshka in Gagra, from which you can clearly see Gagra, a little further - Pitsunda and very far away - Cape Sukhumi.

The first is located 300 meters above sea level. The site is equipped with a balcony with railings, and there is a cafe nearby.
The second is at 975 meters from sea level, located in the middle of a serpentine turn.

Day 8. Mount Mamzyshkha and Gagra 06/08/17 VSK

Pitsunda - Mamzyshkha - Gagra - Pitsunda

Mileage 124 km.

We are drawn to the mountains again! Does the word Mamzyshkha, so unusual for the Russian ear, mean anything to you? You can also find variants Mamdzyshkha or Mamzyshka. They all indicate one place, or rather a mountain, at the foot of which lies resort Gagra. And its conquest became our next venture.

New day of ours southern holiday started the same way as the previous ones. Breakfast in the kitchen, then a walk to the seashore and morning swimming. Each day of beach time would be similar to all the others - the same weather, constant temperature, the same activities. Some people love this kind of vacation. But not us!

Today it was decided to go to neighboring city and climb the mountain that “presses” Gagra to the very edge of the earth. The mountain is called Mamzyshkha. I couldn’t find what this word means on the Internet. The mountain is a mystery!

In preparation for this trip, I wrote down the coordinates of a dozen places that you can visit in Gagra and its environs. But the most interesting were, of course, the observation decks on Mamzyshkha. Climb higher, take a bird's eye view of the surroundings - what could be more exciting?

We're all going together again in one car. As I already said, our Qashqai, if desired, easily turns into a seven-seater minibus, and can take quite a large company on board. Its high ground clearance of 200 mm will also be useful to us today.

A short preparation time and we're on our way. No extreme treks like the trail to Malaya Ritsa were expected here. Along the now familiar path past the Pitsunda pines we leave the city and, having reached the Sukhumi highway, turn left - towards Russian border. On the very first day, when we were still driving forward in the darkness of the night, we passed through Gagra. Now let's look at it in the light of day.

After two dozen kilometers, the road dives into tunnels, two of which are functioning, and the third, apparently, was never completed. On the other side, the houses of Gagra are already appearing. We begin to look for a turn to the left - up the mountain. Here he is!

An asphalt path of fairly good quality quickly leads us to a place called the first observation deck. As we expected, after lunch there is silence and desolation. No cars, no people. There's no one even in the cafe.

The site itself is a concrete ledge on the mountainside facing the sea. There is even decorative tile trim and a parapet. The height is about 300 meters above sea level. The view is excellent at 180 degrees. Gagra stretches along the seashore. And somewhere in the haze in the south you can see Pitsunda and the mouth of the Bzyb River. A short photo break, and we move on. There's nothing else to do here.

It was much more interesting to get to the second observation deck. Reviews about the road there were the most contradictory, but intriguing. The path to the top was paved at the beginning of the 20th century for phaetons that took the resting public on rides. In Soviet times, the road was even paved, hoping to create a ski resort on the top of the mountain. There was a cable car underneath. But perestroika came, and after it the Soviet Union collapsed.

The higher we climbed, the worse the road surface became. In some places the asphalt still remains, and even better than that, which we saw in the Auadhara valley, but in some places there were very large potholes. I would say like craters after shelling, if this could not be true. During the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict of 1992-93, fierce fighting took place here. Georgian troops occupied Gagra, cutting off the Abkhazians from the Russian border. And the dominant height of Mamzshkha made it possible to control the entire Gagra and the surrounding area.

In my story, one cannot ignore the particularly difficult topic of that war of 1992-93. The more I learned about the details of the fighting, the more the hair on my head stood on end. Such barbarity occurred at the end of the twentieth century!

For Russians, these events somehow remained outside the time of troubles. We were more concerned about what was happening in our country. And then, on the territory of the former USSR, a real massacre broke out, when ambitious politicians pitted two peoples, who had lived side by side with each other for centuries, in a cruel and senseless war.

On the territory of the Abkhaz Autonomous Republic, which was part of Georgian SSR, approximately half the population were Georgians. But in 1992, the Abkhaz Supreme Council announced the restoration of the 1925 Constitution and the actual secession from Georgia. In response, Georgia sent troops into the territory of Abkhazia National Guard, occupying Gagra first, thereby cutting off the Sukhumi authorities from the Russian border. Very quickly the entire territory of Abkhazia was taken under control by the Georgian army, except for a small patch around the Russian military base in Gudauta.

