Gudauri View Point from a drone flight

17 September, 2020 | | 358 seen

Gudauri viewpoint is a cool attraction located some 2 km up from the Gudauri to the Kazbegi (Russian border)

Officially named as the Russian -Georgian Friendship monument, this place has been "installed" back in 1983, but seems to have gone under major reconstruction works recently.

We were returning from a weekend trip to Kazbegi when it was agreed to fly my little DJI Mavic mini drone around the monument.

Gudari viewing platform

Located on the Georgian Military Highway between the ski resort town of Gudauri and the Jvari pass, the monument is a large round stone and concrete structure overlooking the Devil's Valley in the Caucasus mountains.

Parking lot near the viewing platform

This monument has been built in 1983 to celebrate the bicentennial of the Treaty of Georgievsk and ongoing friendship between Georgia and Soviet Russia.

Gergeti church from a drone flight

15 September, 2020 | | 14 seen

In today's Piece of Life series - Gergeti Church from a drone flight

The region of Kazbegi is very nice for drone photography and videography.

Gergeti Trinity Church is a must-have destination in Georgia. The church is located at an elevation of 2170 meters, under Mount Kazbegi some 160 km North from the nation's capital Tbilisi.

It was in the middle of August we did a short trip to the Kazbegi region in Georgia and I had a chance to fly my DJI Mavic Mini drone in the area. Thanks Johann Kritzinger Photography for organizing this trip 

Gergeti church from a drone flight

The Gergeti Trinity Church is built in the 14th century, and is the only cross-cupola church in Khevi province. The separate belltower dates from the same period as the church itself. Its isolated location on top of a steep mountain surrounded by the vastness of nature has made it a symbol for Georgia. The 18th century Georgian author Vakhushti Batonishvili wrote that in times of danger, precious relics from Mtskheta, including Saint Nino's Cross were brought here for safekeeping. During…

List of Georgian laboratories offering to make a test (Paid) to diagnose COVID-19

14 September, 2020 | Living in Georgia | 16 seen

Colin (form a parent's group here in Tbilisi) shared a link to the spreadsheet containing a list of Georgian laboratories offering to make a test to diagnose COVID-19. 

The list was published on the Agenda.ge website and contains the medical facilities name, and address, the original list also contains the e-mail of the facility (to avoid spambots harvesting the e-mail list here, I'm pasting info without e-mails)

I don't have exact info, but for the test, we have to pay (at least in September 2020) - according to different sources some should expect to pay GEL 120 - 200 for a test to Diagnose Covid-19

There are medical facilities in several cities of Georgia, including - Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi and Ozurgeti

I believe there is a chance to call for a test to be done at home (expect to pay a higher price)

Source: List of Georgian laboratories offering to make a test to diagnose COVID-19

• The First University Clinic – Tbilisi, 4 Gudamakari Street
• Aversi Clinic – Tbilisi, 27b Vazha Pshavela Ave
• NeoLab – Tbilisi, 47 Tashkenti Street
…

Tbilisi Open Air Museum of Ethnography

12 September, 2020 | Museums | 36 seen

The open-air Museum of Tbilisi is one of the coolest attractions in Tbilisi, situated in the footsteps of Turtle lake. Many cultural events are held here.

The museum is located west to Turtle Lake on a hill overlooking the Vake district, Tbilisi. It is essentially a historic village populated by buildings moved there from all main territorial subdivisions of Georgia.

I've been heading here ever since I remember myself in Tbilisi. See: Few shots from Tbilisi Cheese Festival

Open air museum from a drone flight

There is an awesome restaurant located near the park (upper side), offering spectacular views towards the city and of course delicious meals - see: Rachis Ubani Tbilisi Restaurant Review

The Giorgi Chitaia Open Air Museum of Ethnography is an open-air museum in Tbilisi, Georgia, displaying the examples of folk architecture and craftwork from various regions of the country.

