Blog Archive: July 2020
Milano Centrale railway station
| Railway / Bus / Ferry | 48 seen
Milano Centrale is the main railway station of the city of Milan, Italy, and is the largest railway station in Europe by volume. The station is a terminus and located at the northern end of central Milan.
It was officially inaugurated in 1931 to replace the old central station (built 1864), which was a transit station but with a limited number of tracks and space, so could not handle the increased traffic caused by the opening of the Simplon tunnel in 1906.
It was back in Summer 2003, when I first visited this place, during my hitchhiking / train travel back home from French Foreign legion (from Marseilles, France). Back then I arrived to Milano Centrale railway station from Turin.
Milan central railway station
My latest visit here was much recently, back in November 2019, during about a week-long trip in Italy, and no I visited Milano just to take some photos or buy some pants at Zara mall.
Milano Centrale has high-speed connections to Turin in the west, Venice via Verona in the east and on the north-south mainline to Bologna, Rome, Naples and Salerno. The Simplon and Gotthard railway lines connect Milano Centrale to Bern and Geneva via Domodossola and Zürich via Chiasso in Switzerland.
Destinations of inter-city and regional railways radiate from Milano Centrale to Ventimiglia (border of France), Genova, Turin, Domodossola (border of Swiss Canton of Valais/Wallis), Tirano (border of Swiss Canton of Graubünden/Grisons), Bergamo, Verona, Mantova, Bologna and La Spezia.
The Milan suburban railway service, however, does not use Milano Centrale but the other mainline stations: Porta Garibaldi (northwest), Cadorna (west) and Rogoredo (east).
Aldo Rossi declared in an interview of February 1995 to Cecilia Bolognesi:
"They told me that when Frank Lloyd Wright came to Milan, and he came only once, he was really impressed by it and said it was the most beautiful station in the world. For me it is also more beautiful than Grand Central Station in New York. I know few stations like this one".
First DJI Mavic Mini Aerial photography (Lisi Lake / Tbilisi)
| Digital Photography School | 10 seen
At the end of July 2020, I finally received my DJI Mavic Mini here in Tbilisi, Georgia.
I was very eager to test it out, and one of the first spots to test DJI Mavic mini, which come to my mind was the Lisi lake.
As our daughter has a preschool in that area, it was agreed to make the first test flight with this little drone near the Lisi lake.
DJI_0001 officially first drone photography at the Lisi lake
Not the best shot, obliviously, as the first flight was more about learning the controls
Author of this blog captured in action
Flying a drone is a lot of fun, no doubts
Lisi lake in Tbilisi from about 30-40 meter heights
The drone kept saying that there is a high wind and I didn't take the risk to go higher.. Not the best shot, but you get the idea
View towards Lisi lake in Tbilisi
One of the things I wish to learn quickly, is how to control exposure and start shooting lovely HDR sunset/sunrise photos with drone.
Vine Yard Restaurant in Kvareli
| Restaurant reviews | 12 seen
Restaurant Vine Yard in Kvareli is located just next to the city walls fortress opposite to the Kvareli Public service hall building. This place serves typical Georgian cuisine, VISA accepted.
This restaurant has been our radar since late 2018, when we discovered this place while stayed at Kvareli Eden hotel, we have been heading here ever since, when in the area.
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Typical Georgian Supra at Restaurant Vine yard in Kvareli
Simple, tasty, and quite affordable. Our total bill here some GEL 70 for mcvadi, French fries, badrijani, coffees, lemonades and more.
Sevsamora Resort & Spa
| Hotel reviews | 29 seen
Sevsamora Resort & Spa is located in the village/town of Saguramo, some 15 minutes drive from Tbilisi.
We booked a family room for a 2-night stay here in the middle of June 2020, paying about GEL 600 (USD 200), with free breakfast included.
The main reason for us coming here was the proximity to Tbilisi and the outdoor swimming pool for our baby girl.
