Blog Archive: October 2015
Deer Park "Rudiņi" in Latvia
| Farms | 60 seen
Lovely things happened on June's late evening, we most probably traveled back from Riga to our wolf's lair and noticed a strange construction - The Bridge to nowhere, after I took few photos back there, we continued our drive and suddenly second surprise - deers, a lot of deers.
Now being back to Tbilisi I feel a bit awkward for two reasons - first I'm not 100% that this place actually is called Rudiņi deer park (In Latvian - Rudiņu briežu parks), second - I didn't had that telephoto lens I do have now.
Deer park in Latvia
A runaway deer
Now - a telephoto zoom would probably done amazing close shots of wildlife in this situation, but unfortunately i didn't have such back then
P 121 asphalt road connecting Tukums - Kuldīga
Bridge To Nowhere (Latvia)
| Tourism objects | 21 seen
It was a late June evening and we most probably returned from Riga to our wolf's lair when suddenly we noticed very interesting object - The Bridge To Nowhere.
The bridge reminds of the intended construction of Tukums-Kuldīga railroad, which was started already during the first independence of the Republic of Latvia in 1930-ties. However, in the minds of the people, it is instilled as a German wartime commemorative site, because the German rule during the 1940-ties tried to continue and complete it, but they did not succeed. The bridge has remained intact in the middle of a meadow up until the modern day. Read more: Bridge to Nowhere
Bridge to nowhere
P 121 asphalt road connecting Tukums - Kuldīga
Open Air Sulphur Water Swimming Pools in Borjomi
| Health & Wellness | 74 seen
Georgia will never end surprise you (at least me), so did happened during our recent hiking/trekking tour in lovely parts of Borjomi - Kharaguli National park. After a visit of Saint George Church in Daba we headed back to Borjomi Mineral Water park (You can find a Borjomi Cable car here) and we decided to take some shortcut. Huge was my surprise when I noticed following scenery:
Open air swimming pools in Borjomi
I couldn't believe what I was seeing, it looked like some oasis in the middle of dessert - completely new (Ok, as I learnt latter it's actually renovated old) clean and super exciting place located just on Borjomi hiking trails.
Borjomula river
It's just amazing what a humans hand can actually do (build)
Open air swimming pools in Borjomi
Tsar's Sulphur Baths
According to written on this banner -
The source of water possessed such magical and useful features, that the Romanovs in the 19th century ordered to arrange a pool in dense forest. The track leading to she spot was paved. The Borjomula river was spanned by bridges, each of them was of…
Skrunda Open-Air Stage and Park
| Entertainment | 10 seen
I just love Skrunda, like I have dedicated a lot of posts to this lovely small Latvian town in Western Latvia. So today is no exception - meet another tourist attraction in this marvelous town - Open air stage and park. You will just love this place.
Skrunda park with an open-air stage and the viewing platform. The park is developed on top of the Skrunda castle mound and features four public art objects made by wood carver Ģirts Burvis – seats of the first Couronian kings Ērmanis Pilāts, Jākobs Sigitars, Veisens and Santiķis. The sculptures were dedicated to the 750th anniversary of Skrunda being mentioned in historical sources. A scenic view over the River Venta opens from the viewing platform located in the park.
Skrunda Open air stage
Skrunda Open air stage
Park in Skrunda near Open Air Stage
Embankment of Venta in Skrunda
It's just wonderful how they have built everything here in Skrunda. Go discover Skrunda now! (Better in Summer time)
Two Year Blog Anniversary
| Blogging | 6 seen
It was just yet another Autumn evening, when back in the October 10, 2013 I registered my domain name www.ReinisFischer.com, but in fact I started my blog some 7 days earlier on October 3rd, 2013. I had my blog been setup and it already was filled with a few articles, before it was actually launched. Yes, such strange behavior probably can be explained that geeks do geek things, though I don't see a geek in me.
I started this blog thing with a goal - To blog 365 consecutive days and when I launched I was looking to reach about 6,000 monthly users by the end of my first blogging year. The fact is, after 365 days of consecutive blogging I reached just 3,364 monthly users (September 2014), what was about just above of half of my goal.
6,000 users, buddy? It's nothing! I hear you, you are right, 6,000 are not much, but it was worth of it to reach and crack that milestone in November 2014 (9,096 users).
As you can see - I did have my goals defined even before I launched, and that's what I can recommend to any one looking to dig in into this amazing thing called blogging - set your goals and work out hard to reach them.
Traffic (October…Saint George Church and Monastery (Borjomi/Georgia)
| Churches and Monasteries | 23 seen
I was not familiar with the name of this place, until during a recent hiking trip in Georgia and latter at home using Google Maps I learned this place is known as Saint George Church.
