Condohotel 'GVC 217' New Gudauri
GVC 217 is a condo/aparthotel located in the New Gudauri ski resort, some 120 km from the nation's capital Tbilisi.We booked here a weekend (2-night stay) in January 2019 and paid $138 for that. Despite we booked via Booking.com they accepted only cash.As I later learned owners of this condo have a travel company in Georgia, mostly specializing on incoming tours across Georgia for Russian speaking tourists - G-V-C or Georgian Voyage Company. Also, I learned that GVC owns/manages at least 14 condos here in Gudauri.Alternatively see: Ultimate List With Top 10 Gudauri Hotels (Georgian Ski Resort) of my reviews with Gudauri hotelsGVC 217There is an indoor pool, sauna and ski…
February 2020 Dividend Income Report - $251.15
Welcome to the thirty-fourth (#34) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in February 2020.Last February we spent both in Georgia and Latvia, with a small stop to Istanbul, Turkey (layover flight). Our daughter has started to visit English preschool in Tbilisi and now she is really fast picking up new things and words. Amazing. Latvian National Library in RigaThey have a great kid room on the 7-th floor with great views towards Old Riga.From the perspective of the market, last February was a bloodbath, the Corona Virus dominated the news and all major indexes (S&P 500, Dow Jones) were down 10-15…
Lindt Factory Shop Induno Oluno
This Lindt factory shop is located in the town of Induno Oluno (Varese), Italy on Largo Edoardo Bulgheroni street 1.Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG, more commonly known simply as Lindt, is a Swiss chocolatier and confectionery company founded in 1845 and known for its chocolate truffles and chocolate bars, among other sweets.We visited this factory shop in mid-November 2019, during our about a week-long trip to Italy and Switzerland. As we had a hotel booked in Induno Oluno (Villa Porro Pirelli, Induno Oluno, Italy) after some Google search we found this shop, and that's how we ended here and bought a lot of candies…
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
I was first introduced to the works of Nassim Nicholas Taleb from a fellow option trader when in a conversation I mentioned the term "Black Swan", my friend told me that Mr. Nassim Taleb is the author of this term and that he actually is quite active on Twitter.
I followed Nassim Taleb on Twitter, read a bit Wikipedia about him and basically forgot about him, when a couple of weeks later I was reading another trader's blog in which he mentions that has re-read all the books of Nassim Taleb. Now I decided - I should act, quickly googled which book I should read first - and Fooled by Randomness was pretty much recommended. I bought from Amazon the Kindle version and…
Winter in Georgia: Gombori Pass
Some call Gombori pass - A Picturesque Road To Kakheti, here at Piece of Life we can only agree. The road indeed is spectacularIf you don't have problems with endless turns or drastic changes of elevation and air pressure, then Gombori road is your road of choice to Kakheti. The pass itself peaks at 1620 meters above sea level.Gombori road is spectacular at any time of year. Small idyllic villages, magnificent sceneries of Alazani valley and Caucasus Mountains, panoramic views, sheep flocks, ancient forests, beautiful meadows and sea of clouds are just a short list of what awaits you on this road.At the start of January 2020, we left our cozy Tbilisi apartment to travel to Tsinandali…
Villa Porro Pirelli, Induno Oluno, Italy
Villa Porro Pirelli is set in Induno Olona, 5 km from Varese and 8 km from the Swiss border. It features air-conditioned rooms and a free outdoor pool, gym and solarium.We booked here a one night stay in the mid-November 2019, and paid about $70 or $80 for our stay here. To get here, we arrived from Switzerland.Induno Oluno is a small Italian town quite close to Milan (some 60 km).With antique furnishings, elegant rooms at the Porro Pirelli include a minibar and trouser press. Some rooms have wood-beamed ceilings, and WiFi is free throughout.Villa Porro Pirelli Breakfast is served in the Sala della Musica hall, with frescoed ceilings. Guests can enjoy a meal at the Bistrò, located…
Restaurant Wineland Telavi
Restaurant Wineland is located close to the town of Telavi in the region of Kakheti, Georgia.We discovered it in early January 2020 while driving Tbilisi - Tsinandali (via Gombori pass), as it was getting late already and we were approaching our final destination in Tsinandali (Odo's house) we started to look for some cozy restaurant to have dinner. Luckily, Restaurant Wineland appeared on the roadside. Now there is one more restaurant I know and can recommend in Telavi, see Telavi restaurantsRestaurant Wineland near TelaviAs usual, it happens to us in Georgia, we were the only guests here. As I'm already used to it, I actually enjoy it a lot. Also, we visited Wineland…
