Early Autumn in Tbilisi, Georgia. Season of Persimmons, Pomegranates, and Cats (16 Images)

First of all, it is the cat season in Tbilisi, indeed. In the sense that cats climb higher to catch the warm rays of the autumn sun. People are already wearing jackets, but it's still hot on the roof tops in the afternoon, and cats take advantage of it. That's why you can harvest a good crop of cat photography these days 🙂

Yesterday, I went for a walk in a district called Saburtalo (საბურთალო), in the very thick of the old Soviet buildings, gray, shabby, but not without a certain charm.

Shabby residential high-rise building in Saburtalo, Tbilisi, Georgia

Pomegranate tree with ripe fruits

Overripe pomegranate got open to let seeds go

Some houses resemble cave settlements, or some kind of medieval towers. But, by the way, people here live not worse than in more attractive areas of the city. This part of Saburtalo has all the infrastructure, all possible goods and services, there are electronic displays at bus stops notifying which bus will arrive and in how many minutes. But, yes, some houses look dilapidated.

Tbilisi TV Broadcasting Tower and Ferris Wheel of Mtatsminda, a view from Saburtalo

It's a hilly area so not every corner is taken by high-rise buildings, there are many private houses and gardens with shady pathways between them, meandering down the hill.

Residential buildings of Saburtalo and Vake, a view from Saburtalo

Persimmon tree with ripe fruits

Autumnal persimmons with the deep blue sky in the background

I was actually going to photograph black and white. I put Tom Waits on the player. But bright orange, purple, and red spots changed my mood. It's impossible to get past these edible gems.

Vine with overripe grapes

Here, as elsewhere in Tbilisi, grapes are abundant - I had a post about it recently. It grows in gardens and right on walls of high-rise buildings.

Grapes getting dry. Raisins for birds in winter

The grape season is ending. But some varieties aren't yet withered.

The number of shades is impressive.

An amazing shade, isn't it? The comparison that came to my mind is red pearls. If it was a precious stone, it was a precious stone, it would fit a crown of a Medieval monarch.

Descending from Vake, I crossed Chabua Amirejibi Highway and continued to the top of Ikaltos Hill (Ikaltos Gora, იყალთოს გორა).

My route in Vake / Saburtalo, Tbilisi, Georgia on the google maps

I looked into yards, went into alleys to check if there was something colorful - panoramas, cats, fruits. I also was keeping in mind other pets, dogs. On the quiet green pathways between private houses, there can be ones, and meeting them isn't always a pleasure even in the big city. Happily, there were only friendly dogs on my way.

I especially liked the top of Ikalto Hill, which is actually a ridge with high-rise buildings on its crest. The same ugly buildings there but the feeling of being above the city, in an island flying in the sky made my spirits high. One of views from there, with distant Tbilisi TV Broadcasting Tower:

Tbilisi TV Broadcasting Tower, a view from Ikaltos Hill, Saburtalo

Below, there is another highlight, Viktor Dolidze Street. A usual Tbilisi street if not the fact it gets bathed in the light of the setting sun (in autumn, at least):

Viktor Dolidze Street

At 17:30, the last sun rays and, then, the sun disappeared behind a high mountain.

Saburtalo is not an old district, not a tourist destination but it's full of another kind of beauty and full of authenticity. I will definitely return there.

All images were taken by me with a Nikkor 70-300mm on a DSLR Nikon D750 in Saburtalo distict, Tbilisi, Georgia on October 25, 2022.