Borjomi National Park was about a two-minute walk from our hotel. We had a tour scheduled but our guide cancelled it due to rain. We were supposed to take the tram up to the top of the park where there are trails, views, and other things to do, but the tram was closed due to the weather. The park is primarily known for its historic mineral water. The springs in Borjomi Gorge have been known to locals for over a thousand years. These artesian springs in the valley are fed by water that filters from glaciers at high altitudes and surfaces here in the park.

The mineral waters were just a local item until the early 1800's when the Russian Imperial Army was stationed here. The Grand Duke found it so impressive that he built his summer residence here and since he liked the area so much, he restricted lumbering and limited hunting, which helped to preserve this area, now a park.

The park is very large and has extensive trails for hiking, biking, horse-back riding, and so on. The area's history dates back to Medieval times and its uniqueness is diversity of geographical and ecological zones along with landscapes, historical monuments, and a rich flora and fauna. The park has also developed infrastructure for tourists.

Since we love parks, Vicky and I self-toured the park. The tram was not working due to rain, so we only visited the lower elevation areas. It was only a light rain and it didn't slow us down at all.

Since the park centers around the mineral water, we made that our primary visiting point. The water just flows out of two spigots under the dome pictured above. We watched a line of locals come visit with their own bottles to get their daily mineral water. We tried it but I didn't find it particularly refreshing. It tasted peculiar to me.

We found what looked like a super fun, and challenging, par course or some such physically challenging course, but it was closed off. Too bad.

One thing about the old Soviet countries that I like is all the statues, memorials, and art works. We found one here in the park. Someone hung their hat on it.