Blog Archive: November 2023
London Stansted Airport
| Airports | 73 seen
London Stansted Airport is an international airport serving London, England. It is located near Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, 42 mi (68 km) northeast of Central London.
London Stansted serves over 160 destinations across Europe, Asia and Africa. Stansted is a base for a number of European low-cost carriers. This includes being the largest base for low-cost airline Ryanair, with over 100 destinations served by the airline. As of 2022, it is the fourth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester.
I first visited this airport back in August 2023, returning to Riga from London by Ryanair. Cozy little airport. To get here we used the BOLT app, while actually staying for a night in a nearby hotel at Radisson Blu.
Converted to civil use from RAF Stansted Mountfitchet in the late 1940s, Stansted was used by charter airlines. It came under British Airports Authority control in 1966. The privatised BAA sold Stansted in February 2013 to Manchester Airports Group as a result of a March 2009 ruling by the Competition Commission against BAA's monopoly position.
London Stansted Airport is located near the village of…
Khobi Central Park
| Tourism objects | 36 seen
Khobi is a small town in western Georgia with a population of 4,242. The settlement of Khobi acquired the status of a town in 1981 and currently functions as an administrative center of the Khobi District within the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region.
I first visited this small town at the end of September 2023, during a few-day trip to Svaneti, we made a stop at what seems a central square of the city, found a nice cafe, and enjoyed some light breakfast/dinner.
There is an impressive mural located on the city hall building and there is an interesting monument, a central element of the square. A little bit further there is an actual central park of Khobi, which seemed nice, equipped with some labyrinths for kids e.t.c
It seems the palce has been renovated and opened for the public back in 2019:
Up to 1 million GEL have been spent on the construction of the central park.The project was supported by the regional development projects fund and local budget. The next stage envisages rehabilitation of culture house, a square in front and a surrounding area.
It looks there is a stadium located behind the park and further away there is Rioni…
Radisson Blu Hotel London Stansted Airport
| Hotel reviews | 40 seen
Featuring 3 international restaurants, the Radisson Blu is just a 2-minute walk from Stansted Airport Terminal. Guests can enjoy stylish, non-smoking, modern rooms featuring free Wi-Fi and a fully equipped gym.
We booked this hotel for a night's stay back in August 2023, while traveling from London to Riga, we chose this hotel because it is directly connected to the airport with a passage, which is awesome. For our night stay we spent about EUR 150, brekfast included.
For getting here, we paid about 70-80 Biriths piunds using Bolt application, the ride was about 2 hours
The Wine Tower Bar offers a variety of beers, wine and cocktails. Guests can also enjoy traditional British cuisine in our Collage restaurant. The third restaurant is Station 169, it serves British and American dishes.
The spacious rooms have 24-hour room service, free WiFi and flat-screen TVs. Some rooms feature Nespresso coffee machines, bathrobes and slippers. Express check-out and express laundry is available.
We got a free extra bed for our 5 year old daughter.
The M11 is 10 minutes’ drive away, and central London can be reached in 1 hour by car.
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Dadiani Palace
| Tourism objects | 38 seen
Dadiani Palace is an interesting site to visit once in Zugdidi, there is actually located the histroy and architecture musem.
The Dadiani Palaces History and Architecture Museum is considered to be one of the most eminent palaces in the Caucasus. It is a Neo-Gothic building.
I had heard so much about this place, but finally visited and took off my bucket list at the end of September 2023, during a few-day Svaneti trip together with my mom. We were traveling with Vazha, our good old friend and driver here in Georgia. Made a stop just for a brief time to make an aerial photography with a drone.
The first exhibition, of archaeological excavations of the ancient city of Nakalakevi was prepared by Megrelian prince David Dadiani and took place in 1840. Three palaces form the modern museum complex, parts of which are also Blachernae Virgin Church and Zugdidi Botanical Garden.
The Dadiani Palaces History and Architecture Museum houses some exhibits of natural cultural heritage of Georgia – Tagiloni treasure materials, Mother of God holy vesture, the icon of queen Bordokhan – mother of queen Tamar of Georgia, manuscripts from 13th – 14th centuries,…
Birthday in London
| Travel guides | 116 seen
The long-awaited London movie has finally graced our screens, capturing the essence of a remarkable birthday celebration back in August. Join us as we embark on a journey that begins in the heart of Tbilisi, meanders through Riga via Kutaisi, witnesses the construction of a house in Capšu zeme, experiences grass-trimming adventures in Jēči, indulges in a delightful fish grilling session, and culminates in the vibrant cityscape of London, with travels through Luton and Stansted.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of London, the city unfolds as a compact and charming destination. Our exploration reveals hidden gems, and one area that stole the spotlight was none other than the enchanting Whitechapel. Discover the allure of this locale and its unique character that left us captivated.
