Orio Center Shopping Mall in Bergamo
Located next to the Bergamo airport, Orio center is one of the largest shopping centers in Italy.We visited this shopping mall in mid-November 2019, a day before departing back to Tbilisi from the Bergamo airport.Arrived here from Hotel 'Castello Visconteo' in Cassano dʼAdda, Italy in the late evening, some 2 hours before the mall was closing. Bought some goodies and ate at KFCOrio Center in BergamoIn front of the Orio al Serio international airport you can find one of the largest shopping centers in Italy, the Oriocenter. With over 200 stores distributed on 2 floors, you can find everything you’re looking for in this mall. You can spend an entire day window shopping…
Samsung Galaxy A51 6GB RAM 128GB Review
Samsung Galaxy A51 was first released in December 2019. I bought this phone as a replacement phone for the Samsung Galaxy A50, to whom glass cracked on the tiles at the Champions Academy in Tbilisi after a good workout, at the start of September 2020My previous Galaxy A50 had served me for about a year and was still a very decent phone, to avoid dealing with repairs I decided to take a new one. I was very happy learning that there is the same version but an upgraded model for my phone. Without much thinking I just took it. I'm not the phone photographer/videographer (for that I have a DSLR camera and a drone), but the phone has a very decent camera and plenty…
And We are Back / DJI Mavic Mini drone
The wait is over - today I picked up my already second DJI Mavic mini drone here in Tbilisi.
See how I crashed the first one at the Jvari: Jvari monastery from a drone flight / DJI Mavic Mini crash
We headed straight to the Tianeti / Khatsiri Forest Park
And we are back - short drone videography from drone 2.0
Khatsiri Forest Park near Tianeti
Music by: Scott Holmes - We made it!
Today I bought my first flat on online auction site
On September 18, 2020, I won an online auction for a property in the countryside Latvia.This was the second time me using E-izsoles platform, and the second time winning an online auction (for the truth I won the first time a plot of land, but that place turned out not good for a house building and I revoked it, back in Summer of 2019)In total today, I agreed to pay EUR 3,760 for a 53,7 m2 flat in a 3-storer building in rural Latvia. The name of the village is Vilgāle, and it's located some 171 km from Rīga. There is a huge Vilgāle lake located nearby the property. Can't wait to fly a drone nearbywow what an adrenaline, there was more competition than I thought,with 2 additional…
Tbilisi Open Air Museum of Ethnography
The open-air Museum of Tbilisi is one of the coolest attractions in Tbilisi, situated in the footsteps of Turtle lake. Many cultural events are held here.The museum is located west to Turtle Lake on a hill overlooking the Vake district, Tbilisi. It is essentially a historic village populated by buildings moved there from all main territorial subdivisions of Georgia.I've been heading here ever since I remember myself in Tbilisi. See: Few shots from Tbilisi Cheese FestivalOpen air museum from a drone flightThere is an awesome restaurant located near the park (upper side), offering spectacular views towards the city and of course delicious meals - see: …
Expats in Georgia (Facebook group)
I have been living in Georgia since 2011. During my time here I have been exploring the country, as an Indie traveler, crosswise from the pebbled seashore beaches near Batumi to the desert sand in David Gareji, and have gathered a great collection of my travel notes all across Georgia
Also, I have been contacted zillions of times online asking Georgia-related questions, starting with how to get a residence permit and ending - is there snow in July in Georgia? (Yes, there is, somewhere atop mount Kazbek)
I've decided to launch a separate Facebook group aimed for ex-pats living in Georgia. In this group, we are going to discuss schools and pre-schools, business-…
Jvari monastery from a drone flight / DJI Mavic Mini crash
Jvari Monastery is a popular tourist destination in Georgia, and I believe there are two reasons for that - first it's located close to the nation's capital Tbilisi and second it offers really scenic views to the nearby city of Mtskheta and the delta of Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers. Another reason to mention - the monastery is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
On September 5, 2020 we headed here to make some casual drone videography, unfortunately I lost my beloved DJI Mavic mini drone while filming here.
Using VW Touareg as a drone pad and crashing drone near a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site? It's possible!
