Baku Boulevard
Baku Boulevard also is known as National Park is a promenade established in 1909 which runs parallel to Baku's seafront.Its history goes back more than 100 years, to a time when Baku oil barons built their mansions along the Caspian shore and when the seafront was artificially built up inch by inch.I first visited Baku on August 2019, and Baku boulevard was our first stop after arriving at Baku Railway station. To get here we caught a street taxiThe park stretches along a south-facing bay on the Caspian Sea. It traditionally starts at Freedom Square continuing west to the Old City and beyond. Since 2012, the Yeni Bulvar (new…
Manglisi Cathedral
Manglisi Cathedral or Manglisi Sioni Cathedral is a 6th-7th-century Georgian Orthodox cathedral near the town of Manglisi, Tetritsqaro Municipality, Georgia.For me, it was interesting to observe the traditional cross from the Russian orthodox church decorating the top of this cathedral. Also, the coat of arms with two-headed eagle from Tzarist Russia is featured on the facade of Manglisi cathedral.Two-headed eagle from Tzarist RussiaAccording to sources the first church was built in 4th century. The current cathedral was constructed in 6th-7th century. The cathedral went through a huge restoration in 1002.The arch gate is the main focus of the western…
Hotel 'Keizarmezs' Review in Riga
The Keizarmezs is located on the shore of Lake Kisezers in the Mezaparks district, a 20-minute drive from Riga’s centre. A private car park is available free of charge. We booked a couple of nights here in July 2019, during our visit to Riga hotel Keizarmezs offered lowest value deal price, for a 3-night stay we paid here about $70 (while most of the other Riga hotels asked around $300)Now, the hotel is bit outdated, but the price compensates that.A simple, little bit outdated room at hotel KeizarmezsThe rooms at the Keizarmezs Hotel have a bathroom and satellite TV. Irons and hairdryers are available at the reception. Room service is also available.Bathroom at Hotel KeizarmezsA bit…
August 2019 Dividend Income Report - $259.58
Welcome to the twenty-eight (#28) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in August 2019.Last August, I turned 34. For this years birthday celebrations, we traveled to Baku, Azerbaijan and had some really good time there. Fairmont Baku hotel at Flame Towers (Read my review here)As I've reached the age of 34, starting the next year I will put aside at least 54% from my yearly income. Here is the formula = my age + 20 = 54%. I'm raising this number every year. Now, the last August was very good and even had a surprise dividend from Silvano Fashion Group. At the end of the month, I have…
Baku Central Railway Station
Baku central railway station has gone through some serious modernization recently.We booked a train to Baku from Tbilisi in early August 2019, and that's how I first visited this railway station.Tbilisi - Baku by Train Ticket InformationAccording to RailwayPro - It took 2 years to renovate and modernize the whole capital’s rail station. The station has a shopping area on the second floor, the main building has been renovated and all the platforms been reconstructed.Baku Railway buildingInside the building, there are modern facilities - a shopping and dining area (a hint at Pizza hut they have a free Wi-FI). There is a few ATM located inside the building, I was able to withdraw 95…
Georgia / Azerbaijan Border Crossing by train (Gardabani / Boyuk Kasik)
When traveling by train from Tbilisi to Baku, there are two border checkpoints (one in Georgia, and one in Azerbaijan) - the total border crossing procedure can take around 2 hours (an hour for each side) and you can stay inside the train during the checkups.In this article, I'll share some notes from our latest trip to Baku from Tbilisi by train in the start of August 2019Tbilisi - Baku by Train Ticket InformationIt takes about an hour for the train to reach Georgia / Azerbaijan border at Gardabani. Police officers (border guards) will enter the train, collect passports and check if you have Azerbaijani e-visa.Cold drinks on the Gardabani border checkpointDuring the border…
Algeti National Park Visitor Center Manglisi
The main entrance of the national park is located near the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of Manglisi.Algeti National Park Administration has a small infrastructural unit – a picnic area with auxiliary buildings and a forest adventure park. Algeti has been on our radar ever since we discovered Algeti water reservoir while hiking in Birvisi Canyon.To get here we used Tbilisi - Kojori - Tsalka - Ninotsminda roadDay trip To Tsalka and nearby VillagesForest adventure park at Algeti Visitors centerFrom first sight, the forest adventure park looks quite easy. During our visit here in the mid-August 2019, the adventure park didn't seem to be working.Children playroom inside…
How to Get around in Baku by using Taxi Mobile Application Bolt
There is a very convenient way of getting around in Baku by taxi using mobile application Bolt (formerly known as Taxify). The best, if you have already installed Bolt for some other city, it will work internationally.
