Blog Archive: May 2017

Lopota lake Resort & Spa

31 May, 2017 | Lakes | 31 seen

Lopota Lake Resort & Spa is ideal for those seeking a peaceful place to rest. Your personal piece of paradise is located in the Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia, surrounded by the famous Caucasus mountains, just 2 hours drive from Tbilisi, the nation's capital.

We first discovered Lopota lake in early Spring 2017, during a weekend trip to the region of Kakheti. We returned here back for a few day stay in June 2020.

Lopota lake in Georgia

Here is the story of how we first discovered this place - At the start of April (2017), we booked another hotel here in Kakheti (Chateau Mere near Telavi). Unfortunately, when we arrived on site, the weather was overcast and it was no fun to stay at the huge concrete complex, we took a local taxi and asked him to show us some cool nearby sites, as I was equipped with a tripod and camera I was looking for some lakes, water and so on, as wanted to make some long exposure shots. 

The taxi driver suggested us to visit Lopota lake, as I had heard about it before, we agreed.

At Lopota lake there are located a hotel complex, restaurants, outdoor pools and more.

Restaurant at Lopota laka

As we booked half-board, we got free breakfast served at this dinning hall. 

Outdoor heated swimming pool

We traveled here for about 3 night stay with our almost 2 year old baby girl because of the pool. She was excited!

Lopota lake offers different kind of activities, including kids club, sport activities and of course SPA.

Vine tasting hall at Lopota lake

Featuring a deluxe spa, the property is 26 km from Telavi town. It offers air-conditioned rooms with a fridge.

Family room at Lopota lake

 Each room at Lopota is decorated in a classic style and includes a balcony. Bathrooms are fitted with bathrobes and slippers. We had a direct access to the swimming pool straight from our room

Common Stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus) at Lopota Lake in Georgia

In case you are looking for this precious fungus in Georgia, I noticed one on the shores of Lopota lake in June 2020.

Hotel Chateau Mere near Telavi

30 May, 2017 | Hotel reviews | 16 seen

We booked hotel Chateau Mere Telavi at the start of April 2017 and were hoping to enjoy early spring in Kakheti. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side, and instead we enjoyed a couple of rainy days in a stylish hotel complex.

For getting forth and back from our Tbilisi apartment to Chateau Mere in Tbilisi we pre-ordered a shuttle service from the hotel (70 GEL one direction)

Housed in a stone castle, this design hotel features free Wi-Fi, an outdoor swimming pool and a spacious garden. Located in Telavi, it is set in Georgia’s wine-producing area amidst the Caucasus Mountains and Alazani Valley.

Stylish room at hotel Chateau Mere

Chateau Mere has classically decorated rooms featuring antique-style furnishings. Each room includes a flat-screen TV and minibar, and some rooms offer a balcony.

Outdoor swimming pool

Although it was already the start of April, the weather didn't spoil us at all. Mist, rain, and even snow. Thus the view from the balcony is nice.

The dining hall at Chateau Mere

A breakfast buffet is provided at the hotel, which also features its own restaurant serving traditional Georgian cuisine made from organic local produce. In the evenings, guests can enjoy a drink at the bar.

Chateau Mere in Telavi

On-site activities at Chateau Mere include wine tasting, billiards and karaoke. The accommodation can arrange horse riding excursions to the 8th-century Sios Marani Monastary or 6th-century Ikalto Monastary.

Outdoor terrace

Guests at Chateau Mere enjoy free private parking on site. Tbilisi International Airport is 73 km away and Tbilisi Train Station is 90 km away, and shuttle services can be arranged for a fee. 

Day trip to Gori and nearby vicinity

28 May, 2017 | Travel guides | 15 seen

Day trips to Gori and nearby vicinity are quite possible if traveling from Tbilisi. Although not so popular as day trips to Mtskheta and Jvari (because located very close to Tbilisi) a trip to Gori and the region (Shida Kartli) is a nice way to travel through the past. 