Sevsamora Resort & Spa
Among the facilities at this property are a 24-hour front desk and room service, along with free WiFi throughout the property. The property provides both outdoor and indoor pool, a garden and rooms with pool views.
Outdoor terrace with spectacular views
Tbilisi City is 30 km from the resort. The nearest airport is Tbilisi International, 45 km from Sevsamora Resort & Spa, and the property offers a paid airport shuttle service.
Family room at Sevsamora Resort & Spa
All units are equipped with air conditioning, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, a kettle, a bidet, a hairdryer and a desk. With a private bathroom equipped with a shower and free toiletries, rooms at the resort also provide guests with a garden view. The rooms at Sevsamora Resort & Spa are fitted with a seating area.
Fine dining at the hotel's restaurant
Hotel guests for additionally GEL 45 from a person (2020) can enjoy dinner at the hotel's restaurant. Food is amazing
Restaurant 'Vero Cinese' Milan (via Boscovich)
| Restaurant reviews | 13 seen
Restaurant 'Vero Cinese' is located on Boscovich street in Milan, Italy. This place serves Chinese cuisine.
We had a chance to dine here in November 2019, during our few day trip to Italy, with stop in Milano.
I find it always interesting browsing through the travel photos and finding these places on map. It wasn't hard to map Ristorante Vero Cinese.
Restaurant 'Vero Cinese' Milan (via Boscovich)
We were traveling with our toddler baby girl, so we ordered something toddler friendly.
The staff speaks excellent Italian, but little English. This was not our typical Tbilisi Chinese restaurant, this was totally different.
Some dumplings and Chinese tea
Soup with egg
Top Georgian Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange
| Investments | 122 seen
It was back in 2011 or 2012 when I first heard about Bank of Georgia or TBC bank is listed on the London stock exchange.
Back then I thought - wow, cool, impressive. Fast forward to 2020, I still think this is impressive that Georgia has a few companies listed on the London stock exchange, but as my investment horizons have shifted towards dividend investing + options trading, I don't find investing on LSE interesting.
Anyhow, in today's article I'm going to look at four Georgian companies listed on London stock exchange: Bank of Georgia, TBC bank, Georgia Healthcare Group and Georgia capital.
As said, I'm not the biggest fan of investing in the London Stock exchange (I prefer NYSE or Nasdaq), but I do have one investment from the London - Blackstone.
Also, I'm more options + dividend investor. When looking at data from these 4 Georgian companies listed on the London Stock exchange, just one company (TBC bank) is paying a humble 0.071% dividend. None of these companies are optionable. Investments in one of these Georgian companies should be looked as the long term value growth investments.
without further ado, here are the top 4 Georgian companies listed on the London stock exchange,
it should be noted that all prices are in GBX (pence sterling), to get the price in pounds divide it by 100
Bank of Georgia Group PLC
This is one of the largest banks in Georgia, i ave a bank account here, see: Opening Bank Account in Georgia - Bank of Georgia
As much as I like bank stoks, I have a few in my portfolio (apparently not from Georgia), like PBCT, BAC, WFC and European ING bank (Netherlands) - I would love to own Bank of Georgia, but lack of the dividend or options keeps me away investing yet. From the good points it should be noted that JP Morgan owns about 3% at Bank of Georgia.
Bank of Georgia Group PLC (stock price as of July 17, 2020)
Bank of Georgia Group PLC (“Bank of Georgia Group” or the “Group” – LSE: BGEO LN) is a UK incorporated holding company, which comprises: a) retail banking and payment services, and b) corporate investment banking and wealth management operations. JSC Bank of Georgia (“Bank of Georgia”, “BOG” or the “Bank”), the leading universal bank in Georgia, is the core entity of the Group. The Group also operates in Belarus, through its banking subsidiary, BNB. The Group targets to benefit from superior growth of the Georgian economy through both its retail banking and corporate investment banking services and aims to deliver on its strategy, which is based on at least 20% ROAE and c.15% growth of its loan book.
www.bankofgeorgiagroup.com/
TBC Bank Group PLC
Another prominent Georgian bank listed on LSE.
