Tampakakis Bakery in Agia Marina, Crete
| Shopping Venues | 33 seen
Tampakakis bakery is a lovely place in Agia Marina, many pastries and tasty coffee available here. Tampakakis was closely located to hotel we stayed for couple of days in Agia Marina (Vergina Beach Hotel Review, Agia Marina, Crete)
Fresh morning coffee and crispy buns guaranteed.
Tampakakis Bakery in Agia Marina, Crete
Wide variety for morning coffee and affordable prices.
Cookies, buns and bread at Tampakakis Bakery
SEO Results After Implementing Drupal AMP
| Drupal Development | 18 seen
About a month ago I finally managed to implement AMP for my Drupal powered blog. Now, a month latter I decided to take a look and see is there any SEO boost from it.
In the past 30 days traffic have grown my 13%, for the first time cracking 100,000 users milestone. Although, it's hard to say with a 100% confidence that AMP did it - I still will say - AMP is amazing and I would recommend to implement it for any type of websites. If still wonder what is AMP, here is a brief explanation:
The AMP Project is an open-source initiative aiming to make the web better for all. The project enables the creation of websites and ads that are consistently fast, beautiful and high-performing across devices and distribution platforms. Learn more: https://www.ampproject.org/
Why I'm not sure that AMP did the trick? In general month of August for my blog has always seen a good organic search traffic increase.
Website visitors before and after implementing AMP
The total website traffic for the last 30 days has increased by 13.27%, what is an awesome growth, and you know what? Last 30 days have reached for the first time of…
The Stones Restaurant Review - Platanias, Crete
| Restaurant reviews | 19 seen
The Stones restaurant is located in Platanias, Crete. Located kind of remote / roadside. We visited this place on a rainy day, after checked in at hotel in nearby town of Agia Marina (see: Vergina Beach Hotel Review, Agia Marina, Crete). The walk was for about 4 km (each direction)
This place serves traditional Greek and European cuisine, obliviously we opted for Greek salad as a starter. I wanted to order some mussels, but kind owner of The Stones restaurant told me they don't have mussels as this time, as they order only fresh mussels from Chania in the mornings.
As it was raining that day, we were only guests for this evening.
Outdoor terrace at The Stones Restaurant in Platanias
Lovely colors, blossoming rhododendron makes lovely, I would even say romantic mood here.
Pasta Carbonara
Instead of mussels I enjoyed pasta carbonara, but that was one awesome pasta carbonara. Delicious.
The Stones Restaurant in Platanias
Top 13 5-star hotels in Colombo, Sri Lanka
| Hotel reviews | 49 seen
Planing our holiday season for this year we booked plane tickets to Colombo, Sri Lanka.
We are looking to spend about 2 weeks in Sri Lanka, with Colombo just as the first stop for a couple of days. As we have up to a 10-hour flight planned, and the city's airport (Bandaranaike International Airport) is located some 35 km from Colombo center, I decided to do a quick research and list top Colombo 5-star hotels.
Colombo luxury stay starts at about $120 per night and might go up to $240 per night, so that's the price you should be prepared to pay for a 5-star hotel in Colombo something in the range of $150 - $200.
In this article, you will find TOP 13 Colombo hotels, based on Booking.com.
The KingsburyBoasting spectacular views of the Colombo Harbor and the Galle Face Green, The Kingsbury is a 5-star hotel that offers elegant accommodation in the heart of Colombo. Guests can leisurely soak in the outdoor pool overlooking the ocean, and make use of the 24-hour butler service.
Centrally located in Colombo, The Kingsbury Hotel is a short distance from…
Sri Lanka Trip Planning - Obtain Visa Online - Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)
| Travel guides | 7 seen
Planing our holiday season for 2017/2018, we decided to travel to Sri Lanka, a country in continent, neither me nor my partner, never have been before. This should be one of the most epic trips and many cool photo stories to be developed on this blog.
For traveling to Sri Lanka (Colombo) we bought Qatar Airways round trip tickets - Tbilisi (Georgia) - Doha (Qatar) - Colombo (Sri Lanka), it was a bargain deal and I must admit - I'm keen to try out flying with Qatar Airways, as I have heard only the best about it.
Now, returning to the subject - Visitors to Sri Lanka visiting for tourism purposes must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) prior to arrival or on arrival to Sri Lanka. Holders of ETA from all countries except the 3 exempt countries (Maldives, Seychelles, Singapore) obtain a visa on arrival that is valid for 30 days. The Business purpose ETA can be obtained only from Sri Lankan diplomatic missions and head office of the Department of Immigration and Emigration. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months. Nationals of Afghanistan, Iran, …
Starting To Learn Crypto Currency Day Trading With EUR 25
| Crypto | 21 seen
Originally I planed to start learning crypto currency day trading with the January 2018 (that's about 5 months from now), but then I realized - why wait?
