Apartment Alte Pfarre in Gudensberg, Germany

5 June, 2017 | Hotel reviews | 13 seen

Alte Pfarre Gudensberg offers pet-friendly accommodation in a historical timbered house in Gudensberg, 17 km from Kassel and 42 km from Bad Hersfeld. The unit is 18 km from Bad Wildungen. Free private parking is available on site.

After a visit to this place we have agreed, let's include such apartments in our future travel plans instead of just simple hotel rooms. Stay at apartments gives much better local touch. 

We booked Alte Pfarre Gudensberg  on May 17, 2017 for a one night stay and it turned out that we were first visitors this year and as a gift we got a bottle of champagne. Lovely. Our booking price was just EUR 85. And let me call this place one of the best places I've every stayed so far. 

Spacious apartment

Now, so many things I would love to see in our own future house.

The apartment is located on the ground floor, has its own entrance and direct access to the garden. There is a seating area, a dining area and a kitchen as well as a private bathroom. A flat-screen TV, as well as a CD player are provided. Other facilities at Alte Pfarre Gudensberg include a barbecue. The apartment features free WiFi throughout the property.

Guest bedroom

Several restaurants are in close proximity and can be reached after a few walking minutes.

We chose to drive to nearby LIDL store and bought some meat to grill on the gardens grill. Firewood, grilling equipment was kindly provided on request. 

Master bedroom

Now that was a lovely sleep tonight

Kitchenette 

Fully equipped.

May 2017 Dividend Income Report - $65.45

4 June, 2017 | Investments | 12 seen

There are two financial goals I'm looking to achieve. The short term goal is to earn from dividend paying stocks more than $100/mo by February 2018. The long tern goal -  to land 1 million dollars in my savings account by the time I will turn 60 (that's in 2045).

I started my wealth building adventure (portfolio) January 2017 with goal to invest $8,561 this year in several batches. Now, five months latter I'm publishing my first dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from stocks and peer to peer lending in May 2017. 

About portfolio in May 2017

Most of my investments right now are concentrated in the Baltic states and Georgia. My portfolio consists of investments in Georgian Lari and EUR currencies. At the end of May I had invested $4,656.36 what equals to about 0.47% from my ultimate goal to have 1 million dollars and 54.39% from my 2017 planned investments

The total value of my portfolio in May 2017 were $4,766.22, making the difference between invested and value + $109.86

• Invested: $4,656.36
• Value: $4,766.22

Growth: + $109.86

The growth have happened because of two reasons - stock prices have gone up and currency exchange rates (I have about 4,000 invested in Georgian lari)

Investment portfolio May 2017

The largest part of my portfolio takes investments in peer to peer lending (53.9%), followed by stocks (37.3%) and a small part of mutual funds (8.9%) which are not paying any dividends, but I hope they are going to grow in future,

About Investment May 2017

Last month I invested additional EUR 788.95 in Nasdaq Baltics stock market and acquired following shares. 

• Latvijas Gāze (55 shares)
• Nordecon (200 shares)

Both equities promises dividend income in June 2017. 

Dividend income May 2017

From equities bought in April and from investments in peer to peer lending marketplace Mintos.com, I got following income

• Zemaitijos Pienas - EUR 17
• Olympic Entertainment group - EUR 18
• Mintos.com - EUR 23.01

Total: EUR 58.01

Goals for May 2018

I hope that after a year I will complete my first smaller investment goal to reach $100/mo and I'm looking to have dividend income at about $150/mo in May 2018.

Cafe - Hotel Kandava

3 June, 2017 | Restaurant reviews | 13 seen

Kandava is a small but lovely town in the Western Latvia. I haven't been here many times, just some 3-4, but I really enjoy these small and tranquil Latvian towns. We were just driving around Latvia and around meal time discovered we are in Kandava.

In the city center on Sabiles street we found a lovely cafeteria with clear name - Kandava.Turns out there is both cafe and hotel available at this place. Probably next time when in Kandava, a hotel room in the city center might be great option.

Interior at Cafe Kandava

​I was surprised of after seeing such cozy interior. But not surprised at all discovering that we are the only guests. Luckily the chef was on site and all meals from menu were available. I choose to stick with potatoes pancakes and some omelet.