Resort Collina d'Oro - Hotel & Spa in Agra, Switzerland
Located in a scenic location in the Ticino countryside, a 15-minute drive from Lugano’s centre, this exclusive 5-star resort on 25 hectares of grounds offers panoramic views.We booked here a one night stay in early November 2019, for our stay here we paid ~ $234. The price included access to the SPA. Collina d’Oro’s 1,000 m² spa area includes various wellness facilities, as well as a fitness room. A wide range of massages and beauty programs, as well as hydrotherapy, are available.To get here we arrived from Lugano city in our rental car.Resort Collina d'Oro - Hotel & SpaAn elegant restaurant, and a spa area with an indoor and an outdoor pool are at guests´…
Radisson Collection Hotel, Tsinandali Estate Georgia
Radisson Collection Hotel, Tsinandali Estate Georgia is situated in Tsinandali, 1.4 km from Tsinandali Palace Museum, and offers free WiFi.An infinity outdoor swimming pool with view and pool bar is available on site as well as spa facilities, steam rooms and fitness centre.Ok, I actually haven't stayed at this hotel for the night, though I have enjoyed a cup of cappuccino at the hotel's library bar. But let me say one more time - Georgia never ends surprise me!Radisson Collection Hotel, Tsinandali Estate GeorgiaAll units in the hotel are equipped with a coffee machine. The rooms are fitted with a private bathroom with free toiletries and a hair dryer. The units at Radisson Collection Hotel…
Amazon Fire Tablet 7 Review
I ordered Amazon Fire Tablet 7 at the end of 2019 as a Christmas gift to our almost 18-month old baby girl. It took some two weeks before the gadget was actually delivered to us here in Georgia. I wanted to have something cheap enough it wouldn't be sad if the baby would drop or broke and also something smart enough to use Alexa with. I've been a huge fan of the Amazon Echo device since August 2019. Amazon Alexa Echo Dot (3rd Gen) - Smart speaker ReviewAnd that's how I decided to go with Amazon Fire Tablet 7Now was time to unpack and see what's inside. Package has arrived in GeorgiaFor shipments to Georgia we are using a neat delivery service called Usa2Georgia, see:…
January 2020 Dividend Income Report - $164.99
Welcome to the thirty third (#33) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in January 2020. Just like in the previous years, the last January disappeared like a flicker, little miss Fischer baby girl turned already 18-month old. We started to go to the Georgian language kindergarten, which at the end of the month we still decided to switch to English pre-school with the Montessori teaching method. During January we spent all-time in Georgia, did a few road trips to Tsinandali and Gudauri ski resort (twice)Gudauri Ski Resort in GeorgiaThis January also marked a small 3 years…
Odo's House in Tsinandali
Odo's house is a family-run bed&breakfast style guest house, located in Tsinandali, some 100 km from Tbilisi in Georgia. We booked Odo's house at the start of January 2020 for a two-night stay and paid about USD 40 for that (free parking and breakfast included)Odo's House features a garden. All rooms feature a kitchenette, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, and a private bathroom. Every room includes a terrace with a mountain view.The guesthouse is located in front of the famous Alexander Chavchavadze museumRoom at Odo's houseFor me I got the feeling I have got back to Soviet Georgia (in a very positive way) I felt like in the 60-ies.Odo's…
Postcards from Lugano
We traveled to Lugano in Switzerland at the end of 2019. Visit to Lugano officially adds marks 18th country on my travel map I've visited (since 2013)We arrived here from Italy's Lecco town using our rental car (Sicily car), a quick border check (without a real inspection) and we were inside Switzerland.Lake LuganoLugano is a town and a municipality in southern Switzerland in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino bordering Italy. It has a population of 63,185, and an urban agglomeration of over 145,000. The ninth-largest Swiss town, it is the largest in Ticino and largest with an Italian speaking…
Aparthotel Autosole Riga
