Postcards from Florence, Italy

13 February, 2016 | | 6 seen

Florence is a destination to head for if you are looking for renaissance art. 

Florence is famous for its history: a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, it is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called "the Athens of the Middle Ages"

In today's Piece of Life photo series - Postcards from Florence, taken at the end of 2015

View towards Florence

If you are new to Florence and might wonder where are the best points to photography the city, get to the Michelangelo Square, from this place all Florence is on your palm. I installed a tripod here and played a bit with camera here - above image is final HDR I rendered using Photomatix.

Panoramic view towards Florence

Some magic with photo stitching and in result - lovely panoramic view of Florence.

Next we headed by our rental car straight into the heart a city, parked our car near a cathedral and went in a few hour wandering tour around Florence

Mime in the streets of Florence

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Sergos Duqani restaurant in Akhaltsikhe

12 February, 2016 | Restaurant reviews | 23 seen

Sergos Duqani is a lovely restaurant in Akhaltsikhe, serving traditional Georgian cuisine. Located just in the footsteps of Rabati Fortress complex.

We first discovered and met lovely owners of this place, when stayed in hotel in Rabati (Hotel Rabath & Gino Wellness) and were looking for some local place to have dinner. Frankly speaking sashlik served here is among the best I have ever tried in Georgia (and price for them are ridiculously low  - about 6 lari per skewer.)

Segos Duqani restaurant in Akhaltsikhe, Georgia

Menu items at Sergo Duqani restaurant 

Inside interior 

Turkish coffee

Soup Ostri

Sashlik on grill

Sashlik on plate

How to Prepare Traditional Dolma (Grape Leaves Roll)

12 February, 2016 | Food blogger | 11 seen

Hello everyone and welcome to another post from my experiments being a food blogger. OK, for following recipe I wasn't actually preparing that tasty dolma, instead I experiment with new food photography technique.

About food photography: Today I decided to experiment with 100mm lens and used long exposures (obliviously from a tripod). Find more tutorials on Digital Photography School

About Dolma (Grape leaves roll) - Dolma is a family of stuffed vegetable dishes common in the Middle East and surrounding regions including the Balkans, the Caucasus, Russia and Central Asia. Common vegetables to stuff include tomato, pepper, onion, zucchini, eggplant, and garlic. The stuffing may or may not include meat. Meat dolmas are generally served warm, often with egg-lemon or garlic yogurt sauce; meatless ones are generally served cold. Stuffed vegetables are also common in Italian cuisine, where they are named ripieni ("stuffed").

Today we are going to prepare traditional dolma with meat stuffing. Most…

DrupalGap Native App - Part 2: Creating And Linking Custom Views Listing Page

11 February, 2016 | Drupal Development | 6 seen

I was working on my blog's native Drupal app, and decided to share my discoveries on how to create additional custom Views Json listing page and how to link it in  your apps menu.

For the content on this page I decided to list all articles from my blog whose location are set to Georgia, and give it name - Georgia Travel Guide. Georgia and Drupal is special for me, so this was just logically the most "urgent" task I wanted to achieve next while building my native Drupal app.

Read more: How to develop Native Drupal app using Drupalgap - Part 1: Custom Front Page Using views - Images and Date

DrupalGap app in Ripple Emulator

I have some specific fields for my content types, most probably they will differ from your setup, use with caution

• Create new view - I named it Sakartvelo (Name of Georgia in Georgian language)
• Path: sakartvelo
• Format: Json data document
• Fields: Title, Images, Nid, Post date, Total views
• Filter criteria: Location:Georgia…

How to develop Native Drupal app using Drupalgap - Part 1: Custom Front Page Using views - Images and Date

11 February, 2016 | Drupal Development | 16 seen

There was a time when I was really eager to develop native Drupal app, back then I decided to stick with Drupalgap. Now, more than a year has already passed since, and I haven't achieved my goal (s) yet.

Until recently, I decided to finish works on native Drupal app I started back in 2014. Speaking of my app -  nothing fancy here, just my latest blog posts, with ability latter to extend functionality adding more native app features (geo location, for example) . As I like to call it - minimum viable product approach.

I installed DrupalGap module and all its dependencies on my site, I must admit I had some problems actually getting it alive, but they were more server related rather problems with module itself. In short I experienced problems with server permissions to upload files, so I had to install DrupalGap library manually (instead of a one click installation), and then turned out that DrupalGap is not very friendly with php 5.2. version, so I had to patch it a little bit.

Ok, when I was setup and mobile-application folder was created on my server, I straight went to explore how…

How to take and create HDR Panoramic photos

10 February, 2016 | Digital Photography School | 19 seen

In today's digital photography school tutorial series I'll show how to create HDR panoramic photos.

Make sure you check my previous tutorials on HDR photography - How To Take and Post-Process Night HDR Images , How to Capture and Post-Process Professional HDR Photos Using HDR Efex PRO

Now, regarding panorama photos, there is not always a need to create a 180 or 360 degree panoramas, sometimes you just want to fit in your frame a little bit more than a regular shot can do, then comes in panorama technique. 

