The place seems to be set up for a lot of visitors. It wasn't particularly busy when we were there. Not feeling particularly fresh, we decided to skip the Borjomi National Park, and went for a circuit in the Borjomi Central Park. It turned out to be a very scenic walk. Walking past the older tourist area and the new 5-star Crown Plaza, we checked out the source of Borjomi Mineral Water and the old bottling plant; then hiked up (eschewing the funicular) to the "plateau" for a great view back to town; then down past the Sulfur Springs and along the most mesmerizing stream of the trip back to town.
The next day we had a short walk, partialy along the RR tracks, to the Petre Fortress ruins, catching a glimpse of the elusive Romanov Palace (3rd below - not open to the public), and great views to the south.
The highlight, however, was our ride out of Borjormi to Akhaltsikhe. We arrived at the bus stop just as a big blue tility truck pulled over. The driver hopped off the truck to tighten the straps that were holding down the piece of machinery he was transporting. He asked us where we were going and gestured for us to hop on. I was very excited since this may only be my second ride in a big truck. In spite of not having a common language (google translate would be too distracting), I also learned an indelible lesson in hospitality and kindness from the driver. It turned out there were a few more fortresses along the Kura on our way to Akhaltsikhe. The driver stopped at one of them and took some photos for us. A little later, he suggested getting coffee. Not wanting to be more of a bother, we politely declined. He stopped the truck and came back with three coffees and two cokes, just for us. We felt overwhelmed by his kindness, tried to pull out money, of course, were declined. Now we know the proper way to give rides to complete strangers.
Bonus.
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