Blog Archive: January 2020
Postcards from Lugano
| Tourism objects | 10 seen
We traveled to Lugano in Switzerland at the end of 2019.
Visit to Lugano officially adds marks 18th country on my travel map I've visited (since 2013)
We arrived here from Italy's Lecco town using our rental car (Sicily car), a quick border check (without a real inspection) and we were inside Switzerland.
Lake Lugano
Lugano is a town and a municipality in southern Switzerland in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino bordering Italy. It has a population of 63,185, and an urban agglomeration of over 145,000. The ninth-largest Swiss town, it is the largest in Ticino and largest with an Italian speaking majority outside of Italy.The town lies on Lake Lugano, surrounded by the mountains of the Lugano Prealps.
The eastern part of the municipality shares a border with Italy.
Boats and Yachts on Lugano lake
Lugano is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Switzerland. The town is home to a number of historic buildings and museums, whilst the surrounding area has many natural sights.
Both Lake…
Aparthotel Autosole Riga
| Hotel reviews | 15 seen
Located opposite a park in the historical centre of Riga on Hospitāļu street.
Aparthotel Autosole offers to its guests 10 comfortable apartments and studios.
We have been staying at this hotel several times, with the first stay being back in 2017 while the latest stay was at the end of 2019. In total, we paid USD 86 for a 2-night stay. That's one of the cheapest stays you can find in Riga.
There is one more Autosole Economy motel located in the other side of Riga, see Autosole Economy Motel in Riga
See my complete listing with Riga hotels I have stayed
Aparthotel Autosole in Riga
1.5 km from Arena Riga, Aparthotel Autosole offers fully-equipped studios and apartments with satellite TV, free Wi-Fi and free parking. The property is housed in a renovated 19th-century building.
Apartment at Autosole
There was a kitchenette in our quite spacious room. The baby crib was provided for free on request.
Guests can use self-check in service outside of the working hours of the reception.
2019 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2020
| Blogging | 20 seen
January is almost at the end and it's time to look back on the previous year of blogging (2019), and no doubts - take a quick glimpse of 2020
In today's article, I will reveal data behind the blog scenes - both traffic and income for the whole year of 2019. But before we dig into the numbers, here is the brief background - blog now is more than six years old, and for the last six years it has gone a very long way,
Make sure to check out my previous yearly blogging reviews:
- 2018 - 2018 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2019 / $20,517.34
- 2017 - 2017 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2018 / $24,920.47
- 2016 - Blog Traffic and Income Report 2016 - 635,048 Users / $18,586.41
- 2015 - Blog Traffic and Income Report for 2015 - 347,035 users / $9,819.71
- 2014 - Blog Income Report 2014 / $3,334.20
- In total blog have reached 989,568 (almost a million) users in 2019
- On average it is 82,464 monthly users or…
Ilia Lake
| Lakes | 33 seen
Ilia Lake is located near the town of Kvareli in the region of Kakheti, Georgia.
First discovered back in 2014, while staying at Royal Batoni hotel next to the lake. Since then I've headed here several times. It was at the start of 2020 when I learned that this lake actually is manmade.
Ilias lake was formed in a valley of the Duruji Rivier a few years ago, financed from the then Presidential fund (Mikheil Saakashvili)
Ilia’s Lake was named after Ilia Chavchavadze, a nobleman who is still considered one of the mightiest thinkers in the history of the country. He was a real polymath – a person of many jobs and aspirations.
Ilias lake in Georgia
There is a small amphitheater located on the lake
Unfortunately, the recreational area has been abandoned and hasn't got any serious repairs (at least in January 2020), the lake seems is losing water, in fact, the close by Duruji river is lacking any water (I wonder why, maybe because of the Hydro Power Plants)
Hotel Royal Batoni in the background
Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili opened the Ilia Lake on…
Tremezzina near Como Lake, Italy
| Tourism objects | 19 seen
Tremezzina is located on the western banks of Lake Como, right in front of Bellagio, and is the result of a recent merger of the comunes of Lenno, Mezzegra, Ossuccio, and Tremezzo.
We discovered this picturesque Italian town during our about a week-long trip in Italy during the mid-November 2019.
According to Lake Como Travel website a scene from Star Wars were shot here:
Visiting Tremezzina means having the chance to enjoy a place that is rich in atmosphere, history, and attractions. For example… did you know that some Star Wars’ scenes were shot here?
Tremezzina
Actually we didn't even visit the town of Tremezzina, instead, we made a stop to make a couple of pictures after departing from hotel Lenno and heading to Lugano in Switzerland.