TBC Bank Group PLC (stock price as of July 17, 2020)
TBC Bank Group PLC (TBC Bank) is the UK-incorporated parent company of JSC TBC Bank and its subsidiaries, which is the leading universal financial group in Georgia. TBC Bank holds a dominant position in all its major business lines comprised of retail, corporate and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME). Its fully fledged financial services include traditional banking offerings as well as the industry’s cutting-edge solutions. TBC Bank is a pioneer in the region in launching the first fully digital bank, Space and the first customer focused digital ecosystems, creating a whole new world of opportunities for its customers.
www.tbcbank.ge
Georgia Healthcare Group PLC
Now, this company owns hospitals and pharmacies all across Georgia, from pharmacy stores -GPC and Pharmadepot. The entry price is really love, I might consider to buy some for speculative value growth in the future.
Georgia Healthcare Group PLC (stock price as of July 17, 2020)
We are the largest healthcare services provider in the fast-growing, predominantly privately-owned, Georgian healthcare ecosystem. We lead the market by offering the most comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient services, targeting the population of the entire country and beyond through our vertically integrated network of hospitals and clinics. We also operate the largest pharmacy and distribution business and are the largest medical insurance provider in the country.
http://ghg.com.ge/
Georgia Capital PLC
this is interesting company, by investing with Georgia Capital you will take both little ownership both at Bank of Georgia and Georgia Healt Group
Georgia Capital PLC (stock price as of July 17, 2020)
Georgia Capital PLC (“Georgia Capital” or “the Group” or “GCAP”– LSE: CGEO LN) is a platform for buying, building and developing businesses in Georgia. The Group’s primary business is to develop or buy businesses, help them institutionalize their management and grow them into mature businesses that can further develop largely on their own, either with continued oversight or independently. The Group’s focus is typically on smaller or early stage businesses in sectors capable of rapid development and consolidation, but we also consider more developed sectors, where a strong market position can be achieved through an acquisition or larger greenfield project. Georgia Capital will normally seek to monetise its investment over a 5-10 year period from initial investment. Georgia Capital currently manages nine private businesses: (i) a water utility business; (ii) a renewable energy business; (iii) a housing development business; (iv) a hospitality and commercial real estate business; (v) a property and casualty insurance business; and (vi) a beverages business; (vii) an education business; (viii) an auto service business; and (ix) a digital services business; and two public investments (London Stock Exchange premium-listed Georgian companies): (i) Georgia Healthcare Group PLC (GHG), (70.6% equity stake), a UK incorporated holding company of the largest healthcare services provider, the largest pharmaceuticals retailer and wholesaler and the largest medical insurance provider in Georgia; and (ii) Bank of Georgia Group PLC (BoG), (19.9% equity stake), a leading universal bank in Georgia.
http://georgiacapital.ge/
Kindzmarauli Church and Monastery
| Churches and Monasteries | 9 seen
Kindzmarauli church and monastery complex is located in the region of Kakheti, some 3 km off from the main road (Road 43 Telavi - Kvareli)
We discovered this small monastery complex while driving from the Lopota lake resort to the town of Kvareli at the start of June 2020. There is a linden tree right at the monastery, my better part gathered some linden flowers to make a tea latter in the winter.
The surrounding area of the Kindzmarauli church
Roses, mountains and vineyards.
Bell tower at Kindzmarauli church
We didn't actually visit the church this time.
Top 10 Laptops with Intel Xeon processor
| Laptop Reviews | 472 seen
Xeon is a brand of x86 microprocessors designed, manufactured, and marketed by Intel, targeted at the non-consumer workstation, server, and embedded system market.
In today's article, I've listed top 10 laptops (featured on Amazon) with Intel Xeon processors.
