Chik's Crib: April 2019

29 April 2019

Batam, Indonesia - 3D2N

Travel April 29, 2019 0

Photo Credit: Pak Ming

I can't believe that Batam is just one hour's ferry ride away; so close, I'm a little ashamed to say that I'd never been to the island before. But the unbeatable allure of staying the weekend in a beach-side resort with fresh seafood and plentiful alcohol proved too irresistible.

I have had big plans for Batam; I was going to go experience everything Batam has to offer! From exploring the abandoned shipwreck on the beach of Pulau Tunjuk to watching the sunset at Pa-Auk Tawya Vipassanā Dhura Hermitage, we were going to do 'em all. But once we arrived, it's kinda hard to muster up the willpower to organise a day trip away from the comfort of the resort, and our goals drifted towards maximising our time catching rays, going for the opportunistic swim and having a beer.

Despite the influx of tourists into Batam annually, it can still feel a little underdeveloped and so I wasn't expecting much cause for photography. Still, I was pleasantly surprised in the early morning, when the shade of the sky over Barelang Bridge looks like something out of a Van Gogh's. (The vagueness of impressionism art is proudly contributed by my ancient phone camera)

Barelang Swing, at low tide

The highlight of the trip was the Banana Boat attached to a speedboat, which brought us along the coast and beyond the Barelang Bridge. And afterwards, the helpful fellas took a shot of the iconic Barelang Swing in high tide for us.

We didn't have to go too far off for food, and in fact the best meals of the trip were found in the in-resort restaurant Barelang Seafood Restaurant. The freshness of their steamed crabs can't be beat, and the food choices were courtesy of the waiter's excellent recommendations.
"We’ll take the fried salted egg flower crab"
<The waiter pointed to the steamed flower crab>
"And the tamarind fried sotong."
Silence from the waiter, and a frown.
"I mean the butter fried sotong?"
<He approved>

A kelong is a traditional fishery built from wood and extends out into the waters. While waiting for the food to arrive, we wandered down the wooden planks to take a gander.

When we finally did work up the willpower to leave the resort, our first port of call was the local brewery Batam Fresh Beer, and at $1.50 per pint, it's criminal not to patronise. It opens from 12pm till 2am, and Pak Ming and I popped by for a quick afternoon pick-me-up. Even discounting craft beers, the low alcohol tax makes drinking at every meal (and in-between meals) an attractive proposition, and the supermarket at Mega Mall Batam Centre near the ferry terminal kept us well-stocked throughout the trip. Alcohol aside, stepping into the mall feels like time-traveling back into the warm embrace of Wendy’s, A&W and Llao Llao.

Another place we went to was Sei Enam, where we polished off an ungodly amount of crayfish. We love their fluffy deep-fried buns! Local beer and seafood goes hand-in-hand, though in Sei Enam, we took a break and opted for their freshly-blitzed fruit juice.

We went looking for a massage parlor. Having a massage in Batam can run a gamut of prices. The in-resort masseuse is $70 an hour, while the massage house in the Mega Mall Batam Centre goes for $30. Business is booming, and every slot was taken, but we finally came to Fitness Massage, which goes for $10 an hour, though you have to brave the heat, as well as to jaywalk and to hop over several drains. Still, you get to see some incredible buildings, like the one below. The upkeep of the striking white walls couldn't have come cheap, and in quite a contrast to the surrounding buildings and construction, some of the unfinished buildings which looked untouched since Miss XS was last here in 2015.

I'm a big fan of crossing the border into Malaysia for short trips filled with great food and drinks, and I can now add Batam to the list of nearby destinations to travel to, where good hospitality, fresh seafood and a day of beach, spa and relaxation beckons.

22 April 2019

Mandarin Oriental Cocktail Recipe

Recipe April 22, 2019 0

It's been over a year since most of us got together, but when we finally did, it felt like no time had passed at all from when we were living together back in Melbourne. Has it really been a year? We had Chinese food at Por Kee, and then bounced back to my place for drinks.

I brought out several of my recently acquired liquors, including a couple of vodkas from my recent trip, and went in a broad direction of what we thought would make a nice cocktail. Like most things in life, there were more pitfalls than actual Eureka! moments, but at the end of the day, when everybody's more than a little tipsy, somehow, those pitfalls ain't looking all that significant after all*.

