Nīcava restaurant

17 August, 2021 | Restaurant reviews | 12 seen

Restaurant Nīcava is located in Nīca town, Latvia. some 230 km from the nation's capital Riga, sandwiched between Liepāja and Jūrmalciems.

We paid here a short stop in mid-July 2021, while traveling to the Pape beach

Turns out there is both a motel/guest house and a restaurant. Restaurant here serves typical Latvian cuisine. 

Quite a nice place. We enjoyed here something from the grill menu and a few drinks.

Best stock options trading platform in Georgia (and most of the rest of the World)

16 August, 2021 | Living in Georgia | 26 seen

I've been trading stocks for about 20 years, I still remember the days around the millennium when I visited the bank office in person to place a stock buy or sell order. 

Not so long away, me too - I was on the searches for the best online discount broker.

My online searches found Degiro and Interactive Brokers.

Back when I was looking to open my account, Interactive Brokers asked for a minimum deposit of USD 10,000, which I didn't have at that moment.

And then a blog reader pointed to the Lynx Broker.  Actually, I'm using Lynx Broker to this day. As Lynx Broker is affiliated to Interactive Brokers (they use the same TWS platform) - when friends and family asking for recommendation, I just skip the Lynx part (sorry, for that, this is still great broker platform, just the commission fee for the US securities is a bit high, though are very cheap for European securities) - and point straight to the Interactive Brokers, nowadays you can open an account without a minimum capital, and fees are low (some qualify for free)

Disclosure:  This article contains affiliate links to the Interactive Brokers website…

Summer in Latvia 2021

13 August, 2021 | Travel guides | 5 seen

Summer in Latvia 2021 or this is how we spent an awesome one month in Latvia.

From getting a vaccine at Akropolis shopping mall in Riga to wild beaches near Pape.

From a wooden boat in Pāvilosta to yacht in Ķīšezers.

Made a ton of hyper lapses, ate a ton of birthday cakes, and more. Enjoy the video!

How To add Pixelate effect Adobe Premiere Pro

12 August, 2021 | Digital Photography School | 785 seen

Recently I faced an issue with a video uploaded to YouTube, the video featured parts that needed to be removed or pixelated. After a quick google search I found this awesome video tutorial, and here is how:

From the Effects panel search for 'mosaic' - > choose from Stylize and apply Mosaic to all clip

If you are looking to pixelate just a part of the video, say a face or body, from the effect Control window, under the Mosaic, select oval shape (or square)

To make it automatically track a person, from the Mask path, click the play button (but before that, make sure you are at the start of the clip)

Hope it helps!

Hotel Butterfly House in Pāvilosta

11 August, 2021 | Hotel reviews | 36 seen

Set some 3 km from the city center of Pāvilosta  Butterfly House offers accommodation with free WiFi, BBQ facilities, a garden, and free private parking.

We booked this place for a 2-night stay in mid-July and paid EUR 266. We chose this hotel as we were looking for some nice place to stay and throw a birthday party for our 3-year-old daughter. It seems we booked the most spacious room, some 100m2 and were able to accomodate up to 8 guests, which we actually did, some of our birthday guess stayed overnight.

We had a chance to grill some meat in front of the house, which we bought at the local Pāvilosta shop

Turns out, the place is owned  by the same guy, who owned Fontaine Royal hotel in Liepāja), and seems they have took some things from Liepāja, Deli snack for example

Hotel Fontaine Royal Review In Liepāja

Quite nice, we had a chance to order some foow here at hotel. Very nice.

All units comprise a seating area with a sofa, a dining area, and a fully equipped kitchen with various cooking facilities, including a fridge, a stovetop and a toaster. For added convenience, the property can provide…

Guest house Otrā Elpa in Valka

10 August, 2021 | Hotel reviews | 8 seen

Otrā Elpa is located in the center of Valka. Guests are welcome to use free Wi-Fi in all areas of this property.

I have stayed in this hotel a few times, and last time did it so back in the mid-July 2021, when had a quick trip to Valka and nearby area

Decorated in light colours, all rooms here will provide you with cable TV and a table. Private bathrooms also come with a shower.