Omelet at cafe Kandava

Spare Hotel in Riga

2 June, 2017 | Hotel reviews | 5 seen

Spare Hotel is located a 5-minute drive from Riga International Airport and 7 minutes from the historic city centre. It features free parking and an on-site bowling complex. We booked Spare hotel for a short stay in Riga for one night. 

Spare hotel in Riga

Seems the hotel is located in former dwelling house, but our stay here was decent. Had a lovely dinner at hotels restaurant and simple free breakfast.

All rooms of Spare Hotel provide a bathroom and cable TV. Most rooms offer a seating area and a work desk.

Guests of the Spare Hotel can enjoy the breakfast buffet and other meals in the on-site restaurant, which offers Korean, Japanese and European cuisine. Cocktails as well as non-alcoholic beverages are also served.

Hotel Mezaparks in Riga

1 June, 2017 | Hotel reviews | 4 seen

Hotel Mezaparks in Riga is a really great value deal for a very affordable price (we paid about EUR 30). Located next to the lake Kisezers and just 15 minute drive from the Old town. We booked hotel Mezaparks for one night stay in Spring 2016. 

Hotel Mezaparks is a great choice if you are looking for a cheap stay for one night in Riga, it doesn't offer much extra's, although there is even a restaurant located in first floor.

This property is 1 minute walk from the beach. Hotel Mezaparks enjoys a quiet and green location in a park on the shore of beautiful Lake Kisezers, only a 15-minute drive away from the old town of Riga. Free Wi-Fi internet access is available in the rooms and free public parking is provided when arranged in advance.

Twin Room at hotel Mezaparks

The overall impression about this place - it's kind of summer camp for young athletes or something.

The cosy rooms are decorated with wooden furniture and carpeted floors. Most rooms have balconies with views over the lake.

The terrace overlooking the lake is a great place to enjoy a coffee or a cocktail. All meals, including breakfast, can be enjoyed in the on-site restaurant according to menu.

The fitness centre can be used free of charge and is open every day from 08:00 to 22:00. There is also a sauna, a steam bath, and tennis courts.

Our belongings repacked

Yes, we know how to make a mess. 

The Mezaparks is a large, green oasis in the city. It features many bicycle trails and the Riga Zoo is only a 20-minute walk away from the hotel. In summer the lake is ideal for windsurfing, water skiing, and many other water sports, for which equipment is available. 

Lopota lake Resort & Spa

31 May, 2017 | Lakes | 30 seen

Lopota Lake Resort & Spa is ideal for those seeking a peaceful place to rest. Your personal piece of paradise is located in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia, surrounded by the famous Caucasus mountains, just 2 hours drive from Tbilisi, the nation's capital.

We first discovered Lopota lake in early Spring 2017, during a weekend trip to the region of Kakheti. We returned here back for a few day stay in June 2020.

Lopota lake in Georgia

Here is the story of how we first discovered this place - At the start of April (2017), we booked another hotel here in Kakheti (Chateau Mere near Telavi). Unfortunately, when we arrived on site, the weather was overcast and it was no fun to stay at the huge concrete complex, we took a local taxi and asked him to show us some cool nearby sites, as I was equipped with a tripod and camera I was looking for some lakes, water and so on, as wanted to make some long exposure shots. 

The taxi driver suggested us to visit Lopota lake, as I had heard about it before, we agreed.

At Lopota lake there are located a hotel complex, restaurants, outdoor pools and more.

Restaurant at Lopota laka

As we booked half-board, we got free breakfast served at this dinning hall. 

Outdoor heated swimming pool

We traveled here for about 3 night stay with our almost 2 year old baby girl because of the pool. She was excited!

Lopota lake offers different kind of activities, including kids club, sport activities and of course SPA.

Vine tasting hall at Lopota lake

Featuring a deluxe spa, the property is 26 km from Telavi town. It offers air-conditioned rooms with a fridge.

Family room at Lopota lake

 Each room at Lopota is decorated in a classic style and includes a balcony. Bathrooms are fitted with bathrobes and slippers. We had a direct access to the swimming pool straight from our room

Common Stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus) at Lopota Lake in Georgia

In case you are looking for this precious fungus in Georgia, I noticed one on the shores of Lopota lake in June 2020.

Hotel Chateau Mere near Telavi

30 May, 2017 | Hotel reviews | 16 seen

We booked hotel Chateau Mere Telavi at the start of April 2017 and were hoping to enjoy early spring in Kakheti. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side, and instead we enjoyed a couple of rainy days in a stylish hotel complex.