Intel Xeon processors deliver workload optimized performance in space and power constrained environments, from the data center to the intelligent edge. These innovative, system-on-a-chip processors support high-density, single-socket network, storage, and cloud edge computing solutions with a range of integrated security, network, and acceleration capabilities
Top 10 Laptops with 128GB RAM (Mobile WorkStations)
A quick note: This article contains affiliate links to Amazon.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a purchase on Amazon site, I might earn an affiliate income at no cost to you. Prices for laptops listed on this page are retrieved using Amazon Product Advertising API and is updated daily. For actual prices please refer to the product page on Amazon.
Lenovo 17.3" ThinkPad P71, Intel Xeon E3-1505M V6, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, NVIDIA Quadro P3000, Windows 10 Pro (20HK003KUS)
- Intel Xeon E3-1505M V6 Quad-core (4 Core) 3 GHz
- 16GB DDR4 SDRAM | 512GB SSD
- 17.3" LCD In-plane Switching (IPS) Technology
- NVIDIA Quadro P3000 (6GB)
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
List price: [amazon B07Z444X5M listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 Mobile Workstation Laptop - Windows 10 Pro - Intel Xeon E3-1505M, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 15.6" FHD IPS 1920x1080 Display, NVIDIA Quadro M2200M 4GB GPU
The ThinkPad P51 is your mobile option for true, workstation-level performance. From 3D rendering to enhanced multitasking, the P51 gives you the power you need without the bulk. What's more, it's ISV-certified with over 100 apps, and features an expansive selection of ports and displays.
- Intel Xeon E3-1505M v6 (8M Cache, up to 4.0 GHz) - 1TB Solid State Drive - 64GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM, 2400MHz SODIMM
- 15.6" Full HD IPS (1920x1080) Anti-Glare, Non-Touch Display - NVIDIA Quadro M2200M Discrete Graphics with 4GB VRAM - Stereo Speakers
- Built in HD 720p Webcam with Dual noise-cancelling Microphones - Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC (2x2) 8265, Bluetooth Version 4.1 - Fingerprint Reader
- 4x USB 3.1 ports (one Always On), HDMI 1.4b, mini-DisplayPort 1.2a, 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), USB Type-C / Thunderbolt 3, Dock Connector, 4-in-1 card Reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC), Dock Connector, Headphone/Mic Combo
- Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit - ThinkPad Precision Spill-Resistant, Backlit Keyboard with Full NumberPad / 6-cell Li-Polymer (90Whr) External Battery / 170-Watt AC-Adapter
List price: [amazon B075TGMNXQ listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)
Lenovo ThinkPad P51 Business Laptop: Intel Xeon E3-1505M, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, NVidia Quadro M2200M, 15.6" Full HD IPS Display, Windows 10 Pro
- Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 with vPro (2.80GHz, up to 3.70GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 Cores, 8MB Cache)
- NVIDIA Quadro M2200M 4GB Graphics
- 16GB DDR4 2133MHz RAM
- 512GB Solid State Drive, PCIe, Opal
- Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, Windows 10 Professional, Wifi AC, Bluetooth
List price: [amazon B07YNYS59H listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)
2020 HP ZBook 15 G5 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) Mobile Workstation Laptop (Intel 6-Core Xeon E-2176M, 64GB DDR4 RAM, 2TB PCIe SSD, Quadro P2000) 2 x Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0, Windows 10 Pro
ZBook 15's chassis is tested to withstand 14 MIL-STD-810G3 certifications. Those include repeated drops, vibration, bench handling, freezing and thawing cycles, high altitude, high and low temperatures, dust, sand, temperature and functional shock, humidity and an explosive atmosphere.