We opted for a citrus-flavoured cocktail, as I had several fresh limes on hand. But over the course of the evening, as more limes keep turning up, it finally begged the question from my friends: where are all these limes coming from?

Well, whenever Chinese New Year comes around, part of my family tradition involves buying bushes of mandarin plants to add a splash of bright colours to the gardens, and afterwards, we usually transplant them right into the plot of land, which in a tropical climate, start producing calamansi (Philippine lime). They lose most of their bright orange colouring, and usually stay green, though some do turn develop lighter shades of yellow.

TY, who made the drink, calls this his Mandarin Oriental, in an ode to the origin of these tropical limes.

* In the spirit of the recent Korean trend of mixing Yakult and soju, blending the apple-flavoured ones Yakult and soju was rather pleasant!

Mandarin Oriental Cocktail
Recipe by Ty Lee

INGREDIENTS
1 shot cointreau
1/2 shot lime (about 2 limes)
2 shots tonic water
2 mint leaves, optional

STEPS
1. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, cointreau and the lime juice. Shake until well-chilled.
2. In a prepared glass, pour in the tonic water. Add the lime juice mixture to the tonic water and combine.
3. Garnish with mint leaves, if using. Serve immediately

15 April 2019

Bravetart Brownies

Recipe April 15, 2019 0

I've been following Stella Parks, editor of Serious Eats, since god-knows-when. I'd read nothing but good reviews about BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts, and I was pretty stocked to finally get my hands on a copy. The recipes come with an exploration on how these desserts came about in the backdrop of American history, and for the uninitiated like myself, it's interesting to learn how these classic recipes came about.

Which brings me to this winner of a brownie recipe. I'm a lazy baker, but it's well worth going the extra distance for this recipe. They taste like the fudgiest chocolate brownies in the world. It's like eating pure chocolate!

I was going to say that these brownies are the best that I've had, but I think the internet already has a hundred-and-one "Best Ever Brownie" recipes out there, which seems statistically unlikely. So instead, I'll just say that this recipe is very good indeed. It may be the tastiest brownies that I'd made. I can't imagine brownies tasting any finer. (It's conceivable that I could be a politician, with all the hedging that I can do.)

A perfect execution brings you a square of brownie topped with a delicate candy surface and an inner chewy, just-set bite. Which is the dream brownie texture in my book. A couple of times though, I *might* have messed up, and baked at the brownie at a far higher heat than recommended. The resulting brownie still has a deep chocolate profile, but the texture became more cake-like, with a delightfully crisp top. It's still plenty delicious, and in a serendipitous turn of event, perfect with a scoop of ice cream, but don't be like me.

BraveTart Brownies
Adapted from BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts by Stella Parks
Fits a 6 inches sq pan

Slicing brownies and biting into warm brownies fresh from the oven is oh-so-delicious, but results in messy squares. To get nice little neat squares, brownies have to be chilled in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS
========
170g (6 ounces) unsalted butter
85g (3 ounces or 1/2 cup) finely chopped dark chocolate, about 72%
200g white sugar
30g (1 ounce or 1/8 cup, packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon (3g) kosher salt (If using table salt, use 1/2 tsp by volume, or 4g by weight)
3 large eggs, straight from the fridge
1/2 tablespoon (1/4 ounce, 7.5g) vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
65g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
60g Dutch-process cocoa powder

STEPS
========
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place an oven rack to middle position.

2. Line a baking pan with foil to cover the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Grease lightly with pan spray.

3. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. When completely melted, increase heat to medium, stirring the bottom all the while with a heat-resistant spatula while the butter hisses and pops. Continue until butter is golden yellow and goes silent. Remove from heat and stir in dark chocolate. The mixture will be quite thin. It's okay!

3. In a large bowl, combine white sugar, brown sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla, and instant espresso and whisk on medium-high until extremely thick and fluffy, about 8 minutes. When ready, reduce speed to low and pour in the warm chocolate-butter.

4. Sift together flour and cocoa powder into a small bowl. Add the flour mixture all at once and combine with a flexible spatula.

5. Pour into pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until brownies are glossy and just barely firm. If using a thermometer, the internal temperature should be 96°C (205°F). Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature before slicing. Run a butter knife between the edges of the brownie and the pan and gently lift the foil to remove the brownies. Cut into two-and-a-half-inch squares.

