Georgia, Day Eight

Old and Ancient

Today was a drive-and-sightsee day. First stop: another Atlas Obscura site, this time an abandoned Tuberculosis Sanatorium. It was from the 1800‘s, but abandoned after Societ days, when people were free again to go where they wished. The town, a spa center, where the sanatorium is, had numerous such once-grand establishments. 

It is huge, three-sided around a courtyard, three floors, two grand staircases.

The courtyard, looking to the opposite wing and staircase. It had palm trees and you can see running water in the foreground. 

Note the top of the pillar.

Now most of the floors are filled with rubble, and the outside is growing in. 

And some of the outside is walking in. That’s a cow in that hall. 

Water was flowing from this pipe in a front room. 

Outside gave hints of once-lovely grounds.

Then we stopped at the town’s abandoned grand train station. It had fine wood doors and windows and porches and   
railings. 

The tracks are no longer in use and are overgrown.

The bushes are still blooming and someone tends the grass. 

Next stop was a cave trail. I declined to go in. Photos are not good in low light, but here is an idea.

Then the next stop was “dinosaur tracks,” but it turns out there was another cave trail connected to that excursion, so I ended up in a cave after all.

Tracks. Over a foot across, from a big one, probably herbivore. 

 Somewhat smaller tracks, said to be raptors.

Then we walked a trail and saw these fellows. Fortunately they were all fenced, so we were safe.

Where we were on the dinosaur trail. 

Then came the caves. Low light and wet.

Then out into the light and a forest for a hike to a lookout spot. 

It was once so covered with bees that honey dropped off the cliff face. Georgia has been famous for honey for millennia. 

A wedding party was getting pictures.

Then we walked back to the starting point, tried Georgian ice cream - good - and headed back to the hotel.

The internet is very poor, so some things here I could not adjust.