It was at the end of March 2017, when my business partner (traveltogeorgia.net) agreed to show me some cool and unseen places in Gori and nearby vicinity

One of the most famous landmarks in Gori is the Stalin Museum, which I, unfortunately,  didn't visit during this trip (as I've been here several times already in past). The second landmark you should see - Uplitsikhe Cave town ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia, some 10 kilometers east of the town of Gori. Enjoyed some wine and the lovely small winery Chateau Ateni, visited Atenis Sioni, and last visited some hidden gem - Sulfur baths in Biisi village.

Sulfur bath house in Biisi, Georgia

27 May, 2017 | Health & Wellness | 35 seen

Georgia is well known of it's sulfur bath houses, most recognized are located in the Tbilisi' s Old Town (see Abanotubani district), but there are more across country. One such is located in Biisi village (Shida Kartli region).

I was taken here by a friend from traveltogeorgia.net after we visited Uplitsikhe cave town and Atenis Sioni at the end of March 2017

You won't find much comfort here, but if you love diggers stuff (and I do) or rough travel - Biisi is really cool and attractive place to visit. Eco tourists will enjoy, it's completely free to take a sulfur bath here. Grab a towel before.

Biisi in Georgia

Old and neglected. Rusted but cool.

Sulfur bathhouse in Biisi

Some handy locals have made a lovely hardwood finishing.

Bath in Biisi

I didn't dare to take a bath here, but I must admit that the bathhouse seems completely functional, and I love the idea of free things. If you travel to this place, don't forget to drop a comment and tell how did it go.

Ateni Sioni Church

26 May, 2017 | Churches and Monasteries | 18 seen

The Ateni Sioni Church  is an early 7th-century Georgian Orthodox church in the village of Ateni, some 10 km (6.2 mi) south of the city of Gori, Georgia. It stands in a setting of the Tana River valley known not only for its historical monuments but also for its picturesque landscapes and wine. The name "Sioni" derives from Mount Zion at Jerusalem.

I had a chance to visit Atenis Sioni first in March 2017, as my business partner from tourgeorgia.eu Mrs. David Gabliashvili took me to the most interesting places in Gori area.

Atenis Sioni in Georgia

Sioni is an early example of a "four-apse church with four niches" domed tetraconch (between the four apses are three-quarter cylindrical niches which are open to the central space). The church's cruciform interior measures 24m x 19.22m, and its façades are faced with carved rectangular greenish-gray stones, richly decorated with ornaments and figurative reliefs. The church is not dated but is very similar in design to the Jvari Monastery at Mtskheta, which is generally held to have preceded it, and, hence, has been described by some art historians as belonging to the "Jvari-type" group of churches. Todosak, mentioned in an undated Armenian inscription on the southern facade as "I, Todosak, the builder of this holy church" is considered to have been an Armenian architect of the original church or its late 10th-century renovator.

Stone wall surrounding Atenis Sioni

The walls of the church contain the earliest known inscriptions in Nuskhuri or Nuskha-Khutsuri, one of the versions of the early Georgian alphabet, dating from 835. The earliest known examples of Mkhedruli, a currently used Georgian script, are also found in the Ateni Sioni church and date to the 980s. One of the inscriptions on the church commemorates Adarnase I of Tao-Klarjeti, the first documented Georgian Bagratid nobleman who was the father of Ashot I, the founder of the new royal line of Georgia.

Near the church there are the ruins of the medieval fortified town of Ateni (modern-day villages of Didi Ateni and Patara Ateni).

Chateau Ateni (Winery in Georgia)

25 May, 2017 | Tourism objects | 17 seen

Here comes another interesting, though small winery I've visited here in Georgia. Meet Chateau Ateni near Gori. I was taken here in the frames of short day trip to Gori with my business partner David Gablishvili from Traveltogeorgia.net.

Chateau Ateni is a small family run winery, offering to try local wine and famous Georgian hospitality. Located some 10km from Uplitisikhe cave town. 

Chateau Ateni winery in Georgia

As we visited this winery at the end of March it was still nothing much to see, but should be very beautiful if visited in Summer or Fall.

Chateau Ateni winery in Georgia

A small exhibition hall with fine bottled wines from this winery. 

Wine tasting room

Uplistsikhe Cave Town in Georgia

24 May, 2017 | Tourism objects | 25 seen

Uplistsikhe is an ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia, located some 10 kilometers east of the town of Gori, Shida Kartli.