Located opposite a park in the historical centre of Riga on Hospitāļu street.Aparthotel Autosole offers to its guests 10 comfortable apartments and studios.We have been staying at this hotel several times, with the first stay being back in 2017 while the latest stay was at the end of 2019. In total, we paid USD 86 for a 2-night stay. That's one of the cheapest stays you can find in Riga.There is one more Autosole Economy motel located in the other side of Riga, see Autosole Economy Motel in RigaSee my complete listing with Riga hotels I have stayedAparthotel Autosole in Riga1.5 km from Arena Riga, Aparthotel Autosole offers fully-equipped studios and apartments with satellite TV, free…
2019 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2020
January is almost at the end and it's time to look back on the previous year of blogging (2019), and no doubts - take a quick glimpse of 2020
In today's article, I will reveal data behind the blog scenes - both traffic and income for the whole year of 2019. But before we dig into the numbers, here is the brief background - blog now is more than six years old, and for the last six years it has gone a very long way,
Make sure to check out my previous yearly blogging reviews:
2018 - 2018 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2019 / $20,517.34
2017 - 2017 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2018 / $24,920.47…
Ilia Lake
Ilia Lake is located near the town of Kvareli in the region of Kakheti, Georgia.First discovered back in 2014, while staying at Royal Batoni hotel next to the lake. Since then I've headed here several times. It was at the start of 2020 when I learned that this lake actually is manmade. Ilias lake was formed in a valley of the Duruji Rivier a few years ago, financed from the then Presidential fund (Mikheil Saakashvili) Ilia’s Lake was named after Ilia Chavchavadze, a nobleman who is still considered one of the mightiest thinkers in the history of the country. He was a real polymath – a person of many jobs and aspirations.Ilias lake in GeorgiaThere is a small amphitheater…
Tremezzina near Como Lake, Italy
Tremezzina is located on the western banks of Lake Como, right in front of Bellagio, and is the result of a recent merger of the comunes of Lenno, Mezzegra, Ossuccio, and Tremezzo.We discovered this picturesque Italian town during our about a week-long trip in Italy during the mid-November 2019. According to Lake Como Travel website a scene from Star Wars were shot here:Visiting Tremezzina means having the chance to enjoy a place that is rich in atmosphere, history, and attractions. For example… did you know that some Star Wars’ scenes were shot here?TremezzinaActually we didn't even visit the town of Tremezzina, instead, we made a stop to make a…
Semarah Lielupe Hotel & SPA
Lielupe Hotel SPA & Conferences by Semarah is located in a calm area of Jurmala, surrounded by forest and 400 m from the Baltic Sea. It features a spacious kids club with different games and toys.We booked this hotel in mid-December 2019, for a two-night stay and paid in total $257 for two separate rooms (as my mom was traveling with us)Elegant rooms at Lielupe Hotel SPA & Conferences feature a safety deposit box and a balcony. Private bathrooms come with a hairdryer and toiletries.Room at Hotel Lielupe The room size could be bigger, but except that everything was good. We even got a free baby crib, which our baby girl is not even thinking to use anymore.The view from the…
Guest House 'Rivendell' in Borjomi
Rivendell, Eco-friendly hotel with wooden rooms and organic garden, is located in Borjomi.After discovering that we spend more and more time at luxury hotels across Georgia, we decided to return to the roots and instead of fancy 5-star hotels to choose a home away felling by choosing stay at guest houses/ family-run hotels.At guest house Rivendell we stayed for one night at the end of June 2019 for that we paid just $40. Free parking and breakfast included. For a luxury stay in Borjomi see: Top 10 Luxury Hotels in BorjomiRoom at Guesthouse RivendellSimple, nothing special, our room came with a balcony and bathroom. From the downsides staying at guesthouses I should note - lack of…
Mintos.com Review 2020 (36 Month of Investing in Peer to Peer Lending)
I've been investing in the Mintos.com peer to peer lending marketplace since the beginning of 2017, or it has been already 36 months or three years since I've been exposing my funds to this Latvian fintech platform. In the past three years, I've made a nice revenue of EUR 1,477.86 (before tax) and in today's article, I decided to share a quick overview for the past three years and also make a quick glimpse for my plans for 2020Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to mintos.com peer to peer lending website, by clicking on links on this page and by making investment on mintos.com, I might earn affiliate income…