Let me explain - I've been in crypto currency investments for about 2 months now. I'm the one from buy and hold camp. I use averaging dollar cost approach to buy more crypto coins once in the month. So far my experience with crypto currencies have been like a roller coaster with a positive return. After my first month with crypto investments I experienced a negative return -17.35%, see: Invest in Crypto currencies - Review After One Month, currently when writing this article, my portfolio is with positive + 18.55% sign. And that all have changes just in the past 2 weeks.
Day trading sounds kind of boring, too much time to spend watching numbers and charts going up and down. When I started to my crypto adventures I decided I will stay away from day trading, but rather I will be a long term buy and hold investor. It was so until today, while I had a free time today I decided to watch a few YouTube video's on alt coin trading, here is one of them, after…
Review of Mintos.com Peer To Peer Lending Platform After 6 Month of Investing
| Peer to Peer Lending | 35 seen
I've been investing on Mintos.com peer to peer lending marketplace already 6 months. In today's article, I'll share some of my key findings so far
Before continuing, please see Review of Mintos Peer to Peer Lending After One Month of Investing and Mintos.com Review after 3 month investing in Peer to Peer loans. There is one reason I'm investing here on Mintos - option to invest in Georgian Lari currency, as I've been living in Georgia for a while, I like the idea of having some of my money in the local market. See: Invest in Georgia - Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending - Mintos.com
Both individuals and entities can invest through Mintos. Individual investors must be at least 18 years old, have a bank account in the European Union or third countries currently considered to have AML/CFT systems equivalent to the EU, and have their identity successfully verified by Mintos. At the moment, US citizens or taxpayers cannot register as investors at Mintos.
Affiliate link here: Signup to Mintos.com here. By using this affiliate link for registration both you and I will receive — 1% of our average daily balance…
Souvenir Guide - What to Buy in Tbilisi
| Travel guides | 38 seen
Georgia has already gained an extremely popular reputation among densely-visited tourist countries. Days spent in Georgia no matter what time of the year it is will never fade away from your memory. The name of the country itself sounds as the title of a song but in this case it is a rock ballad that takes you on an exotic journey.
The most convenient part about Georgian cities is that you choose yourself whether you want to stay in the crowded center or move a little bit farther from noisy parties and events. You can be in the main streets but hide in calm places where nothing and no one will disturb you. It is true that chord of different colors and even emotions will strike you right in the country so be ready to miss Georgia a lot and see it in your best and the most cheerful dreams. In order not to languish after a great trip it is better to purchase interesting souvenirs but be careful – don’t go too far, otherwise you will find yourself without a single coin in your pocket!
When buying souvenirs in Georgia the only threat you might be facing is the extra charge and ripping off from the locals. Shop assistants…
Perseid Meteor Shower Time Lapse Video / Photography - August 13, 2017
| Digital Photography School | 16 seen
The Perseid meteor shower, one of the brighter meteor showers of the year, occurs every year between July 17 and August 24. The shower tends to peak around August 9-13.
The 2017 Perseids peaked on the night of August 12 and early morning hours of August 13. I was a little bit late to the party and decided to capture star trails on night from August 13 to August 14.
What was meant to be a star trail photography, actually turned out a lovely time lapse video.
I'm not an expert in astro photography, in fact I've done just one star trail photography before, see: My first star trail photography, a year ago. This year I was prepared technically better, if previous year I did all long exposures manually by pressing shutter release button after each 30 sec exposure, then for this year I had bought - intervalometer - a must have tool for astro photography or time lapse.
Once It was all setup, I decided to stick with largest aperture 3.5, ISO 800 and 20 sec exposure. In total I made 3 different scenes at our rural country house, see: home remodeling
…
Vergina Beach Hotel Review, Agia Marina, Crete
| Hotel reviews | 14 seen
This property is 1 minute walk from the beach. Set right on the sandy beach of Agia Marina, Vergina Beach Hotel offers free WiFi in all areas and air-conditioned accommodation with views over the Cretan Sea. It includes a beach bar and a cocktail bar.
We booked this hotel at the start of June 2017 and stayed here for 2 nights, paying in total about EUR 106.
As we hadn't yet booked a rental car here, for getting here we took a taxi from Chania bus station and paid a fixed price EUR 14, in case you are not willing to pay for taxi, you can take bus, it's really cheap.
Room at Vergina Beach Hotel
Vergina studios, suites and apartments are simply, yet tastefully furnished, with a private balcony. They include a kitchenette with electric kettle and mini fridge, as well as a flat-screen TV.
Beach near Vergina Beach hotel
Really nicely located just in the front of the beaches.
At the beach restaurant, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch and snacks. The cocktail bar serves cocktails, drinks and pizzas, and it also features 8 large flat-screen TVs. Within a few metres from the property, you will find a bakery, a…
An Insight to Beauty of Imereti (Georgia)
| Living in Georgia | 21 seen
Georgia can be divided in Eastern and Western parts that differ from each other in terms of climate, traditions, cuisine, landscape and even population’s manners. If West is comparatively green and plain with lots of fast-flowing rivers and lowlands then East is drier and hotter.