- Intel Xeon E-2176M (6 cores 12 threads, base clock speed 2.7GHz, max turbo to 4.4GHz, 12MB L3 Cache)
- 64GB DDR4-2400MHz RAM, 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD (reseal for upgrades ONLY)
- 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) IPS, Anti-glare,400nits Display, NVIDIA Quadro P2000 (4 GB GDDR5 VRAM dedicated)
- 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3, 3 x USB 3.0, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x Audio Combo Jack, 1 x Fingerprint reader
- HP 3-year warranty, Windows 10 Professional 64-bit, Ideal for Student, Home, Professionals, Small Business, and School Education
List price: [amazon B086GLMNQH listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)
Lenovo 17.3" ThinkPad P71 LCD Mobile Workstation Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6 Quad-core 3.1GHz 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 512GB SSD Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Model 20HK003EUS
List price: [amazon B07F2S5HW4 listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)
2020 HP ZBook 17 G5 17.3" FHD (1920x1080) Mobile Workstation Laptop (Intel 6-Core Xeon E-2176M, 64GB DDR4 RAM, 2TB PCIe SSD, Quadro P4200) 2 x Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0, mini DisplayPort, Windows 10 Pro
The HP ZBook 17 is packed with up to 50% more cores gen over gen, PCIe SSD storage, DDR4 memory and NVIDIA Quadro P4200 graphics. And with 20% better thermals, it will stay cool and quiet even under intense multi-application workloads.
- Intel Xeon E-2176M (6 cores 12 threads, base clock speed 2.7GHz, max turbo to 4.4GHz, 12MB L3 Cache)
- 64GB DDR4-2400MHz RAM, 2TB (2x512GB+1TB)PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD (reseal for upgrades ONLY)
- 17.3" FHD (1920x1080) IPS, Anti-glare, 400nits Display, NVIDIA Quadro P4200 (8 GB GDDR5 VRAM dedicated)
- NO Optical Drive, 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3, 3 x USB 3.0, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x mini DisplayPort DP, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x Audio Combo Jack
- 3-year HP warranty, Windows 10 Professional 64-bit, Ideal for Student, Home, Professionals, Small Business, and School Education
List price: [amazon B087YL1Y91 listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)
2020 HP ZBook 17 G5 17.3" FHD (1920x1080) Mobile Workstation Laptop (Intel 6-Core Xeon E-2176M, 64GB DDR4 RAM, 2.5TB PCIe SSD+2TB HDD, Quadro P3200) 2 x Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
- Intel Xeon E-2176M (6 cores 12 threads, base clock speed 2.7GHz, max turbo to 4.4GHz, 12MB L3 Cache)
- 64GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB +2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD + 2TB HDD (reseal for upgrades ONLY)
- 17.3" FHD (1920x1080) IPS, Anti-glare, 300nits Display, NVIDIA Quadro P3200 (6GB GDDR5 VRAM dedicated)
- NO Optical Drive, 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3, 3 x USB 3.0, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x mini DisplayPort DP, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x Audio Combo Jack
- 3-year HP warranty, Windows 10 Professional 64-bit, Ideal for Student, Home, Professionals, Small Business, and School Education
List price: [amazon B088RDX4FD listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)
ConceptD 7 Ezel CC715-91P-X1XB Convertible Creator Laptop, Intel Xeon W-10885M, Quadro RTX 5000, 15.6" 4K UHD IPS, Pantone Validated, 100% Adobe RGB, 32GB DDR4, 2TB NVMe SSD in RAID 0, Wacom EMR Pen
Creativity soars to unprecedented heights with Acer’s ConceptD 7 Ezel Pro, which leverages the power of a PANTONE Validated 4K UHD display, with multiple functionality modes to be able sketch, finalize and present on one device. With the ConceptD 7 Ezel, you’ll fine-tune images seamlessly and with unmatched precision, complete the trickiest professional 3D graphic design projects. Thanks to the powerful Intel Xeon W-10885M 8-Core processor and NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 with Max-Q Design inside.