Built on a high rocky left bank of the Mtkvari River, it contains various structures dating from the Early Iron Age to the Late Middle Ages and is notable for the unique combination of various styles of rock-cut cultures from Anatolia and Iran, as well as the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture.

First visited back in 2011, I have returned here for a few times more, though personally, I find Vardzia cave town more impressive, no doubt Uplistsikhe is a great example of rich Georgian history and is pretty easy reachable from Tbilisi by car.

There is a small museum located just after the entrance in the cave complex, a lot of interesting information located here:

Uplistsikhe museum

Uplistsikhe

Uplistsikhe is identified by archaeologists as one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia. Strategically located in the heartland of ancient kingdom of Kartli (or Iberia as it was known to the Classical authors), it emerged as a major political and religious center of the country. The town’s age and importance led medieval Georgian written tradition to ascribe its foundation to the mythical Uplos, son of Mtskhetos, and grandson of Kartlos.

With the Christianization of Kartli early in the 4th century, Uplistsikhe seems to have declined in its importance and lost its position to the new centers of Christian culture – Mtskheta and, later Tbilisi. However, Uplistsikhe reemerged as a principal Georgian stronghold during the Muslim conquest of Tbilisi in the 8th and 9th century. The Mongol raids in the 14th century marked the ultimate eclipse of the town; it was virtually abandoned, and only occasionally used as a temporary shelter in times of foreign intrusions.

Uplitsikhe cave town in Georgia

The Uplistsikhe complex can tentatively be divided into three parts: south (lower), middle (central) and north (upper) covering an area of approximately 8 hectares. The middle part is the largest, contains a bulk of the Uplistsikhe rock-cut structures, and is connected to the southern part via a narrow rock-cut pass and a tunnel. Narrow alleys and sometimes staircases radiate from the central "street" to the different structures.

The majority of the caves are devoid of any decorations, although some of the larger structures have coffered tunnel-vaulted ceilings, with the stone carved in imitation of logs. Some of the larger structures also have niches in the back or sides, which may have been used for ceremonial purposes.

Uplitsikhe

At the summit of the complex is a Christian basilica built of stone and brick in the 9th-10th centuries. Archaeological excavations have discovered numerous artifacts of different periods, including gold, silver and bronze jewellery, and samples of ceramics and sculptures. Many of these artifacts are in the safekeeping of the National Museum in Tbilisi.

Uplitsikhe cave town in Georgia

Several parts of the most vulnerable areas were completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1920. The stability of the monument remains under substantial threat, prompting the Fund of Cultural Heritage of Georgia (a joint project of the World Bank and Government of Georgia) to launch a limited program of conservation in 2000. The Uplistsikhe cave complex has been on the tentative list for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage program since 2007.

Here is some nice drone video I made in early April 2021 Uplistsikhe cave town in Georgia / 4K / DJI Mavic AIR 2

How To Reference Nodes in Drupal 8 + Views Relationships Display

23 May, 2017 | Drupal Development | 41 seen

Lately I feel very enthusiastic working with latest Drupal 8 release, though Drupal 8 have been around for a while already, there are still few drawbacks which keeps me avoiding developing full scale on Drupal 8.

I will write down my notes of pros and cons about switching from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8 in some of the future posts, in today's Drupal tutorial series I will provide information how to use reference fields and build something awesome, as usual I will use a live example. We are going to build a views display, listing tours in a blog article.

You can see my previous simple tutorial on the same functionality for Drupal 7 site here: Node reference views display using relationships

In fact if you are familiar with relationship fields and node reference fields in Drupal 7, there is basically nothing new in Drupal 7, with exception that this functionality is already built out of box in Drupal 8, you don't need to download and install any modules

Here is what the final result looks

Referenced node view

You can see a live preview here: John Graham Tours joins Tourgeorgia

Add a reference field to content type

In Drupal 8, node references are already in core, you don't need to install and enable any new modules. In this tutorial I'm using default article content type to add reference field:

Under your content type manage fields settings, click to add a new field

• Select Reference -> Content
• Give it a nice label, for example Tour listings
• Save 

On the next page choose content types that can be referenced and select display value to unlimited

Reference Type Field settings

As this reference field is attached to article content type, I will reference tours, so I select tour content type.

