Summer in Tbilisi — a time when life slows down and becomes more lovely
Summer is not just +40 degrees and some three months a year. For us, summer is a different kind of freedom. It is as if we are lifting a heavy burden off our shoulders, temporarily forgetting about daily troubles, and looking at everything much more simply.
Doesn't it bring back memories of a Tbilisi childhood summer?
If you close your eyes, don't you remember those carefree days spent in the neighborhoods of Tbilisi? Back then, we would stay out in the yard from morning till night, and no one could drag us back inside.Do you remember the taste of sour tkemali picked straight from the trees in the yard? You know, when the pit hasn't even formed yet, they are completely green and so sour that they make you squint, but you still keep eating them non-stop until your teeth are set on edge. And then, in the unbearable midday heat, all the neighborhood kids would play "dodgeball" (წრეში ბურთი), "two flags" (ორდროშობანა), or "my gold is with me" (ჩემი ოქრო ჩემთან). In the evening, as it grew dark, it was time for hide-and-seek, and we would hide in the dark corners of the yard. Tired and immensely happy, we would only think of sleep when our mothers called down to us: "Come upstairs, it's already late!" Summer has this amazing power — every year, it brings us back to those same warm, Tbilisi memories and reminds us how little it took to make us happy.
Happiness is in the little things
Even today, a good summer doesn’t require flying somewhere far away to expensive islands. After all, the greatest happiness lies in completely simple, small, and insignificant details.
- Real summer coffee: when you wake up early, the house is still cool, and you walk into the kitchen, grab some "Pele" coffee, pour it into a bottle with sugar, and shake it with a little water for a long time until you get a thick, golden foam. Then you drop in some ice cubes, pour cold water or milk over it, and drink it peacefully on the balcony.
- In the yard, together with your loved ones, eating sliced, cold watermelon and laughing out loud with all your heart.
- That magical moment when the Tbilisi sky turns pink and orange, and you just sit there and watch.
It's time for new stories
Even now, when everything outside is already turning green and the familiar scent of this season fills the air, it is the best time to write new memories. It doesn't matter if you go up to Tskneti on a cool evening, take a stroll by the Tbilisi Sea at sunset, head up to Turtle Lake, or just wander aimlessly with friends through the streets of Old Tbilisi.
The main thing is to use these days to your advantage. Summer reminds us every time that life is amazing when we don't complicate it too much. This season, let’s meet up with friends more often, put our phones away, make that legendary cold coffee, and just be here and now.
