Albergo Celide Hotel Review in Lucca, Italy

22 January, 2016 | Hotel reviews | 10 seen

Albergo Celide is a four star hotel located in Lucca, Italy, we stayed here overnight at the end of 2015, although this is a four star hotel, speaking of staff members I can call it barely one star hotel. 

Probably arriving to this hotel requests that you arrive in a suite or evening gown, since we arrived here from Milan after some 5 hour drive and were in our casual clothes staff members probably thought that we are some misunderstanding for their precious place.

Our booking included a visit to hotels center, we asked what, when and how - I was told that they will send me info to e-mail. I asked, so should I go back to my hotel room and check for an e-mail instead to speak directly to staff members? Then some lady from Spa center come and told how tired she is and she wants to go home, so let us better not use their precious SPA center. I ironically answered, that I'm tired as well and would love to go home as well, but since I cannot do this right know - I booked a four star hotel with Spa center to have a relax. Lady seemed confused, but we got our spa. Yes, pretty strange attitude from staff. The concierge meanwhile looked on us and showed dissatisfied facial expression, like - you peasants go home. After some chat with staff members at this hotel I asked to the same concierge, what is correct time in Italy right now, because the clock at the hotels wall showing Rome's time indicated it's some 3.00 AM, and my watch still was on Tbilisi time. I almost started to laugh when this overweening concierge uncovered his hand and looked in his five dollar plastic watch in green color. Concierge's facial expression changed from dissatisfied to ashamed.  We didn't had any problems dealing with staff members any more!

Speaking of that SPA center - it's hard to call it a spa center, it features one Finnish Sauna, one Roman bath and two whirlpools. Maybe I'm too capricious, but I wanted something at least close to Hotel Rabath Gino Wellness in Akhaltsikhe, Georgia for the money we paid here. 

Speaking of hotel as it self - it's good, but still hard to give four stars to it - maximum is three with minus for the price we paid (about EUR 140), anyway,  here are some pictures from Albergo Celide in Lucca, Itally.

Albergo Celide hotel in Lucca, Italy

Albergo Celide hotel in Lucca, Italy

One of features this hotel has - free parking - our Volkswagen Polo parked neat hotel Celide in Lucca (third in the left row)

Dungeon style room in Albergo Celide hotel

The bathroom is located on the right, to get there you must use stairs - in total make a real dungeon feeling

Bath at Hotel Celide

They have at least a bath

Breakfast room at Hotel Albergo Celide in Lucca, Italy

Breakfast was good

Restaurant at Albergo Celide

The Bottom Line

Ask me - and I wont recommend this hotel, ask other, they will give this hotel 8.7 points on Booking.com. Hotel is located in good place,it features free parking and has a delicious breakfast. Staff is very unprofessional although.For the price asked I would research some other hotels in area.

About Albergo Celide 

Facing Lucca's famous Renaissance city walls, Albergo Celide is 1 km from San Martino Cathedral. The property offers free bike hire, free Wi-Fi and free parking. All air-conditioned rooms come with a flat-screen TV. Breakfast at the Celide is a sweet buffet including organic and gluten-free food. The restaurant specialises in fish dishes and traditional Tuscan cuisine. Cocktails and coffee are served on the sunny terrace, overlooking the walls.Available on reservation, the on-site spa is equipped with sauna, Turkish bath, hot tub and sensory showers. Treatments and massages are also available. The wellness kit includes towel, bathrobe, and slippers. Cycling is a great way to explore the town, which is full of medieval churches and palaces. The unique Piazza dell'Anfiteatro square is a 7-minute ride away. Lucca Train Station is a 10-minute walk from the hotel. The A11 Motorway is a 2.5 km away, and parking is free. 

You can try to book this hotel on Booking.com

Tortuga Snack Bar in Portofino, Italy

21 January, 2016 | Restaurant reviews | 19 seen

In today's restaurant reviews series I would like to mention some small but very stylish snack bar in Portofino, Italy - Tortuga Snack Bar

We made a stop in lovely Italian Riviera village of Portofino at the end of 2015, this place inspired me a lot and I made a few HDR photography here. Tortuga Snack bar we made a short stop to enjoy delicious Italian cappuccino, and with the permit from bar staff members I was allowed to make some interior photos as well.