Storage:
It can keep for about 1 week in an airtight container.

08 April 2019

Finland Funland! Part 2 (14-day)

Travel April 08, 2019 0

We spent most of our next couple of days travelling from Helsinki, first catching the next domestic flight to Ivalo, and then moving northwards across the border by coach to Kirkenes, Norway.

The Kirkenes Snow Hotel crafts their houses annually from ice, a pretty elaborate affair. The main entrance is a sitting area and bar shaped from ice, and so is the flight of stairs leading to the bedrooms. Each room is sparsely decorated, with rugs over the ice bed, but the walls are carved, from Frozen's Elsa to political figures. I was too busy poking around to take much photography, but I did snap a quick shot of their more traditional accommodations.

Snowhotel Kirkenes runs the nearby King Crab Safari. We were bundled up in our full winter gear, and then started layering the safari's thick overalls, ski mask and helmet, something that I've come to learnt is on par for the course every time outdoor activities are called for in Finland. It's a 30 minutes sled ride on the back of a snowmobile across the frozen fjord, and we tagged along the crabbers as they reeled in their cages, separate the crabs from one another and killed them. I couldn't feel my face the minute the snowmobile went at full blast, but later back in the restaurant, as we tucked into the steamed king crabs afterwards, the frozen journey suddenly all seemed worth it.

While at the Snow Hotel, we also met ... Gabba the Hut. Heehee.

Afterwards, it’s another day’s journey to Saariselka, where we put up roots at the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort for one night. This accommodation was the selling point of the trip for me, and oh boy, it did not disappoint.

The start of the stay in wintertime began with choosing our own sled, to tug our luggage through the snow.

The village contains neat little rows of log cabins, and the interior was just the poshest log cabin I'd ever been in. Mine (clearly the best of the lots) contains rustic wooden furniture, a granite fireplace, a chandelier made from reindeer antlers, a private sauna, and best of all, a glass-ceiling extension with a bed under the stars, where you can enjoy all the convenience of modern heating while sleeping under the stars (and to keep a look-out for any potential Northern Lights!) There are 6 beds in a cabin, though the tour nicely kept it to two to a room, as I'm sure everybody wanted to sleep under the stars.

I was keen to view the northern lights, but I conked out right after a hot shower. It was the best night's rest I remembered! Other members of the tour, clearly less sleep-deprived than me, had a whale of a time making snow from boiling water (courtesy of the sauna just a step away from the front door!), and even though they couldn't see the northern lights with their naked eyes, a couple did manage to photograph a green hue in the sky, and all from the comfort of their beds.

*************************************

Over our trip, we tucked into the local daily breakfast of a generous amount of smoked ocean trout, croissants and rye bread with munavoi (a spread made with butter and hard boiled egg). There's Karelian pastries and fresh cottage cheese, and once even meesjuusto, a local brown butter that I regretfully didn't try. Being so close to the salmon migration, smoked salmon is easy to come across and we managed to have smoked salmon or ocean trout almost everyday. I could get used to the typical Nordic hotel breakfast!

A trip to the Husky Dog Safari was our next attraction. Huskies are a mix between wolves and hunting dogs, but contrary to my imagination, they weren't as large as I thought they would be to pull on sleds all day.

We started our tour by playing with the cheeky husky puppies. My favourite pup was the playful one with heterochromia irises! They love winter accessories and will make opportunistic grabs for your winter hats or gloves. One in particular was enamoured with Miss XS’s scarf and started nipping at it, and it soon became a game involving all three pups until the trainer pulled them away. Luckily, much like me, they're easily distractable and the strings tied around the trainer's waist soon caught their attention, and they started playing tug of war with that instead.

All your dangling winter accessories are now fair game

In the teepee, the trainer got a fire going quickly, and as we were chilling by the side of the fire, he showed us his collection of Northern Light photography taken from just outside his house annually. Instant jealousy. According to him, he had the best luck after 9pm, and in the months from September to October, and afterwards in February to March.

A quick drink of hot beverage and it’s our turn at the sleds! These are pulled by adult huskies, who can be trained to go up to 80km a day.

I don't know if everybody knows this except me, but doing physical exertion in winter-appropriate clothing is incredibly hard. You're packing on a couple of extra kilo of clothes, and the chill still nips at the cheeks and nose. Which makes what the huskies do very, very impressive.

