Blog Archive: August 2017
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 | 22 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 | 13 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 | 18 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 | 16 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…
July 2017 Dividend Income Report - $124.51
| Investments | 13 seen
Welcome to the third (#3) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend paying stocks, peer to peer lending (both fiat and crypto currencies) in July 2017.
I started my wealth building adventure (portfolio) in January 2017 with a simple goal to invest $8,561 this year in several batches. First months of the year didn't generated me nothing much, but starting May it has started slowly pick up.
Make sure you check out my previous two dividend income reports:
- June 2017 Dividend Income Report - $53.42
- May 2017 Dividend Income Report - $65.45
In todays article you will learn both how much I've received in dividend income in July 2017, also I will publish my net worth, with a few tables.
About Portfolio in July 2017My investments right now are spread across few different investment types - stocks, peer-to-peer lending, mutual funds, cash and latest addition to my portfolio - crypto currencies. The vast majority is invested in Nasdaq Baltics and Mintos.com peer to peer lending loans (in EUR and GEL currencies)
For the sake of…
Explore the beauty of Georgian Black Sea resort towns
| Travel guides | 48 seen
This article was originally written as a guest post by Ms. Anya Sapharova (written back in 2017)
Summertime motivates adventure-seekers to pack handbags and grab their piles of bright ideas and high expectations in order to make holiday dreams come true.
Batumi Real Estate Crypto Investment
The exotic country of Georgia offers a big variety of sunny resorts where one can have a wonderful rest. Georgia is a promising place for both families and lone wolves who are looking forward to building up new relations with representatives of different countries. It is already common knowledge that Georgia is a mountainous country in the Caucasus but Mother Nature didn’t deprive the sunny country of the seaside. Having mountains and the Black Sea together makes Georgia a place where any person has a chance to satisfy needs and preferences of his/her own.
When talking about seaside resorts of Georgia fancy pictures of models under the palm trees at the shore of the foamy sea in the beautiful sunshine are getting closer to reality and you start believing in paradise on the Earth. Having a swim is not the only option how to spend your time…
Dividend Paying Stocks - Review After 3 Months of Investing in Nasdaq Baltics
| Investments | 19 seen
It was around the end of April 2017, when I started to diversify off from investments in peer to peer lending only.
As at one stage my savings were heavily concentrated at mintos.com consumer loans only. Investments in dividend paying stocks at Nasdaq Baltics was my second thought. Now, after 3 months of investing there, I will share some brief recap and observations there.
In general I look on savings in stocks as more stable and reliable source than peer to peer lending in long term, that's way I've put about 47% from my savings in stocks, as of written this article I've stock investments in the Nasdaq Baltics only
Investment portfolio as of July 2017
Currently stocks holds 47% in my portfolio, followed by peer to peer lending (43.2%), mutual funds (6.4%), investments in crypto currencies (2.6%) and small amount of cash (0.8%).
There have been some changes in my portfolio, during past two months - I've added new investment position - crypto currencies and I've started to allocate some space for cash savings. Though the…
How to Recover Bitcoin Cash from btc.com Wallet
| Crypto | 66 seen
The further written applies to those btc.com wallet owners who moved their bitcoins to wallet prior to August 1 bitcoin fork. At least I did so.
Things you will need: BTC.com wallet and optional withdraw address at Kraken or any other exchange that support BCH (I ended up using hitbtc.com exchange for withdrawing BCH)
As coinbase announced that they are not looking to support Bitcoin Cash (BCH) I moved my coins out of it (in fact I had some coins on Poloniex.com, I moved them also, as there were no clear answer how Poloniex will handle this fork/split.
Luckily btc.com come out with a calm answer: Your Bitcoin Cash is safe with BTC.com.
I waited until storm is over and in August 1st noon went to btc.com wallet to see how to get free Bitcoin Cash (BCH), here comes another update from btc.com: The Ultimate Guide to Get Your Bitcoin Cash
Step 1.: Log in to your walletLog in to your BTC wallet on your browser. Remember, while you BCC is safe no matter if you use the browser or the app version, the BCC extraction tool does not work in the app. We highly recommend you to use your desktop.
…Top attractions In Kutaisi and nearby vicinity
| Travel guides | 10 seen
Republic of Georgia can be called a country with Western and Eastern ‘lungs’ as long as its two busiest and biggest cities are scattered in the opposite directions of the country. Many tourists haven’t seen Georgia beyond its Eastern center –Tbilisi. What concerns the Western state with the ancient city of Kutaisi as its center – only the most curios with inexhaustible thirst for adventures discover the mighty city with its vivid historic heritage which is under UNESCO protection.
Still a lot has been funded to renovation, industrialization, and development of Kutaisi. You can easily arrive at Kutaisi International Airport that has become an irreplaceable source of transportation and Georgia’s connection to the rest of the world. It is the second largest airport in the country and serves about 250 passengers per hour - not bad for a small country’s scale.
Traveling to Kutaisi may resemble a walk with the history shoulder by shoulder. This sacramental atmosphere surrounds the city and afterwards the visitors as well primarily because of a big number of churches and cathedrals there.…
Invest in Cryptocurrencies - Review After One Month
| Crypto | 14 seen
Last July was the first full month I opted to invest in crypto currencies, the idea come after a brief conversation with a friend over Facebook, while I was enjoying mild Summer night in Crete, Greece.
As I had already investments and even investment strategy, since the start of 2017. Desire or FOMO (fears of missing out) to acquire crypto currencies was so huge, that I quickly developed, so called, Dollar Cost Averaging strategy to buy and hold crypto currencies. I plan to buy 3-5 crypto currencies each month, no matter the price, by the end of 2020.
I opened an account on Coinbase, (it was easy to open an account there, but it took some time to actually get verified account and start trading) I bought ETH first, then bought additional litecoins and bitcoins, additionally I bough (exchanged) additional ripple (XRP) coins, again - FOMO. See: Why I Rushed to Buy Ripple (XRP) Cryptocurrency at $0.19
My first month in crypto currencies have been like a roller coaster, a complete new world have emerged for me. At one stage last month, my portfolio shrunk by more than 50%. Yes, crypto…