For getting forth and back from our Tbilisi apartment to Chateau Mere in Tbilisi we pre-ordered a shuttle service from the hotel (70 GEL one direction)

Housed in a stone castle, this design hotel features free Wi-Fi, an outdoor swimming pool and a spacious garden. Located in Telavi, it is set in Georgia’s wine-producing area amidst the Caucasus Mountains and Alazani Valley.

Stylish room at hotel Chateau Mere

Chateau Mere has classically decorated rooms featuring antique-style furnishings. Each room includes a flat-screen TV and minibar, and some rooms offer a balcony.

Outdoor swimming pool

Although it was already the start of April, the weather didn't spoil us at all. Mist, rain, and even snow. Thus the view from the balcony is nice.

The dining hall at Chateau Mere

A breakfast buffet is provided at the hotel, which also features its own restaurant serving traditional Georgian cuisine made from organic local produce. In the evenings, guests can enjoy a drink at the bar.

Chateau Mere in Telavi

On-site activities at Chateau Mere include wine tasting, billiards and karaoke. The accommodation can arrange horse riding excursions to the 8th-century Sios Marani Monastary or 6th-century Ikalto Monastary.

Outdoor terrace

Guests at Chateau Mere enjoy free private parking on site. Tbilisi International Airport is 73 km away and Tbilisi Train Station is 90 km away, and shuttle services can be arranged for a fee. 

Day trip to Gori and nearby vicinity

28 May, 2017 | Travel guides | 14 seen

Day trips to Gori and nearby vicinity are quite possible if traveling from Tbilisi. Although not so popular as day trips to Mtskheta and Jvari (because located very close to Tbilisi) a trip to Gori and the region (Shida Kartli) is a nice way to travel through the past. 

It was at the end of March 2017, when my business partner (traveltogeorgia.net) agreed to show me some cool and unseen places in Gori and nearby vicinity

One of the most famous landmarks in Gori is the Stalin Museum, which I, unfortunately,  didn't visit during this trip (as I've been here several times already in past). The second landmark you should see - Uplitsikhe Cave town ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia, some 10 kilometers east of the town of Gori. Enjoyed some wine and the lovely small winery Chateau Ateni, visited Atenis Sioni, and last visited some hidden gem - Sulfur baths in Biisi village.

Sulfur bath house in Biisi, Georgia

27 May, 2017 | Health & Wellness | 35 seen

Georgia is well known of it's sulfur bath houses, most recognized are located in the Tbilisi' s Old Town (see Abanotubani district), but there are more across country. One such is located in Biisi village (Shida Kartli region).

I was taken here by a friend from traveltogeorgia.net after we visited Uplitsikhe cave town and Atenis Sioni at the end of March 2017

You won't find much comfort here, but if you love diggers stuff (and I do) or rough travel - Biisi is really cool and attractive place to visit. Eco tourists will enjoy, it's completely free to take a sulfur bath here. Grab a towel before.

Biisi in Georgia

Old and neglected. Rusted but cool.

Sulfur bathhouse in Biisi

Some handy locals have made a lovely hardwood finishing.

Bath in Biisi

I didn't dare to take a bath here, but I must admit that the bathhouse seems completely functional, and I love the idea of free things. If you travel to this place, don't forget to drop a comment and tell how did it go.

Ateni Sioni Church

26 May, 2017 | Churches and Monasteries | 18 seen

The Ateni Sioni Church  is an early 7th-century Georgian Orthodox church in the village of Ateni, some 10 km (6.2 mi) south of the city of Gori, Georgia. It stands in a setting of the Tana River valley known not only for its historical monuments but also for its picturesque landscapes and wine. The name "Sioni" derives from Mount Zion at Jerusalem.

I had a chance to visit Atenis Sioni first in March 2017, as my business partner from tourgeorgia.eu Mrs. David Gabliashvili took me to the most interesting places in Gori area.

Atenis Sioni in Georgia

Sioni is an early example of a "four-apse church with four niches" domed tetraconch (between the four apses are three-quarter cylindrical niches which are open to the central space). The church's cruciform interior measures 24m x 19.22m, and its façades are faced with carved rectangular greenish-gray stones, richly decorated with ornaments and figurative reliefs. The church is not dated but is very similar in design to the Jvari Monastery at Mtskheta, which is generally held to have preceded it, and, hence, has been described by some art historians as belonging to the "Jvari-type" group of churches. Todosak, mentioned in an undated Armenian inscription on the southern facade as "I, Todosak, the builder of this holy church" is considered to have been an Armenian architect of the original church or its late 10th-century renovator.