The name I used to knew it - was something like this - there is that lovely women monastery up there in Borjomi. And I'm still preferring this name of describing this place instead of Saint George Church.
The Sadgeri St. George Church is the XV century monument. It is located in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, in the village of Sadgeri in Borjomi municipality, on the high bank of the river.
Tourist sign indication direction to this monastery complex
I still haven't learned Georgian script, but I believe it says - it's 50 meters and there will be Saint George church
Monks house
The Mother Monastery currently operates in the temple area. The church territory is surrounded by a curtain wall.
St. George's Church
The church is a hall type and it has no apse. It is covered with a cylindrical vault of uneven outline. The temple is built of grey …
Bakuriani Hotels - Enjoy Your Winter Holidays in Georgian Ski Resort
| Hotel reviews | 25 seen
There are a few simple reasons I enjoy Bakuriani as my winter holiday destination in Georgia (I have spent two Christmas here) - the scenery mountainous views, holiday feeling and during Western Christmas time (December 24-26) there are not too many folks (Georgian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7).
Read more about how I have celebrated Christmas in Bakuriani, or learn the way I believe that Bakuriani is among Top 16 places to visit in Georgia
There are a few hotels I really like in Bakuriani, and among my favorite, I can call the Hotel Trialeti Palace.
So if you feel confident enough about Bakuriani as your next winter holiday destination, take a look at these lovely hotels and apartments in this fabulous Georgian ski resort.
Alternatively, see:
- 6 Best Value Hotels in Borjomi, Georgia
- Ultimate List With Top 10 Gudauri Hotels (Georgian Ski Resort)
A quick note: All hotels listed in this article contains affiliate links to Booking.com, and if you will click on them and make an actual booking I will earn an affiliate income from that at no cost to…
September 2015 Traffic and Income Report (36,670 Users/ $254.01)
| Blogging | 44 seen
Welcome to the 21th traffic and income report of this blog. In this post I will cover some details about income and expenses I have made in month of September as well I will share some insights about traffic numbers.
In case you are wondering why should someone publish online his/her earnings - the answer is pretty simple - I like transparency and these reports help me to observe my progress or bounces. Hopefully my reports can give some inspiration to you as well. Read: How to start a blog and make it successful
About Income/ExpensesA quick note: Some of the links below are affiliate links.By clicking on them I might end up earning some income from that.
Income
- Google AdSense - $45.89
- Amazon Associates* - $886.94
- Sovrn - $5.18
- Booking - $13.40
- Bluehost - $0
*Amazon Associates includes Amazon CPM
Total Income: $951.41
Expenses
- Linode - $22.50
- Facebook Ads - $7.90
- New Laptop - $377.00
- New Tripod - $…
One Day Trip To Armenia (Lori Province)
| Travel guides | 12 seen
Just shortly after our return to Georgia, in the first weekend we just couldn't sit back home and do nothing, we were eager for some travels. So we found this lovely offer on Facebook - short one day trip to Armenia for 40 GEL (it's about $17.00) and here we were heading to Armenia. Since this was not our first trip to neighboring republic we already felt pretty confident about all the border crossings, money exchanges e.t.c.
I must admit I had no clue where we are actually heading to, and that's actually the way I prefer to travel, not much planning, just basic information. I call it a true travel spirit. As it later turned out our tour guide was prepared better, and we were on our way to the barbecue festival in Armenia.
Below you will find both maps with all the places (they are just 3) and descriptions for each of the places. If you are up for a short trip travels to Armenia, I can highly recommend you this route and discover the beauty of Armenia.
So here you go - a short trip to Armenia from Georgia.
About Lori Province in ArmeniaLori is a …
Skrunda Manor and Hotel
| Tourism objects | 13 seen
Skrunda Manor is an attractive final destination in the culturally historical region of Kurzeme (Courland) in Latvia. What's use to been a manor house now is turned into a boutique hotel in Western Latvia. I know for sure they have restaurant on site and after midnight you can get a take away coffee at reception (well, don't forget about tips to the receptionist).
I visited this place at the start of June 2015, since I was a little bit in rush, I didn't photographed lovely interior they have on site, and I feel some regrets about it now.
Playground at Skrunda manor
Skrunda manor
Skrunda Manor built in classicism style with design similarities with Mežotne Palace was reconstructed in 2012 according to Eleja Castle design created by the world-famous architect Giaccomo Quarenghi. Today the building serves as home for a hotel, restaurant and conference rooms.
According to the studies of the Latvian writer and historian Arturs Heniņš, Skrunda Manor can be considered as miniature copy of Mežotne Palace and, most credibly, the design of Mežotne Palace of Johann Georg Adam Berlitz was used for its construction. Johann Georg Adam…
Brethren Cemetery ensemble in Nīkrāce (Latvia)
| Military Heritage | 16 seen
It was hard for me to decide should I put this place as a tourist attraction or as a military heritage, I opted for the second one. You see, things related to WW2, especially like Brethren Cemeteries is hard to call tourist attractions, right?
