Number of Passengers served in Georgian Airports (2010-2017)

28 March, 2018 | Airports | 12 seen

Civil aviation is gaining the momentum in  Georgia. At the end of 2017 there were in total five airports located in Georgia. Tbilisi International Airport, Kutaisi David the Builder International Airport, Batumi International Airport, Mestia Queen Tamara Airport and recently constructed Ambrolauri airport.

According to the Civil Aviation Agency, International airports in Georgia have served more than 4 million passengers in 2017, which is 43.4% more than in 2016.

High growth was recorded in all three international airports of the country.

Statistics about passengers served in all Georgian airports (2010-2017)

As a frequent air traveler I have used two of Georgian airports very often,  Tbilisi airport and Kutaisi airport, I have been at Batumi airport but never have flown from there and I haven't yet ever been to Mestia airport or Ambrolauri, thus I once almost booked a flight from Tbilisi to Mestia.

Affordable 5 Day Tour in Georgia (Tbilisi, Gudauri, Kazbegi & Sighnaghi)

27 March, 2018 | Travel guides | 14 seen

Discover the Eastern part of Georgia in 5 days. Enjoy the distinctive architecture, get acquainted with Georgian traditions, historical heritage, and taste delicious Georgian cuisine.

After flight you might be exhausted so it is better not to go far from Tbilisi. Summers in Georgia may be unpredictable but even warm drizzling rain is pleasant so there is nothing to be afraid of. Right after you arrive at hotel and have some rest we can go outside and visit some of the most outstanding fleshpots of Tbilisi according to you your preferences. It is possible to have a walk in Rustaveli Avenue (the main street) or peripheral streets as well. Tbilisi is known for the abundance of its art-cafes and unprecedented delicious cuisine so get ready for a small gastronomic tour on the very first day of arrival.

Holy Trinity Cathedral – it is one of the youngest but the most popular churches in whole Georgia. Situated in one of the historically oldest parts of the cities cathedral can be seen almost from all the districts. Its gold leaf dome shines brightly in any weather. Church leads you on a spiritual tour introducing beautiful handwritten bible…

Learn to Read Georgian in 5 Days

25 March, 2018 | Bookshelf | 23 seen

Strange, how it works - It was on a lazy Saturday afternoon when I finally decided to buy a Russian literature's classic - War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. While reading this book I decided to launch a new topic series on the blog - Bookshelf, keeping notes and sharing books I've read.

While browsing Amazon's store online accidentally I found this great learning guide - Learn to Read Georgian in 5 Days by Irakli Aleksidze. The price for Kindle Editon was just $3.99 and after reading a free preview on Amazon I thought - hmm, it's tempting to learn Georgian Script in 5 days. 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to Amazon.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a purchase on Amazon site, I will earn an affiliate income at no cost to you.

Cover of Learn to read Georgian in 5 days

Learning to read a language with a foreign alphabet can be an intimidating challenge. Even before you can start to study the vocabulary and grammar, you must first decipher this strange new script.

While living in Georgia for already seven years, in fact, I have…

Best 5 star hotels in Batumi

23 March, 2018 | Hotel reviews | 19 seen

There are about ten 5-star hotels in Georgia's resort town Batumi, according to Booking.com. That's double the luxury stays as if in Tbilisi. For a luxury hotel in Batumi, you should be ready to pay about $250 per night, though you could find some value deals even under $150.

International hotel chains like Sheraton and Hilton are present in Batumi.

In this article, I have listed some five-star hotels in Batumi with a short description and direct booking link.

16 Best Batumi Beach / Seaside Hotels

Disclosure: hotels listed below contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I might earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.

This property is a 12-minute walk from the beach. Located 0.6 km from Argo Cable Car in Batumi, Leogrand Hotel & Casino Batumi features a restaurant, bar and free WiFi. The hotel has a spa center and sauna, and guests can enjoy a meal at the restaurant. Free private parking is available on site.

Certain units have a sitting area for your…

5 Day Tour In Georgia (Kutaisi & Svaneti)

20 March, 2018 | Travel guides | 25 seen

Arriving to Georgia, through Kutaisi by Wizzair? Try crafted an individual 5-day tour reaching the most beautiful landmarks in and around Kutaisi + extending the trip to the region of Svaneti by visiting Mestia and Ushguli

• Package tour includes 4 nights accommodation at 3-star hotels (upgrade to 4 star or 5 star possible), driver, airport transfers door to door, English speaking guide
• Does not include international airfare, travel insurance, entrance fees to museums
• Cultural and historical rich Georgia discovery tour in and around Kutaisi and region of Svaneti
• Visit the landmarks of Svaneti - Mestia, and Ushguli

Kutaisi is the second-largest city in Georgia. Arrival will not be less exciting than all the following excursions. It would be really tough to have this city without an airport that has become the vital artery of the flights made to Georgia.

In the last decade, much attention had been paid to the renovation of the city altogether with its cultural monuments. It is totally worth visiting this historic city, though it is not as big as the capital – Tbilisi.