Stone wall surrounding Atenis Sioni

The walls of the church contain the earliest known inscriptions in Nuskhuri or Nuskha-Khutsuri, one of the versions of the early Georgian alphabet, dating from 835. The earliest known examples of Mkhedruli, a currently used Georgian script, are also found in the Ateni Sioni church and date to the 980s. One of the inscriptions on the church commemorates Adarnase I of Tao-Klarjeti, the first documented Georgian Bagratid nobleman who was the father of Ashot I, the founder of the new royal line of Georgia.

Near the church there are the ruins of the medieval fortified town of Ateni (modern-day villages of Didi Ateni and Patara Ateni).

Chateau Ateni (Winery in Georgia)

25 May, 2017 | Tourism objects | 17 seen

Here comes another interesting, though small winery I've visited here in Georgia. Meet Chateau Ateni near Gori. I was taken here in the frames of short day trip to Gori with my business partner David Gablishvili from Traveltogeorgia.net.

Chateau Ateni is a small family run winery, offering to try local wine and famous Georgian hospitality. Located some 10km from Uplitisikhe cave town. 

Chateau Ateni winery in Georgia

As we visited this winery at the end of March it was still nothing much to see, but should be very beautiful if visited in Summer or Fall.

Chateau Ateni winery in Georgia

A small exhibition hall with fine bottled wines from this winery. 

Wine tasting room

Uplistsikhe Cave Town in Georgia

24 May, 2017 | Tourism objects | 25 seen

Uplistsikhe is an ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia, located some 10 kilometers east of the town of Gori, Shida Kartli.

Built on a high rocky left bank of the Mtkvari River, it contains various structures dating from the Early Iron Age to the Late Middle Ages and is notable for the unique combination of various styles of rock-cut cultures from Anatolia and Iran, as well as the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture.

First visited back in 2011, I have returned here for a few times more, though personally, I find Vardzia cave town more impressive, no doubt Uplistsikhe is a great example of rich Georgian history and is pretty easy reachable from Tbilisi by car.

There is a small museum located just after the entrance in the cave complex, a lot of interesting information located here:

Uplistsikhe museum

Uplistsikhe

Uplistsikhe is identified by archaeologists as one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia. Strategically located in the heartland of ancient kingdom of Kartli (or Iberia as it was known to the Classical authors), it emerged as a major political and religious center of the country. The town’s age and importance led medieval Georgian written tradition to ascribe its foundation to the mythical Uplos, son of Mtskhetos, and grandson of Kartlos.

With the Christianization of Kartli early in the 4th century, Uplistsikhe seems to have declined in its importance and lost its position to the new centers of Christian culture – Mtskheta and, later Tbilisi. However, Uplistsikhe reemerged as a principal Georgian stronghold during the Muslim conquest of Tbilisi in the 8th and 9th century. The Mongol raids in the 14th century marked the ultimate eclipse of the town; it was virtually abandoned, and only occasionally used as a temporary shelter in times of foreign intrusions.

Uplitsikhe cave town in Georgia

The Uplistsikhe complex can tentatively be divided into three parts: south (lower), middle (central) and north (upper) covering an area of approximately 8 hectares. The middle part is the largest, contains a bulk of the Uplistsikhe rock-cut structures, and is connected to the southern part via a narrow rock-cut pass and a tunnel. Narrow alleys and sometimes staircases radiate from the central "street" to the different structures.

The majority of the caves are devoid of any decorations, although some of the larger structures have coffered tunnel-vaulted ceilings, with the stone carved in imitation of logs. Some of the larger structures also have niches in the back or sides, which may have been used for ceremonial purposes.

Uplitsikhe

At the summit of the complex is a Christian basilica built of stone and brick in the 9th-10th centuries. Archaeological excavations have discovered numerous artifacts of different periods, including gold, silver and bronze jewellery, and samples of ceramics and sculptures. Many of these artifacts are in the safekeeping of the National Museum in Tbilisi.

Uplitsikhe cave town in Georgia

Several parts of the most vulnerable areas were completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1920. The stability of the monument remains under substantial threat, prompting the Fund of Cultural Heritage of Georgia (a joint project of the World Bank and Government of Georgia) to launch a limited program of conservation in 2000. The Uplistsikhe cave complex has been on the tentative list for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage program since 2007.