They had just came back from one circuit, and were definitely winded from the first circuit. Because they were quite poor dears really, and as we sped through the snow trail in the woods, I got off the sled intermittently at some uphill points and started pushing the sled along instead. Still, the pace that they kept to was no joke, and after every few minutes of exertion, I promptly hopped back onto the sled. (My stamina did not impress the huskies.)

Restroom: no points for guessing which gender

In the afternoon, we had a bit of downtime after checking in to Saariselkä Ski and Sport Resort. Some people went for the sauna, or to the spa, or for the toboggan trail. Me, I took the opportunity to change into PJs, lounge around the hotel room and eat cup noodles with Miss XS. #priorities

The main reason why we were here in the resort was for the snowmobile activity, where we went on a trail designed to see the Aurora. It was hard to get out of the comfort of the warm room and PJs, but we knew it was a good sign when after we got onto our snowmobile, we could already see a faint aurora grew and ebbed on our west side by the resort grounds. Score!

A brief instruction on how to handle the snowmobile, and we were off. True enough, as we sped (ok maybe more trundled than sped) through the woods upwards the mountain, the elusive aurora came and went. Some danced, others had hues of pink and white, others stretched across the horizon in many arcs and encompassed stars and galaxies between the arcs. It was beautiful.

But also, it was mostly cold. Lessons learnt from a Finland trip: when a Finn tells you it’s going to be cold, pack on the layers and take everything they offer you. I had on all my regular layers, and had thought the extra socks, overalls, ski mask and second set of gloves I was offered was overkill. But, like all the wise men on the trip with me, I kept my mouth shut and took everything they offered, and swapped out my winter boots for the one in the shop. Listen to the experts - they were right as always. It was indeed freezing and even with those additional layers, I still couldn’t feel my toes halfway on the trip.

******************************

Mooo....se?

We continued on our tour of Finland to Lapland, Finland's most northern territory. Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland (and the land of Santa!) In a postcard-worthy turn of events, it began snowing heavily as we approached Santa Village. The weather was perfect as we boarded the reindeer sleighs: large snowflakes were tumbling in every direction, accumulating over treetops and roofs.

Unlike huskies, reindeers are far more placcid. We plodded along at a leisurely pace and afterwards, warmed up at the giant campfire set up for us at the ticket office.

The Arctic Circle marks the area of the Earth where the Sun can be seen above the horizon for more than 24 hours at least once a year ("midnight sun" in summer), and where the sun can be below the horizon for more than 24 hours at least once a year ("polar night" in winter). The boundary of the Arctic Circle cuts through Santa village, and like all good and proper tourists, we spent a long time posing with the demarcation pillars, and did the rest of the kitsch tourisy things like meeting the official Santa Claus, and then sending a postcard (stamped with the official Santa Claus Village postal stamp) to remind the rest of our families that we’re doing something fun without inviting them.

We stayed for a couple of days at Hotel Santa Claus, where our total star tour manager wrangled free upgrades to our hotel rooms, and we got a deluxe room on the sixth floor, complete with a personal sauna. I didn't appreciate how good having a personal sauna is, until my stay here where I looked forward to taking in some hot steam after a cold day out and about. (Also, we may or may not have used it to humidify our hotel room, until we finally spotted the warning sign notifying that doing so could set off the fire alarm. Don’t be like us.)

******************
Our Ice Breaking Cruise was in Sweden, where to nobody’s surprise, we crossed the border and the first thing we saw was an IKEA. (I didn't realise IKEAs were colored in the Swedish flag colours!)

In regions where sea-routes are regularly frozen over, ice-breakers are utilised to rescue stranded ships, as a supply vehicle for far-flung research laboratories and to make a path through iced-over seas for regular ships. The Polar Explorer was employed by Germany as an ice-breaker in the 1970s until its retirement, where now it enjoys a cushier gig as a tourist cruise in Sweden along its coast.

As the ice-breaker powered through the frozen sea, we were taken on a tour of the interior of the ship, where we saw the machinery of the engine room and even made our way into the captain's room just as the ship moored.

But the best part of the trip is undoubtedly when the ship stopped in the middle of its path, and we donned the survival suit and floated in the in the icy waters in the path bashed out by the ice breaker. We remained fully clothed beneath the suit and didn't even get wet!