Tortuga snack bar in Portofino, Italy

This place offers spectacular view to boat decks

Tortuga Snack bar

Lovely interior at Tortuga Snack bar

Outdoor tables at Tortuga snack bar

Tortuga snack bar in Portofino, Italy

Common Stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus)

20 January, 2016 | DIY | 83 seen

Let me introduce you with a really interesting fungus (mushroom) you can find across deep forests in  Europe and North America - Common Stinkhorn, also known by its Latin name - Phallus impudicus.

At the end of this post you will learn how you can prepare a medicine out of this fungus!

Phallus impudicus

Phallus impudicus, known colloquially as the common stinkhorn, is a widespread fungus recognizable for its foul odor and itsphallic shape when mature, the latter feature giving rise to several names in 17th-century England. It is a common mushroom in Europe and western North America, where it occurs in habitats rich in wood debris such as forests and mulched gardens. It appears from summer to late autumn. The fruiting structure is tall and white with a slimy, dark olive colored conical head. Known as the gleba, this material contains the spores, and is transported by insects which are attracted by the odor—described as resembling carrion. Despite its foul smell, it is not poisonous and immature mushrooms are consumed in parts of France and Germany.

Phallus impudicus sliced by half

Botanist John Gerard called it the "pricke mushroom" or "fungus virilis penis effigie" in his General Historie of Plants of 1597, and John Parkinson referred to it as "Hollanders workingtoole" or "phallus hollandicus" in his Theatrum botanicum of 1640. Linnaeusdescribed it in his 1753 Species Plantarum, and it still bears its original binomial name. Its specific epithet, impudicus, is derived from the Latin for "shameless" or "immodest".

Phallus impudicus

Great for macro photography. 

This strange fungus is good for medical purposes - Venous thrombosis, the formation of a blood clot in a vein, is a common cause of death in breast cancer patients; patients with recurrent disease are typically maintained onanticoagulants for their lifetimes. A research study has suggested that extracts from P. impudicus can reduce the risk of this condition by reducing the incidence of plateletaggregation, and may have potential as a supportive preventative nutrition. It was used in medieval times as a cure for gout and as a love potion.

One of the medical recipes I know  - to put those eggs in a pot and douse with spirit or vodka

In the pot

Now douse some vodka over it and you have your home made medicine ready - you can use it as the gel or you can even drink it.

In Northern Montenegro, peasants rub Phallus impudicus on the necks of bulls before bull fighting contests in an attempt to make them stronger. They are also fed to young bulls as they are thought to be a potent aphrodisiac.

Phallus impudicus and Standard Russian Vodka

Stay healthy!

Summer in Latvia

19 January, 2016 | | 6 seen

Ask me - what does Latvia associates to me - and I will answer -  haystacks and mild Summer nights. Unfortunately last summer (2015) I didn't find any haystack in Latvia at all (instead they are using hay rolls), but I did enjoyed some wanderings in cornfields (and, yes, they are great for photography)

In today's Piece of Life photo project series - allow me to introduce you - Latvia in Summer. 

Margret

Cornfield in Latvia

Ancient trees alley

Cornflower field in Latvia

Cornfield

Cornfield

P117 - Skrunda - Aizpute road

Hay roll

Freshly cut hay

The Future of Laptops: What to Expect in the Next 5 Years

18 January, 2016 | Laptop Reviews | 73 seen

Laptops have come a long way since their introduction in the early 1980s. The modern laptop is now thinner, lighter, and more powerful than ever before.

In the next 5 years, we can expect to see some significant changes in the design and functionality of laptops. Here are some of the top trends and innovations to watch out for in the future of laptops.

5 Laptop Models That Could Last the Next 5 Years:

Disclaimer: Please note that this article contains affiliate links to Amazon. This means that we may earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no additional cost to you.

In conclusion, the future of laptops is bright, with exciting new developments and innovations on the horizon. From thinner and lighter designs to new materials and more powerful processors, laptops are set to become even more versatile and user-friendly in the next five years.

