Georgian Bus - Great way to travel from Kutaisi to Batumi or Tbilisi
At first, when Kutaisi International airport was built (around 2012/2013) there were few transport options to choose from to get at least to the city center of Kutaisi, as it turns out, the city is actually located about some 17km from the airport. Back in the days, there were just taxi services, which was and still is pretty costly (as long as you are not using BOLT)One way direction from Kutaisi city center to the Kutaisi airport with street taxi cost about 20GEL (price as of 2015). If you are really on a budget you might get from Kutaisi airport to Tbilisi (Didube station) for 10-12 GEL by using Batumi - Tbilisi marshrutka, you can try to catch one, just after leaving the…
Batumi Aerial Tram
One of the must have tourist attractions in Batumi is an aerial tram (cable car) ride. Built back in 2012 these gondolas will take you in a 2,5 km long route at maximum elevation of 252 meters. During you ride you will enjoy breathtaking aerial views of Batumi city.Best enjoyed in evenings shortly before sunset. At the other end of the ropeway there is nice viewing platform offering scenic views to the city and Black sea.Ticket price per ride (round-trip): 10 GEL, as of 2016Futuristic design of Batumi cable car stationLocated at the Batumi bay, this station house indeed features futuristic design - but when overlooked from overall city architecture - it' s awful…
Sataplia cave in Georgia
Sataplia cave together with Prometheus cave are one of the main tourist sights around Kutaisi town, in Republic of Georgia.I first visited Sataplia cave at the end of May 2014, when my father for the first time visited me in Georgia. I picked him up at Kutaisi airport and before departing back to Tbilisi I decided to take an opportunity and explore this cave together..At first you will need to have some taxi to get there, luckily I had one. Sataplia cave is located some 18 km away from Kutaisi. The entrance fee (as of 2014) in park was 6GEL and was accompanied by English speaking guideEntrance gates at Sataplia cave territorySataplia Cave is located at…
Exploring Tbilisi and Mtatsminda: A Day of Adventure with My Dad in Georgia
Back in May 2014, my dad came to visit me in Georgia and also celebrate his 60 birtdhay, and we had an amazing time exploring the country. One of our most memorable days was when we went on a walking tour of Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia.
We started the day by taking a ride on the metro to Avlabari and then hired a taxi to take us up to Sameba, one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. From there, we walked down to the old city and explored the historic streets and buildings.
Next, we headed up to Narikala Fortress, an ancient citadel that overlooks the city. The views from the top were breathtaking, and we spent some time admiring the panoramic views. We then made our way…
Laidi Manor
Laidi manor or palace (Laidu muiža - pils in Latvian) is a very cool tourism sight in Laidi parish, Kuldīga municipality, in the historical region of Courland (Kurzeme)Built in the early 19th century by the local German nobility, it has housed the Laidi primary school since 1921.Park at Laidi manorThe origins of the manor date back to the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. The complex of the manor has formed around the administrator’s house, which is the oldest one in the manor. From the year 1800 to 1810 the nobleman Manteuffel was building the manor’s castle with its household buildings in classicism style. The complex is symmetrical and has been formed around the inner yard. At both…
Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi
Bagrati Cathedral probably is among the most iconic site to visit in Georgia, and it should be a must have on your travel list if you have been in those parts of Georgia (Kutaisi). If you are traveling to or from Kutaisi International airport take your time and pay a visit here.
In fact I have visited Bagrati cathedral just between my travels to or from Kutaisi airport. So did happened my first visit here after I had been living in Georgia for more than 3 years. And so did happened when I last time took my mom here after she arrived to Kutaisi.
P.S. Both of my parents have visited Bagrati Cathedral while visiting me in Georgia.
I was eager to play with a HDR images for my…
Hotel Royal Batoni, Kvareli, Kakheti, Georgia
One of the most interesting hotels I have stayed last time. Located in the footsteps of surrounding mountains next to Ilias lake, which offers some recreation opportunities, in heart of Georgia, Kakheti, Kvareli.
We stayed here at Easter weekend, 2014 and we definitely got what we paid for.
About Royal Batoni
Located in a picturesque area on the bank of Ilia Lake, between the Kvareli Mountains and the Duruji River, Royal Batoni offers a sauna and outdoor swimming pool with beautiful views of the lake. Free Wi-Fi and private parking are available.