Save settings and go to content creation page (or edit existing content), you should see this newly created field there - add few referenced nodes and save your node.

You will see ugly formatted referenced items under your content, now go to your content type manage display settings and hide this field, as we are going to display it nicely using block built by views.

Drupal 8 views for referenced field

• Create a new view, make sure your are enabling block display
• Under Advanced, add Contextual Filter: ID (provide default value)
• then from Relationships add referenced field:content

Now you are good adding fields and styling your view. Once ready save your view, go to block admin display and place this newly created block in content section.

Hope it helps. 

Nasdaq Baltics Review After One Month Investment in Dividend Paying Stocks

22 May, 2017 | Investments | 15 seen

I started this year (2017) with a goal to save one million dollars in savings accounts by the time I will turn 60 (that's in 2045). For some such goal might sounds unrealistic, for others nothing so special.Anyway it's not about who is right and who is not. It's all about finance discipline and hopefully sunny days in retirement age. 

It was decided that I will invest $8,561 in 2017, in different investment opportunities- peer to peer lending, dividend paying stocks and mutual funds. 

I've written several articles about my investments in peer to peer lending already, see:

• Review of Mintos Peer to Peer Lending After One Month of Investing
• Mintos.com Review after 3 month investing in Peer to Peer loans
• and  Q1 2017 Online Income Report - $5,886.46

By now investments in Nasdaq Baltics in my portfolio makes 25%, without doubts I'm looking to increase investments here to at least 40% by the end of year.

Investment portfolio May 2015

It was around the end of April 2017, when I decided to diversify my portfolio, and without any doubts I looked on dividend paying stocks as the next big think for my portfolio. I re-opened my old SEB banka bank account in Latvia (it turns out I've been their customer since 2002 already), paid some inactivity fees and deposited money. All investments I was able to perform using online banking, but here is the catch - each order placed in Baltic market will be charged minimum 3 EUR fee, that's the reason I decided to stick with 3 stocks in first month. And here is what I bought:

• Zemaitijos Pienas
• SAF Tehnika
• OLYMPIC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

You can read more about my planned investment strategy here: Dividend Paying Stocks In Nasdaq Baltic Market By Yield

It turned out that I still have 10 shares from 2002 or 2003 with:

• Latvijas Kugnieciba

As my investment strategy involves to get monthly interest payments, decision acquiring above mentioned stocks was based on two principles:

• high dividend yield stocks
• shortest future dividend paying stock

If there is nothing much to discuss about why I chose to stick with high dividend yield stocks, there is still a room for explanation why I opted to take next closest dividend payment. In order to build monthly dividend paying stock portfolio I need stocks in my portfolio paying out at different intervals of year. As my initial investments were made at the end of April, I decided to go with Zemaitijos Pienas and Olympic Entertainment Group, each promising 0.1 EUR dividend per share in May. 

The Portfolio

From my initial investment of EUR 860.5 in dividend paying stocks, I bought 200 shares of Lithuanian Zemaitijos Pienas, 200 shares of Estonian Olympic Entertainment Group and 50 shares of Latvian SAF Tehnika. 

Zemaitijos Pienas

SAF Tehnika

Olympic E Group

Total

Bought

298

202.5

360

860.5

Value

300

230

342

872

Growth

2

27.5

-18

11.5

My Nasdaq Baltic stock portfolio value as of May 15, 2017

In first month, the total growth for my investment was EUR 11.5, which equals to about 1.33%, as you can see one stock declined by EUR - 18, but as I had a liitle diversification, the overall portfolio performance was rather good. The best, that's not all. As I bought stocks just before dividend payment dates, I got first dividend payments:

Dividends

Invested

Dividend

Yield %

Zemaitijos Pienas

298

17

5.70

Olympic Casino Group

360

18

5.00

SAF Tehnika

202.5

0

0

Total

860.5

35

4.07

Dividend payments and yield

I got EUR 35 in dividend payments during month of May, making 4.07% dividend yield.