Here is some nice drone video I made in early April 2021 Uplistsikhe cave town in Georgia / 4K / DJI Mavic AIR 2

How To Reference Nodes in Drupal 8 + Views Relationships Display

23 May, 2017 | Drupal Development | 41 seen

Lately I feel very enthusiastic working with latest Drupal 8 release, though Drupal 8 have been around for a while already, there are still few drawbacks which keeps me avoiding developing full scale on Drupal 8.

I will write down my notes of pros and cons about switching from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8 in some of the future posts, in today's Drupal tutorial series I will provide information how to use reference fields and build something awesome, as usual I will use a live example. We are going to build a views display, listing tours in a blog article.

You can see my previous simple tutorial on the same functionality for Drupal 7 site here: Node reference views display using relationships

In fact if you are familiar with relationship fields and node reference fields in Drupal 7, there is basically nothing new in Drupal 7, with exception that this functionality is already built out of box in Drupal 8, you don't need to download and install any modules

Here is what the final result looks

Referenced node view

You can see a live preview here: John Graham Tours joins Tourgeorgia

Add a reference field to content type

In Drupal 8, node references are already in core, you don't need to install and enable any new modules. In this tutorial I'm using default article content type to add reference field:

Under your content type manage fields settings, click to add a new field

• Select Reference -> Content
• Give it a nice label, for example Tour listings
• Save 

On the next page choose content types that can be referenced and select display value to unlimited

Reference Type Field settings

As this reference field is attached to article content type, I will reference tours, so I select tour content type.

Save settings and go to content creation page (or edit existing content), you should see this newly created field there - add few referenced nodes and save your node.

You will see ugly formatted referenced items under your content, now go to your content type manage display settings and hide this field, as we are going to display it nicely using block built by views.

Drupal 8 views for referenced field

• Create a new view, make sure your are enabling block display
• Under Advanced, add Contextual Filter: ID (provide default value)
• then from Relationships add referenced field:content

Now you are good adding fields and styling your view. Once ready save your view, go to block admin display and place this newly created block in content section.

Hope it helps. 

Nasdaq Baltics Review After One Month Investment in Dividend Paying Stocks

22 May, 2017 | Investments | 15 seen

I started this year (2017) with a goal to save one million dollars in savings accounts by the time I will turn 60 (that's in 2045). For some such goal might sounds unrealistic, for others nothing so special.Anyway it's not about who is right and who is not. It's all about finance discipline and hopefully sunny days in retirement age. 

It was decided that I will invest $8,561 in 2017, in different investment opportunities- peer to peer lending, dividend paying stocks and mutual funds. 

I've written several articles about my investments in peer to peer lending already, see:

• Review of Mintos Peer to Peer Lending After One Month of Investing
• Mintos.com Review after 3 month investing in Peer to Peer loans
• and  Q1 2017 Online Income Report - $5,886.46

By now investments in Nasdaq Baltics in my portfolio makes 25%, without doubts I'm looking to increase investments here to at least 40% by the end of year.

Investment portfolio May 2015

It was around the end of April 2017, when I decided to diversify my portfolio, and without any doubts I looked on dividend paying stocks as the next big think for my portfolio. I re-opened my old SEB banka bank account in Latvia (it turns out I've been their customer since 2002 already), paid some inactivity fees and deposited money. All investments I was able to perform using online banking, but here is the catch - each order placed in Baltic market will be charged minimum 3 EUR fee, that's the reason I decided to stick with 3 stocks in first month. And here is what I bought:

• Zemaitijos Pienas
• SAF Tehnika
• OLYMPIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

You can read more about my planned investment strategy here: Dividend Paying Stocks In Nasdaq Baltic Market By Yield

It turned out that I still have 10 shares from 2002 or 2003 with:

• Latvijas Kugnieciba

As my investment strategy involves to get monthly interest payments, decision acquiring above mentioned stocks was based on two principles:

• high dividend yield stocks
• shortest future dividend paying stock

If there is nothing much to discuss about why I chose to stick with high dividend yield stocks, there is still a room for explanation why I opted to take next closest dividend payment. In order to build monthly dividend paying stock portfolio I need stocks in my portfolio paying out at different intervals of year. As my initial investments were made at the end of April, I decided to go with Zemaitijos Pienas and Olympic Entertainment Group, each promising 0.1 EUR dividend per share in May. 