The elegant rooms feature modern design and furnishings. They offer satellite TV and private bathroom with a bath or shower, hairdryer and…
Time-Lapse: Observing the Thriving Ivy on the Opposite Wall
Have you ever wondered how nature changes over time? One fascinating way to witness this transformation is through time-lapse photography.
For three weeks in April 2014, I've been taking photo shoots of the wall opposite to me and observing the leaps of ivy as it thrives. Now, after capturing the growth of this plant over a period of time, I am excited to share the finale of this time-lapse experiment with you.
Time-lapse photography allows us to see the changes that happen too slowly for us to perceive with our own eyes.
In this case, the ivy's growth was captured day by day and compiled into a video, revealing the impressive speed at which the plant has grown. The time-lapse provides a…
Adding CAPTCHA to Drupal 7 Webform
CAPTCHA is an essential tool for preventing spam and malicious attacks on your website. Adding CAPTCHA to your Drupal 7 Webform is a straightforward process that can be completed in a few easy steps.
In this article, we will show you how to add CAPTCHA to your Drupal 7 Webform to protect your website and improve the user experience.
Step 1: Install the CAPTCHA module The first step is to install the CAPTCHA module on your Drupal 7 website. To do this, go to the Drupal website and download the module. Once the module is downloaded, log in to your Drupal 7 website, go to the Modules section, and click on the Install new module button. Choose the CAPTCHA module from the list and click on the…
Inject Block In Drupal 7 Node With Block Inject module
I was looking for options to inject Google Adsense ads into my Drupal blog. There are a few modules and tactics available. But today I found an excellent module - Block Inject.
The Block Inject module allows for regions to be created and injected in the middle of chosen node types.
You can create any number of regions to inject as well as select as many node types you would like these regions to be injected in. The blocks you assign to these regions will then appear in the middle of the body field of these node types if the number of paragraphs is bigger than 2.
Download it here: Block Inject
Here is an example of injected Google Adsense into the middle of content:
I tried to…
Some magic with Drupal, Flickr and Georgia
Update: Further developments of both tourgeorgia.eu and instagram wall have been stopped. I have created a new Travel Map section instead.
Since I bought my first Android phone so many new thoughts and ideas has run through my head - I mean in opportunities of development. One of them I already realized - I created my custom Instagram wall, where I'm syncing all my photos taken by phone, and putting them on map. I really like this approach. Update: I have stopped further development of Instagram wall
When I first landed to Georgia, back in 2011, I wanted to start fresh, not only my life abroad, but to make some fresh start up/project. And I created Tourgeorgia. The idea behind scenes, was…
Import your Instagram photos to your blog using Flickr + Flickstagram
Recently I bought my first Android phone, and I found Instagram app really useful. What I like the most is it's mapping options, so you can add latitude/longitude auto, if your GPS is turned on.
Then I wanted to import my Instagram photos to my blog and found some problems with it. As I'm using Drupal as my blogs CMS, at first I headed to Drupal.org to search for some ready built modules, to import my Instagram photos, so I could later use views, for example, to tune things up. There are few solutions provided by Drupal community, but Instagram requires SSL, and at this stage, I'm not ready to enable some Open Source SSL. I just want a solution that works.
So then I remembered, some…
Gremi monastery complex in Georgia
Another very interesting tourist attraction in Kakheti close to Kvareli - Meet the Gremi Monastery complex. Features rich history and very spectacular views. For the first time I visited Gremi monastery complex back in 2014, when we booked a private tour from Hotel Royal Batoni. Next time I was here was during another short one day trip around region Kakheti together with my mom. This definitely means there are places in Georgia where it is worth to return.Impressive fortification walls at GremiThe monastery complex is located just right next to the highway making it impossible to miss this place. It is worth to mention that since 2007 the monuments of Gremi have been…
Lisi Lake in Tbilisi (Georgia)
Lisi lake is a popular recreational area in Tbilisi. Some will find a lazy walk around lake while others will enjoy a mountain biking here. I prefer both. As well I like here capturing spectacular views using my DSLR camera.You can get to Lisi lake by using public bus #29, taxi (costs around 6 GEL from the city center) or by a car. There is a large parking lot in front of the lake.Recently Lisi lake has undergone through major improvements, a new concrete slab road around the lake is built (the total distance is about 3 km). There are some vendors selling coffee and sweets, and there is a Hard Rock Cafe (seems working just during the Summer months)Concrete slab road…
Nekresi Monastery Complex in Georgia
Nekresi once was a town in Kakheti, Georgia. Nowadays Nekresi is a monastery complex located high up in the hill offering breathtaking views to surrounding plateau, not to mention that monastery complex is really interesting by it self. Located close to Kvareli town.