Bank fees

As I submitted 3 orders, in bank fees I paid EUR 9, which is a lot in fact. On the other hand, I'm buy and hold type investor, not planing to sell any of above listed stocks in foreseen future, my interest lies in fixed monthly dividend payments instead. 

What's next

There are two companies listed on Nasdaq Baltic I'm really interested acquiring of - Tallinna Vesi and Latvijas Gāze, offering highest dividend yields in the Baltics. Those are among next ones I'm looking to acquire. Technically speaking I'm looking to acquire about 2 new dividend paying stocks each month, building kind of Baltic dividend paying stock index. Sad, there is no such dividend paying fund available yet. Could save a lot on commission fees. 

Investment Goal #1 - $100/mo from Dividend Payments

21 May, 2017 | Investments | 13 seen

It has been a while I did set my general goal of saving million dollars before I will turn 60 (there is still plenty of time). The good news I've been on the right track for the past 5 months and I've been investing in peer to peer lending, dividend paying stocks and mutual funds.

I like the idea of getting monthly interest or dividend payments, and I started with investments in Latvian mintos peer to peer lending. Despite pretty high interest rates (more than 11% annually) I feel pretty concerned regarding peer to peer lending, especially in loans issued in Eastern Europe. That's the reason I started to invest in dividend paying stocks, unfortunately or for good, right now I'm still investing the same region I'm concerned with - Baltics. See: Dividend Paying Stocks In Nasdaq Baltic Market By Yield

The good thing about dividend paying stocks in Baltics, in general it's easy to find stocks with annul dividend yield higher than 6%, the bad thing - higher yield means higher risk and companies listed on Nasdaq Baltic list takes the same risk as this region (Eastern Europe). For now, I don't see red flags in the economies of Baltic, but I find them very volatile. 

I finished month of April  with EUR 25.83 in interest (that's about USD 28.22) with relatively small investment ($3,600) with all income made from peer to peer lending. In May I'm planing to receive about EUR 60  ($65.55) both from peer to peer lending and dividend paying stocks. While in June just about EUR 30 ($32.78) and here is why. My current investment in peer to peer lending generates about EUR 30 monthly, while dividends for stocks are paid annually or biannually, leaving some months with more interest received and some months with less.

That's the reason I love counting annual income. In general $100/mo equals to $1,200/y. And here comes in my first actually goal, to earn $100/mo or $1,200 annually from investments. 

There are few possible scenarios to reach my goal - all of them ask for more invested money. Either I will tipple my investments in peer to peer lending or diversify with more dividend paying stocks. 

I've already expressed my concerns regarding investments in Eastern Europe, though, as in general $100/mo is a relatively small income, I've decided to push more with peer to peer lending and dividend paying stocks in this area. As with current yield, to get $100 monthly, I could be fine with about $10,000 in total investment. 

I'm looking to reach this goal by February 2018. After successfully completed goal I should re-consider my investment strategy. By now it's peer to peer lending and dividends paying stock. One of the further goals I already see is to invest in growth stocks, but as it requires more knowledge and a lot stock screening my current $100/mo goal right now seems the most applicable. 

Magic Fish - Tbilisi Restaurant

20 May, 2017 | Restaurant reviews | 46 seen

Magic Fish is another interesting restaurant I've discovered in Tbilisi (see complete list with Tbilisi restaurant reviews). The fun fact is following, I had seen this place countless times by passing it by on lively Aghmeneshabeli avenue, but never thought, there is a restaurant located inside.

As flashy banner, and kind of strange name lead me to think there is some disco bar or something. Turns out I was wrong, and Magic Fish actually is a decent seafood restaurant in Tbilisi.

I was taken here actually by friend, I met at gym, see Champions academy in Tbilisi.

Shrimps

Fish

Hard Rock Cafe Tbilisi

19 May, 2017 | Restaurant reviews | 44 seen

I've found one of my favorite Tbilisi restaurants - meet Hard Rock cafe Tbilisi, located on lively Vasil Petrashvili street 1, near Tbilisi Philharmonic building.

Hard Rock Cafe Tbilisi, in fact is first Hard Rock cafe I've ever visited, but now I know, there is a good reason to visit them around the World.