You can easily guess on any photo which part of the country is captured – the greener the place the more Western part it is and on the contrary. One of the most beautiful and pleasant regions of Georgia that is always in blossom, with mild winters and abundant harvests is Imereti.
Imeretian khachapuri, mchadi (corn pons), different kinds of boiled lobio (red beans), Imeretian cheese, outstanding tkhemali (special Georgian plum sauce), juicy fruit and organic vegetables – yes, Imereti is the motherland of delicious food and extraordinary natural beauty. Apart from being exotic and stunning Imereti is rich both culturally and spiritually.
Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi
Top attractions In Kutaisi and nearby vicinity
The capital of western Georgia is…
A few tips for solo female travelers coming to Georgia
| Living in Georgia | 12 seen
Throughout its vibrant history Georgia has earned a reputation of a ‘Country of Contrasts and Contradictions” where ‘yes’ means ‘no’ and ‘red’ means ‘white’.
Being situated in the Caucasian region hospitable Georgians are known for their determination, patriarchy, and deep affection for Christianity. They even claim that faith helped them to withstand their numerous enemies’ onslaughts. A tangled chain of political and geographical factors shaped Georgia as a country where the fittest and strongest rules over the lands.
Hunting, military craft, and martial arts occupied a significant part of the lives of ancient Georgians and the role of a woman was not diminished, but, to say it correctly, it was put on the second place. It is known that people here cherish ancestor’s traditions and maintain their country in the conservative manner though globalization has laid its footprint on the Georgian way of life.
Nowadays you can hardly imagine that Georgia once used to be strictly patriarchal country where women had to listen carefully to each word their husband said and daughters had to do the work about the house forgetting about their…
Winter tours in Georgia: Gudauri Bakuriani
| Travel guides | 18 seen
Winter time is always exciting because it associates with New Year and Christmas preparations. Starting from childhood we believed that miracles happen around this season and any activity you are engaged in leads you to some kind and fairy discoveries.
Georgia is known for its snowy mountains and mild winter in the central part of the country and its capital though the situation is cardinally different in the mountainous region. Snow level reaches your knees and without proper clothes and equipment hiking is almost impossible although there is good news for lover of the ski-sport. Georgia provides tourists with skiing resorts with all kinds of conditions for having unforgettable time with your family and friends. Gudauri and Bakuriani, for example, are very well-known not only for ski-tracks but also for many other activities.
Paragliding and photography are among the occupations you can find interesting as a tourist. Let’s talk about each resort and create a small description in order to show why it is special or worth seeing.
Gudauri is 120 km far from the capital (Tbilisi) and resides at the slope of the Big Caucasian Ridge (2196…
Explore Soviet Architecture In Modern Tbilisi
| Living in Georgia | 17 seen
Despite being an independent Europe-oriented country Georgia nowadays represents a big merge of its Soviet past and intervened modern architecture. Some disapprove this mixture, others clam it to be the pinnacle of the architectural masterpiece but no matter how much you argue there is no definite answer whether Georgia should have remained its Soviet architecture without implementing construction plans with lanky skyscrapers or maybe it would have been better to create a downtown center without any hints to the grim Soviet culture.
In order to embrace the whole grandeur of Soviet culture in Tbilisi it is crucial to move to its center – Liberty Square which is near to Sololaki district – place known as an archipelago of ancient discoveries including extraordinary and heavy buildings built in 1940s and even earlier.
The former National Bank of Georgia is situated in Leonidze Street that goes up Liberty Square. National Bank of Georgia is in 20 meters and from the first sight you understand that this building was built with a refined sense of taste. Erected in 1913, this grand grey building belonged to Tbilisi Mutual Credit Society but Soviet leaders confiscated…
From Kazbegi Region through the Valley of Truso
| Travel guides | 14 seen
North-East of Georgia is genuinely a mountainous region also known as Mtskheta-Mtianeti. This name can be translated as ‘Mtskheta in the Mountains’. Still, locals got used calling the territory ‘Kazbegi Region’ as if paying tribute to the famous Mount Kazbek.
The main Caucasian Ridge lies right at the border of Russian Federation and Georgia and the well-known Georgian Military road is also paved right in the Kazbegi Region that serves as the most significant trading road between two counties.
The trip to Kazbegi Region is one of the most picturesque events that can ever happen in the life of a hiker. Once becoming part of virgin nature all the impressions you had ever gained before will seem to be dull and even unrealistic as gigantic mountains, big soft floating clouds, and fresh air immediately make you feel special. Panoramic view from the car’s window will grab your attention for the whole trip. Truso Valley – not thoroughly explored place and is considered as the hidden beauty of Georgian mountains. It may take you about 2, 5 hours to get there if you are traveling from the capital – Tbilisi. Others may prefer to stay on a several-day…
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