As we look ahead, there are already some exciting models on the market that are built to last. The Dell XPS 13, HP Spectre x360, MacBook Pro, Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, and Asus ZenBook UX305 are all examples of laptops that have been designed with longevity in mind, and are likely to remain relevant for years to come.

But the future is always evolving, and there's no telling what new technologies and designs will emerge in the years to come. Whether you're a student, a professional, or simply someone who relies on their laptop for daily tasks, it's an exciting time to be in the market for a new device.

So if you're thinking about upgrading or investing in a new laptop, keep an eye out for the latest trends and innovations, and choose a model that offers the features and functionality that best meet your needs. With so many great options available, there's never been a better time to explore the world of laptops and discover what the future holds.

Portofino - picturesque harbor village in Italian Riviera

18 January, 2016 | Tourism objects | 18 seen

Portofino is an Italian fishing village and vacation resort famous for its picturesque harbor and historical association with celebrity and artistic visitors. I paid a short, but very remarkable visit here at the end of 2015, during a short 7 day trip around Italy.

We arrived to Portofino from Genoa (Read my first impressions: A Little Bit From Italian Riviera (Somewhere Around Genoa)

Portofino - Italian fishing village

According to Pliny the Elder, Portofino was founded by the Romans and named Portus Delphini, or Port of the Dolphin, because of the large number of dolphins that inhabited the Tigullian Gulf.

Portofino bay in Italy

I felt so impressed with all those colors, that I just couldn't resist and made a lot of HDR images here. Learn more: Digital photography school

Fisherman at Portofino bay in Italy

Narrow streets in Portofino

The biggest issue in those small Italian villages are parking space, we were lucky enough that we found a parking lot with enough space to place our Volkswagen Polo, but in fact - when traveling to this region of Italy - take in note - parking space is a huge issue.

National Park of Portafino

​Turns out - Portofino is a paradise for outdoor activity lovers, as there is a Portofnio natural park located, where visitors can take a hike, for example.

The heart of the Regional Natural Park of Portofino is accessible by the many trails long over 60 Km that cross it and allow walkers to visit the various localities of the Park. Starting from Portofino, the main points of the park tour, you can take different paths with length and level of various difficulties through the various environments of the Park reaching Portofino Vetta, the highest point of the promontory. Source: Discover the Natural Park of Portofino - Italian Riviera

Tourist attractions in Portofino

​

Boats at Portofino bay

Boat at Portofino bay

Restaurants located on Portofino promenade

I did find this Italian Riviera village very similar to seaside villages in Catalonia, Spain. Read: Exploring Catalonia: from Roses to Cadaques

​

Portofino bay

I submitted above image as day 96/365 for my 365 days photo challenge

Hiking trails at Portofino

About Portofino

Portofino is an Italian fishing village and vacation resort famous for its picturesque harbor and historical association with celebrity and artistic visitors. It is a comune located in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbor, and is known for the colorfully painted buildings that line the shore.

Portofino became famous in the 1950s with the song "Love In Portofino" which was written by Leo Chiosso and composed by Fred Buscaglione, and released on 12 May 1958. Fred Buscaglione was also the first singer to perform it.

There is a full scale replication, in authentic detail, of the Portofino Bay at Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, USA, which opened in September 1999.

Fixing holes in the floor with plaster mixture + second layer of paint

17 January, 2016 | Home Remodeling | 29 seen

Welcome back to the home remodeling series, in today's article I'll show how I patched a holes in a hard wood floor using ... a plaster mixture.

But before that, please take a look on More Paint Job - Base layer for Kitchen's Floor and How to Patch and Plaster in your old Rural house

After I painted first base layer of paint I noticed that wooden floor is in really bad condition and it has a huge holes on it, since we were not into a complete renovation, rather into a quick paint job to look this place more livable, I decided to go with the same plaster mixture I applied on walls.

Fresh paint and huge holes in the floor

Plaster mixture applied

Another layer of paint applied (on second day)

If you are new to my home remodeling series - take a look how it all started.

A Little Bit From Italian Riviera (Somewhere Around Genoa)

16 January, 2016 | Travel guides | 7 seen

Just shortly we landed at Milan/Malpensa airport and stayed at lovely Holiday Inn Express hotel, in the next morning we started to head to Genoa. Unfortunately I did not paid much attention to all the small town lets located next to the sea, and know by writting these lines I wonder what names does actually these lovely places bear. 

