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Maiden Tower in Baku
The Maiden Tower is a 12th-century monument in the Old City, Baku, Azerbaijan. Along with the Shirvanshahs' Palace, dated to the 15th century, it forms a group of historic monuments listed in 2001 under the UNESCO World Heritage List of Historical Monuments as cultural property, Category III. It is one of Azerbaijan's most distinctive national emblems, and is thus featured on Azeri currency notes…
Patara Tba near Dedoplis Tskaro
Patara Tba or Little lake is located near the town of Dedoplis Tskaro in the region on Kakheti, Georgia. We tried to visit this lake at the end of June 2019 but as the road heading here turned into an offroad turned our car back - as a rule of thumb in Georgia - once you are of from the main highway - the road turns into offroad. Off road driving in Georgia Patara Tba from distance
Yanar Dag / Burning Mountain in Azerbaijan
Yanar Dag literally meaning "burning mountain" is a natural gas fire which blazes continuously on a hillside on the Absheron Peninsula on the Caspian Sea near Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Flames could jet into the air 3 meters (9.8 ft) from a thin, porous sandstone layer. I had a chance to visit Yanar Dag for the first in August 2019, during a weekend trip to Baku. To get here we ordered a taxi…
Monadire Dedoplis Tskaro Restaurant
Monadire is a small roadside restaurant located in the town of Dedoplis Tskaro, we made a stop here at the end of June during our explorations in the area. The places look bit abandoned or not well maintained, but despite first looks - the place is quite good. They may not have all ingredients on-site, but they will figure it out to go to the nearby hop to buy missing ingredients. As we learned- Monadire means hunter. The places serve…
Nukriani Lavender fields in Georgia
Nukriani lavender fields are located near Nukriani village in the region of Kakehti, Georgia. Best way to get here when driving from Tbilisi is to take a shortcut before Chalaubani and drive the road Tsnori - Dedoplitskaro-Kvemi Kedi. We took a trip here at the end of June 2019, and almost missed this point, luckily I noticed a tiny signboard on the roadside informing that lavender fields are somewhere here: Signboard Nukriani Lavender…
Orbeliani Square
Orbeliani square has recently undergone some serious renovations works and has been opened for public. It's said that about $31 mln has bees spent on renovation works, which took more than two years. It's interesting to notice President Salome Zurabishvili, moved to the Presidential Palace on the Orbeliani Street when she was elected to the post in 2019 Renovated Oberliani square in Tbilisi A couple of years ago similar…
Fairmont Baku hotel at Flame Towers
Located in the Flame Towers Complex, just a 3-minute walk from the famous Martyrs' Alley, 5-star Fairmont Baku, Flame Towers features picturesque views of Baku City or Caspian Sea. We booked a two-night stay at Fairmont Baku in early August, during my birthday trip to Baku, Azerbaijan, for a two-day stay we paid USD 349, which I believe is the lowest amount of money we have paid for a luxury stay at 5-star hotel ever. Top 14…
Amazon Alexa Echo Dot (3rd Gen) - Smart speaker Review
There are more than 50,000 user reviews about Alexa Echo Dot smart speaker on Amazon, and in this article, I wont be very original, but I will write another review from a point of view of a stock trader and a father of a little baby girl. I purchased our first Echo Dot smart speaker at the end of August 2019, it took more than 2 weeks to get it shipped to Georgia (country) and just in the mid-September, it was finally here. …
Dolma restaurant in Baku
Dolma restaurant is located on M.Rasulzada street 8 in Baku, this places serves typical Azerbaijani cuisine and is named as of the best Baku restaurants. This restaurant was a recommendation from a Tripadvisor, we got here from our hotel room in Flames Tower using Bolt Taxi application At first, it was hard to find this place, as the restaurant is actually located in a basement, which actually is more like a dungeon…
Buratino Lake
Buratino lake is a relatively small, artificial (man-made) water reservoir near Manglisi town in the region of Kvemo Kartli, Georgia. We first discovered and visited Buratino lake in the mid-August 2019, after getting directions here from the Algeti Visitors center. Just shortly before getting here we made a short stop at Manglisi cathedral. The road heading to Buratino lake is not in the best shape, an SUV car is…
Guest house / Viesu Māja 'Kuncīši' near Murjāņi
Featuring free WiFi and a barbecue, Viesumāja Kuncīši Murjāņos offers accommodation in Murjāņi, 41 km from the center of Rīga. Free private parking is available on site. We booked guesthouse Kuncīši for a one night stay in July 2019, we paid EUR 100 in cash and for the money got a separate guesthouse (for up to 12 people) - a sauna, small indoor pool and a grill to prepare a barbeque. The evening spent here reminded me of our travels in…
Baku Boulevard
Baku Boulevard also is known as National Park is a promenade established in 1909 which runs parallel to Baku's seafront. Its history goes back more than 100 years, to a time when Baku oil barons built their mansions along the Caspian shore and when the seafront was artificially built up inch by inch. I first visited Baku on August 2019, and Baku boulevard was our first stop after arriving at Baku Railway…
Manglisi Cathedral
