Blog Archive: January 2020
Postcards from Lugano
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 LuganoLugano 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…
Aparthotel Autosole Riga
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 RigaSee my complete listing with Riga hotels I have stayedAparthotel Autosole in Riga1.5 km from Arena Riga, Aparthotel Autosole offers fully-equipped studios and apartments with satellite TV, free…
2019 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2020
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…
Ilia Lake
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 GeorgiaThere is a small amphitheater…
Tremezzina near Como Lake, Italy
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?TremezzinaActually we didn't even visit the town of Tremezzina, instead, we made a stop to make a…
Semarah Lielupe Hotel & SPA
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…
Guest House 'Rivendell' in Borjomi
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 BorjomiRoom at Guesthouse RivendellSimple, nothing special, our room came with a balcony and bathroom. From the downsides staying at guesthouses I should note - lack of…
Mintos.com Review 2020 (36 Month of Investing in Peer to Peer Lending)
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 2020Disclosure: 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…
Fabrika Tbilisi
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 TbilisiSpace now continues its life as the popular hotspot that unites urban style cafes and bars, artist studios and shops,…
December 2019 Dividend Income Report - $235.94
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 2019Every 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…
2019 in Review and Financial Goals for 2020
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 20192017 in Review and Financial Goals for 2018In 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.…
Keti's Bistro
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-WinSteak in mushroom sauce in Keti's BistroThe…
Hotel Lenno (Italy)
4-star hotel Lenno is set in an elegant building just off the main road, and right on the shore of Lake Como, in the fantastic Gulf of Venus. There is free Wi-Fi.We booked this hotel in mid-November 2019, during our week-long trip to Italy/Switzerland and paid about $110 per night. We arrived here from the lovely town of LeccoWe were lucky and managed to get a baby crib for our 16-month old daughter:Hotel Room at Lenno hotelThe room was spacious, we even managed to order some food to our room and paid just some EUR 30 extra for some pizzas and salads:Ordering dinner at Lenno hotelAt Hotel Lenno you can taste typical Italian dishes and prestigious wines,…
Tbilisi Christmas Market 2020
In today's Piece of Life series, a brief photo story from the Christmas market held near Radisson Blue hotel Tbilisi. To get here we took a taxi from our apartment to Keti's bistro. After finish steaks and Cokes we were ready to explore the market. The little one was excited the most.Christmas market in Tbilisi 2019/2020From traditional Georgian souvenirs to hot wine. All the classical Christmas market stuff.People at Christmas marketI did find this picture funny - smoking is still very popular in Georgia, especially among young people. I wonder what it will be like in 10, 20 years?The main Christmas tree in TbilisiChristmas decorations in TbilisiChristmas decorations in…
New Year's Eve Fireworks 2020 Tbilisi
As every year I contribute to fireworks photography, 2020 was no exception, from our Tbilisi apartments balcony I made dozens of long exposure night photography.A sturdy tripod, ISO 400-3200, f stop 3,5 up to f11 and exposure from 4 sec up to 10 seconds. The magical beauty of night photography.Tbilisi fireworks 2020With SPX still trading I found myself running from the balcony to inside the room to check if SPX has reached 3224 levels (at the end it closed above 3230)Long exposure to fireworks photographyFireworks from Tbilisi 2020That said, have a very prosperous 2020. Trade safe