The fun fact - we stopped in Genoa for just 5 minutes (and we even didn't know back then that we are actually in Genoa. But hey we got some amazing pictures here. All I can recall now , we did a driving from Milan to Lucca (we left Milan in the morning, and arrived to Lucca in the evening). I can draw parallels of this drive with our Roses to Cadaques drive in Spain (at the end of 2014)

Canon at Italian Riviera 

It was a cool 5 minute stop in Genoa in a small square next to the sea  to make some great pictures.

Boats in Italian Riviera

I felt blessed because of this short stop here - I found finally inspiration for my photography.

Genoa

Our Volkswagen Polo parked next to Puppo hotel in Genoa

After this short stop here we continued our road near sea to drive to Italian resort towns, one of them was called Portofino

Driving around Genoa

Boat decks

After some 20 minute driving we made a stop at another place, where boats were parked. Hard to tell, was it still in Genoa or not. But views were amazing.

Traffic in Italy

Italian Riviera

About Genoa

Genoa has been nicknamed la Superba ("the Proud one") due to its glorious past and impressive landmarks. Part of the old town of Genoa was inscribed on the World Heritage List (UNESCO) in 2006 . The city's rich cultural history in notably its art, music and cuisine allowed it to become the 2004 European Capital of Culture. It is the birthplace of Christopher Columbusand Niccolo Paganini.

December 2015 Blog Traffic And Income Report 43,941 Users / $ 1,524.09

15 January, 2016 | Blogging | 36 seen

Welcome to the #24 traffic and income report covering blog traffic and earnings/expenses for December 2015.

#24 means just one - It marks two year anniversary since I started to share with public my online earnings/ expenses. Wow, two years are a lot actually. You might wonder why should me revealing  my traffic and earnings for the past two years already? The reason for publishing such reports and revealing secrets beyond the scenes are simple - they help me track my success or failures and hopefully can generate some ideas for you as well.

About Blog traffic in December 2015

Past December came with almost - 20% traffic dip if compared to November, and resulted in 43,941 unique users visiting my blog. Deep in my heart I was hoping to break a 60,000 user milestone this month after great traffic expansion in November, but that didn't happened.

Blog traffic December 2015. Data source: Google Analytics

• 43,941 users are a - 19.29% dip if compared to previous month
• It is a drop of -10,505 users
• 43,941 users in a month is about 1,464 daily users

Although I experienced a huge drop in traffic by more than 10,000 users, last December still was the second best in terms of traffic. Hopefully I will manage to crack 50,000 user milestone again anytime soon.

About Income and Expenses in December 2015

A quick note: Some of the links below are affiliate links.By clicking on them I might end up earning some income from that.

There are some good news regarding expenses in December - I didn't spent a dime. Linode affiliate is working pretty good and I had a free ride (worth of $60) last month, thanks to referrals I have sent to Linode. Linode rocks! If you are looking for a reliable VPS provider - Linode is your best bet.

Read more:

• Bluehost VS Linode - Which VPS Hosting To Choose

Speaking of income - as stated already in title of this post, last month generated pretty serious amount of $1,524.09 from different channels, like Google AdSense, Amazon Associates, Bluehost, Amazon CPM, Booking and some other. I decided to remove Svorn Ads temporary from my blog, since they are not performing very well.

Combined RPM

Those of you who are using Google AdSense, are already familiar with term of RPM - which stands for earnings for 1000 page views/impression - Reach per Mile. I decided to create my blog's overall RPM covering not only AdSense, but all other income streams combined. My combined RPM Stands for $24.24 in December, which is fourth highest this year. Last time I got so good RPM was back in April ($26.63)

December RPM

Speaking of a good RPM - twenty dollars per 1000 page views seems a pretty reasonable amount to have. 