The church was recently restored, stone masonry repaired, roof rebuilt, windows put in place.
For the first time I visited this place back in the Spring of 2014, during a short day trip around region of Kakheti, offered by a hotel we stayed (Royal Batoni). Second time I paid a visit here in Autumn 2015, when I was taking my mom on about the same day trip around region of Kakheti.
Visitors of Nekresi…
Boris Grebenshchikov and Aquarium @ Tbilisi Concert Hall
Yesterday Boris Grebenshchikov and his band Aqurium performed at Tbilisi Concert Hall. Although I'm not huge fan of him I must admit, he is so called Russian Rock Grandfather and it would be a crime to waste an opportunity to visit his concert right next door, here in Tbilisi.About concert:Since I was not very familiar with his creation, first part of concert I just listened, to determine, do I like him or not. His music is really eclectic, so I found something from Visotsky and Tsoi (Kino), then Russian Rock Grandfather turned to reggae, I found both Bob Marley and Bob Dylan, even some Irish folk music was found in his creation. By now, I can tell you this - Boris Grebenshchikov…
Drupal 7 Archive Drop Down Menu
In this tutorial I will show how to create Drop-down menu for your monthly archives using Drupal 7 and views.
At first, please read this Drupal 7 tutorial on how to create Drupal archive page. By following this guide, you will learn how to create monthly archive page using views, and we go to add one minor change to change it to drop down menu.
Open that views page, select contextual filters, and change settings from unformatted to jump menu:
That's it, so easy.
For more Drupal tutorials please visit: Drupal development
P.S. If you are considering a hosting for your Drupal website check out Bluehost, their shared hosting starts as low as $3.95/mo or read more about cheap…
Add Menu Classes In Drupal 7
In this Drupal tutorial I'll show how to add menu classes to your Drupal 7 website using template.php file.
Original of this tutorial has been found here.
Add this function to your template.php file:
<?php
/**
* theme_menu_link()
*/
function THEMENAME_menu_link(array $variables) {
//add class for li
$variables['element']['#attributes']['class'][] = 'menu-' . $variables['element']['#original_link']['mlid'];
//add class for a
$variables['element']['#localized_options']['attributes']['class'][] = 'menu-' . $variables['element']['#original_link']['mlid'];
//dvm($variables['element']);
return theme_menu_link($variables);
}
?>
P.S. If you are considering a hosting for…
A Time Lapse of green wall - Day 1
There is a one really nice looking wall located in Tbilisi, I would like to show it to you, that building is left from the brick wall building opposite to me, and I'm seeing it every day, for the last one year.
The wall is grown with some greens, and in Summer it looks cool green, in Autumn it turns red, in Winter it's naked, and now I'm looking to make a time-lapse of this wall turning from naked into the green.
Here is a Day 1 photo:
I'm not sure how many days I will need, to see that wall completely green, but I promise that at the end I will create a Time-lapse video, like some 30 seconds or like that.
Performing Joomla 1.5 convert to Drupal 7
Over past couple of years, I have many times seen a bad Joomla site, which either is hacked or is not working as it should, and I have converted those sites to Drupal.
The most strange things is, there is always some Joomla developer, who has created that site, but when problems occur, that Joomla developer is gone.. Strange right? How can one call himself a Joomla developer, when first problems occur, he is gone?
So I got another Joomla site request to perform a Joomla major Upgrade from 1.5 to 2.5.
I thought, hell, why not - let's fix this site, by not converting it to Drupal (As I usually do), but let's stay on Joomla.
Site works, there has been no hackers yet. So I started to…