Hard Rock Cafe Tbilsi

​Located steps away from Casino Sakartvelo in the historical Vera District of Tbilisi (the capital of Georgia), our brand-new cafe combines the modern style of the Hard Rock brand with a sense of local history. Hard Rock Cafe Tbilisi is located within a restored wine factory, which was originally built in 1896 by famous Georgian industrialist and philanthropist David Sarajisvili, who is known as the founder of brandy production in Georgia. In fact, our building is listed as a cultural heritage site.

Fish & Chips

Amazingly well done, I had a chance to try fish & chips in US based Red Robin place, well the one you can get in Tbilisi is 100 times better than that at New Jersey's Red Robbin. 

Delicious Oreo biscuit cake

Now, that was stunning.

Drupal 8 Custom Taxonomy Term Pages with Views

18 May, 2017 | Drupal Development | 209 seen

By default, out of the box, Drupal taxonomy term pages are styled kind of ugly, but with the help of just a few simple tweaks, we could style them as we wish, just by using CSS. In today's Drupal tutorial series, I will provide a simple how-to on how to create custom Drupal 8 taxonomy term pages using views.

Luckily, you won't need to install any additional modules, as in Drupal 8, views are already built in the core, and if you are already familiar with how to style taxonomy term pages in Drupal 7, it will be an easy task in Drupal 8, as most of the steps involved are the same.

Although this aticle was writtne for Drupal 8, most of it still applies in Drupal 9 and Drupal 10 versions. If you need any help with configuring Drupal taxonomy pages I might be just the person you're looking for. As the founder of Terramatris.eu, a Drupal development agency, I have years of experience working with this platform and helping clients achieve their goals through custom Drupal installations. Learn more at Terramatris.eu

Default taxonomy term page view in Drupal 8

In the above example, you can see the default taxonomy term page view (taxonomy/term/%) in Drupal 8. For this tutorial, I'm using Tourgeorgia.eu website, listing tours in Georgia where each tour is tagged with predefined taxonomy, for example, cultural tour, spiritual tour, and so on.

Though technically speaking, taxonomy term pages are not the ones generating the most page views and in fact, are rarely visited, that doesn't mean we should leave a bad user experience. On the other hand, taxonomy term pages might be used in your Drupal's SEO strategy, and in case of that - even more, it's time to make them rock.

Drupal views for Taxonomy term pages

• Go to the views page (admin/structure/views), edit the Taxonomy term page
• Under Format, change display from Content to Fields
• Add fields, like title, body, image, and custom block
• Exclude all, but custom block fields from the display
• Construct your display in a custom block using replacement variables, you should add here CSS classes as well
• Apply CSS to your themes style sheet

Here is the final result

Custom Drupal 8 taxonomy term page

Now, looks much better. As you can see I have displayed additional custom fields on taxonomy pages as well, like price,  and even a direct link to the booking form. The sky is the limit when working with taxonomy term pages in Drupal.

Tip: If you are figuring out how to remove subscribe to RSS link from taxonomy term pages, go back to the taxonomy term page view, select feeds to display, and under the Feed setting remove Attach to Page

Now you have some basic knowledge of how to create custom Drupal 8 taxonomy term pages using views.

In case you are using more than just one vocabulary for taxonomy terms, you could create some additional rewrites per vocabulary. Personally, I prefer using just one taxonomy term page display, with most rewrites done already in views.

Like in the case of tourgeorgia.eu - we have two vocabularies, one for tour type and other tags in free format, using rewrites in Drupal view construct page it's not a problem to display on one page two different displays (see example)

Taxonomy terms from different vocabularies on the same taxonomy term page in Drupal

Here we can see two nodes, both tagged with Tbilisi, the first one is an article, and as you can see from the display it shows an image, title, description, and read more button, while the second is a tour, displaying additional info on the same taxonomy term page, tour type, duration, price, and booking.

When constructing a custom taxonomy view page, make sure to list all possible fields and then use the hide if empty option to rewrite the final result.

Another great feature of Drupal 8, is displaying taxonomy term descriptions on the taxonomy term page, out of the box. It was kind of complicated to get this done in Drupal 7, see: How to List Drupal Child Terms on Taxonomy Pages with Views

Taxonomy description in Drupal 8

There is nothing much you should do to print taxonomy term descriptions on the Drupal 8 taxonomy term page, just edit the taxonomy term and add a brief term description, the rest is handled by the taxonomy/term/% views page.