- Intel Xeon W-10885M 8-Core Processor (Up to 5.3GHz) with Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit
- NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 Graphics with Max-Q Design and 16 GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM | NVIDIA Studio | RTX Studio Laptop
- 15.6" 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) widescreen LED-backlit IPS Corning Gorilla Glass 6 anti-glare display with integrated touch supporting Wacom EMR pen | PANTONE Validated | Delta E <2 | 400nit Brightness | 100% Adobe RGB Color Gamut
- 32GB DDR4 Dual-Channel 2666MHz Memory | 2TB NVMe SSD in RAID 0 configuration (2 x 1TB)
- Wireless: Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201 802.11ax Dual-Band 2.4GHz and 5GHz featuring 2x2 MU-MIMO technology | LAN: 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN | Amber Colored Backlit Keyboard
List price: [amazon B08CY45Y6C listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)
ASUS ProArt StudioBook Pro 17 Mobile Workstation Laptop, 17” WUXGA NanoEdge Bezel, Intel Xeon E-2276M, 32GB ECC DDR4, 2TB PCIe SSD, Nvidia Quadro RTX 3000, Windows 10 Pro, W700G3T-XH99, Turquoise Gray
- 17. 0'' WUXGA 16: 10 ratio panel (1920*1200) NanoEdge matte display; 97% DCI-P3 wide color gamut; Pantone validated color accuracy; Delta E<2, 8-bits color depth
- Intel Xeon E-2276M hexa-core Processor 2. 8GHz (up to 4. 7GHz) with Windows 10 Professional for Workstations
- NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM - RTX Studio Ready
- Fast storage and memory featuring 1TB + 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD (RAID 0) and 32GB DDR4 ECC Memory (upgradable up to 64GB)
- Extensive connectivity with HDMI, USB-C Thunderbolt 3, SD card reader, USB 3. 1 Gen 2 (*USB Transfer speed may vary. Learn more at ASUS website)
- Gig+ Wi-Fi 6 (802. 11ax) latest Wi-Fi standard + Dual-band Bluetooth 5. 0
- MIL-STD 810G military standard for reliability and durability
List price: [amazon B0812Q94SD listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)
Lenovo ThinkPad P71 Workstation Laptop - Windows 10 Pro - Intel Xeon E3-1535M, 64GB ECC RAM, 4TB SSD, 17.3" UHD 4K 3840x2160 Display, NVIDIA Quadro P5000 16GB GPU, Color Sensor, 4G LTE WWAN
- Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6 (8M Cache, up to 4.2 GHz) - 4TB Solid State Drive (SSD) - 64GB PC4-19200 DDR4 Error-Correcting (ECC) SDRAM, 2400MHz SODIMM
- 17.3" UHD 4K IPS (3840x2160) Anti-Glare, Non-Touch Display - NVIDIA Quadro P5000 Discrete Graphics with 16GB VRAM - Stereo Speakers
- Pantone X-Rite Color Calibration Sensor in Palm Rest / Built in HD 720p Webcam with Dual noise-cancelling Microphones - Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC (2x2) 8265, Bluetooth Version 4.1 - Fingerprint Reader - 4G LTE WWAN
- 4x USB 3.1 ports (one Always On), HDMI 1.4b, mini-DisplayPort 1.2a, 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), 2x (Two) USB Type-C / Thunderbolt 3, Dock Connector, 4-in-1 card Reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC), Dock Connector, Headphone/Mic Combo
- Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit - ThinkPad Precision Spill-Resistant, Backlit Keyboard with Full NumberPad / 8-cell Li-Polymer (96Whr) External Battery / 230-Watt AC-Adapter
List price: [amazon B07HY96VV3 listpriceformattedprice] Buy this laptop on Amazon (Paid link)
Kapiloni Restaurant in Telavi
| Restaurant reviews | 54 seen
Kapiloni restaurant in Telavi is located on Barnovi street 10, just opposite to the King Erekle museum.
I had a chance to visit this place at the start of July, during our trip to the Lopota lake
Kapiloni restaurant serves typical Georgian cuisine for quite affordable prices
Ojakhuri at Kapiloni restaurant
Ojakhuri is the generic name for meat (usually pork) and fried potatoes.