HDR panorama photography

A sturdy tripod is must have, also a DSRL camera is preferable. Check out: Top 13 Best digital SLR cameras of 2016 for beginners

Install your camera on a tripod, and shoot it portrait mode. Settings for camera - Manual mode, f11, ISO 100, bracketing 3 frames, timer 2 seconds. Rotate your tripod head after each bracketed shot for about 15-20 degrees.

I will shoot in JPEG mode

You will need to have Photomatix, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom

Let's start with importing our scene from camera to PC. I…

Hotel Edelweiss Review in Gudauri

10 February, 2016 | Hotel reviews | 12 seen

Located in Gudauri, a 10-minute walk from the nearest ski lift, Edelweiss Hotel features an on-site restaurant serving Georgian and European cuisine and free Wi-Fi throughout the property.

We booked hotel Edelweiss for 2015 Christmas (December 23-25) and enjoyed our stay at this place a lot. Thus the price we paid for this hotel is well above average (about EUR 100 per night) we are paying for hotels in Georgia, the service offered for price was just excellent.

Alternatively check out Hotel Shamo Review in Gudauri or see TOP 10 Best Gudauri hotels.

Hotel Edelweiss in Gudauri, Georgia

As it might look like a small hotel from a distance, turns our is a 4 story building from inside. One thing I really enjoyed is the facade of this building, I wouldn't mind to built such facade for our rural house. See: Home Remodeling 

Bed at Hotel Edelweiss in Gudauri

In total there are 28 hotel rooms at Edelweiss hotel. 

Lux room at Hotel Edelweiss in Gudauri

The modern rooms here are equipped with a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, a refrigerator with a minibar, and a private bathroom…

The Gabriadze Theater in Tbilisi

10 February, 2016 | Tourism objects | 41 seen

Though modest in size, The Gabriadze Theater is among the world’s preeminent cultural institutions. Presenting mature puppet performances full of depth and meaning, it has gained the respect and recognition of international audiences and critics alike.

Located in the heart of Tbilisi Old Town, just right next to the Anchiskati church, this theater building offers some interesting architecture as well. Thus, I have never visited a spectacle here (though I have bough tickets for a few times, but due to my laziness never visited) - I believe the Gabriadze theater this is one of the top tourist attractions in Tbilisi.

Gabriadze theater building in Tbilisi

The Gabriadze Theater stands in the heart of Tbilisi’s historic Old Town.  Among the shows in its current repertoire are: “The Autumn of My Spring”, “The Battle of Stalingrad”, “Ramona”, “Diamond of Marshal de Fant’e”.

Box office at Gabriadze theater

Often referred to as “a Georgian national treasure”, Rezo Gabriadze influences the culture profoundly. His work continues to make an indelible and lasting…

Replacing Roof - Part 1: Removing the old roofing

9 February, 2016 | Home Remodeling | 12 seen

In today's home remodeling series I'll share some epic experience on roof replacement works. If you have been following my blog for a while, you probably have noticed that in Spring 2015 we inherited an old and very bad managed rural house.

That Summer taught me a lot  - I learnt how to use a scythe to move a grass, and also excelled as a construction worker (Room One - Wall and Ceiling Painting with Water Based Paint, How to Patch and Plaster Walls in Your Old Rural House), but nothing compares to experience like actually changing a roof.

It was already more than 3 months since we started to manage this house, but we hadn't any plans to stay any longer that till the end of Summer here, we had actually already bought our return tickets to Tbilisi at the start of September. We hadn't much time left - just about one month to replace old roofing for this house, if we wanted the house to survive upcoming winter (the roof was already leaky). 

So we ordered a metal roof, which was meant to arrive at the start of August, but prior to that, I ordered additional wooden laths and wooden boards, so we can fix existing roof construction and add…

House Of Food / Fontaine Palace in Liepāja

9 February, 2016 | Restaurant reviews | 32 seen

House Of Food is a place to eat good, quick international food from all corners of the world. Louie Fontaine, the owner and rock musician, has designed the place with a feel similar to a 50’s American diner, with an open kitchen and restaurant booths so high you’ll sit cosy and private in your own restaurant.

Located at the canal front downtown in an old factory building - this place absolutely rocks!

Hotel Fontaine Royal in Liepāja

Fontaine Royal offers a swimming pool, health centre, conference hall, restaurant, bar and various shops. The hotel design is out of this world, full of royal furniture, all gold plated standing in contrast with the old factory spirit, you will feel like a king staying at the Fontaine Royal. The hotel offers the biggest conference & banquet facilities in Kurland with 300 seats. The hotel has a music club in an old warehouse, (Fontaine Palace, capacity 600 people), offering live bands from around the globe. If visiting Liepaja’s outstanding beaches and charming town feeling Fontaine Royal is the right choice for living in luxury for a cheap rate.