Semarah Lielupe Hotel & SPA
| Hotel reviews | 20 seen
Lielupe Hotel SPA & Conferences by Semarah is located in a calm area of Jurmala, surrounded by forest and 400 m from the Baltic Sea. It features a spacious kids club with different games and toys.
We booked this hotel in mid-December 2019, for a two-night stay and paid in total $257 for two separate rooms (as my mom was traveling with us)
Elegant rooms at Lielupe Hotel SPA & Conferences feature a safety deposit box and a balcony. Private bathrooms come with a hairdryer and toiletries.
Room at Hotel Lielupe
The room size could be bigger, but except that everything was good. We even got a free baby crib, which our baby girl is not even thinking to use anymore.
The view from the balcony was a pinewood, instead of the Baltic sea:
View from the balcony
One thing should be noted - this is a very kid-friendly hotel, the most kid-friendly I have actually stayed so far
kids playground near the dining area
Restaurant Lielupe provides its guests with an extensive international, Latvian and Russian cuisine. During summer guests can enjoy…
Minimum Wages in Baltic States 2020
| Macroeconomics | 13 seen
It has been a great decade for all three Baltic states, and increasing minimum wages is just one good example of showing that.
From humble EUR 238 in 2010 to still modest EUR 607 (Lithuania). That's quite an impressive growth in "just" 10 years.
For me observing minimum wages in the Baltic states has always been interesting, here you can find some of my previous articles on this topic:
- Minimum wages in Baltic states 2013
- Minimum Wages in the Baltic States 2015
- Minimum Wage Set to Rise in the Baltic States in 2018
Why do I care so much about minimum wages in the Baltic states? Simple, I've been building a dividend-paying stock portfolio and one of the mine goals is to reach a monthly dividend income level in the same level as a minimum wage.
Currently, I'm competing against Latvian minimum wage set at EUR 430 in 2020. The current best dividend income month has been June 2019, when I made EUR 267. In general, when planning next year's investments I must keep in mind the minimum wage increases. Tough. But that's what I'm loving being a dividend growth investor…
Guest House 'Rivendell' in Borjomi
| Hotel reviews | 12 seen
Rivendell, Eco-friendly hotel with wooden rooms and organic garden, is located in Borjomi.
After discovering that we spend more and more time at luxury hotels across Georgia, we decided to return to the roots and instead of fancy 5-star hotels to choose a home away felling by choosing stay at guest houses/ family-run hotels.
At guest house Rivendell we stayed for one night at the end of June 2019 for that we paid just $40. Free parking and breakfast included.
For a luxury stay in Borjomi see: Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Borjomi
Room at Guesthouse Rivendell
Simple, nothing special, our room came with a balcony and bathroom. From the downsides staying at guesthouses I should note - lack of soundproof rooms. It was OK, during our stay, but we heard everything from the other side of the wall.
View from Balcony
It was a smoky day a lot of haze, couldn't see much.
The living room at guest house Rivendell
As we were traveling with our yet to turn one-year-old baby girl, it was cool having…
Mintos.com Review 2020 (36 Month of Investing in Peer to Peer Lending)
| Peer to Peer Lending | 53 seen
I've been investing in the Mintos.com peer to peer lending marketplace since the beginning of 2017, or it has been already 36 months or three years since I've been exposing my funds to this Latvian fintech platform.
In the past three years, I've made a nice revenue of EUR 1,477.86 (before tax) and in today's article, I decided to share a quick overview for the past three years and also make a quick glimpse for my plans for 2020
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to mintos.com peer to peer lending website, by clicking on links on this page and by making investment on mintos.com, I might earn affiliate income at no cost to you. Also, I'm not a financial advisor and I don't give you any advice, I'm just sharing my own experience. Investments in stocks, funds, bonds or cryptos are risk investments and you could lose some or all of your money. Do your due diligence before investing in any kind of asset.
Background - I first heard about Mintos.com at the start of 2016, one thing that made it attractive to me was an option to lend in…
Income Goal For Dividends and Option Trading Q1 2020 ($1,200/mo)
| Investments | 18 seen
I have a goal to make at least $1,200 per month for the next 3 months of the year in dividend income + selling options.
Every quarter I create a brief income plan/goal laying out plans for the next three months.
Last quarter (Q4 2019) I had a plan to take $1,000/mo from the financial markets, unfortunately, it didn't work as expected.
In total, I made slightly more than $3,000 during the last quarter, but not all months were even so, for example, October was the best income month so far with $3,294.29 taken from the market, then come November and I got hit hard, ended month with negative -$959.06, during the month of December I traded safe and made slightly less than thousand - $927.98.
The past quarter has been like a roller coaster with high ups and low downs.
For the Q1 2020, I have a $1,200/mo goal. It seems quite doable and also is a pretty serious amount of money.