Volunteers sent by the Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus came to the aid of the Abkhazians. Among them is the later notorious Shamil Basayev. It was in the Abkhazian mountains that his fighters gained combat experience, which would later turn against the Russian army. Where the semi-partisan detachments got their weapons and ammunition from, let the reader guess for himself. But the carnage broke out in earnest. What struck me most was the facts of terror and genocide that were used by both sides. Doctors, teachers, and artists were shot en masse without trial. Entire families, young and old, were slaughtered. Examples of modern barbarism have been recorded from both the Abkhaz and Georgian sides.

Largely thanks to the inaction and indecisiveness of the Georgian authorities led by E. Shevardnadze, control over the territory of Abkhazia ended up in the hands of illegal armed groups. There was a mass exodus of the Georgian people. The country's population has almost halved. The entire economy was destroyed. But the new leaders of the country declared their victory and independence.

Now the border between Georgia and Abkhazia runs through the south of the Gali region and represents an almost frozen front line - minefields and firing points. There is no communication with Georgia. The sovereignty of Abkhazia is recognized by only a few states (including, naturally, Russia). For the rest, this is the occupied territory of Georgia.

The conflict was calmed down 25 years ago. And since then nothing has changed. Abkhazia is content with its position as a Russian dominion and feeds from that. Georgia does not have the strength and political will to restore the status quo. The rest of the countries of the world community are trying not to interfere in this hornet's nest, where hot Caucasian guys can make new troubles.

Traveling throughout Abkhazia, we came across a lot of different monuments, steles, monuments dedicated to that war. These are, perhaps, the most well-maintained facilities in the republic. Maintained in perfect order. But no less often, along the roads at battle sites, you can see grave obelisks or simply memorial plaques with photographs of young people who died for the ambitions of others.

So, along a narrow path, hidden under tree branches and sandwiched between a slope and a cliff, going around craters, our car climbed higher and higher. A couple of times we were overtaken by local horsemen until we were “on the tail” of one minibus. This is not the first time that local drivers have driven along this road; they know the most optimal trajectory over potholes. And we will take advantage of their experience.

In some places the pits have sharp, steep edges, and I thought it was good to have high ground clearance, otherwise you would rip off the entire bottom or leave the bumpers there. And it’s good that we didn’t take Solaris with its low landing. But as soon as I thought about it, both a Solaris and a BMW came across the road, rather briskly rolling down the pits.

Meanwhile, the serpentine climbed higher and higher, and soon we found ourselves at an altitude of about 1000 meters above sea level, where the second observation deck is located. By the way, you can easily drive past it and not notice it. It’s good that there were a couple of cars parked here with auto tourists just like us. The platform is a metal structure mounted on the side of the road. From here you can see Gagra somewhere far below. And the sea turns blue in the haze. The horizon line merges with the sky. The entire fence of the site is tied with hundreds of rag ribbons, and therefore looks untidy. We stood and looked. By the way, it’s not scary to look down. There is no sheer cliff here. Just a very steep slope, all overgrown with trees and bushes.

Yes, the road goes further up, gradually skirting the entire mountain. Somewhere at an altitude of 1500 meters there is a fairly large clearing from which paragliders take off. There is this type of entertainment - together with a paragliding instructor, go down from Mamzyshkha directly to the sea beach of Gagra. Three paragliders took off from the mountain in front of us, and we watched the landing of one of them already below in Gagra.

The zone of alpine meadows begins even higher. But the asphalt road ends here, turning into a dirty dirt road, accessible only to all-wheel drive all-terrain vehicles. We reached the dirt and turned back. Those who happen to be nearby local residents They offered to transfer to their UAZ and get to the very top of the mountain (which is 1873 meters above sea level), but we refused. Although, perhaps, it was worth agreeing. A few more kilometers of dirt road and we would have found ourselves at the very top of the mountain. And so, it turns out that we did not conquer her. But then it seemed to us that such a bold raid along a mountain serpentine somewhere to the sky was enough.

The car reacted to the difference in height completely calmly and pulled as if nothing had happened. In the pits in first or second gear, and where it’s more level, even in third. Nothing was warm. And it was even easier to roll down. Just don't overuse the brakes to avoid overheating. It's better to brake with the engine. Although you won't be able to accelerate particularly well. And the potholes have not gone away, and you want to stop at every turn to contemplate the panorama that opens up to your eyes.

About forty minutes later we passed the first observation deck and rolled further down.

