Blog Archive: April 2019
Restaurant Antre Batono Ubisa
| Restaurant reviews | 18 seen
Restaurant Antre Batono Ubisa is located near the Ubisa village in the region of Imereti, Georgia some 170 km from Tbilisi.
We made a stop here and discovered this lovely place, while traveled to Batumi via Tbilisi - Senaki - Leselidze highway at the end of April 2019.
This place serves typical Georgian cuisine, VISA is accepted and last, but not least prices are considerably lower if compared to the Tbilisi restaurants.
The outdoor territory at Antre Batono
Lovely reminds me of the places seen in Greece or Spain
Fresh cucumber/tomato salads
Restaurant Antre Batono near Ubisa
Restaurant Marani in Vertkvichala
| Restaurant reviews | 6 seen
Restaurant Marani Vertkvichala is located near the village Vertkvichala on Tbilisi - Senaki - Leselidze highway some 160 km from Tbilisi in the Imereti region of Georgia.
We stopped here for a brief stop to take a meal and have some rest before heading back to Tbilisi (from Batumi)
Restaurant Marani
The place looked like a lovely B&B to me, as I noticed there are some hotel rooms, but when asked the waiter, he denied that there is a hotel (not sure now)
Restaurant Marani
The food we ordered here, was kind of nothing special, but next time I would avoid ordering mcvadi here - this was the worst (still edible though) mcvadi I have tried lately. The rest was brilliant.
Meal at Restaurant Marani
Day trip To Tsalka and nearby Villages
| Travel guides | 36 seen
Originally it was planned as a two day trip to Ninotsminda in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. For the first day, it was planned to make stops at Tsalka reservoir, Paravani lake with an overnight in Ninotsminda. For the second day, there were plans to visit nearby Russian Doukhobor villages of Gorelovka, Orlovka, and probably some others.
Unfortunately, once we reached Tsalka, the road literally ended, we spent about an hour of offroad driving through the villages of Sameba, Tikilisa, Sakdrioni, Aiazmi until to the turn to Nardevani village, just to discover that road has been closed by the patrol. It turns out, that during the winter time, the road is kind of always closed, and you could learn that if you would drive here from the Marnueli side, which we didn't.
There are four roads heading to Tsalka from Tbilisi side:
- Tbilisi - Tskneti - Tsalka
- Tbilisi - Kojori - Tsalka
- Tbilisi - Koda - Tsalka
- and Marnueli - Tsalka
We took the third one, or we turned right at Koda. If we were followed the Marnueli route for just some extra kilometers, we would…
Park Inn by Radisson Riga Valdemara
| Hotel reviews | 35 seen
Built in 2016, Park Inn by Radisson Riga Valdemara invites its guests to stay on the western side of Daugava River with good connections to the Old Town, Riga International Airport and main sights. Guests can enjoy a meal at the onsite restaurant, enjoy views from terrace and exercise in the fitness centre.
We stayed at this hotel at the start of September 2017. By now I have an extensive list of Riga hotels, and I must admit that Park Hotel by Radisson, has been one of the pleasant stays so far in Riga.
Most of the rooms feature panoramic views of Daugava River and upper floors offer a city and Old Town overview.
View towards Riga from hotel
Each air-conditioned room is equipped with a flat-screen TV, as well as a kettle. Private bathrooms come with a bath or shower and include free toiletries, as well as a hairdryer. Upon request it is possible to stay in interconnected rooms.
On-site restaurant and bar Bocca Buona specializes in Italian cuisine and offers a variety of wines.
Breakfast at Park Inn by Radisson Riga
You will find a 24-hour front desk at the property, as well as a private parking for…
Hofbrau Munchen Gudauri
| Restaurant reviews | 102 seen
Hofbrau Munchen Gudauri is a roadside cafeteria located in Georgia (some 20 km from Gudauri)
I'm not very well familiar with Hofbrau Munchen brand but seems this is a popular German brewery brand in Germany and abroad, the one located on Gudauri highway seems is not actually affiliated with the German brand (but you never know). See more: https://www.hofbraeu-muenchen.de/en
Anyhow, you can get here some German beer and some German cuisine (though when visited this place I opted for Georgian mcvadi and Georgian lemonades)
Hofbrau Munchen Gudauri
We were returning from Kazbegi via Gudauri and decided to take a quick dinner before Tbilisi
Outdoor decorations
Moss covered chairs and bird cages
Interior at Hofbrau Munchen Gudauri
Tsalka
| Tourism objects | 34 seen
Tsalka is a town and municipality center in southern Georgia's Kvemo Kartli region located some 100 km from Tbilisi. Next to Tsalka is located the largest water reservoir in Georgia - Tsalka reservoir.
