Blog Archive: March 2018

Top Hotels to Book in Daugavpils, Latvia

9 March, 2018 | Hotel reviews | 8 seen

Daugavpils has been on my travel radar for a very long time, in fact I've been in Daugavpils for couple of times in the past.

According to Booking.com there are no 5-star hotels in Daugavpils, but there are a few 4-star and a lot of 3-star hotels located in the city and in the neighboring vicinity. 

Disclosure: hotels listed below contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I might earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.

This is a new 3-star hotel located in Daugavpils. It is conveniently located for shopping and close to entertainment centres as well as other tourist attractions.

The hotel offers you an unforgettable time. It’s numerous conference and seminar rooms, equipped with the latest technology, are the ideal place for successful business meetings.

The hotel also includes a modern restaurant and bar offers a warm atmosphere for you to dine and enjoy refreshments in. The restaurant serves a variety of Regional, European and International dishes, and you can enjoy a cocktail or an aromatic tea in the…

Minimum Wages in European Union 2018

8 March, 2018 | Macroeconomics | 150 seen

Turns out this is already fifth (#5) article about minimum wages in European Union featured on the blog.

Traditions must be continued and here comes the latest article with the latest data for 2018 about minimum wages in the European Union.

Update: Minimum Wages in European Union 2019

In 2018 there were 22 out of 28 European Union member states with the official minimum wage set by the government.

Feel free to browse through the archives for previous years, before proceeding, see:

• What's Minimum Wage in European Union 2017
• Minimum Wages in European Union 2016
• What Is Minimum Wage In European Union 2015
• Minimum Wages in European Union 2014

N.B. Countries that don't have a minimum wage set by the government in European Union - Austria, Denmark, Finland, Cyprus, Italy and Sweden (collective bargaining agreements effective, instead of minimum wage)

For this years article, I was able to pull data both for gross and net minimum wage values across the European Union. 

Palios Mylos Restaurant Review near Argiroupoli Springs, Crete

7 March, 2018 | Restaurant reviews | 25 seen

Ahh, I love these lovely roadside cafeterias which are hard to locate, after visiting and leaving, on the map. This time I was lucky enough and turned out I had pictured the name of this place in Greek. A bit patience and usage of Greek language transliteration and here you go - found both the name and location of this place, meet Palios Mylos Restaurant near Argiroupoli Springs, Crete.

Visited back in June 2017. Now it's hard to recall exact our route back then, but most probably we arrived here somewhere from Triopetra area. 

The restaurant is located next to the Argiroupoli Springs some 27 km southwest of Rethymnon on the slopes of the Psilotitis mountain with its many springs of crystal clear water and the remains of the ancient city of Lappas

Taverna Palios Mylos in Crete

Devil is in the details - thanks to this picture I was able to locate this place on map.

Seems than Palios Mylos translated into English means - Old Mill.

The restaurant "Old Mill" is located in the Sources of Argyroupoli, in …

February 2018 Dividend Income Report - $62.89

6 March, 2018 | Investments | 18 seen

Time flies and so did last February disappeared like a flicker. Now it's time to look back and see how did it go for me in terms of dividend income.

February marks already the tenth (#10) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks, peer to peer lending (both fiat and cryptocurrencies)

Surprisingly, but February turned out much better than I thought before - after a few e-mail and support tickets forth and back with bank and fund I was looking to have in my portfolio since August 2017,  I finally managed to add this fund to my portfolio. The fund dividends helped to boost a little bit dividend income in February, and I was able to generate  $62.89 income in a very passive way.  Hopefully, this fund will contribute also in May, August, and November. 

I'm speaking about Baltic Horizon Fund - and there is one bold reason I like this fund, quarterly dividend payments (at least in 2017, and hopefully in 2018), the yield is around 7-9%, which is among the highest yields in the Nasdaq …

Winter near The Baltic Sea (Dubulti beach, Jūrmala)

4 March, 2018 | | 8 seen

In today's Piece of Life series, a couple of HDR's from the Baltic sea (more precisely Dubulti beach in Jūrmala, Latvia)

Pinewoods, frozen sea and cold fresh air.

Frozen Baltic sea

Would love to return here in Summer.

Restaurant Orizonte in Dubulti beach

Pinewoods near Dubulti beach

Top 5-star Luxury / Boutique Hotels in Barcelona

2 March, 2018 | Hotel reviews | 12 seen

Barcelona is one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe, the city is the desired location for romantic trips, in case you are looking for best honeymoon or just romantic weekend in fabulous Barcelona city, in this article I have listed Top 5 star and luxury hotels in Barcelona, based on actual user reviews on Booking site.

Alternatively see: 20 Top Rated Romantic Hotels / Apartments In Barcelona

The price per night for those 20 top rated hotels varies - starting from EUR 95 and up to EUR 375. The price may change, and there are some hotels offering huge savings.

Disclosure: hotels listed below contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I might earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.

This property is 9 minutes walk from the beach. Set within the World Trade Center building, this 5-star design hotel overlooks Barcelona’s port and is a 5-minute walk from La Rambla. It features a seasonal rooftop pool, a gym and a spaciousterrace.

The Eurostars Grand Marina Hotel…

52 Week Money Saving Challenge

1 March, 2018 | Investments | 14 seen

I first heard about such challenge from SEB Latvia bank - How to save 1,400 euros per year?

The recommendation is simple - to deposit in the first week one euro, in the second week - two, third week - three, etc. The amount after each week continues to grow, up to the last week of the year, when it is 52 euros.

As I love challenges and believe they are the great way to master new skills and make good habits, and in fact, there have been a few long-term challenges already passed in the frames of this blog, like - blogging 365 days in a row or daily photo challenge for 365 days. Not to speak about ongoing Road To Million dollars challenge. I decided to opt-in for a 52 weeks money saving challenge as well

Now, I might be late to the party, as it already starts of the March and I kind of already have defined my financial plans for 2018, see 2017 in Review and Financial Goals for 2018, there is still one reason I'm taking this challenge - lack of the cash in my portfolio.

Let me explain - I invest heavily all of the free money in stocks, funds, peer to peer lending and crazy crypto…