How to Get around in Tbilisi by Taxify (Taxi Mobile Application)
Regular street taxi will ask at least 5 manat for shorter distance drive in the city (during my short 3 days visit to Baku, I caught regular street taxis a couple of times, first one - from the Baku Railway station wanted 10 AZN to get us to the boulevard, I managed to bargain down to 8 AZN).
Next time I was already smarter and bargained down from 10 AZN to 5 AZN to get from the Fountain…
Planing a trip to Azerbaijan: How to get a Prepaid SIM Card with Internet
I traveled to Azerbaijan for about 3 days in August 2019, our final destination was the capital city of Baku. One of the reasons I was looking for prepaid sim card in Azerbaijan is quite simple - to call a taxi from mobile application.
Unfortunately, or for luck, this time I didn't actually take a sim-card with internet while in Azerbaijan (it was very quite possible to use public and hotel Wi-Fi during our stay in Baku), but I gathered some information, which might help.
There are three major mobile phone operators currently in Azerbaijan: Azercell, Bakcell and Nar . All three networks are widely modern and reliable with shops located in major towns and cities…
Grill&Fish Jomas terase, Jūrmala
Grill&Fish Jomas terase is another stylish restaurant located on central Jomas street in busy Latvian seaside town Jūrmala.We visited this place in early May 2019, during a short 10 day trip to Latvia. Grill bar Lighthouse serves traditional seasonal Latvian cuisine and not onlySoup at Grill and Fish restaurant in JūrmalaThe Grill & Fish restaurant seems is quite popular among locals and visitors. Food choice is OK, prices are pretty high, but taking into consideration that you are dining in the heart of Jūrmala on Jomas street - they are quite okGrill $ Fish Jomas terase in Jūrmala
Heydar Aliyev International Airport Baku
Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport is one of the six international airports serving Azerbaijan. The airport is located 20 kilometers northeast of Baku, connected to the city by a modern highway. The airport serves as the home base for national carrier Azerbaijan Airlines and Buta Airways.
I've been flying from this airport back to Tbilisi with Buta Airways in early August 2019, see: About Buta Airways Baku - Tbilisi fight
Two passenger terminals and two cargo terminals operate at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
There is Vanderlande baggage-handling system in Terminal 1, as well as L-3 equipment for thorough baggage inspection and scanners…
About Buta Airways Baku - Tbilisi fight
Buta Airways is an Azerbaijani low-cost virtual carrier, headquartered in Baku, with its primary operational base at Heydar Aliyev International Airport. It is a fully owned subsidiary of Azerbaijan Airlines.
We fled with Buta Airways at the start of August 2019 from Baku - Tbilisi. The flight was served from Heydar Aliyev International Airport Terminal 2. And that's what I really enjoyed - Terminal 2 is quite small, no need to travel long distances to find gates and so on. Really compact and neat.