E-mail subscriptions

Back in November I implemented a new feature on blog - e-mail subscriptions. Read more: How to add MailChimp Signup Form for Drupal. In December my list grew by +20 subscribers and at the end of December was 27 subscribers. In the middle of December I sent first e-mail campaign to 13 subscribers and using Mailchimp tracking features I can report that 5 e-mails were actually opened. I'm new to e-mail marketing and will continue to experiment with it in 2016. Make sure to subscribe to e-mail list at the end of this article not to miss some important updates from blog.

In Conclusion

December, although with a huge traffic dip, still managed be second best in terms of traffic, and in fact in revenue as well, a year ago in December 2014 revenue from blog was a little bit more than $2,000. One of my goals for 2016 is get stable revenue around $1,000 monthly and coming to the end of 2016 I'm looking to crack $2,000 monthly income. Right now I have this feeling that I will experiment a lot with income streams in 2016, adding some more, getting rid of those that doesn't performs good enough e.t.c.

I'm looking on month of January pretty concerned - I mean holiday season is over - there should come a further drop in revenue. I will stick with high forecast for myself, but modest for more pro affiliate marketers - January should reach $700.00. Speaking of traffic - 45,000 users would be great to have at the end of January 2016.

How did it went for you in December? Any passive income money made? Drop a comment, readers and me would love to hear.

Old New Year's fireworks in Tbilisi

14 January, 2016 | | 8 seen

While there is a good reason to visit St Mark's square in Venice, Italy (that's exactly we did this New Year) - the chances to photograph New Year's fireworks turned much brighter from our Tbilisi's apartments balcony.

Shortly before clock turned twelve on night between January 13 to January 14, we made a moka coffee, I installed a tripod and enjoyed amazing Old New year's firework.. Piece of Life!

Fireworks in our Tbilisi apartments backyard

Old New Year's fireworks in Tbilisi, Georgia

Fireworks in Tbilisi, Georgia

About Old New Year

The Old New Year or the Orthodox New Year is an informal traditional holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the Old New Year falls on January 14 in the Gregorian calendar.

The tradition of the Old New Year has been kept in Belarus, Uzbekistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly in Republika Srpska), Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Montenegro,Moldova, Ukraine (Malanka), Wales (as Hen Galan) and Switzerland (as alter Silvester).

Holiday Inn Express Milan-Malpensa Airport Hotel (Case Nuove, Italy)

13 January, 2016 | Hotel reviews | 32 seen

We stayed overnight at Holiday Inn Express Milan-Malpensa Airport hotel just shortly we landed at the airport and took our rental car from FireFly.

It turned out that FireFly office was just some 200 meters from this hotel, so we didn't had much driving for the first day from during our seven day trip in Italy. OK, we drove to the nearby town of Ferno to have a Italian style supper at Osteria San Martino.

If you are traveling by car  - I highly recommend to choose hotels near airports - you won't be in city center, but you will have much more benefits, rather than staying in center - free parking, cheaper price are just the two and main reasons I prefer hotels/motels outside city centers. And Holiday Inn Express hotel in small town called Case Nuove (located just next to Milan/Malpensa airport) was our first choice when looking through Booking.com.

They have smokers rooms, which is essential, if you smoke, if you don't - good for you (don't even start).  TV could be bigger and feature more channels, but all the rest was perfect. We got what we paid for.

King size bed at Holiday Inn Express hotel

Simple bathroom with shower

Small TV set at Holiday Inn Express Milan/Malpensa Airport hotel

The choice of TV channels was limited, but not a big issue actually, they have a high-speed internet access instead.

Wide variety of breakfast

Scrambled eggs, brioches, fruits, prosciutto e.t.c.. Really good breakfast here.

Free parking at Holiday Inn Express Milan/Malpensa airport hotel

The Bottom Line

We paid about EUR 50 for this hotel, and next I will travel to Milan/Malpensa airport area - I will choose this hotel again.

About hotel

Holiday Inn Express Milan-Malpensa Airport is a striking solar-powered building, with spacious rooms. It serves a hot and cold buffet breakfast. There is a shuttle service to/from the airport. Rooms feature hardwood floors, air conditioning, and a flat-screen TV with internet access and satellite channels. Each room has a tea/coffee maker and a bathroom with shower. The stylish bar is open 24 hours, and serves international wines and cocktails. A wide selection of cold and hot snacks, including sandwiches and salads, are available. The Holiday Inn Express Milan-Malpensa Airport has great public transportation services to the center of the city and Rho-Pero exhibition center. Parking is free. Book on Booking.com

Osteria San Martino in Ferno, Italy

12 January, 2016 | Restaurant reviews | 41 seen

This was the first time I ate at the real Italian restaurant, and my first experience was more than satisfactory.

