Weekends are for Exploring

These days, Sean and I don’t see each other much during the week. He’s off to work before I’m really up and functional, and I work late so by the time I finish each night all we want to do is relax and unwind with some Netflix and animal snuggles. This arrangement suits us fine, however, since in Dushanbe we were so intertwined in each other’s lives it became way too much of the other person all the time. Besides, we still have Saturday and Sunday to spend together.

Since I’m cooped up in the house much of the week, by Friday night I’m going a little stir crazy. I’m annoyed with the construction next door and the constant animal attention and the fact that our water goes out sometimes and that our household goods aren’t here yet and I JUST WANT MY BED DAMNIT! Thankfully, we’ve come up with a perfect solution for my weekly bouts of insanity.

Weekends are for exploring.

Tbilisi is one of those cities that’s full of surprises. In our weekly wandering we’ve stumbled upon some gems I didn’t even think to look for. An excellent artisan chocolate shop, beautifully designed parks, outdoor art markets, funky cafes with excellent food, coffee shops that know how to properly make a latte, and the hipster paradise that is Fabrika, full of graffiti and wonderfully weird shopping.

It’s far too early to pick a favorite anything – we have two full years here after all – but so far I’ll say this much. Dadi Wine Bar has an extensive, but not overwhelming selection of wine with excellent food parings. Coffee Lab makes the best long espresso with milk I’ve tried. Hummus Bar has my heart – especially since here I can eat hummus with almost zero fear of lurking peanuts. Fabrika’s graffiti installations are the best, just don’t let your husband into the plant shop because you’ll end up with a bonsai tree in your home office since now’s the time for him to realize his childhood dream of owning one, apparently.

The best part? I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface of what this city has to offer. Instead of being worried about running out of things to see, I’m worried about not having enough energy to see it all. Especially since sleeping on our embassy issued mattress isn’t exactly conducive to a good night’s sleep.

Let’s hope our mattress gets here soon.