Our London escapade wasn't just a visual feast; it was a treat for the taste buds as well. From excellent pints of Guinness to the irresistible allure of tasty cider, London's culinary scene left a lasting impression. Join us as we raise a virtual toast to the delightful gastronomic experiences that added flavor to our adventure.
As we reminisce about our journey, we invite…
Installing Hardwood floors for our Frame House In Latvia
| Frame House | 101 seen
In October 2023, we enjoyed a week-long school break from the British International School in Tbilisi, Georgia. Seizing the opportunity, we made plans to travel back to Latvia to advance our DIY project involving a Frame House.
In preparation for our trip, I had already placed orders for OSB (Oriented Strand Board) and hardwood flooring from local suppliers. We had coordinated the delivery, with an agreed-upon date of the evening of October 18. As soon as we landed in Riga, we wasted no time and immediately headed to the construction site to unload the eagerly anticipated wooden boards.
Feeling somewhat weary after the flight from Tbilisi to Riga and a two-hour drive to the construction site.
The nearest DIY store is approximately 30 kilometers away from the construction site, and it required multiple trips solely to transport the rockwool needed for the flooring.
Upon our arrival at the site, two significant issues immediately caught our attention. Firstly, we observed that the house had shifted by approximately 15 centimeters. Secondly, on one side of the house, the roofing was flapping freely in the wind. To address these…
Tsinandali music festival
| Living in Georgia | 55 seen
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How To Fix Access to the path 'C:\Users\...\My Music' is denied when opening a Trados Studio project package
| Servers | 272 seen
The other day Gvantsa from the translation office in Tbilisi asked if could I help to fix her Trados SDL Studio 2021.
As not being an actual user of this program, just providing support for the office technique I took a look and saw there are some problems with permissions, as the software was saying Access to the path 'C:\Users\...\My Music' is denied when opening a Trados Studio project package.
I thought what a strange choice for the folder and most probably there are some permission problems. Though that may be running this software as an administrator might solve the issue, it didn't
My second guess, was maybe the Windows operating system is glitching as it has been a while since I did some system updates. And I decided to go with a fresh install, but before that, I thought - just to google this error code and... the solution was much more simple:
Seems, not only we have been encountred this problem, but the questin was already asked on Trados support desk (Error processing command line arguments: Access to the path 'C:\Users\...\My Music' is denied when opening a Trados Studio project package)
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Mestiatour guesthouse in Mestia
| Hotel reviews | 25 seen
This guest house is located in the picturesque village of Mestia. Free Wi-Fi and free parking are provided at Mestiatour Guest House.
We booked here one night stay but two separate rooms for the price of GEL 200 at the end of September 2023, during our few-day Svaneti trip
The private and dormitory rooms are heated and simply furnished.
We got a nice room in the third floor, with nice views towards Mestia. Simple and cozy.
From the guesthosues yard I made a few drone photographies. Impressive surroundings views with dozzens of Svan towers around.
For additional GEL 60 we got some simple brekfast with egg, bread, salad e.t.c
A variety of cafés and restaurants can be found within a 5-minute walk of the guest house. Guests are also welcome to relax in the hostel’s living room with a computer, a TV and a sofa. Queen Tamar Airport is 2 km from Mestiatour Guest House.
Book now on Booking.com
Tbilisi Airbnb market overview - October 2023
| Living in Georgia | 88 seen
Back in 2022, I had the idea of creating a Tbilisi Airbnb property management service. I created a few articles on my blog and got some attention from the expats living in Georgia, but haven't yet concluded any deal.
Recently I got contacted by a French investor and we agreed to share a cup of coffee to talk about a potential partnership I decided to take another look at the Tbilisi Airbnb property market.
According to AllTheRooms, the average daily rate in October 2023, for hosts earned in Tbilisi was $46, which is a -4% decrease if compared to the previous month (September 2023). but a15% growth if compared to May 2022, when I did my first overview of the Tbilisi Airbnb market.
The occupancy rate in October was 49% (a +2% increase compared to the previous month)
- There were 4,402 listings in Tbilisi during the month of October (which is significantly less than in May 2022, when the total listing were more than 6,000)
- The average earning per listing is $582 (-2% growth). a significant increse if comapred to May 2022, when it was about $339
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