“I was transferred to the terrible climate of Abkhazia. There is a depression between huge mountains on the Black Sea coast, in Abkhazia. The wind doesn't fly there; the heat there from the hot rocks is unbearable, and, to top off the pleasures, the stream dries up and turns into a fetid puddle. In this gorge a fortress was built, into which the enemies beat from all sides through the windows, where the fever rages so much that one and a half sets a year die from the garrison, and the rest come out of there no other way than with deadly obstructions or dropsy. There is the 5th Black Sea Battalion, which can communicate with other places only by sea, and, not having an inch of land for pastures, feeds on rotten corned beef all year round.”

Now it is difficult to imagine what the fortress looked like two hundred years ago. There is a hotel and restaurant on its territory. Behind their buildings, the low, two-meter stone walls of the citadel are completely lost. Entry is completely free. But there was nothing to see. Of the ancient buildings, only the Church of St. Hypatius of Gagra has survived, the same age as the fortress, which is still operational. Yes, a small house with a sign “Museum”, which was closed with a large barn lock. We entered the church, but the strict caretaker warned that the priest was blessing only one photo from the threshold of the temple. We lit candles and moved on.

Some kind of hotel has now been built between the fortress and the sea, fencing off a section of the beach. But the lock on the gate of the fence did not work, and we walked through its territory completely freely to the shore, and there we already found ourselves near the famous Gagrinsky pier, which goes 200 meters into the sea.

When I read earlier that in the evening all vacationers love to walk along this pier and look from the sea at the city colored with lights, I imagined it a little differently. I imagined a stone breakwater with a pedestrian promenade along it. In fact, the pier turned out to be quite high metal structure. This building is more of a utilitarian-technological nature, but in no way a place for walking and having fun. Nevertheless, to check in here, we still walked to the end of the pier. Despite the presence of a barrier at its beginning with a warning sign that the structure is in disrepair and passage is prohibited. But if there is no fence with barbed wire, then a simple inscription will not stop our tourist at all.

The view of the mountains and the city from the pier is okay, but not outstanding. Maybe it's more beautiful in the evening? On the mountainside stands out the castle of the Prince of Oldenburg, which has now been converted into a restaurant.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Prince Alexander of Oldenburg, seduced by the mild climate of Gagra, decided to turn the city into a resort. He built himself a castle on the mountainside and was actively involved in landscaping the surrounding area. So, on a narrow strip along the sea beach, the Primorsky Botanical Park appeared, named after its founder.

After the pier, we walked along the seashore through this park, where you can see many strange tropical plants and examples of park architecture. Due to the early evening heat there is very little public. Only here and there, sellers of boiled corn, drinks or some kind of entertainment were bored, buried in their phones.

We passed by the cable car station, which has not been operating for a long time. Now there is a cafe there. In general, the impression was that the Abkhazians were doing their best to use the leftovers. Soviet era. Time stood still in the 1980s of the last century. Nothing new has been erected or built since then.

We reached the famous colonnade. We walked between its white columns. Nothing special. Why is she so praised? Built in 1955, when the whole country was still healing the wounds of heavy war and devastation. She appeared in the film “Winter Evening in Gagra” and became an unspoken symbol of the city.

The time allotted for getting to know Gagra was coming to an end. I had to go to reverse direction again through the park to the car left at the Abaat fortress.

Along the way we saw and bought unusual melons. Small (about the size of an apple) and striped like watermelons, but the stripes are brown on a yellow background. They look very original and bright. But you need to eat them like regular melons - p cut, clean out the seeds, then gnaw out the pulp to a thin, dense crust. Not very convenient. Especially if you try to do it on the go. Pampering.

Another object was found near the car, listed in travel guides. This is a children's playground on which some concrete structures were built, decorated with pieces of colored tiles. It turned out that before us, neither more nor less, is Zurab Tsereteli’s thesis! As always, monumental! But it does not fulfill its main task. We didn't see any children there.

Having returned to our place in the Monasheskoe Gorge, before dinner we still had time to go to the sea for a swim. The water is clean and warm. And then the usual evening gatherings with a glass of wine and board games.

It so happened that our day today was completely dedicated to Gagra. The city most loved and visited Russian tourists. But we were able not only to walk through its wonderful Seaside Park, but also to look at the city from a bird’s eye view from the slopes of Mount Mamzyshkha, and from the sea - from the tip of a 200-meter pier. And they saw about the same thing that was here forty years ago.