We bought three adults tickets and paid about $300 for that. Our baby girl (13-month-old) for the first time in her short flying carrier got a separate seat
Air…
Goodwill Gori Higway
Goodwill near Gori - Tbilisi Highway is a convenient rest area/supermarket/ eatery while driving to Tbilisi (from Kutaisi or Batumi, for example)Goodwill was one of the first supermarket chains in Georgia. I wouldn't call this store a supermarket in the classic sense, as mostly here are sold long-lasting food items, though there is a stand for fresh products, like milk, eggs and so on).We keep stopping here, to buy some milk, coffee or Pringles chips and to take some coffee, when returning back from trips to TbilisiGoodwill near Gori - Tbilisi highwayThere is also located Socar gas stationOn the opposite side of the highway (driving from Tbilisi), there is a Wendy's store
Antalya Aquarium
As one of the biggest aquarium complexes of the world, Antalya Aquarium offers inspiration, entertainment and education all at once.After touring the 40 thematic aquariums, you will come across the biggest tunnel aquarium of the World with a length of 131 meters and a width of 3 meters.We paid about an hour and a half long visit to Antalya aquarium in June 2019. We booked a trip here while staying at Kirman Belazur Resort &Spa from Pegas Touristik, and paid about $100. The fee included a ride to and back from our hotel for two adults and a baby and entrance tickets at the aquarium. Antalya aquariumAntalya aquarium features - worlds…
July 2019 Dividend Income Report - $247.06
Welcome to the twenty-seventh (#27) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in July 2019.Hawk-eyed blog readers will notice that I have dropped cryptocurrency lending from the top. And that's true, I have stopped lending crypto online on Poloniex.com, instead, I'm trading crypto options on Deribit. Our baby daughter last July turned 1, and for that special event we traveled back to Latvia (spent 2 weeks there) - had a nice family gathering and very awesome 1-year birthday celebrations at Baltvilla hotelBirthday decorations for our baby girls birthday at Hotel Baltivilla restaurant…
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Zoom Lens Review
At the end of July, I finally got replacement lens for original Canon Rebel T5 (Canon 1200D) DSLR camera - I ordered online from Amazon Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Zoom Lens.
For the original kit lens, the autofocus stopped working properly and for the most time I had to shoot in manual mode, it's perfectly fine for me, but I admit having working autofocus is really neat, it can help a lot (for example in bright sunlight).
I was inching between 18-55mm zoom lens and 24mm pancake lens, but after all, I went tor the 18-55mm (as I have been shooting with it for the last 4 years)
Top 5 Best Selling Canon EF / EF-S Lenses 2019
Designed for high-quality still image and video…
Fix for Drupal 'Social Share Counter' module - Facebook Counter Not Working
I have been using Drupal's Social Share counter module for some time already. It worked great until recently it stopped and all posts were showing 0 shares.
After a quick research on the modules issue page, I found the solution: Facebook share counter not working
Facebook has changed its API recently, so the URL http://graph.facebook.com/?id=URL, which is used by the module no longer works and the share counter is always 0.
There is also a patch provided to fix this issue:
diff --git a/sites/all/modules/contrib/social_share_counter/social_share_counter.inc b/sites/all/modules/contrib/social_share_counter/social_share_counter.inc
index cd85c09b4..48cf292da 100644
--- a/sites…
Gonio Fortress
Gonio fortress, previously called Apsaros, or Apsarunto, is a Roman fortification in Adjara, Georgia, on the Black Sea, 15 km south of Batumi, at the mouth of the Chorokhi river. The village sits 4 km north of the Turkish border.Gonio has been on my radar since I probably first visited Batumi back in the Summer of 2011, but for the first time, I visited this ancient Roman site at the end of April 2019, while doing an easy weekend trip around the region of Adjara.The entrance fee was 3 GEL (April 2019)Fortification walls at Gonio FortressFor those of you interested in history:The oldest reference to the fortress is by Pliny the Elder[ in…
HP ENVY x360 - 15-cn0003ur Convertable Touchscreen Laptop Review
HP ENVY x360 - convertible touchscreen Laptop is the latest addition to our home office. Bought at the local Tbilisi shop in early June 2019. Paid about $1,150 but I believe you could get one much cheaper on AmazonEquipped with Backlit keyboard, FULL HD 1920X1080 screen resolution, this laptop will make many envy it. lolFrom its distinctive materials and iconic design, this PC exudes unparalleled beauty. Built thin and light for those on-the-go - expect premium design features including a brilliant backlit keyboard, seamless profile, and geometric pattern speaker grill.Please note this article contains links to Amazon by clicking on links on this page and by making a purchase on Amazon…
Kirman Belazur Resort &Spa Review in Antalya, Turkey
Situated at the seafront, Kirman Hotels Belazur Resort & Spa has a private beach but you don't need a beach when you have one of the longest warm water outdoor pools. There is a water park and a bowling alley on site and guests can enjoy the restaurant and bar. Free WiFi is featured throughout the hotel and free private parking is available on site.We booked a tour package from Tbilisi to Turkey's region of Antalya and chose this 5-star resort hotel in Belek (the total amount we paid for this tour package with a charter flight from Tbilisi to Antalya and Back was about USD 1,200 for a 6-night stay). Our trip took us here in early June 2019. For booking this trip we chose…