Shortly after we landed at Milan/Malpensa airport, took our rental car, and checked in at nearby hotel, we started to explore TripAdvisor for some lovely place to have a Italian supper. Osteria San Martino popped up, so it was all about of entering right coordinates to TomTom device. This restaurant was located some 20 minute drive from our hotel in town called Ferno.

Osteria San Martino in Ferno, Italy

I was glad I decided to take a tripod for my Italy trip, so I had a chance to make lovely long exposures. Since it was night already we arrived here, without a tripod there would be no picture of entrance for this place. The Devil is in details, right? Actually I run a digital photography school on my blog, make sure you check out my articles if you find photography your passion.

Menu at Osteria San Martino

Wow, there was zillion of food items to choose from. In fact when speaking of restaurant menu, I prefer shorter menu's rather some 20 list readable book, instead of focusing on reading I love to focus on food.. But hey, this time I studied menu carefully. Descriptions were provided both in Italian and English. As I latter learned it's a normal practice for almost all restaurants in Italy. 

Inside interior at Osteria San Martino

Antipasti at Osteria San Martino in Ferno, Italy

What is an antipasti I actually learned some time ago, traveling around Germany, we had a supper at another Italian restaurant (It was Germany, so I don't call it authentic), when friend of us explained that antipasti is a good starter plate. Read more: Restaurant 'Bellini' In Andernach, Germany

Antipasto (plural antipasti) means "before the meal" and is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Traditional antipasto includes cured meats, olives, peperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses (such as provolone or mozzarella), pickled meats, and vegetables in oil or vinegar.

Pizza Margarita at San Martino's place

Mmm.. yummy, finally I tasted a real Italian pizza. This actually was one of the main reasons choosing to travel to Italy- to enjoy local cuisine and probably cook better pizzas for my food blog. 

The Bottom Line

Osteria San Martino in Ferno is a great place where to get start familiarize with Italian cuisine or just to have a dinner. This place is mid-priced. We paid about EUR 40, which is a lot if compared to prices for Tbilisi restaurants, but is a good price for Italian restaurants. If you are close to Milan/Malpensa airport - definitely give a try to this place and drop me a comment after!

Visit www.osteriasanmartino.net to learn more (In Italian)

Railroad crossing in Skrunda municipality, Latvia

11 January, 2016 | | 16 seen

Skrunda is actually a very lovely small Latvian town, you can find here both Soviet military heritage (Read: Skrunda-1 Abandoned Soviet Military Ghost Town In Latvia) , delicious Latvian cuisine (Bistro 'Elvi' In Skrunda) or just enjoy a lovely walk near river Venta (Read: Skrunda Open-Air Stage and Park).

In today's Piece of Life project series I would love to show a beautiful place where poppy field meets railroad - a railway crossing point. 

Railroad in Skrunda municipality

Railroad perspective

Poppy field near Skrunda Railway

There is something magical in Latvia - and both poppy fields and rails make this country look even better. Read more: Beautiful Poppy Field Near P104 (Jaunpils-Tukums) Road (Latvia)

Railroad crossing in Skrunda municipality

Milan–Malpensa Airport

10 January, 2016 | Airports | 23 seen

Milan - Malpensa is one of the major airports serving city of Milan in Italy. Just to mention, there is another airport serving city of Milano- Bergamo. 

Milan–Malpensa Airport, formerly City of Busto Arsizio Airport, is the largest airport for the Milan metropolitan area in northern Italy. It serves 15 million inhabitants in Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria. The airport is located 49 kilometres  northwest of central Milan, next to the Ticino river, which is a border between Lombardy and Piedmont. The airport has two terminals and two runways.