I have a plan to invest about 16K this year into…
Fabrika Tbilisi
| Tourism objects | 91 seen
Fabrika Tbilisi is a stylish hipster place located on Egnate Ninoshvili street 8 in a renovated Soviet Era factory building,
Fabrika is the space for rebellious minds to create and share.
Once a Soviet sewing factory has been revived and transformed into a multi-functional urban space bringing together enthusiastic individuals ready to stretch their minds with new exhilarating experiences.
First discovered back in 2016, this place has been on our radar ever since - I wouldn't call myself as often guest here, but I find this place chill.
Fabrika Tbilisi
Space now continues its life as the popular hotspot that unites urban style cafes and bars, artist studios and shops, educational institutions, co-working space, the biggest in the region hostel, mind blowing open space courtyard, ever-changing one-off events and creates synergy between them.
Ar the place is relatively close to our apartment, I have been using the coworking facilities run by the ImpactHub time after time, and I'm thinking to use it more often in the future
…
Top 10 Hotels in Bergamo (Italy)
| Hotel reviews | 24 seen
If there is a good reason to visit Bergamo in Italy's region of Lombardy, then exploring the old town, city walks and architecture are the top 3 reasons according to Booking.com
Another reason you might find yourself in Bergamo is if you are traveling to/from Bergamo airport and are looking for just a nice accommodation after/before your flight.
That's actually how we ended in one of Bergamo hotels near the airport (Grand Hotel Del Parco - Bergamo Airport) when traveling here by Ryanair flight.
You should expect to pay about $60-$100 per night for a decent hotel in Bergamo
Please note: Hotels listed in this article contains affiliate links to Booking.com, and if you will click on them and make an actual booking I will earn an affiliate income from that
Hotel Excelsior San MarcoOne of our top picks in Bergamo.Offering a rooftop restaurant, Hotel Excelsior San Marco is set in Bergamo's central square, Piazza della Repubblica. It has free WiFi throughout and is a 2-minute walk from the main shopping area of Bergamo Bassa.
There is a free internet point…
December 2019 Dividend Income Report - $235.94
| Investments | 16 seen
Welcome to the thirty-second (#32) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in December 2019.
Last December we spent some 10 days in Latvia, unfortunately, global warming has hit Latvia too and instead of snowy meadows and white fir trees, all we got was some gray haze and green grass.
Christmas tree 2019
Every citizen is allowed to cut one fir tree from Latvian State Forests (Latvijas Valsts meži), there are rules that apply, but here we got our Latvian tree (we have another live tree in Tbilisi)
The last December was quite OK in terms of dividend income. Also, I almost recovered from my bad option trades I was hit last November.
At the end of the month, I have collected $235.94 from dividend stocks and Mintos peer to peer lending platform. Compared to the previous December in 2018, that is a growth of 47.11%% (+$75.64). I really love such YoY growth
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to mintos.com peer to peer lending and…
2019 in Review and Financial Goals for 2020
| Investments | 17 seen
I'm 34 years old now and I have a goal to save one million dollars by the time I will turn 60. Just 26 years to go. I've been documenting my journey towards financial independence for the last three years already.
In today's article, I will review the past year of 2019 and take a quick glimpse at the New Year of 2020.
Make sure to check out previous yearly review articles here:
- 2018 in Review and Financial Goals for 2019
- 2017 in Review and Financial Goals for 2018
In 2019 I made a huge shift from a focus on peer to peer lending and cryptocurrencies to option trades..For now, I can surely tell - options trading is the best thing I have discovered in 2019.
Naked puts on dividend stocks I would like to hold forever; covered calls and vertical spreads on SPX (SP 500 index) and GC (gold futures).
I was introduced to the options world from a fellow Italian investor/trader Massimo, who I first met at the start of January in Tbilisi, we have been in close contact ever since. Last time we met in person in Milan, Italy at the end of 2019…
Keti's Bistro
| Restaurant reviews | 13 seen
Keti's Bistro is another stylish Tbilisi restaurant located on Tamar Chovelidze street 3 (opposite to hotel Stamba)
My better part took me here just before the New Year 2020, and I found this place quite a chill.
We agreed to order here some steaks before going to the Christmas market opposite the Radisson hotel. As we were out with our almost 18-month baby girl, we wanted to make sure we will go to a place with a lot of space and few people. During our time at Keti's bistro we were the only guests and that helped. Baby girl was happily running throughout the bistro, while we enjoyed the food. Win-Win
Steak in mushroom sauce in Keti's Bistro
The steak was good. Sauce? Not this time. Potatoes? They were eatable.
Christmas style interior at Keti's bistro