Town of Tsalka is known by many abandoned houses next to the lake, and in fact, while traveled here for the first time back in 2011, I had an idea it would be cool to buy a house here. My dream of owning a house in Tsalka died in January 2019. Why so? Scroll down for photos. lol
Tsalka reservoir in winter
Tsalka reservoir is the largest artificial reservoir in Georgia, built in 1946, see Tsalka Lake / Water reservoir
From what I've heard from the locals, during the Soviet era, the so-called Caucasus Greeks or Tsalkan greeks lived here, with the collapse of USSR, most of them left.
The district had a population of 2,326. According to the 2014 census, 47% of its population is Georgian, 38% Armenian, 7% Caucasus Greeks, and 7% Azerbaijanis. Up until the 1990s, Russian served as the language of interethnic communication and was the language…
Restaurant 'Piano" in Liepāja
| Restaurant reviews | 17 seen
The 'Piano' is a World class restaurant located in Promenade hotel in Liepāja
Enjoy delicious meals and a romantic, relaxed atmosphere at "Piano" restaurant located in "Promenade Hotel".
I first discovered and tried Piano restaurant back in September 2017.
Restaurant Piano in Liepāja
On the extensive restaurant menu, you will find exquisite and diverse dishes specially prepared from local Latvian products - gourmets will enjoy the fresh bread baked in the restaurant and fresh fish caught in the coastal waters of Liepaja.
Cream soup at Piano restaurant
A broad range of business meals is also available.
Grilled meat
Every Friday and Saturday evening you may enjoy your dinner accompanied by live piano music.
Pavlova cake
The restaurant offers catering for seminars, banquets and various other festive events both in the hotel premises and at your selected place of the event.
Mount Kazbek
| Outdoor Activities | 36 seen
Mount Kazbek, is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus located on the border of Georgia's Kazbegi District and Russia's Republic of North Ossetia–Alania.
It is the third-highest peak in Georgia (after Mount Shkhara and Janga) and the seventh-highest summit in the Caucasus Mountains. Kazbek is also the second-highest volcanic summit in the Caucasus, after Mount Elbrus.
The summit lies directly to the west of the town of Stepantsminda and is the most prominent geographic feature of the area. Mount Kazbek is the highest peak of Eastern Georgia.
Mount Kazbek and Gergeti church
Made this photo in early April 2019 while staying for one night in Stepatsminda, see Hotel Stancia Kazbegi
The great views toward mount Kazbek can be seen also from the Gergeti church, if you prefer more adventure, you could climb to the Mount Kazbek, here is a local Georgian company organizing climbing tours to Mount Kazbek - mountainfreaks.ge
The plan of our expeditions has been prepared by us so that each of you will…
Hotel Stancia Kazbegi
| Hotel reviews | 19 seen
Hotel Stancia in Kazbegi is a great and cheaper alternative to the more stylish and lavish Rooms Kazbegi hotel.
Featuring a garden and a restaurant, Stancia Kazbegi is set in Stepantsminda. Among the various facilities of this property are a terrace and ski storage space. The hotel also offers free WiFi as well as a paid airport shuttle service.
We booked Hotel Stancia in Kazbegi in early April 2019 and paid around GEL 150 (USD 56) for a one night stay, I should add that the listed price on booking.com was GEL 180 (USD 67) per night. By booking directly we saved USD 11. Nice. Not that I'm a fan of such a booking system, but as it was an unplanned stop in Kazbegi, seems like a nice little perk.
Hotel Stancia in Kazbegi
The hotel is centrally located and free public parking is available in front of the hotel. In the background, you can see mount Kazbek and Gergeti church
At the hotel, all rooms have a balcony. The rooms are fitted with a private bathroom with a hairdryer.
A continental breakfast can be enjoyed at the property.
Breakfast at Hotel Stancia
We got a free baby crib for our 8-…
Tsalka Lake / Water reservoir
| Lakes | 24 seen
Tsalka reservoir - is the largest water reservoir in Georgia, located in the Tsalka municipality, some 100 km from Tbilisi, at 1506 meters above the sea level in the valley of Khrami river.
The total area for Tsalka reservoir is 33.7 km², Maximum depth - 25m, while the average depth of 9,3 m. Reservoir stretches from the west to the east.
Tsalka reservoir in winter
Made this photo January 19, 2019, while doing a trip to Ninotsminda
Tsalka reservoir was made in 1946 for energy purposes (Hydropower plants Khrami 1 and Khrami 2). Water accumulation starts in April and lasts until July,
The level is intensively decreasing since November when the power plants are operating at full capacity. The average annual amplitude of water level is 891 cm .
Water is the coldest in February (0,2 ° C), warm in August (18.7 ° C). From December till the end of March there are ice caps, ice shelves and so forth.
The average duration of icy events is 82 days…
Hotel Talsi
| Hotel reviews | 18 seen
Hotel “Talsi” is located in a picturesque place, next to Vilkumuiza lake. Hotel "TALSI" offers 53 different standard Single, Double rooms and comfortable Suites.