Manglisi Cathedral or Manglisi Sioni Cathedral is a 6th-7th-century Georgian Orthodox cathedral near the town of Manglisi, Tetritsqaro Municipality, Georgia. For me, it was interesting to observe the traditional cross from the Russian orthodox church decorating the top of this cathedral. Also, the coat of arms with two-headed eagle from Tzarist Russia is featured on the facade of Manglisi cathedral.…
Hotel 'Keizarmezs' Review in Riga
The Keizarmezs is located on the shore of Lake Kisezers in the Mezaparks district, a 20-minute drive from Riga’s centre. A private car park is available free of charge. We booked a couple of nights here in July 2019, during our visit to Riga hotel Keizarmezs offered lowest value deal price, for a 3-night stay we paid here about $70 (while most of the other Riga hotels asked around $300) Now, the hotel is bit outdated, but the price…
Baku Central Railway Station
Baku central railway station has gone through some serious modernization recently. We booked a train to Baku from Tbilisi in early August 2019, and that's how I first visited this railway station. Tbilisi - Baku by Train Ticket Information According to RailwayPro - It took 2 years to renovate and modernize the whole capital’s rail station. The station has a shopping area on the second floor, the main building has been renovated and all the…
Georgia / Azerbaijan Border Crossing by train (Gardabani / Boyuk Kasik)
When traveling by train from Tbilisi to Baku, there are two border checkpoints (one in Georgia, and one in Azerbaijan) - the total border crossing procedure can take around 2 hours (an hour for each side) and you can stay inside the train during the checkups. In this article, I'll share some notes from our latest trip to Baku from Tbilisi by train in the start of August 2019 Tbilisi - Baku by Train Ticket Information It takes about…
Algeti National Park Visitor Center Manglisi
The main entrance of the national park is located near the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of Manglisi. Algeti National Park Administration has a small infrastructural unit – a picnic area with auxiliary buildings and a forest adventure park. Algeti has been on our radar ever since we discovered Algeti water reservoir while hiking in Birvisi Canyon. To get here we used Tbilisi - Kojori - Tsalka - Ninotsminda road Day…
Grill&Fish Jomas terase, Jūrmala
Grill&Fish Jomas terase is another stylish restaurant located on central Jomas street in busy Latvian seaside town Jūrmala. We visited this place in early May 2019, during a short 10 day trip to Latvia. Grill bar Lighthouse serves traditional seasonal Latvian cuisine and not only Soup at Grill and Fish restaurant in Jūrmala The Grill & Fish restaurant seems is quite popular among locals and visitors. Food choice is…
Goodwill Gori Higway
Goodwill near Gori - Tbilisi Highway is a convenient rest area/supermarket/ eatery while driving to Tbilisi (from Kutaisi or Batumi, for example) Goodwill was one of the first supermarket chains in Georgia. I wouldn't call this store a supermarket in the classic sense, as mostly here are sold long-lasting food items, though there is a stand for fresh products, like milk, eggs and so on). We keep stopping here, to buy some milk,…
Antalya Aquarium
As one of the biggest aquarium complexes of the world, Antalya Aquarium offers inspiration, entertainment and education all at once. After touring the 40 thematic aquariums, you will come across the biggest tunnel aquarium of the World with a length of 131 meters and a width of 3 meters. We paid about an hour and a half long visit to Antalya aquarium in June 2019. We booked a trip here while staying at …
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Zoom Lens Review
At the end of July, I finally got replacement lens for original Canon Rebel T5 (Canon 1200D) DSLR camera - I ordered online from Amazon Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Zoom Lens. For the original kit lens, the autofocus stopped working properly and for the most time I had to shoot in manual mode, it's perfectly fine for me, but I admit having working autofocus is really neat, it can help a lot (for example in bright sunlight). I…
Gonio Fortress
Gonio fortress, previously called Apsaros, or Apsarunto, is a Roman fortification in Adjara, Georgia, on the Black Sea, 15 km south of Batumi, at the mouth of the Chorokhi river. The village sits 4 km north of the Turkish border. Gonio has been on my radar since I probably first visited Batumi back in the Summer of 2011, but for the first time, I visited this ancient Roman site at the end of…
HP ENVY x360 - 15-cn0003ur Convertable Touchscreen Laptop Review
HP ENVY x360 - convertible touchscreen Laptop is the latest addition to our home office. Bought at the local Tbilisi shop in early June 2019. Paid about $1,150 but I believe you could get one much cheaper on Amazon Equipped with Backlit keyboard, FULL HD 1920X1080 screen resolution, this laptop will make many envy it. lol Top 20 Laptops with Full HD 1920X1080 Resolution From its distinctive materials and iconic design, this PC exudes…
Kirman Belazur Resort &Spa Review in Antalya, Turkey
Situated at the seafront, Kirman Hotels Belazur Resort & Spa has a private beach but you don't need a beach when you have one of the longest warm water outdoor pools. There is a water park and a bowling alley on site and guests can enjoy the restaurant and bar. Free WiFi is featured throughout the hotel and free private parking is available on site. We booked a tour package from Tbilisi to Turkey's region of Antalya and chose this 5-…