Chicken barbeque
Hotel Berna Milan
| Hotel reviews | 15 seen
Hotel Berna is a 4-star hotel, located 200 m from Milan Central Train Station and Metro.
Free tea, coffee and snacks are available all day. All rooms are soundproofed and include air conditioning, free WiFi and a satellite LCD TV.
We booked here a stay back in November 2019 for a couple of days and paid about $200 for our stay here (don't remember anymore, was it one night or two nights).
The hotel indeed is centrally located, we decided to come here from another hotel in Milan, see Hotel 'San Francisco' Milan
Hotel Berna in Milan
The Berna Hotel serves a large, continental breakfast buffet including fresh fruit, pastries and a selection of teas and coffees. Special diet foods are also available on request.
Hotel Berna
This non-smoking hotel is just 4 Metro Stops from the famous Milan Cathedral. By metro or bus you can easily reach all main attractions in town, as well as the MiCo Congress Centre and the Rho FieraMilano Exhibition Centre.
White Cherry Jam
| Food blogger | 18 seen
White cherry jam is quite popular here in Georgia. Georgians like to add nuts to the jam, but for this food recipe we will make a jam from cherries only (adding a bit lemon skin and peppermint though)
The first step was to obtain cherries, for this task we asked our housekeeper to buy a few kilos at Rustavi market (she is from Rustavi), that's how we got about 4 kilograms of white cherries.
White cherries
I'm not sure why they are called white when they are actually yellow/red
The next step was to remove pits from the cherry for this task it was agreed to use a straw.
Separating pits from the cherries using a drinking straw
For cleaning some 5 kilograms of cherries it took some 2 hours. While still cleaning 2 kilograms of sugar were added in water to melt on slow fire. Latter a lemon skin and peppermint were added for flavoring.
Lemon skin and peppermint in sugar syrup water
The lemon skin and peppermint were later removed, but some are saying lemon skin could be left in the jam.
Adding cherries to the syrup water
It turned out this pot is too little, we had to look for a bigger pot
White cherry jam being prepared
After couple of hours of boiling it was read for filling in jars.
Filling the white cherry jam in jars
Tip from the grandma - use a wet cloth under the jars, to avoid breaking the glass from the hot liquid.
Buenos Aires (Milan Shopping Street)
| Shopping Venues | 116 seen
Corso Buenos Aires is a major street in north-eastern Milan, Italy. With over 350 shops and outlets, it features the highest concentration of clothing stores in Europe. The architecture of the area is mostly late 19th- and 20th-century style; the street and its surroundings are pointed with several neo-classical and art nouveau buildings.
I had a chance to visit Corso Buenos Aires back at the end of 2019, during our about a week-long trip to Italy
Corso Buenos Aires
Corso Buenos Aires is located in the north-eastern part of Milan, corresponding to the Zone 3 administrative division. It is about 1.2 km long, going roughly south-west to north-east, along the ideal line connecting Milan's centre at the Duomo to the nearby city of Monza. The street itself starts at Piazzale Oberdan, in the Porta Venezia neighbourhood, and ends in Piazzale Loreto. Going towards the city centre, the prosecution of Corso Buenos Aires is Corso Venezia, that reaches the very centre at Piazza San Babila, in the immediate surroundings of the Duomo. From the opposite end in Piazzale Loreto, three distinct streets depart, the main of which is Viale Monza, connecting Milan to Monza. The Milan Metro subway (Line 1) has three stops along Buenos Aires (in Porta Venezia, Piazza Lima, and Piazzale Loreto).
Corso Buenos Aires
Due to a large number of shops, stores, and outlets, Corso Buenos Aires is one of the busiest streets of Milan; even more so during the Christmas holidays, when it sells most of the city's decorations. Unlike Via Montenapoleone and the surroundings of Piazza Duomo, that are specialized in high fashion and haute couture products, Corso Buenos Aires is generally more oriented towards mass products such as ready-to-wear type clothes.