The Portfolio

From my initial investment of EUR 860.5 in dividend paying stocks, I bought 200 shares of Lithuanian Zemaitijos Pienas, 200 shares of Estonian Olympic Entertainment Group and 50 shares of Latvian SAF Tehnika. 

Zemaitijos Pienas

SAF Tehnika

Olympic E Group

Total

Bought

298

202.5

360

860.5

Value

300

230

342

872

Growth

2

27.5

-18

11.5

My Nasdaq Baltic stock portfolio value as of May 15, 2017

In first month, the total growth for my investment was EUR 11.5, which equals to about 1.33%, as you can see one stock declined by EUR - 18, but as I had a liitle diversification, the overall portfolio performance was rather good. The best, that's not all. As I bought stocks just before dividend payment dates, I got first dividend payments:

Dividends

Invested

Dividend

Yield %

Zemaitijos Pienas

298

17

5.70

Olympic Casino Group

360

18

5.00

SAF Tehnika

202.5

0

0

Total

860.5

35

4.07

Dividend payments and yield

I got EUR 35 in dividend payments during month of May, making 4.07% dividend yield.

Bank fees

As I submitted 3 orders, in bank fees I paid EUR 9, which is a lot in fact. On the other hand, I'm buy and hold type investor, not planing to sell any of above listed stocks in foreseen future, my interest lies in fixed monthly dividend payments instead. 

What's next

There are two companies listed on Nasdaq Baltic I'm really interested acquiring of - Tallinna Vesi and Latvijas Gāze, offering highest dividend yields in the Baltics. Those are among next ones I'm looking to acquire. Technically speaking I'm looking to acquire about 2 new dividend paying stocks each month, building kind of Baltic dividend paying stock index. Sad, there is no such dividend paying fund available yet. Could save a lot on commission fees. 

Investment Goal #1 - $100/mo from Dividend Payments

21 May, 2017 | Investments | 13 seen

It has been a while I did set my general goal of saving million dollars before I will turn 60 (there is still plenty of time). The good news I've been on the right track for the past 5 months and I've been investing in peer to peer lending, dividend paying stocks and mutual funds.

I like the idea of getting monthly interest or dividend payments, and I started with investments in Latvian mintos peer to peer lending. Despite pretty high interest rates (more than 11% annually) I feel pretty concerned regarding peer to peer lending, especially in loans issued in Eastern Europe. That's the reason I started to invest in dividend paying stocks, unfortunately or for good, right now I'm still investing the same region I'm concerned with - Baltics. See: Dividend Paying Stocks In Nasdaq Baltic Market By Yield

The good thing about dividend paying stocks in Baltics, in general it's easy to find stocks with annul dividend yield higher than 6%, the bad thing - higher yield means higher risk and companies listed on Nasdaq Baltic list takes the same risk as this region (Eastern Europe). For now, I don't see red flags in the economies of Baltic, but I find them very volatile. 

I finished month of April  with EUR 25.83 in interest (that's about USD 28.22) with relatively small investment ($3,600) with all income made from peer to peer lending. In May I'm planing to receive about EUR 60  ($65.55) both from peer to peer lending and dividend paying stocks. While in June just about EUR 30 ($32.78) and here is why. My current investment in peer to peer lending generates about EUR 30 monthly, while dividends for stocks are paid annually or biannually, leaving some months with more interest received and some months with less.

That's the reason I love counting annual income. In general $100/mo equals to $1,200/y. And here comes in my first actually goal, to earn $100/mo or $1,200 annually from investments. 

There are few possible scenarios to reach my goal - all of them ask for more invested money. Either I will tipple my investments in peer to peer lending or diversify with more dividend paying stocks. 

I've already expressed my concerns regarding investments in Eastern Europe, though, as in general $100/mo is a relatively small income, I've decided to push more with peer to peer lending and dividend paying stocks in this area. As with current yield, to get $100 monthly, I could be fine with about $10,000 in total investment. 

I'm looking to reach this goal by February 2018. After successfully completed goal I should re-consider my investment strategy. By now it's peer to peer lending and dividends paying stock. One of the further goals I already see is to invest in growth stocks, but as it requires more knowledge and a lot stock screening my current $100/mo goal right now seems the most applicable.