Summer squash 

One does not simply visit a dacha in summer and leave it without an armload of free squashes, and neither did I this month. My craving for a zucchini-anything was stronger than even the weight of a two-hour trip back home ahead of me. That’s some serious grit, I’d say. Anyhow, my plan was to simply fry it – no fancy, hard-to-pronounce ingredients, just salt, flour, and a taddiest tad of cooking oil. And that was just as good as I remember. Plus, it's super versatile: you can eat it raw, fried, grated, pickled, and even baked – and it tastes like summer anyway. – Marina

Driving

This year, I promised myself I’d learn a completely new thing – something that’s already been mastered by a great deal of people my age, as well as those younger and older. That something is learning how to drive. It’s not like I see myself buying a car anytime soon, the honest goal is to prove to myself that I can do no worse than half of the population and that I’m capable of handling all the stress that comes with it.

In August, I had my first practice classes. Although I’m learning in an automatic car, which is supposed to be easy-breezy, the whole process still brings a whole palette of emotions. The very first lessons caught me most off guard: we started driving on the street right away, among other real cars. Now, after several weeks, I feel much more confident and even excited about what comes next. My instructor doesn't praise me much, but at least he doesn't yell either! The experience is teaching you to constantly read the situation, stay focused and relax at the same time, all skills I should definitely take back to life beyond the driver’s seat. – Elizaveta

Easy bike rental

Whenever I watched vlogs from London or New York, I used to envy their citizens the opportunity to just rent a public bike like you would a electric scooter and ride around the city or its parks. Now I no longer have reason for such envy, for I’ve discovered SmartBike, a way to rent affordable and rather convenient city bikes in St. Pete with just an app. I love its simple convenience and relative affordability, as well as the fact that bikes are also available outside the city – along the Gulf of Finland, where there is a convenient bike lane. So I intend to have a few more bike journeys while the weather allows! – Catherine

Title image credit: Mira Kireeva on Unsplash