Gonio Fortress
Gonio fortress, previously called Apsaros, or Apsarunto, is a Roman fortification in Adjara, Georgia, on the Black Sea, 15 km south of Batumi, at the mouth of the Chorokhi river. The village sits 4 km north of the Turkish border.Gonio has been on my radar since I probably first visited Batumi back in the Summer of 2011, but for the first time, I visited this ancient Roman site at the end of April 2019, while doing an easy weekend trip around the region of Adjara.The entrance fee was 3 GEL (April 2019)Fortification walls at Gonio FortressFor those of you interested in history:The oldest reference to the fortress is by Pliny the Elder[ in…
HP ENVY x360 - 15-cn0003ur Convertable Touchscreen Laptop Review
HP ENVY x360 - convertible touchscreen Laptop is the latest addition to our home office. Bought at the local Tbilisi shop in early June 2019. Paid about $1,150 but I believe you could get one much cheaper on AmazonEquipped with Backlit keyboard, FULL HD 1920X1080 screen resolution, this laptop will make many envy it. lolFrom its distinctive materials and iconic design, this PC exudes unparalleled beauty. Built thin and light for those on-the-go - expect premium design features including a brilliant backlit keyboard, seamless profile, and geometric pattern speaker grill.Please note this article contains links to Amazon by clicking on links on this page and by making a purchase on Amazon…
Kirman Belazur Resort &Spa Review in Antalya, Turkey
Situated at the seafront, Kirman Hotels Belazur Resort & Spa has a private beach but you don't need a beach when you have one of the longest warm water outdoor pools. There is a water park and a bowling alley on site and guests can enjoy the restaurant and bar. Free WiFi is featured throughout the hotel and free private parking is available on site.We booked a tour package from Tbilisi to Turkey's region of Antalya and chose this 5-star resort hotel in Belek (the total amount we paid for this tour package with a charter flight from Tbilisi to Antalya and Back was about USD 1,200 for a 6-night stay). Our trip took us here in early June 2019. For booking this trip we chose…
June 2019 Dividend Income Report - $299.51
Welcome to the twenty-sixth (#26) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks, peer to peer lending (both fiat and cryptocurrencies) in June 2019.At the start of June, we booked an All - Inclusive tour package from Tbilisi to Turkey's Antalya and spent a week in a 5-star hotel SPA and resort in Belek.I made the following long exposure picture in the last evening while in the resort:Kirman Belazur Resort and Spa 5-star hotel in Belek, TurkeyLearn more: Kirman Belazur Resort&Spa Review in Antalya, Turkey$299.51 was taken from dividend stocks and peer to peer lending in June 2019. Ahh, so close to…
Latvian - Georgian Cafe 4You in Gori
Now besides hostel in Tbilisi, Latvians have a cafe in GoriLatvian - Georgian Cafe 4You is located on Ilia Chavchavadze Avenue 34, Gori. Opened for the public in 2018, this place serves pastry, cakes and a huge menu of a different kind of meals (both Latvian and Georgian style), you can get here both some salty Gori style cutlets and even Kiev's cutlet, not to speak about salad olive and more. Overall feeling - The Soviet Obshchepit (общепит) - sometimes I just can't resist it. lolCafe 4You in GoriPastry at Cafe 4YouNow, they had a very good cheesecake, a decent chocolate cake. Oreo cheesecake was a joke. The best oreo cheesecake I've found so…
Tbilisi - Baku by Train Ticket Information
At the end of June 2019, I finally bought train tickets Tbilisi - Baku for early August 2019. I have plans to spend my 34th birthday in Baku, Azerbaijan. The train is departing Tbilisi daily at 20:35 and arriving in Baku at 08:50, In total it takes about 12 hours and 30 minutes to get from Tbilisi to Baku by trainIt seems there is no option buying tickets online yet for Tbilisi - Baku line (although I found there are some tour agencies selling tickets online, see: International Tbilisi-Baku Train, though the price might be double when using travel agency).The option we used was visiting Tbilisi Railway station and buying a ticket over the counter and what's even more…
Gori Fortress & Memorial of Georgian Warrior Heroes