So, here is another one interesting place in Latvia, region of Courland you should visit some day - a memorial dedicated to fatalities of WW2. Some locals call this place just as a Mother (Latvian: Māmuļa) because of the sculpture in the middle of this ensemble.
Brethren Cemetery ensemble in Nikrace
Author of this sculpture: Līvija Rezevska
Brethren Cemetery ensemble in Nikrace
According to sources, around 3000 war fatalities happened here during 1944-1945 for the Soviet side.
Brethren cemetery ensemble in Nīkrāce
This site is funded by Embassy of Russian Federation in Latvia
Brethren cemetery ensemble in Nīkrāce
As you see - you guys just like me and you... it's always hard to look on such memorials for me.
Brethren cemetery ensemble in Nīkrāce
Brethren cemetery ensemble in Nīkrāce…
Simple Homemade Hamburger Recipe With Photos
| Food blogger | 42 seen
What happens when bloggers, who are trying out some new photo equipment and who loves to cook comes together? Right, they do a food blog. This time blogger here is just one (I do have a lovely assistant) and strong jury although.
So, lets make a really simple hamburger today.
For ingredients you will need to have those lovely buns (you can try to buy them at your local shop), for patties I'm going to use ground meat (minced meat) out of pork, but you could use beef, as I believe a real hamburger is made out of beef.. wait, what am I talking right now? Pork is just fine.
1 egg, 2 onions, and your favorite seasoning for patties.
For toppings you can use, tomatoes, pickles, salads.. just the usual stuff.. yes cheese goes in very well also.
Here is my photo recipe for that simple homemade hamburger:
Lets start with patty
Filling for patty
I took pork ground meat, added one egg, grated onion and some seasoning
Fry buns
Now, once you are done with patty making, take those buns you got from the shop and put them on pan, prehat them a little bit. This will…
Budget-Friendly Laptops: The Top 5 Asus Models for Value and Performance
| Laptop Reviews | 162 seen
Asus is a well-known brand in the laptop industry, and for good reason. Their laptops offer high-quality features and specifications at affordable prices, making them a popular choice for budget-conscious buyers.
In this article, we will look at the top budget-friendly Asus laptops on the market.
Disclaimer: Please note that this article contains affiliate links to Amazon. This means that we may earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no additional cost to you.
The ASUS VivoBook 15 is a great budget laptop for everyday use. It features a 15.6-inch FHD display, an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. It also comes with a backlit keyboard and a fingerprint scanner for added security. With a price point of around $400, this laptop is a steal.
The ASUS Chromebook C523 is an excellent budget laptop for those who need a device primarily for web browsing and basic productivity tasks. It comes with a 15.6-inch HD display, an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 64GB eMMC storage. With a weight of just 3.1 pounds…
Lēnas Holy Trinity Roman Catholic church (Latvia)
| Churches and Monasteries | 19 seen
Lēnu church (Latvian: Lēnu baznīca) is located in Latvia, historical region of Courland in Skrunda municipality. I first discovered this place either in 2013, or 2014, and in fact I was surprised to learn than in Western Latvia (Courland) there are actually Catholic churches (turns out - there are, and a lot)
Lenu church
At time (On June 6, 2015) I visited this church a festival called Night of Churches happened, which basically means that this festival promotes awareness of Latvian churches.
Lēnu Catholic church
The statue of the Holy Virgin Mary at Lēnu church garden
At Lēnu church
About Lēnas Holy Trinity Roman Catholic churchThe church with two towers was built in 1756 on the bank of the river Venta. It is worth seeing the confessionals which are of great artistic value, as well as the organ which was built at the end of the 18th century. The cellar holds the coffins of the last two Piltene bishops.
Learning Adobe Lightroom Basics
| Digital Photography School | 5 seen
Adobe Lightroom is something completely new and unknown for me, I have been doing photography for some time already and actually have never done anything more with photo like cropping and resizing it. Well I have some basic knowledge on Adobe Photoshop, like I'm using it sometimes to make some simple text logos or other basic graphics for web development.
It has been some time since I got my first DSLR camera and I have done with that the some lovely thing - photographed and photographed a lot - Take for example Tourist Attractions section on my blog, or just browse photos to get familiar with my works.
At the end of September I decided to go for a 365 photo project to start exploring better my camera, and what's probably the most important to shoot in M (manual mode).
So it was the eight day of my 365 photo project, when a friend of me (very experienced photographer) visited me and we headed for a small walk to the nearby park. Since I'm into this photo project I took my camera with myself figuring out where to take that another just another decent shot in M mode, while talking about some things with a friend.
So I took the following…