Prison bar at Fontaine's Palace…

Cafe bar Gradus in Gudauri

8 February, 2016 | Restaurant reviews | 21 seen

Cafe bar Gradus is located in Georgian ski resort town in Gudauri. Located  just between the first and second ski lifts, this place offers great cuisine, drinks and lovely view to Caucasus mountains.

It's outdoor terrace is great for sun bathing. The prices here are in - it depends category, although not high compared to Western standards, there are some items with higher price attached and some for very reasonable price. So for a 5 years old Georgian Sarajishvilli brandy I paid about 6 Lari (50 g), while a small portion of dumplings cost twelve lari. Hard to tell. 

Interior at cafe bar Gradusi

They have a Free Wi-Fi on site and debt cards are accepted for payments.

Outdoor terrace at Gradus cafe bar in Gudauri

Dumplings at Cafe bar Gradus

Postcards from Gudauri

7 February, 2016 | | 15 seen

Gudauri is a popular ski resort located on the southern slopes of The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in Georgia. The resort is situated in the Stepantsminda District, along the Georgian Military Highway near the Cross Pass, at an elevation of 2,196 meters (7,200 ft.) above sea level.

We have been heading to Gudauri at least once in a year. There are few great reviews about Gudauri on my blog, Gudauri - Georgian Winter Capital for skiing, snowboarding, paragliding and heli-skiing or Gudauri - Cost Free And Fun Outdoor Activities but for today's Piece of Life photo project series I decided to share some images / postcards I have taken back at the 2015 Christmas time.

Sunset in Caucasus mountains in Gudauri

Gudauri lies 120 km (75 mi) to the north of the capital Tbilisi. The trip from Tbilisi to Gudauri usually takes two hours by car.

Caucasus mountains in Gudauri

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Skiers at Gudauri ski resort

Ski lifts in Gudauri

The resort offers high quality skiing opportunities. The slopes of Gudauri are…

Turtle lake in Tbilisi

7 February, 2016 | Lakes | 64 seen

Turtle lake is a direct English translation of Kus Tba (Georgian: კუს ტბა), a small lake at the outskirts of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, so named due to the perceived abundance of turtles living in these places.

Those of you who have been following my blog, probably have noticed I have mentioned Turtle lake a lot on my blog, I have been heading here in hot summer days to breath a fresh air and done some Drupal development from here, also I have headed here for lovely hiking treks around and up Turtle lake. Read more: Best Hikes In Tbilisi Are Located Near Turtle Lake

Turtle lake is very popular recreational area both for locals and foreigners, so it's just that time I'm submitting it as another tourist attraction in Tbilisi.

Although the best time to visit Turtle lake is in Summer, when you can enjoy swimming, renting a boat or just spending your time at some cafe's outdoor patio, it's visited a lot in Winter season as well. For today's article I decided to share some images I have taken here in mid January, 2015 when Turtle lake was frozen.

Frozen Turtle lake in Tbilisi

…

Linode: How To Secure Nginx with Let's Encrypt on Ubuntu 12.04

6 February, 2016 | Servers | 66 seen

Encrypted HTTPS websites are pretty much a hot topic nowadays. I have seen a lot noncommercial websites and blogs using HTTPS protocol lately.  I believe cheap prices for certificates and possible SEO boost from Google are pushing more and more to add HTTPS. Including me!

In fact this article is first since my blog is HTTPS, to celebrate that I decided to write shot tutorial how you too can enable HTTPS on Ubuntu 12.04 running Nginx and optionally running a Drupal site on Linode VPS.

Wait, did I just said a free certificate? Totally free? No hidden costs? Yup, that's exactly what I've said, - Let's Encrypt is a new Certificate Authority that provides an easy way to obtain and install free TLS/SSL certificates, thereby enabling encrypted HTTPS on web servers. It simplifies the process by providing a software client, letsencrypt, that attempts to automate most (if not all) of the required steps. 

You can read article on Digital Ocean - How To Secure Nginx with Let's Encrypt on Ubuntu 14.04, most of the written bellow is originally taken from…

Loft cleaning - Preparation works for replacing that leaky roof

6 February, 2016 | Home Remodeling | 5 seen

It was already last weeks of July, and we had bought already our return tickets back to Tbilisi, Georgia, and there was still one urgent task to complete if we wanted our rural house to survive upcoming rain and winter season - we had to replace roofing.

Oh, boy - back then I had no idea how frustrating, yet fun experience it will be. After finishing temporary repair works at home's first floor - I went upstairs and decided it's time to clean house's loft before moving on to more drastic roofing works. Instead of removing just old junk from loft, we had to remove about a ton of bricks and about 2 tons of ... soil. For some reason, the previous owner (R.I.P) decided to insulate loft with plain soil. I started to dug... gosh... 

Bricks and junk at loft

As you can see its hard to call this place a loft, its more some construction which needs urgent repair. That huge construction you can see in background is called a mantel chimney:

Fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a grate to catch the smoke. The term…