Gori Fortress is a medieval citadel in Georgia, standing above the city of Gori on a rocky hill.The fortress is very well visible from the city, unfortunately, I have never climbed up to the fortress, but I believe very cool aerial photos might be taken from here. At the bottom of the fortress, there is located the Memorial of Georgian Warrior Heroes consisting of 8 (?) sculptures of Georgian Warriors. The fortress first appears in the 13th-century records but archeological evidence shows that the area had already been fortified in the last centuries BC. The fortress controlled major strategic and economic routes and accommodated a large garrison…
Georgia Palace Hotel & SPA Kobuleti
Georgia Palace Hotel & SPA is the first Georgian Brand five-star Resort hotel located on the Black Sea shore of Georgia's famed summer resort in Kobuleti, Georgia.We booked this 5-star hotel for a one night at the end of April 2019, during a short weekend trip to Batumi and the nearby vicinity.We paid just USD 80 for our stay here, which I believe is a discount price and available just in the low-season.Situated in the resort of Kobuleti, this modern hotel features a large outdoor pool, open-air restaurant and rooms with a balcony, offering beautiful views of the Black Sea or Ajarian Mountains.Our Room at Georgia Palace Hotel & SPAStylish, air-conditioned rooms at the Georgia…
Net Worth $25,000 Reached
On April 2nd, 2019, my net worth for the first time reached $25,000 Milestone.It took me 2 years and 3 months since I originally started my million dollar journey, and I was 33 years old.Here is what I told/forecasted back when first reached $10,000 net worth:If things will continue to be so bright in the future, I could reach a total net worth of $25,000 by the end of 2018, being 33 years old.Despite it was planned to get here some 3 months earlier, by the end of 2018, I still feel very great cracking this goal now. Better later, than never. (One thing I forecasted at least right - I'm still 33 years old)Net worth $25,000Now, since around June 2018, my…
Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin
The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin is located in Gori on Lomouri street 7, just opposite to the Gori Fortress. Some might be surprised noticing that this church looks like a typical Catholic church rather than a typical Georgian Orthodox church.According to Georgia.Travel the temple was built as a Catholic church between 1806 and 1810. In 1920, it was heavily damaged by an earthquake.View towards cathedral from Gori fortressDuring Soviet times, Gori’s Music School was situated in the church. The building was handed over to the Georgian Orthodox Church in the 1990s.Currently, Samtavisi and Gori Cathedral belong to the episcopacy.
Black Sea Arena Georgia
Black Sea Arena is an indoor arena located on the coast of the Black Sea in Shekvetili, Guria, Georgia, some 45 km north of Batumi, the country's second largest city.The venue, designed by the architects from the German company Drei Architekten, is the largest open concert hall in the Caucasus. The auditorium has a capacity of 10,000 seats in circular grandstands.The American singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera performed at the official opening of the Black Sea Arena on July 30, 2016.Black Sea Arena in Georgia
Batumi McDonald's
The coolest McDonald's building probably is located in Georgian seaside town Batumi.Officially opened for public already back in 2013, this place has been featured in countless architecture award magazines across the World.Named as the World’s Best Commercial Building 2014 (source: Batumi McDonald’s: World’s Best Commercial Building 2014)The restaurant, designed by Harvard-graduate and Georgian architect Giorgi Khmaladze, was named Building of the Year in the Commercial Architecture category in an international competition by world architecture firm Arch Daily.Batumi McDonald'sThe Batumi building combined a McDonald’s restaurant with a fuel station and recreational areas…
Joseph Stalin Museum in Gori
The Joseph Stalin Museum is a museum in Gori, Georgia dedicated to the life of Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, who was born in Gori. The Museum retains its Soviet-era characteristics.The museum has three sections, all located in the town's central square. It was officially dedicated to Stalin in 1957.With the downfall of the Soviet Union and independence movement of Georgia, the museum was closed in 1989, but has since been reopened, and is a popular tourist attraction.The Stalin Museum (in the background), with the birth house of Stalin in the foregroundEnshrined within a Greco-Italianate pavilion is a small wooden hut, in which Stalin…
Villa St Maria Boutique hotel Jūrmala