I booked Hotel Talsi, for a couple of days (nights) in August 2017. As there are not many hotels located in Talsi, Hotel Talsi seemed like a logical choice, which actually was quite true. As I traveled without a car, I managed to organize a taxi service from the hotel during my short stay in Talsi town.
Hotel Talsi offers comfortable rooms, all featuring a bathroom with a shower.
Simple Room at Hotel Talsi
During my stay here at Hotel Talsi, I decided to give it a try for crypto day trading, see Starting To Learn Crypto Currency Day Trading With EUR 25
Breakfast is served in the hotel restaurant that has beautiful lake views. Meals are served only upon previous arrangement, while coffee and tea can be enjoyed in reception.
There are also 2 conference rooms for up to 40 people.
Night view towards Vilkumuizas lake
The mood and atmosphere kind of reminded me of the stay in Lithuanian Telsai hotel, see: …
Trading Bitcoin / Ethereum Options (Selling Puts) on Deribit - Part 1
| Crypto | 57 seen
Deribit is my latest discovery from the crazy crypto world. It all started with simple buy-and-hold operations back in 2017.
What followed was, a day trading on Poloniex, I even built a custom Ethereum mining rig. I have played with cloud mining contracts from hashflare, and now I've found my way into Bitcoin / Ethereum options trading.
It's not that I would call myself an expert in options trading, in fact, I have made just a couple of put sales in the regular stock market - I tend to write puts against dividend stocks I would love to have (if assigned)
Update: This article has been originally written back in May 2020, some things may have changed ever since. If you are interested to learn more, consider booking an online consultation with me: Selling Covered Call Options on Crypto (BTC/ETH/SOL)
In the case of Bitcoin / Ethereum, unfortunately, there are no dividends, and taking into account high volatility the idea of selling puts might actually sound wrong, instead, it seems some should buy calls. Anyhow, I'm no expert on options trading, and the following written…
Birtvisi Canyon in Georgia
| Tourism objects | 33 seen
Birtvisi canyon is located in the Tetri-Tskaro district in Kvemo Kartli region about an hour drive from Tbilisi. Canyon is ideally suited for those loving hiking (see: Hiking In Birtvisi Canyon (Hidden Trails Of Georgia)) and outdoor activities.
There are many smaller and larger gorges, rocks and of course amazing nature. Also, the Birtvisi fortress is located here (which I still haven't found after some 4 years of inactive searches).
The canyon is managed by Georgian Agency of Protected areas, to learn more see: http://apa.gov.ge/en
Birtvisi Canyon in Georgia
Birtvisi is essentially a natural rocky fortress of 1 km², secured by walls and towers, the most prominent of which – known as Sheupovari ("Obstinate") – tops the tallest rock in the area. Various accessory structures, an aqueduct included, have also survived.
Hiking in Birtvisi canyon
In written sources, Birtvisi is first mentioned as a possession of the Arab amir of Tiflis of which he was divested by the Georgian nobles Liparit, Duke of Kldekari and Ivane Abazasdze in 1038. In medieval Georgia,…
My 17 Year Old Dividend Portfolio (From Single Nasdaq Baltic Stock)
| Investments | 11 seen
The inspiration for this post came from a Dividend Empire article titled My 33-Year-Old Dividend Growth Portfolio.
Also, I would like to mention that a couple of weeks ago I met a fellow Italian investor here in Tbilisi (Massimo, if you are reading this - hi to you), we spent about 90 minutes enjoying a cappuccino and discussing investments in Tbilisi, Georgia, investments in oil, gas, and of course dividend investing. Massimo told me he has been investing for about 17 years and that lead me to realize that in fact, me too - I have been investing since 2001/2002.
I apologize for the somewhat misleading title. Unfortunately, I do not actually have such a portfolio. But I sure can model one.
Now, about 17 years ago I was 16/17 years old, and in fact, bought my first stock using privatization certificates. I bought Latvijas Kugnieciba stock. Which latter in 2005 I sold for about 500 or 600 Latvian lats and bought a Canon camcorder which didn't last long (my mom drowned camcorder somewhere in the Red Sea). Later on, around 2007 I bought some Lietuvos Dujos stock (which again I sold soon…
Google Market Kazbegi
| Shopping Venues | 18 seen
There has been a Google market in Georgian Stepatsminda / Kazbegi town at least since 2011.
No, you cannot get here cloud storage or keyword ideas for your next AdWords campaign, instead, there are tasty Georgian lemonades and other goodies you can find in almost every regular kiosk in Georgia.
First discovered back in 2011, in April 2019, the Google Market was still there, though seemed closed at the time I visited it.
Google Market Kazbegi
Enjoy!