Open air museum in Tbilisi

The museum is named after Giorgi Chitaia, a Georgian ethnographer, who founded the museum on April 27, 1966. Since December 30,…

Expats in Georgia (Facebook group)

11 September, 2020 | Living in Georgia | 155 seen

I have been living in Georgia since 2011. During my time here I have been exploring the country, as an Indie traveler, crosswise from the pebbled seashore beaches near Batumi to the desert sand in David Gareji, and have gathered a great collection of my travel notes all across Georgia

Also, I have been contacted zillions of times online asking Georgia-related questions, starting with how to get a residence permit and ending - is there snow in July in Georgia? (Yes, there is, somewhere atop mount Kazbek)  

I've decided to launch a separate Facebook group aimed for ex-pats living in Georgia. In this group, we are going to discuss schools and pre-schools, business-related questions, good services, ask for advice, and more

If you are an Expat in Georgia, or just looking to relocate here, feel free to join here: Expats in Georgia (Country)

This group has been launched at the start of September 2020, two years latter group unites already 1,000 members

Dry Bridge & Alexander garden in Tbilisi from a DJI Mavic Mini drone flight

10 September, 2020 | | 3 seen

It was on an overcast Saturday afternoon (at the end of August 2020), we went for a long walk in Tbilisi. 

Equipped with a baby stroller and DJI Mavic mini Drone here is what we found today:

View towards Dry Bridge in Tbilisi

In one of these building, you can see, is located famous 'former hotel London', where some 19th-century writers have stayed

Aerial view of Tbilisi

Many good things can be seen from this place (Alexander garden), like the Public Service house, Sameba church (in the background), Orbeliani square

Tbilisi TV tower and The Biltmore hotel

Almost like the How to get on one photography Tbilisi TV tower, Narikala and Tabor Monastery

Aerial view of Alexander Garden

Ok, this park is bearing another name: Giorgi Leonidze Park

Jvari monastery from a drone flight / DJI Mavic Mini crash

5 September, 2020 | Tourism objects | 13 seen

Jvari Monastery is a popular tourist destination in Georgia, and I believe there are two reasons for that - first it's located close to the nation's capital Tbilisi and second it offers really scenic views to the nearby city of Mtskheta and the delta of Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers. Another reason to mention - the monastery is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

On September 5, 2020 we headed here to make some casual drone videography, unfortunately I lost my beloved DJI Mavic mini drone while filming here.
Using VW Touareg as a drone pad and crashing drone near a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site? It's possible!
Here is the last footage I was able to recover from my phone (the drone is missing and I don't have actual SD footage). Post-processed in Adobe Lightroom
Music by Scott Holmes: Hotshot
P.S. New drone to be shipped in next 2-3 weeks
 

Narikala fortress from a drone flight

3 September, 2020 | | 12 seen

Narikala fortress is probably one of the most known tourist attractions in Tbilisi. 

It was on an easy Sunday afternoon we decided to take a lazy walk around the old town of Tbilisi equipped with a baby strolled and DJI Mavic mini, here is what we got

Narikala fortress from a drone flight

Narikala  is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and the Mtkvari River. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill between the sulfur baths and the botanical gardens of Tbilisi. On the lower court, there is the recently restored St Nicholas church. Newly built in 1996–1997, it replaces the original 13th-century church that was destroyed in a fire.

Flying over St. Nicholas church / Narikala fortress

The new church is of "prescribed cross" type, having doors on three sides. The internal part of the church is decorated with the frescos showing scenes both from the Bible and history of Georgia

View towards Narikala fortress from the Mother of Georgia monument side

The structure was established in the 4th century as a Sasanian…

August 2020 Dividend Income Report - $171.31

2 September, 2020 | Investments | 16 seen

Welcome to the forty (#40) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in August 2020.

Last August I turned 35, because of the Covid-19 we couldn't travel much and decided to stay in Georgia. At the start of August we headed to the Black sea coastal town Batumi, and then visited the 5-star Paragraph hotel in Shekvetili for a couple of days. August was pretty awesome.

Paragraph Resort & Spa Shekvetili, Autograph Collection Hotel in Georgia

The baby girl attends her pre-school, she is doing great - talking a lot, putting together sentences, mixing languages, figuring out new words. Awesome. Quite fascinating what a two-year-old can do. Development is very rapid. in August she learned to answer on question - What's your name? Daddy's heart is melting.

From the perspective of dividend income -  last July was neither good nor bad, we keep suffering from trimmed dividends, and by the end of the month, we barely took $171.31. Relying on dividends these days is very hard.…

Turtle Lake from a Drone flight

1 September, 2020 | | 10 seen

Turtle lake is a direct English translation of Kus Tba (Georgian: კუს ტბა), a small lake at the outskirts of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, so named due to the perceived abundance of turtles living in these places.

Turtle lake is a very popular recreational area both for locals and foreigners, so it's just that time I'm submitting it as another tourist attraction in Tbilisi.

