How To HTTPS Secure Drupal 8 Running Nginx with Let's Encrypt on Ubuntu 18.04
Let's Encrypt have done some very good job, providing SSL certificates that everyone can use absolutely for free. Encrypted HTTPS websites should be default in 2020.
I have been implementing HTTPS secure websites for years. Until now I mostly worked with Drupal 7 websites and for securing them I have been using this guide, back from 2016 - Linode: How To Secure Nginx with Let's Encrypt on Ubuntu 12.04
Now, in 2020, working on a new, Drupal 8 powered, website after then initial web development was completed, I was looking for an easy way to implement a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt.
And here comes this tutorial from Digital Ocean in help: How To…
How to Install Drupal 8 with Nginx, PHP-FPM 7.2, MySQL, phpMyAdmin on Ubuntu 18.04 - Linode Guide
In this article, you will learn how to setup Drupal 8 with Nginx, PHP-FPM 7.2, MySQL and phpMyAdmin on Ubuntu 18.04
For the following tutorial, I used very much the information from my previous guide with Ubuntu 16.04, but decided to rewrite it for Ubuntu 18.04 version as when I tried to setup my latest project about stock trading 0dtespxtrading.com with Drupal 8.8.5 on Ubunut 16.04 machine an error from Drupal that PHP version shipped with Ubuntu 16.04 was outdated and instead of upgrading that box I decided to go with a new server from scratch,
Prerequisites
Ubuntu 18.04
Root privileges.
You can get a cheap VPS starting just $5/mo…
April 2020 Dividend Income Report - $78.40
Welcome to the thirty-sixth (#36) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in April 2020.Last April we spent in a self-isolation (because of Covid-19) here in Georgia. Baby girl is doing her online class, learning about animals, shapes, continents, and even planets. Quite fascinating what a 21-month-old can do. Development is very rapid.King Davids Tower (s) in TbilisiIt was on the evening of April 27, 2020, I decided to switch glass (from the kit lens to telephoto) and make some photo for the month of April to put in the description for the monthly dividend income report.From the perspective of…
Rundāle Palace and Garden
Rundāle Palace is one of the two major baroque palaces built for the Dukes of Courland in what is now Latvia, the other being Jelgava Palace. The palace was built in two periods, from 1736 until 1740 and from 1764 until 1768. It is situated at Pilsrundāle, 12 km west of Bauska.The palace and its garden are among the top 10 destinations to visit in Latvia. We have been heading to Rundāle once in a while, when in Latvia, preferably in Summer.Rundala palace and its gardenIn 1735 Duke of Courland Ernst Johann von Biron bought land in Rundāle with an old medieval castle in the territory of a planned summer residence. The old…
Guest House Old Wall in Lagodekhi
Offering a barbecue and children's playground, Guest House Old Wall is situated in Lagodekhi.Property is set within the historic walls of the old castle Lakuasti. Guests can enjoy the on-site bar. Free WiFi is available throughout the property and free private parking is available on site.This was our first stay in Lagodekhi, during a recent trip to the region (September 2019), we arrived here after a nice and comfy stay at Akhasheni Wine Resort near Gurjaani. Guest House Old Wall in LagodekhiIt was decided to use this guesthouse as a base to reach the Ninoskhevi waterfall. And seems the guest house is one of the top choices for travelers from all around the World to get…
Akhasheni Wine Resort
Akhasheni Wine Resort is located near the town of Gurjaani, Georgia.This 4-star resort offers a 24-hour front desk. Guests can chill out in the outdoor swimming pool. We booked this hotel at the start of September and paid about $95 for a one night stay. Top Gurjaani Hotels & Guest HousesRoom at Akhaseni wine resortSimple and cozy. One of the main features of this hotel is it outdoor pool with warm water, taking a swim in the middle of vineyards, yes this is quite possible here.Outdoor swimming pool As it was rtveli time, I asked permission to go inside the vineyards to try grapes from the field. mhm, it tasted so good. Boasting free bikes…
Hotel 'San Francisco' Milan
Hotel San Francisco is a 5-minute walk from the Politecnico di Milano University. Rooms offer free Wi-Fi and a TV. Loreto Metro Station is just 300 m away.We booked this hotel for a one night stay during our trip to Italy, Switzerland back in November 2019. The price we paid was not very high (some $60 or $80 per night)The hotel is pretty much centrally located, as we arrived here wit a rental car we parked in on the nearby street and were paying about EUR 3 per day (they charged parking fee from 9AM tlll 13AM). This is one of the lowest parking fees in Europe I've ever seen.Hotel San Francisco in Milan, ItalyOur room featured a small balcony with a street view.From here we were…
