Dry Bridge & Alexander garden in Tbilisi from a DJI Mavic Mini drone flight

10 September, 2020 | | 3 seen

It was on an overcast Saturday afternoon (at the end of August 2020), we went for a long walk in Tbilisi. 

Equipped with a baby stroller and DJI Mavic mini Drone here is what we found today:

View towards Dry Bridge in Tbilisi

In one of these building, you can see, is located famous 'former hotel London', where some 19th-century writers have stayed

Aerial view of Tbilisi

Many good things can be seen from this place (Alexander garden), like the Public Service house, Sameba church (in the background), Orbeliani square

Tbilisi TV tower and The Biltmore hotel

Almost like the How to get on one photography Tbilisi TV tower, Narikala and Tabor Monastery

Aerial view of Alexander Garden

Ok, this park is bearing another name: Giorgi Leonidze Park

Jvari monastery from a drone flight / DJI Mavic Mini crash

5 September, 2020 | Tourism objects | 11 seen

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 drone is missing and I don't have actual SD footage). Post-processed in Adobe Lightroom
Music by Scott Holmes: Hotshot
P.S. New drone to be shipped in next 2-3 weeks
 

Narikala fortress from a drone flight

3 September, 2020 | | 11 seen

Narikala fortress is probably one of the most known tourist attractions in Tbilisi. 

It was on an easy Sunday afternoon we decided to take a lazy walk around the old town of Tbilisi equipped with a baby strolled and DJI Mavic mini, here is what we got

Narikala fortress from a drone flight

Narikala  is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and the Mtkvari River. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill between the sulfur baths and the botanical gardens of Tbilisi. On the lower court, there is the recently restored St Nicholas church. Newly built in 1996–1997, it replaces the original 13th-century church that was destroyed in a fire.

Flying over St. Nicholas church / Narikala fortress

The new church is of "prescribed cross" type, having doors on three sides. The internal part of the church is decorated with the frescos showing scenes both from the Bible and history of Georgia

View towards Narikala fortress from the Mother of Georgia monument side

The structure was established in the 4th century as a Sasanian…

August 2020 Dividend Income Report - $171.31

2 September, 2020 | Investments | 16 seen

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 Georgia

The baby girl attends her pre-school, she is doing great - talking a lot, putting together sentences, mixing languages, figuring out new words. Awesome. Quite fascinating what a two-year-old can do. Development is very rapid. in August she learned to answer on question - What's your name? Daddy's heart is melting.

From the perspective of dividend income -  last July was neither good nor bad, we keep suffering from trimmed dividends, and by the end of the month, we barely took $171.31. Relying on dividends these days is very hard.…

Turtle Lake from a Drone flight

1 September, 2020 | | 10 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.

Turtle lake is a 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.

We have been heading to the Turtle Lake in all seasons, I have made here both HDR's and panoramic photos, but a drone photo not yet. It was at the end of July 2020, when I got my fisrt drone - DJI mini Mavic, and as I was still learning how to operate this this - Turtle lake seemed like an ideal spot for a drone photography

Turtle lake from a drone flight

Lower Bethlehemi Church

29 August, 2020 | Churches and Monasteries | 17 seen

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 here

Lower Bethlehemi Church

Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem, Tbilisi

28 August, 2020 | Churches and Monasteries | 27 seen

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, Tbilisi

There 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 to climb from Betlemi street. 

Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem, Tbilisi from a drone flight

There is a little fountain square in the front of church with running spring water. Quite refreshing after a long day hiking the area.

Also, an amazing view towards Tbilisi opens from the church

View towards Tbilisi

Mother of Georgia Monument

27 August, 2020 | Tourism objects | 139 seen

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 Tbilisi

It'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 Rustaveli State Prize for this sculpture. He called the statue "Capital", and it commonly became known as "Mother of Kartli". The accessories of the sculpture, the cup with wine and sword, are an expression of the history of our city, Tbilisi, the endless battles with the enemies, and the welcoming of friendly guests.

The original statue erected on Sololaki Hill in 1958 was a wooden allegorical statue that would…

Restaurant Pepo near Dashbashi Canyon

25 August, 2020 | Restaurant reviews | 45 seen

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 Georgia

I used the territory of this restaurant as a base for drone flights to film nearby objects. 

Restaurant Peop from above

Batumi Boulevard Dancing Fountains

22 August, 2020 | Tourism objects | 52 seen

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 flight

It 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 underwent large-scale renovations as a result of which music was added to them.

Nowadays these musical fountains dancing with rhythm and surrounded by lovely wax sculptures of the boys with pipes, represent the major attraction for tourists.

Park near Batumi dancing fountains

The recreation zone, which at the same time is a cultural heritage monument, for centuries, has unites the…

Djansug Kakhidze Garden

21 August, 2020 | Tourism objects | 21 seen

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 flight

The fountains os one of the central elements of the park, around the fountain there are many roses planted. 

The Garden is located in an historic district of Tbilisi close to the left embankment of the Mtkvari River and was completed in 2011 as part of the extensive refurbishment of Agmashenebeli Avenue.

Statues of Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili in Djansug Kakhidze Garden in Tbilisi

Statues of Iliko Sukhishvili and his wife Nino Ramishvili, created by sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, stand at the entrance to the…

Pheasant’s Tears Restaurant Sighnahghi

20 August, 2020 | Restaurant reviews | 35 seen

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 Sighnaghi

Pheasant’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 emotions of the vitner himself. In the end, a dialogue between nature and man, a fine tension between respect for the past and creating a new experience for tomorrow.  Traditions here are seen as the nourishing soul for improvisation and respectful evolution.

Gia Rokashvili the chef at Peasant's Tears

I had a chance to meet friendly chef at the place. On the question, could we see the menu, he showed us the big black…

Saint George Church in Dashbashi

18 August, 2020 | Churches and Monasteries | 30 seen

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, Georgia

It 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 George Church in Dashbashi canyon, Georgia

St. George's Church stands to the north of the village, on the banks of River Khrami. The domed church is built of hewn stone and it has the shape of a cross. The church has two entrances - the south of the west arm and the west of the north arm. The south door is covered with a large carved stone. There are inscriptions on the top of the south door and on the east wall. The church…

My First Drone Video / DJI MAVIC MINI

15 August, 2020 | Digital Photography School | 20 seen

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

14 August, 2020 | Hotel reviews | 39 seen

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 bed at Radisson Blue Batumi hotel

When traveling with kids - a family room is a must-have, and the one we got here at Radisson Batumi was excellent. Free baby crib was offered. 

Partial sea view

the view could be better, but I do not complain much. In the evening we took a walk to the nearby Batumi boulevard and I flew my DJI Mini Mavic drone around to get some really stunning views.