We have been heading to the Turtle Lake in all seasons, I have made here both HDR's and panoramic photos, but a drone photo not yet. It was at the end of July 2020, when I got my fisrt drone - DJI mini Mavic, and as I was still learning how to operate this this - Turtle lake seemed like an ideal spot for a drone photography

Turtle lake from a drone flight

Lower Bethlehemi Church

29 August, 2020 | Churches and Monasteries | 17 seen

The Lower Bethlemi Church, also known as the Church of Saint Stepanos of the Holy Virgins is a church in Tbilisi, Georgia. Built as an Armenian church, it now operates as a Georgian orthodox church.

Discovered by accident while hiking from other, Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem, Tbilisi at the end of August 2020. 

Made some drone photography here

Lower Bethlehemi Church

Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem, Tbilisi

28 August, 2020 | Churches and Monasteries | 28 seen

Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem also now known as the Upper Bethlehem Church, is a church in Tbilisi, Georgia. Built as an Armenian church in the 18th century, on the site of an older church, it now operates as a Georgian orthodox church.

Discovered by accident while hiking from Mother Georgia monument in mid-August 2020. Returned here a week later to take some aerial photography with a drone.

Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem, Tbilisi

There are at least 3 roads how to get here. The first one is from the Mother Georgia monument using pretty steep stairways, kind of hiking trails. Another one is to come from Gomi street, and the third one is to climb from Betlemi street. 

Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem, Tbilisi from a drone flight

There is a little fountain square in the front of church with running spring water. Quite refreshing after a long day hiking the area.

Also, an amazing view towards Tbilisi opens from the church

View towards Tbilisi

Mother of Georgia Monument

27 August, 2020 | Tourism objects | 140 seen

The Mother of Georgia or Kartlis Deda monument is located atop of the Sololaki hill in  Georgia's capital Tbilisi.

The statue was erected on the top of Sololaki hill in 1958, that year Tbilisi celebrated its 1500th anniversary. Prominent Georgian sculptor Elguja Amashukeli designed the twenty-meter aluminum figure of a woman in Georgian national dress.

Mother of Georgia monument in Tbilisi

It's said that statue symbolizes the Georgian national character: in her left hand she holds a bowl of wine to greet those who come as friends, and in her right hand is a sword for those who come as enemies.

In 1966 Elguja Amashukeli was awarded the Shota Rustaveli State Prize for this sculpture. He called the statue "Capital", and it commonly became known as "Mother of Kartli". The accessories of the sculpture, the cup with wine and sword, are an expression of the history of our city, Tbilisi, the endless battles with the enemies, and the welcoming of friendly guests.

The original statue erected on Sololaki Hill in 1958 was a wooden allegorical statue that would…

Restaurant Pepo near Dashbashi Canyon

25 August, 2020 | Restaurant reviews | 45 seen

Restaurant Pepo is located in the village of Dashbashi, some 200-300 meters from the Saint George Church.

The cafe is an ideal base camp for exploring the famous Dashabshi Canyon. That's actually how we discovered this place in July 2020, during an unplanned trip to Tsalka, we decided to look for the "famous" Dashbahsi Canyon, where we found this lovely cafe/restaurant Pepo.

VIsa accepted and traditional Georgian cuisine served. We ordered some mtsvadi, salads, French fries a lot of lemonades, even a khachapuri. Our total bill here about GEL 100. 

Meal at restaurant Pepo near Dashbashi canyon in Georgia

I used the territory of this restaurant as a base for drone flights to film nearby objects. 

Restaurant Peop from above

Batumi Boulevard Dancing Fountains

22 August, 2020 | Tourism objects | 52 seen

Batumi Boulevard is the main and most visited sightseeing of the city.

One of its central elements is the dancing fountains located just in the heart of the city.

Batumi fountain square from a drone's flight

It was at the start of August 2020, we visited Batumi once again. I took a drone to make some photos, and one of the aerial shots is from Dancing fountain square.

In the summertime, this place can be quite busy.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the prominent Georgian architect Giorgi Erkomaishvili and the Armenian engineers, three colorful fountains were installed in the central entrance of Batumi Boulevard in 1977 bringing vibrancy and a new splash of life to the area.

In 2007, the fountains underwent large-scale renovations as a result of which music was added to them.

Nowadays these musical fountains dancing with rhythm and surrounded by lovely wax sculptures of the boys with pipes, represent the major attraction for tourists.

Park near Batumi dancing fountains

The recreation zone, which at the same time is a cultural heritage monument, for centuries, has unites the…