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Asureti / Elisabethtal
Asureti is an interesting village situated on the road Koda - Tetriskaro, some 45 km from Tbilisi in Georgia. Discovered by accident, while doing (trying to do) a trip to Ninotsminda (in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti) in January 2019. I had heard before about former German settlements here in Georgia from German expats in Tbilisi, and in fact a couple of weeks ago we visited one such settlement area (Katharinenfeld) in Bolnisi (see Day…
Cinevilla Studio backlot
Cinevilla is a backlot in the Tukums Municipality in Slampe parish, Latvia, and was created for the outdoor shootings of the feature film Defenders of Riga. It is the only backlot in Latvia, and consists of replicas of historical buildings and constructions of Riga, the capital of Latvia. The backlot has a small canal to resemble the Daugava river quays of the Riga old town. The Stone Bridge is also there as well as the historical Lübeck and…
Jūrmala airport
Jūrmala Airport (ICAO: EVJA) is an airport located 5 km (3 mi) in the Engure parish, Latvia, southeast of Tukums. The airport is located in the territory of the former army airfield. All of the airport's technical infrastructure, runway and buildings are what was left of the former Soviet military Tukums air base, which was a spartan military airfield with a single long ramp and revetted area. The base was completely abandoned, but in 2010 the…
Ninotsminda Cathedral
Ninotsminda Cathedral is located in the Ninotsminda village near Sagarejo, in the Kakheti region, Georgia. Ninotsminda Cathedral is highly significant to the development of Georgian architecture as constructed in AD 575 it predates Jvari Monastery in Mtskheta, and served as a model for the development of the later tetraconch (four-apse) form. I visited this cathedral first in January 2019 and was more than surprised on how much I enjoyed this…
Cafe / Bistro Dukāts
Cafe/bar/ bakery Dukāts is located in Dubulti, Jūrmala close to the Dubulti church. During 2018 we lived for a while next to the Dukāts and visited this place quite often to have a bistro style dinner or buying some delicious cake from the bakery. Compared to the other restaurants in Jūrmala, Dukāts has one of the lowest prices. Having dinner for two people for EUR 10 here is realistic. A meal at bistro Dukāts Typical Latvian cuisine…
Restaurant Natakhtaris Veli
Restaurant Natakhtris Veli is located in the Natakhtari village, accessible when driving from Tbilisi via Mtskheta to Gudauri. This place serves typical Georgian cuisine. Cozy atmosphere, fast service, friendly staff. Actually a pretty touristic place, but despite that, no rip off here. Restaurant Natakhtaris Veli Located next to the Mtksheta- Gudauri highway. You can park your car in front of the restaurant. Meal at Restaurant…
Chailuri Fortress
Chailuri fortress is located between Manavi and Kakabeti villages in the region of Kakheti (or about one hour drive from Tbilisi towards Sighnaghi) on a hill right next to the Kakheti highway. Fortress is a small pentagonal citadel with towers. The history of this fortress is shrouded in mystery. The fortress is well visible from the highway side, but visitors rarely take stop here, so did I made my first stop here on January 12, 2019, when…
Restaurant Laivas
Dine in amazing ambiance on the banks of Lielupe river, in Jūrmala, Latvia. We visited Restaurant Laivas for a brunch menu (if I remember correct EUR 18 per person) back in June 2018. Now I have another great addition to Jūrmala restaurants list Interior at Laivas Restaurant in Jūrmala The brunch menu at Laivas Sweets at Laivas restaurant
Moxy Hotel Lobby Bar in Tbilisi
Moxy hotels lobby bar in Tbilisi serves delicious coffee latte and offers a really stylish interior. The one you could find in the fine NYC hotels or at least high-end hotels in Georgia. Discovered by accident in January 2019 while walking with our almost 6-month old daughter. For me, it was something new to learn that Moxy is a brand by Marriott. If I were to travel to Tbilisi I might consider booking a hotel room here as well (despite it…
Charlie Pizza, Mazeikiai
Charlie Pizza is a Lithuanian fast food chain located all across the country, serving pizza, salads, pasta and other freshly prepared dishes. It was in May 2018, when we visited the one located in the Mazaikai town. Starter plate at Charlie Pizza in Mazeikiai, Lithuania Lithuanian Cepelinai served at Charlie Pizza Cepelinai or didžkukuliai (singular: cepelinas) is a popular dish in Lithuania. They are a type of dumpling made from grated…