Corso Buenos Aires
The modern Corso Buenos Aires developed from the "stradone di Loreto", an old road connecting the centre of Milan to Monza. In the 19th century, the road used to be called "Corso Loreto"; one of its prominent features was the Lazaretto, which is also mentioned in Alessandro Manzoni's novel The Betrothed; it was demolished in the late 19th century. Approximately in the same period, the horsecars that served this route were replaced by trams. In 1964 the trams themselves were abolished and the railway dismantled, being replaced by the modern subway line.
Corso Buenos Aires used to be known for the numerous small shops selling traditional Milanese products; however, these have been mostly replaced by modern fashion outlets. Likewise, some of the ancient buildings were replaced by modern, high-rise blocks of flats.
Tbilisi Sea Club
| Lakes | 318 seen
Tbilisi sea club is a popular and paid recreational area located next to the Tbilisi sea.
For an entrance fee of GEL 20/per person (kids are free) you could get a free parking lot, free sunbed, free entry to the outdoor pool, and great access to the Tbilisi sea.
Yacht rental is possible (starting GEL 70/per hour), restaurant, restrooms, and the outdoor shower are available.
Public parking lot at Tbilisi Sea club
Its said the club is working from June until mid-September. During the 2020 season working hours were 9-21
People getting tan on floating decks
On the day we visited it (Saturday, June 20, 2020) it was a very hot and sunny day, the place was pretty crowded.
There is also a white sand beach available, with rocky entrance to the sea, most folks seems enjoy laying on the sunbeds on these floating decks.
A little harbor at Tbilisi sea club
Yachts are available for rent, also jet-ski are available.
How To Add CAPTCHA Protection to Drupal 8 Webform
| Drupal Development | 202 seen
Recently I launched a new Drupal 8 website and was surprised by a spam amount we got via website's contact form (built with Webform module).
As the website was new, I was manually blocking each spammers IP, but the amount got larger and larger, to avoid that, I decided to install Captcha module, just like in the case with Drupal 7, see: Adding CAPTCHA to Drupal 7 Webform
A CAPTCHA is a challenge-response test most often placed within web forms to determine whether the user is human. The purpose of CAPTCHA is to block form submissions by spambots, which are automated scripts that post spam content everywhere they can. The CAPTCHA module provides this feature to virtually any user-facing web form on a Drupal site.
I will assume, you have already configured your webform, now let's add captcha to it, and keep those spammers away
Go to admin/config/people/captcha click on the tab Form settings, as we are using Webform module here, enable node_webform_form
Drupal 8 configuring captcha module
Once, enabled, click edit and in the blank text box under "Form ID" enter the form_id (not the node id) of the webform and save the configuration.
To quickly find the form_id of the webform, take the node id and insert it to "webform_submission_contact_node_XXX_add_form", for example, if the node id is 6 your webform form_id will be "webform_submission_contact_node_6_add_form". You can also use firebug to inspect the form_id field.
Go to the webform page (as an Anonymous user) and you should be able to see the captcha there.
Captcha enabled on Drupal 8 webform
Another quite effective way to fight webspam is by using the AntiBot module, see my article here: Fighting Webform Spam - Drupal 9 - AntiBot
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Restaurant Imeruli Ezo
| Restaurant reviews | 17 seen
Restaurant Imeruli Ezo is a nice roadside restaurant located in Natakhtari (this area is famous for its restaurants)
We made a lovely dinner here at the start of June 2020, returning from our adventures at the Poppy fields near Mchadijvari
Inside yard at Imeruli Ezo
In direct translation from Georgian to English - Imeruli Ezo - means - Imeretian yard. And yes they are serving here Imeretian style food.
The food at Imeruli Ezo
We ordered some salads, mcvadi, badrijani, Turkish Coffee, and some Georgian lemonades.