Taverna in Bauska
Taverna is a restaurant, centrally located in the Bauska town, Latvia, serving traditional Latvian cuisine.I have been coming to this place once in a while (if in the area), so did happen last time, back in July 2019, while we were en route to the famous Rundale castle, we made a stop in Bauska, and Taverna time it was.Restaurant Taverna in BauskaIn a busy season (Summer) order taking could take some time and meal preparation can take about an hour, Outdoor deckThe long wait can be compensated with a lovely sceneryTraditional Latvian cuisine - pork chops
March 2020 Dividend Income Report - $163.01
Welcome to the thirty-fifth (#35) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in March 2020.Last March we spent both in Latvia and Georgia, due to the Covid19 outbreak we have put ourselves into a self-isolation here in Tbilisi.Since March 17 there is a lockdown in Georgia, As preschool is canceled our daughter now is actively taking her online class. Amazing what a 20-month old can do.Our Tbilisi balcony in HDR on the last day of March 2020Seems we are going to spend a lot of time here for the next weeks/months, as the weather gets better, everything already starts to blossom. Pretty awesome scenery. From…
One Day in Istanbul
Istanbul has been on my travel map ever since I remember (Okay, I first were here back in 2009).Time after time we like to take layover flight via Istanbul, and so did happen last time, at the end of February 2020 - we booked a connected flight Tbilisi - Istanbul - Riga with Turkish Airlines so we have a chance to spend at least a day in IstanbulAfter taking a hammam in our centrally located Istanbul hotel (Best Point Hotel Old City Istanbul (Sultanahmet)), in the next morning after breakfast we took a little walk to nearby tourism objectsWhat to do and see in Istanbul in less than 24 hoursTurkish tea for sale near Blue MosqueWe went through a small market which was still…
Snowy day in Tbilisi
On the morning of March 17, 2020, snow surprised us here in Tbilisi.
While sipping morning coffee I decided to grab a camera and take a few shots for the history.
As it has been a while since my latest update from the Living in Georgia series I found this photo story a great way to illustrate how we spent a day, while in self-quarantine because of the Covid19 virus.
Documenting winter in Georgia has been a tradition of this blog, see Tbilisi - Fairyland in Winter, Georgia in Winter (Photos from Tbilisi), Hiking trails near Turtle lake, Tbilisi in Winter
Snow in Tbilisi
Seeing snow in Tbilisi is quite rare, though possible, mostly at the end…
Best Point Hotel Old City Istanbul (Sultanahmet)
Located in the Old City of Istanbul, this hotel is within walking distance to Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. Best Point Hotel Old City offers air-conditioned rooms. Free WiFi is available throughout the hotel.We booked here a one night stay at the end of February 2020, during a layover flight from Tbilisi via Istanbul to Riga. We booked a family room which included a really comfy bed (s) and even a private hammam (Turkish sauna).Our price about $95 per one-night stay (additionally we paid about $90 for a transfer back and forth from Istanbul airport, transfer was organized with the help of hotel). We like travel to Turkey and…
National Library of Latvia
The National Library of Latvia, also known as Castle of Light is located on Mūkusalas iela 3, Riga - on the left side of river Daugava, opposite to Old RigaThe current building was designed in 1989 by noted Latvian-American architect Gunnar Birkerts (1925-2017), who emigrated to the United States and made his career there. It was constructed in the early 21st century and opened in 2014. Today the Library plays an important role in the development of Latvia's information society, providing Internet access to residents and supporting research and lifelong education.I had a chance to visit the National Library of Latvia at the end of February 2020 and I must admit I was very…
Drunk Cherry Gudauri Restaurant
Drunk Cherry is a stylish restaurant located in Gudauri next to the GoodAura ski-left (New Gudauri ski resort)Discovered during a weekend trip to Gudauri. And I should say I was really impressed. The food, service, and even the prices are as if you were in some of the best Tbilisi restaurants.Warm and cosy even on the coldest days. We promise fast and friendly service and a unique atmosphere.We order here some hot-wine, soup harcho, hummus salads, hamburgers, and even pancakes. I would call this cuisine pretty much European with a Georgian accent.Salads served with hummusI have noticed this is quite popular now in Georgia. Every chill place serves salads with hummus. It's…
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…