For a stay here with some hearty brekfast I paid about EUR 50

Book on Booking.com

Kazbegi trip / Offroad version

6 August, 2021 | Travel guides | 50 seen

I've been traveling to Kazbegi and the region several times, but just recently I started discovering other cool places like Juta or Truso valley.

It was at the end of July 2021 we just returned from Latvia, when an ex-pat German friend offered to take an easy weekend trip to Kazbegi together. As we had done the Vashlovani trip together a few weeks earlier I agreed. We installed our baby's child seat in his Nissan Xtra SUV car and the trip begun.

We left at 9 AM from Tbilisi, and our first stop was in Gudauri, we hoped to find a working cable car and maybe take a ride, but they were not working on that July day. Next stop Russia-Georgia Friendship monument. Made a few awesome Facebook photos here. 

Next, we are moving towards Kobi, and we had an idea maybe to take a cable car ride and have our picnic somewhere in the hills. We learned that the ride in a cable car is about GEL 30 (round trip)  to the highest peak (but there are several other options). Anyhow we decided head better to Truso valley this time and have our picnic there and maybe take a cable car on our way back or in the other day (after all, we didn't take it)

Gveleti Small Waterfalls

5 August, 2021 | Tourism objects | 29 seen

Gveleti waterfalls are located in the region of  Kazbegi region near the small village Gveleti.

Outdoor lovers and hikers will enjoy this little waterfall a lot .

I first discovered this place at the end of July 2021, during a weekend trip to Kazbegi. As we were driving with a 4x4 SUV car, we drove most of the unpaved road to the waterfall and left our car parked some 30-minute walk from the waterfall. 

 The path to the waterfall starts from the semi-abandoned village Gveleti. You will go through the picturesque countryside and climb

The water here falls from the deep gorge of Mount Kazbek from the height of 25 meters and is divided into two streams. The width of the upper stream is 2 m and the lower – 4 m. This place is considered one of the most popular among tourists. 

Terek Valley Viewpoint

3 August, 2021 | Tourism objects | 77 seen

Terek Valley viewpoint is located along the Georgian military road, close to the border with Russia. Maybe not as impressive as Georgia - Russia Friendship monument located near the Gudauri, still, if you happen to be in this area of the world, give it a try, views are still quite spectacular.

There is a little altar of sacrifice built at the viewpoint

At the start I mistakenly thought this is a Darial gorge, just later thanks to the drone's built-in GPS I was able to narrow down this place on the map and learn that this place is called Terek Valley Viewpoint and the actual Darial gorge is located on the border between Georgia and Russia a few kilometers further away.

Andrejsala

2 August, 2021 | Tourism objects | 65 seen

Andrejsala is an area located in the Pētersala-Andrejsala neighborhood of Riga, Latvia within a former territory of an industrial port next to the city center.

Andrejsala is a chich, urban place to visit. 

It is currently developed into a significant art, culture, and entertainment center featuring exhibition halls, clubs, workshops, studios, a cafe, and a hotel.

As the Riga passenger port is in a close proximity, Andrejsala is popular destination for alko tourists, as there are several liquor stores

Could be a nice dininig with a view.

Kazbegi Trip 2021

30 July, 2021 | Living in Georgia | 12 seen

Kazbegi trip - or searching for hot pools at Truso Valley, wandering at Darial gorge near the Georgian - Russian border, reaching Gveleti waterfall, walk in the clouds at Gergeti..

and of course a lot of offroad driving. Thanks, Ralph Schmidt and Rosemarie Rivera for making this trip happen.

July 24-25, 2021

About Tbilisi - Batumi Flight by Vanilla Sky

29 July, 2021 | Living in Georgia | 62 seen

At the end of May 2021, we traveled Tbilisi - Batumi (and back) for the first time with an airplane. And let me say  - this is the best option to travel between these two Georgian cities. In the past, I've tried a train, marshrutka, and private vehicle.