As you can see - the sky is the limit when dealing with taxonomy term pages in Drupal. If implemented with SEO strategy, well optimized taxonomy pages can help to improve overall site rankings in Google search. 

If you're in need of someone with expertise in Drupal development and module configuration, I might be just the person you're looking for. As the founder of Terramatris.eu, a Drupal development agency, I have years of experience working with this platform and helping clients achieve their goals through custom Drupal installations. Learn more at Terramatris.eu

EU Cookie Compliance For Drupal 8 Website

17 May, 2017 | Drupal Development | 6 seen

I'm not an expert in EU laws, but as far as I remember since 2012 there have been passed a law, so called EU Cookie Compliance law, asking website located in the territory of European Union to provide cookie disclaimer to website visitors if any cookie installed on website. 

To play safe, I have enabled cookie information bar on my blog (you can see it in the bottom of each page)

As, recently I started Drupal 8 development on .eu domain website, which actually is hosted from EU territory I decided to wrap up a simple tutorial on best practice how to enable EU cookie compliance notification bar for Drupal 8 websites.

The good news, there is a special module to handle EU cookie directive: EU Cookie Compliance

This module intends to deal with the EU Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications that comes into effect in the UK on 26th May 2012. From this date on, you run the risk of enforcement action if you are not compliant or visibly working towards compliance. More information can be found here: Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive 2002

The above information applies to the UK however the EU law will be enforced in all EU countries and hence the module can be used everywhere in the EU.

By enabling and configuring the module you will demonstrate to the regulator that you, as the owner of the website:

• are doing as much as possible to reduce the amount of time before your visitors receive information about cookies (information appears as soon as a visitor enters the site).
• are providing your visitors with options. (find out more about cookies, do not browse if you disagree).
• ensure that the information on cookies is readily available to your visitor(visible pop-up at the bottom of the screen).
• are visibly working towards compliance (even if you do not perform a full cookie audit, it's clear that some effort has been made).

Right, now when you are familiar how this module can help you:

• Download and enable EU Cookie Compliance module

Hope, it helps!

How to create related content block using taxonomy term in Drupal 8

16 May, 2017 | Drupal Development | 74 seen

There is no secret that related content can help to improve over all page views for website. More page views means more engaged website visitors, resulting in more sales and higher profit.

In today's Drupal tutorial I will write how to make related content block using taxonomy term field in Drupal 8. For Drupal 7 tutorial see: Related nodes based on taxonomy terms

In short, if you are already familiar how to create related content block in Drupal 7, there is no huge difference in Drupal 8. If you are new to Drupal, keep reading.

Requirements:

• Content type with taxonomy term enabled. 

For this tutorial I will use live example from tourgeorgia.eu here we have content type Tour and attached taxonomy term field: Tour type. What we want to build is a related view listing related tours from the same category as given article, for example cultural tour.

Related taxonomy block in Drupal 8

You can see a live preview here

Drupal 8 views for related taxonomy term

Create a new content based block view - give it a nice name, Related Items (or something) add title, image and body fields to it. We will need to use 2 contextual filters. Id and Has taxonomy term id.

Configure Id filter as following:

• Provide default value: Content ID from URL
• Under More tab - Check next to Exclude

Configure Has taxonomy term id as following:

• Provide default value: Taxonomy term ID from URL
• Uncheck: Load default filter from term page
• Check next to: Load default filter from node page, that's good for related taxonomy block
• Multiple value handling: Filter to items that share any value
• Check next to Reduce Duplicates
• Under more tab check: Allow multiple values and Allow multiple values to work together.

That's it. Save your view (be sure you have created a block not page view). Now you just need to add block you just created to your sites theme region.

It is up to you have you will decide to theme your related items block. Sky is the limit for you creative work. You can add author field, date field, rating field.. so do you can add some filters to show most viewed related nodes content. In this example I gave to you, is just a basic to help you to get started for showing related item list on your Drupal powered site.

N.B. On my example Live preview from views page is not working, but it actually works when added to region in your theme.