Offering a sauna, boutique hotel Villa St Maria is set in the heart of Jurmala on the main pedestrian promenade Jomas street, some 400 m from Dzintari Concert Hall.In summers guests can enjoy a lounge terrace on the rooftop of the hotel and an on-site restaurant with Japanese, Korean and European cuisine and drinks.We booked this hotel for a short one night stay before departing back to Tbilisi in May 2019. We paid EUR 68 for a stay here.Aparthotel Villa St Maria in JūrmalaEvery room at this hotel is air conditioned and comes with a flat-screen TV with satellite channels.They feature an individual design and are equipped with a kitchenette, seating area and a private balcony or a terrace.…
May 2019 Dividend Income Report - $216.17
Welcome to the twenty-fifth (#25) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks, peer to peer lending (both fiat and cryptocurrencies) in May 2019.Summer is finally here in Georgia and more time we are spending outdoors.Actually, at the start of May, we took a short 10 day trip to Latvia, trying delicious seafood at Jūrmala restaurants and more. I would love to feature some great landscape of Latvian nature here, but I missed it as most of the time I made nice family portraits instead.Photo of the month - HDR clouds over TbilisiTime after time I love to install a tripod at one (out of three) of our balconies and…
How To Merge Vocabularies on Drupal (Taxonomy Manager)
A couple of years ago I launched the Piece of Life project in the frames of this blog. The idea was simple - instead of building a separate website for our photo stories, incorporate it in already established blog
After a quick brainstorming - it was realized using additional content types and vocabularies
I decided to run this project as a separate entity inside the frames of my blog for two reasons: Firstly, I'm an author of about 50% of images made for Piece of Life, so yes I have a voice to be heard by the other 50%. Second - we could go with a separate photo project website, most probably beautifully built on Drupal, but here is the catch - I didn…
Resort Ujarma
Resort Ujarma is located on the banks of Iori river some 32 km from Tbilisi (about 40 minute drive with a car)The main feature of the Resort Ujarma is healing water with iodine and bromine. The entire territory of the resort covered in forest. The climate is characteristic of the low mountains of eastern Georgia, relatively wet.We discovered this interesting - back to the USSR style, place on a lovely Saturday morning in early June 2019, after agreeing to drive after one of the most delicious barbeques you can find at Iosebis Duqani restaurant in Sasadilo village near Ujarma.Additionally, the better side of me took a quick look at Google Maps to see, what's nearby - and…
Grill Bar Lighthouse Jūrmala
Grill bar Lighthouse is centrally located on Jomas street in Jūrmala. We visited this place in early May 2019, during a short 10 day trip to Latvia. Before diving in details - I should note - grill bar Lighthouse is a kid-friendly place, our then 9-month old daughter enjoyed here a lotGrill bar Lighthouse serves traditional seasonal Latvian cuisine and not only, but you will also find seafood like shrimps and tuna.Grill bar Lighthouse in JūrmalaGrill bar „Lighthouse” is a familial, comfortable and opened place. The light interior with elements of homely design is simple and sophisticated at the same time. The restaurant is friendly to families with children because it provides…
Secret Tunnel Near Tbilisi Sulfur Bath's
Ok, probably this tunnel is not so secret after all.In fact, I was more than 100% sure that the name of this place is Kolga Tbilisi Photo Tunnel, as I have seen a photo exhibition at this tunnel, but Kolga.ge is stubbornly silent on this matter.Turns out the name for this place is "Leghvtakhevi Tunnel" and the owner of the place is Meidan Group. (see comments)Kolga Tbilisi Photo organises exhibitions throughout the city, but it doesn't mean that Kolga Tbilisi Photo owns the tunnel, Baratashvili Bridge, galleries and etc.Located on one level with the river flowing through the Sulfur bath districtTbilisi sulfur bath districtAbanotubani is one of the most attractive…
Rebi Gurjaani Restaurant
Rebi Gurjaani is a restaurant located in Gurjaani, we discovered back in September 2017, while returning from a weekend trip to Kakheti back to Tbilisi. Seems Rebi Gurjaani is not only a restaurant but also a hotel. In case you are traveling to Gurjaani, consider Rebi.Now, regarding restaurant - this place serves typical Georgian cuisine for very affordable money.The huge outdoor terrace at Rebi Gurjaani restaurantMenu at Rebi GurjaaniKababs and mcvadi at Rebi Gurjaani restaurant