Flight is only 50 minutes and you don't feel tired not at all. i first hear about Vanilla Sky (back then it was called Service air) back in the Summer of 2014, when planned a trip to Mestia, but at the end in that year we traveled to Yerevan in Armenia instead of Mestia, because I find it complicated to book tickets online.

Now it was much easier and we were able to book flight some 2 weeks advance, paying GEL 125 per person one way (kids up to 3 year travel for free, if no seat is taken)

Tbilisi - Batumi flight by Vanilla sky with Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia

The Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia is a twin-turboprop commuter airliner, produced by Embraer of Brazil.

We booked a flight to Batumi Friday morning, left via Tbilisi international airport and returned back in Monday morning. Excellet. Great. Awesome. We had an awesome weekend in Batumi, with staying…

Ērģeme Castle Ruins

28 July, 2021 | Military Heritage | 43 seen

Ērģeme castle is located in the parish of Ērģeme, Valka county, some 170 km north from the capital of Riga.

Ērģeme castle served as a powerful fortress for the protection of the Livonian Holy Order eastern border and as a castle-front for the Cēsis castle of the Livonian Holy Order master. The castle was mentioned in 1422 but it was built already around year 1320 under the ordinance of the Order master Gerhard von Jocke. Masters used castle as a storehouse, point of support and shelter for the night. Planning of the castle is clearly legible. Nowadays still quite impressive castle ruins with the round corner tower in the height of five stories can be viewed.

Outside stone wall of the castle forms a regular quadrangle (it is so-called convent type castle) with two big fortification towers. Moats filled with water were around the castle. Drawbridge united the castle-front with the central part. Castle of Ērģeme was in the district of the master of Holy Order, ancillary castle of the Komturei of Cēsis. In 15th century castle was significantly rebuilt. In 1575 Ērģeme was conquered by the Livonian duke Magnuss who sold the castle to Polish in 1578. In 1621…

SEB-Active 3rd Pillar Pension Plan Review 2021

27 July, 2021 | Stock Portfolio | 15 seen

I opted for a 3rd pension pillar pension plan at SEB bank Latvia back in May 2019. I've been saving additional funds for old age for already two years. Time flies. 

On the day, when I opted to save for old age,  my dad turned 65. Kind of average age in Latvia for retirement. 

I started small, saving EUR 33/mo for the first four-month, then increased it to EUR 43/mo for the next 4 months, and again increased monthly contributions to EUR 58/mo for the next 4 months. Right now I'm investing EUR 128/mo to the 3rd pension pillar plan (I tend to increase my contributions every 4 months)

SEB Active Pension Plan 2019-2021

In total, during the past 2 years, I have contributed EUR 1,740  (average EUR 72.5/mo) to the pension fund.

After the first two years with SEB Active pension plan, I've made EUR 108.18 or +6.21% capital gain. I find this quite a good result.

I believe 3rd pension pillar won't take more than 5-10% from my million dollar retirement savings account (which I plan to enter in 2045), on the other hand, the…

Truso Valley

26 July, 2021 | Tourism objects | 27 seen

 Truso Valley is known for its mineral water springs, white/yellow travertines, mineral lake with bubbles, towers of middle ages, -most notably Zakagori castle, villages on a very high altitude such as Resi (2350m), tasty cheese and Ossetian Khabidzginas (khachapuri with cheese and potatoes) and nice people.

I first visited this area during a weekend trip to Kazbegi (Stepatsminda) at the end oh July 2021.  To get there, we took a left turn in Kobi village, passing Kobi Cable car station. The road is very much an offorad, but not extremely complicated.

It's said the area is nice for hiking, and that what I would advice, but we actually traveled here by a Nissan Xtra SUV car and had a nice picknic along the Terek river in front of as I believe a hot pool

I'm not completely sure the water is actually hot/warm at this little natural pool, but there seem to have some bubles comming out of it

Unfortunately, conflict between Ossetians and Georgians and border closure by Russian government (Locals had winter pastures in the lowlands of northern Ossetia) made this gorge abandoned.

The Terek is a major river in the Northern Caucasus. It…