Borjomi, Part 1: Prelude

Borjomi, Georgia. Spring flowers in Mineral Spring Park.

The plan: A weekend in Borjomi and Bakuriani.

I collected Kate at her guesthouse in Tbilisi and then we went to Didube station to get a marshrutka to Borjomi, where we'd meet up with Sandy, who was coming in from Gori.

The marshrutka fare was 8 lari and the trip took about 2.5 hours.

Borjomi, Georgia. Hotel Victoria

Sandy had already arrived and checked out the Hotel Victoria, which we agreed would be fine.






















Cost was 20 lari per bed. We were in the top floor - the garret - in the Three Little Bears' room. En suite bath, assuming no one used the adjoining bedroom with king-size bed.







Fell in love with Borjomi immediately. Now this was the Georgia I'd had in mind when I signed up last year! Forests, rivers, parks. Shade. Beautiful and interesting architecture.

Across the street from the hotel was a small fairy-tale castle. Vacant and fallen into disrepair. The back of the building, and its second floor, is level with the street we were on. The building's front is on Borjomi's Little Park, with its two stories fully exposed.

Borjomi, Georgia.

Borjomi, Georgia.

On the way to lunch in Little Park, we walked along our hotel street, and then into the park.

We saw an intensely yellow house.

And a many-angled house.

Saw these steps between two houses. Reminded me of Tlaxcala, Mexico.

Borjomi, Georgia.

Steps in Tlaxcala, Mexico.Vecino Church.

Now that I pulled up the photo of the Tlaxcala steps, I don't see the connection so much. Maybe the connection clicked in my mind because Kate and I (and Pam) traveled together on that trip, too.

There was a lovely church courtyard in Little Park.

Borjomi, Georgia.

At lunch (forgettable), we saw this trophy on the restaurant wall, but didn't know what it was.

Walked across the park way to the graceful train station. Loved the play of light and shadow inside.

Borjomi, Georgia. Train station interior.

Borjomi, Georgia. Train station interior.

Borjomi, Georgia. Train station interior.

Borjomi, Georgia. Train station interior.

Borjomi, Georgia. Train station interior.

Borjomi, Georgia. Train station interior.

We poked our heads into the restaurant that shares the train station space. Impressed by the draped fabric beneath the greenhouse ceiling. We made a plan to eat dinner there that night and to listen to promised Georgian music.

Borjomi, Georgia. Restaurant adjacent to train station.

Borjomi, Georgia. Restaurant adjacent to train station.

Finished with lunch, it was time to take a walk.

We visited the information center and decided to go for the walk to the spring pool in Mineral Spring Park rather than for a hike in the national park. Based on other TLGers' experience, it seemed that hikes in the park were fraught with laugh-about-it-later near-disasters, while the walk in the Mineral Spring Park was really pretty, no drama attached.   

Or so we thought. (Note foreshadowing here.)