Here is the last footage I was able to recover from my phone (the…
August 2020 Dividend Income Report - $171.31
Welcome to the forty (#40) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in August 2020.Last August I turned 35, because of the Covid-19 we couldn't travel much and decided to stay in Georgia. At the start of August we headed to the Black sea coastal town Batumi, and then visited the 5-star Paragraph hotel in Shekvetili for a couple of days. August was pretty awesome.Paragraph Resort & Spa Shekvetili, Autograph Collection Hotel in GeorgiaThe baby girl attends her pre-school, she is doing great - talking a lot, putting together sentences, mixing languages, figuring out new words. Awesome. Quite…
Lower Bethlehemi Church
The Lower Bethlemi Church, also known as the Church of Saint Stepanos of the Holy Virgins is a church in Tbilisi, Georgia. Built as an Armenian church, it now operates as a Georgian orthodox church.Discovered by accident while hiking from other, Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem, Tbilisi at the end of August 2020. Made some drone photography hereLower Bethlehemi Church
Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem, Tbilisi
Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem also now known as the Upper Bethlehem Church, is a church in Tbilisi, Georgia. Built as an Armenian church in the 18th century, on the site of an older church, it now operates as a Georgian orthodox church.Discovered by accident while hiking from Mother Georgia monument in mid-August 2020. Returned here a week later to take some aerial photography with a drone.Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem, TbilisiThere are at least 3 roads how to get here. The first one is from the Mother Georgia monument using pretty steep stairways, kind of hiking trails. Another one is to come from Gomi street, and the third one is…
Mother of Georgia Monument
The Mother of Georgia or Kartlis Deda monument is located atop of the Sololaki hill in Georgia's capital Tbilisi.The statue was erected on the top of Sololaki hill in 1958, that year Tbilisi celebrated its 1500th anniversary. Prominent Georgian sculptor Elguja Amashukeli designed the twenty-meter aluminum figure of a woman in Georgian national dress.Mother of Georgia monument in TbilisiIt's said that statue symbolizes the Georgian national character: in her left hand she holds a bowl of wine to greet those who come as friends, and in her right hand is a sword for those who come as enemies.In 1966 Elguja Amashukeli was awarded the Shota…
Restaurant Pepo near Dashbashi Canyon
Restaurant Pepo is located in the village of Dashbashi, some 200-300 meters from the Saint George Church.The cafe is an ideal base camp for exploring the famous Dashabshi Canyon. That's actually how we discovered this place in July 2020, during an unplanned trip to Tsalka, we decided to look for the "famous" Dashbahsi Canyon, where we found this lovely cafe/restaurant Pepo.VIsa accepted and traditional Georgian cuisine served. We ordered some mtsvadi, salads, French fries a lot of lemonades, even a khachapuri. Our total bill here about GEL 100. Meal at restaurant Pepo near Dashbashi canyon in GeorgiaI used the territory of this restaurant as a base for drone…
Batumi Boulevard Dancing Fountains
Batumi Boulevard is the main and most visited sightseeing of the city.One of its central elements is the dancing fountains located just in the heart of the city.Batumi fountain square from a drone's flightIt was at the start of August 2020, we visited Batumi once again. I took a drone to make some photos, and one of the aerial shots is from Dancing fountain square.In the summertime, this place can be quite busy.Thanks to the joint efforts of the prominent Georgian architect Giorgi Erkomaishvili and the Armenian engineers, three colorful fountains were installed in the central entrance of Batumi Boulevard in 1977 bringing vibrancy and a new splash of life to the area.In 2007, the fountains…
Djansug Kakhidze Garden
The Djansug Kakhidze Garden is located on Agmashenebeli Avenue (behind the Bank of Georgia building) in Tbilisi. The park is very popular among people living nearby. There is a little kid playground in the park s territory.The park is named after Jansug Kakhidze, the music director of the Georgian State Symphony Orchestra.We have been heading to this park for ages since the times we were living on Tamar Mepe street when discovered this park first time. Now with a toddler girl, we (or a nanny) are spending much time here.Water fountain from a drone's flightThe fountains os one of the central elements of the park, around the fountain there are many roses planted. The…
Pheasant’s Tears Restaurant Sighnahghi
Pheasant's Tears is an awesome and authentic restaurant serving authentic Georgian cuisine. The restaurant is located in Sighnaghi, some 120km from the nation's capital Tbilisi.We have heard a lot about this place in the past but actually visited it for the first time in June 2020, while driving around the region of Kakheti.The little yard at Peasant's Tears restaurant in SighnaghiPheasant’s Tears was born out of a love of authentic tradition, and culture and endless creativity. It is more than a winery, it's about songs, cuisine, art, heritage, tangible and intangible. For wine is born out of a confluence of the spirit of a place, its geology, its history, and the…
Saint George Church in Dashbashi
St. George's Church / Ahalkalaki St. George Church is located close to the Tsalka town in the village of Dashbashi.It was in mid-July 2020, when we discovered this place by accident, during an unplanned trip to Tsalka, we decided to look for the "famous" Dashbahsi Canyon, where we found a little cafe and as I had my DJI mini Mavic drone with I did some flying around the area, just to discover this picturesque church atop of the rock. Awesome.Saint George Church in Dashbashi canyon, GeorgiaIt was a lot of fun flying a drone from the nearby cafe (located some 200 meters) and explore the area from the top.I did some impressive drone video shooting also from this point.Saint…
My First Drone Video / DJI MAVIC MINI
Here comes my first drone video filmed with DJI Mavic Mini drone.
DJI Mini Mavic Drone Review
Filming locations: our Tbilisi apt, Lisi lake, Rike Park, Dashbashi Canyon.
Cinematic music for dramas effect by Scott Holmes / Humanity
Quickly made with Adobe Premiere Pro
July 2020, Tbilisi
Radisson Blu Hotel Batumi
Located within a 3-minute walk from the Black Sea beach in Batumi, this hotel features indoor and outdoor pools, a rooftop restaurant and free WiFi. We booked one night here at the start of August 2020 and paid about $120 for a family room and breakfasts included. It is fun to note that about 8 years ago we rented an apartment in Batumi, in the backyard of this hotel, and spend about $400/mo. Now time flies, things change, but Batumi Radisson stays.Its large rooms include flat-screen TVs, Nespresso coffee machines and sea views. Radisson Blu Hotel Batumi has the Green Key eco-label and also, owns the safety and security certification by the Safehotels.King size…
Cows Cooling off in a lake in Georgia
It was in mid-July, we were heading to the Dashabashi canyon near the Tsalka town in Georgia when suddenly on the roadside we noticed a strange view - cows were cooling off in a small mud lake.Such senses are more typical to Africa, it was the first time I have seen something like that in Georgia. Luckily I had a camera to take a few shots.Cows cooling off in a muddy lake
DJI Mini Mavic Drone Review
DJI Mini Mavic drone has been around for a while already (since the end of 2019). It was at the start of July 2020, when I decided to order a drone for me. As I didn't have any idea what's good and what's not, I just headed to Amazon and looked for best-selling drones/ quadcopters. I did order under $100 SnapTain 650 D, but once it was out for shipping and I started to familiarize better with the product from the description, I understood that this drone most probably is not for me - I was looking for something smarter, something with larger flight radius and something not working from my phones WI-FI.Huge was my surprise when I discovered DJI MINI MAVIC drone for just $399.…