Hiking Trails in Kemeri National Park (Near Forest House)

18 March, 2018 | Tourism objects | 12 seen

Kemeri National Park in Latvia is special for its great biological diversity, the unique Kemeri Bog, mineral waters and therapeutic mud found here.

It was on a lazy Sunday afternoon we decided to visit Kemeri National Park, as we had no idea what exactly to look for, we decided to make a stop at first "look-a-like" place, so we ended at Forest House, located some 45km from nations capital Riga.

I was equipped with my Canon DSRL camera and in a good mood to make some panoramic photos here:

Forest House in Kemeri National Park

Rough translation from Latvian about Forest House (Meža māja)

The Nature Education Center "Meža māja" is located on the banks of the Vēršupīte, surrounded by the wet woods in Ķemeri National Park. The historic building was originally built as an entertainment center and restaurant, but later it was home to a children's sanatorium. Now the Forest House is managed by the Nature Protection Board and, with the establishment of the Nature Education Center, offers nature education activities.

Start of Hiking trails near Forest house

River Versupite in Kemeri National…

Top Places To Visit in Georgia in April

17 March, 2018 | Travel guides | 151 seen

In this article, I will list some of the top places to visit in Georgia during the month of April.

Tbilisi - is definitely worth visiting at any season of the year, April is a very good month to visit Tbilisi, weather is warm and long gone are March winds - go explore Tbilisi old town, climb up to the Narikala fortress, enter Tbilisi Botanical Garden and watch everything around you blooming. Visit Tbilisi Dezerteer bazaar and buy some fresh vegetables (you could start searching for strawberries)

Kutaisi - the second largest city in Georgia, with an international airport located some 17km from the city center - visit Sataplia and Prometheus caves. Extend your Kutaisi trip by visiting the beautiful Okatse canyon.

Kakheti - the region of wine - visit the wine-making region of Georgia, cities to explore - Telavi, Kvareli, Sighnaghi extend your visit to UNESCO World Heritage listing site - David Gareji.

Kazbegi…

Top 5-star Luxury / Boutique Hotels in Tbilisi

16 March, 2018 | Hotel reviews | 14 seen

Tbilisi and Georgia have been gaining a lot of international tourist attention in recent years, without any doubt it has helped to boost Georgia's tourism industry, with new hotels popping up all across the country.

There are a few 5 - star hotels in Tbilisi, according to Booking.com. For a luxury stay in Tbilisi, you should be ready to pay about $250 per night, though you could find some bargain deals even under $250

In this article, I have listed 5-star hotels in Tbilisi with a short description and direct booking link. 

Top 10 Boutique / Luxury Hotels in Tbilisi (Georgia)

Disclosure: hotels listed below contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I might earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.

Located in Tbilisi, 300 m from Freedom Square, IOTA Hotel Tbilisi boasts air-conditioned rooms and free WiFi throughout the property. Guests can enjoy the on-site restaurant and the garden.

All rooms are equipped with a flat-screen TV, safety box, minibar and a private bathroom.…

Average Salary in European Union 2018

15 March, 2018 | Macroeconomics | 782 seen

For the fifth year in a row, I'm publishing my humble observations on average salary changes in the European Union. In this article, I've compared both gross and net average salary for 2018.

Update: Average Monthly Salary in European Union 2020

As in the case with minimum wages in the European Union 2018 article, for this year's average salary article, I was able to pull data both for gross and net minimum wage values across the European Union. 

I wouldn't call below written scientific research, as most of the data in this article are taken from Wikipedia's article List of European countries by average wage. To make it more interesting I've added a column for tax -  by having both values (gross and net) I did a simple calculation to see approximate tax rates in member states.

All calculations are done using Google Spreadsheets. Data provided below might not be 100% accurate but they should give an overall insight on average salary levels across European Union member countries.

Countries are ranked by average net salary in 2018

For previous year rankings…

Google AdWords/AdSense To Ban Cryptocurrency Related Ads

14 March, 2018 | Blogging | 42 seen

In June 2018, Google will update the Financial services policy to restrict the advertisement of Contracts for Difference, rolling spot forex, and financial spread betting. In addition, ads for the following will no longer be allowed to serve - Binary options and synonymous products, cryptocurrencies and related content (including but not limited to initial coin offerings, cryptocurrency exchanges, cryptocurrency wallets, and cryptocurrency trading advice)

Now, this update doesn't come as a surprise to me, and in fact, I was already waiting for it to happen sooner or later after Facebook announced to block all cryptocurrency related ads.

As a blogger covering crypto related stuff this new update will affect my blog directly, the thing I'm afraid of - the lost organic search traffic for crypto-related content.

To be on the safe side, starting today I have decided to limit future articles about crypto investments featured on the blog. 

Nasdaq Baltic Stock Market Biggest Gainers / Losers 2017

11 March, 2018 | Investments | 13 seen

There was a 71 company listed on the Nasdaq Baltic stock market in 2017. In today's article, I decided to make a quick look on the biggest gainers and losers for a whole 2017. 