It took me about twelve years to visit Italy again, last time I hitchhiked and traveled across Italy back in 2003, when returned home from Marseilles (France) to Riga (Latvia). Oh, gosh, that was unbelievable experience - to travel across all continent of Europe just with EUR 50 in pocket. Twelve years ago the best I could afford was to spend a night next to the Bergamo airport in corn field (one of the coolest travel experiences I've ever had). Now, at the end of 2015 we arrived to Milan again, this time for a 7 day leisure trip, and our Italy trip started exactly at Milan - Malpensa airport (thus actually it started back in Tbilisi, lead through Riga, so I had an opportunity to visit my dear grandmother for couple of hours in Riga).

We chose to fly first flight with AirBaltic (Tbilisi - Riga - Milan/Malpensa), and for getting back to Tbilisi seven days latter we opted in for Pegasus Airlines, where we had a connect flight via Istanbul, Turkey.

Milan/Malpensa Airport Terminal

Shuttle service at Milan/Malpensa terminal

Instead of taking a shuttle bus to the city center, we had already booked a rental car from FireFly, I called to their office and in 10 minutes a rental car shuttle van come pick us up to take us to the rental place and we got a nicely Volkswagen Polo for about EUR 230 for a week and our true Italy trip started,

Milan/Malpensa airport terminal

About Airport

Milan Malpensa is the intercontinental airport of Milan. With its wide range of destinations throughout the world, it is the main hub of northern Italy. Malpensa operates with two passenger terminals (Malpensa Terminal 1 and Malpensa Terminal 2) and a cargo terminal (Malpensa Cargo). Visit official website: www.milanomalpensa-airport.com

David Gareja Monastery Complex

9 January, 2016 | Churches and Monasteries | 22 seen

David Gareja Monastery complex probably is among top tourist attractions in Republic of Georgia you should visit. Located in the desert, bordering with Azerbaijan this place provides very spectacular views. Best ways to get here is either by using your own vehicle or hiring a driver or booking a trip.

The monastery complex includes hundreds of cells, churches, chapels, refectories and living quarters hollowed out of the rock face.

David Gareja Monastery Complex in Georgia

The complex was founded in the 6th century by David (St. David Garejeli), one of the thirteen Assyrian monks who arrived in the country at the same time.

Cells in David Gareja monastery complex

A group of Latvian tourists in the middle of David Gareja monastery complex

Tower in Monastery complex

The convent was particularly patronized by the Georgian royal and noble families. The 12th-century Georgian king Demetre I, the author of the famous Georgian hymn Thou Art a Vineyard, even chose David Gareja as a place of his confinement after he abdicated the throne.

Fortification wall at monastery complex

With the downfall of the Georgian monarchy, the monastery suffered a lengthy period of decline and devastation by the Mongol army (1265), but was later restored by the Georgian kings. It survived theSafavid attack of 1615, when the monks were massacred and the monastery's unique manuscripts and important works of Georgian art destroyed, to be resurrected under Onopre Machutadze, who was appointed Father Superior of David Gareja in 1690.

Desert surrounding David Gareja monastery complex in Georgia

After the violent Bolshevik takeover of Georgia in 1921, the monastery was closed down and remained uninhabited. In the years of the Soviet War in Afghanistan, the monastery's territory was used as a training ground for the Soviet military that inflicted damage to the unique cycle of murals in the monastery. In 1987, a group of Georgian students led by the young writer Dato Turashvili launched a series of protests. Although, the Soviet defense ministry officials finally agreed to move a military firing range from the monastery, the shelling was resumed in October 1988, giving rise to generalized public outrage. After some 10,000 Georgians demonstrated in the streets of Tbilisi and a group of students launched a hunger strike at the monastery, the army base was finally removed.

Desert in Georgia

About David Gareja monastery complex

David Gareja is a rock-hewn Georgian Orthodox monastery complex located in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia, on the half-desert slopes of Mount Gareja, some 60–70 km southeast of Georgia's capital Tbilisi. The complex includes hundreds of cells, churches, chapels, refectories and living quarters hollowed out of the rock face.

Part of the complex is located in the Agstafa rayon of Azerbaijan and has become subject to a border dispute between Georgia and Azerbaijan.The area is also home to protected animal species and evidence of some of the oldest human habitations in the region.