Baltic equities are listed on Nasdaq Baltics in 3 listings - Main List, Baltic secondary listing, and Firth North. As of writing this article the total market capitalization for companies listed under one of the three listings was EUR 7 billion and 261 million. 7 billion huh? Think that's huge? Think twice - the total market capitalization for cryptocurrencies right now is at 294 billion Eur, and we are in the bears market. The total market capitalization for Nasdaq Baltic's represents about 2.5% of the total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies.

Think I'm comparing apples to oranges? you are right, just for the correct illustration, the neighboring stock exchanges at Moscow have 515 billion market capitalization, Stockholm stock exchange EUR 1,02 trillion, Warsaw EUR 321 billion. Not to speak about London stock exchange with EUR 6.82 trillion or New York stock exchange with  EUR 17.31 trillion.

You got…

Cryptocurrencies are Volatile - Here is How I Lost $1,000 in Value in a couple of days

10 March, 2018 | Crypto | 13 seen

Wow, what a bearish ride for the past couple of days in the cryptocurrency world. Bitcoin and all the other major altcoins have lost value on average by 25% in the past couple of days. From trading BTC at $11,615 on March 5th down to $8,606 on March 9th. 

Long story short - I've been investing in cryptos since the second part of 2017. Before actually investing in cryptocurrencies I developed the so-called dollar cost averaging plan, and decided to buy the major cryptocurrencies once in the month no matter the price. Dollar cost averaging helps to exclude emotional decisions. My plan is to acquire more coins until the end of 2020. That's roughly 2 years and 9 months to go.

Currently, I own following cryptocurrencies - bitcoin, ethereum, litcoin, ripple, bitcoin cash and siacoin. Bitcoin cash and Siacoin I've added to my crypto portfolio with the start of 2018. Here is how my dollar cost averaging chart looks now:

Dollar cost averaging crypto portfolio 2018

Despite a massive crash with 25% wiped in value in matters of a couple of days, I'm still in a positive side, with about +76% value growth,…

Top Hotels to Book in Daugavpils, Latvia

9 March, 2018 | Hotel reviews | 6 seen

Daugavpils has been on my travel radar for a very long time, in fact I've been in Daugavpils for couple of times in the past.

According to Booking.com there are no 5-star hotels in Daugavpils, but there are a few 4-star and a lot of 3-star hotels located in the city and in the neighboring vicinity. 

Disclosure: hotels listed below contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I might earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.

This is a new 3-star hotel located in Daugavpils. It is conveniently located for shopping and close to entertainment centres as well as other tourist attractions.

The hotel offers you an unforgettable time. It’s numerous conference and seminar rooms, equipped with the latest technology, are the ideal place for successful business meetings.

The hotel also includes a modern restaurant and bar offers a warm atmosphere for you to dine and enjoy refreshments in. The restaurant serves a variety of Regional, European and International dishes, and you can enjoy a cocktail or an aromatic tea in the…

Minimum Wages in European Union 2018

8 March, 2018 | Macroeconomics | 144 seen

Turns out this is already fifth (#5) article about minimum wages in European Union featured on the blog.

Traditions must be continued and here comes the latest article with the latest data for 2018 about minimum wages in the European Union.

Update: Minimum Wages in European Union 2019

In 2018 there were 22 out of 28 European Union member states with the official minimum wage set by the government.

Feel free to browse through the archives for previous years, before proceeding, see:

• What's Minimum Wage in European Union 2017
• Minimum Wages in European Union 2016
• What Is Minimum Wage In European Union 2015
• Minimum Wages in European Union 2014

N.B. Countries that don't have a minimum wage set by the government in European Union - Austria, Denmark, Finland, Cyprus, Italy and Sweden (collective bargaining agreements effective, instead of minimum wage)

For this years article, I was able to pull data both for gross and net minimum wage values across the European Union. 

Palios Mylos Restaurant Review near Argiroupoli Springs, Crete

7 March, 2018 | Restaurant reviews | 22 seen

Ahh, I love these lovely roadside cafeterias which are hard to locate, after visiting and leaving, on the map. This time I was lucky enough and turned out I had pictured the name of this place in Greek. A bit patience and usage of Greek language transliteration and here you go - found both the name and location of this place, meet Palios Mylos Restaurant near Argiroupoli Springs, Crete.

Visited back in June 2017. Now it's hard to recall exact our route back then, but most probably we arrived here somewhere from Triopetra area. 

The restaurant is located next to the Argiroupoli Springs some 27 km southwest of Rethymnon on the slopes of the Psilotitis mountain with its many springs of crystal clear water and the remains of the ancient city of Lappas

Taverna Palios Mylos in Crete

Devil is in the details - thanks to this picture I was able to locate this place on map.

Seems than Palios Mylos translated into English means - Old Mill.

The restaurant "Old Mill" is located in the Sources of Argyroupoli, in …