It was so cold, you can already see the just-broken path reforming ice over its surface

We also took a walk on the Bay of Bothnia, which surface had entirely frozen over and powdered with a fresh layer of snow. It was surreal.

Arriving back to Finland from Sweden marks the last day of our hols, which makes me both a little homesick and sad. On our final day, we snuck in a cheeky visit to Ranua Wildlife Park, where the zookeeper brought us around. There were boars, polar bears, and the Snowy Owl, and she coaxed some of the friendlier animals out with bits of carrots or meat. That's when I saw the shy Arctic Fox and my new personal favourite.

MAUURR CARROTS

Fazer has an outlet just around the corner, and I picked up as many chocolate bars, chocolate-covered almonds and strawberries as I could conceivably carry.

It's a winter wonderland indeed.

02 April 2019

Finland Funland! Part 1 (14-day)

Travel April 02, 2019 0

We boarded the red-eye and managed a respectable snooze, (which was pretty much my favourite activity to do on a plane), and landed at the seaside city of Helsinki in the early AM. Despite being early spring, Helsinski's still pretty chilly and even without a breeze, the deep coldness of the city penetrated through our clothing.

Senate Square as seen from Helsinki Cathedral

Finland occupies the bulk of land between Russia and the rest of the Nordic countries, and the close proximity to the Russian Empire (and later, the USSR) meant that the land often got entangled with Russian interests. Certain periods were more peaceful than others, and as someone once said somewhat derisively, Finland politics in the 1970s was the art of bowing to the East without mooning the West.

Just along the Senate Square is Helsinki Cathedral, which was built and dedicated to Tsar Nicolas I, the Grand Duke of Finland. And just in front of it is a statue of Emperor Alexander II (known in Finland as 'The Good Tsar'), which was erected in the Senate Square to commemorate his decrees on Finland's autonomy.

The local guide met up with us at 9am, where the sun is already up and bright, but the frigid temperature kept the crowd in the city square to a minimal. It's a short climb up the steps to Helsinki Cathedral, and it's kind of grand to look back out to the streets to the lively-coloured buildings surrounding the cathedral.

We posed a great deal outside Temppeliaukio Rock Church, even though I thought it rather looks like an uninspired stack of flat rocks (the highest praise I'd seen for it was found in the tourist booklet, on how "the roof looks like a flying saucer from certain angles <end exclamation point>". I was excited about exploring the interior, where I'd seen a really nice picture of on the internet, but they were the middle of a sermon and we didn't interrupt.

The Uspenski Cathedral on the other hand was quite a piece of work. It’s a traditional Orthodox Church, and another vestige of the Russian influence on this land over the last few centuries. We popped around the back where the parking lots are, which clearly is the best site to take a grand picture of the cathedral towering over the landscape.

Our walking tour also brought us to Cafe Ursula, a spacious seaside cafe on the outskirts of Kaivopuisto Park. It's a popular morning hangout with the locals, and even as the streets remained largely empty, the locals were gathered here drinking coffee whilst reading the daily papers. I had my first taste of the seasonal Laskiaispulla, a pastry filled with cardamom-flavoured sweetened cream. (Our guide's eyes lit up when he saw a tray out by the counter, and told us in no uncertain terms to get some.) It was delish! I used cardamon on everything from mulled wine to pork bellies, but somehow, I'd never thought of using it in desserts.

After our half day city tour, we explored the rest of the city by ourselves, and revisited Market Square, just a stone’s throw away from Uspenski Cathedral. It's a normally bustling street, except that we landed on Sunday when the city remained in slumber. Luckily, a couple of food stalls were open for business along the waters, and despite having just had pastries and coffee, we tucked in to excellently grilled salmon and seafood right by the Baltic Sea. We also had a reindeer burger. Reindeers are actually pretty common meat option, and is found in restaurants here much like how you can find regular deer meat in Chinese cooking, or kangaroo meat in Australia.

Helsinki is the capital of Finland, and legging it is a pretty reasonable travel plan within the city zone. Despite the cautionary tones that Finland is an expensive country to live in, I actually thought that the food was reasonably priced. We had our second cup of coffee at the elegant Cafe Kappeli, and also their delightful Salmon Cream Soup ($10.90).

We walked past Stockmann, the local departmental store, and the nearby Marimekko is always worth a visit. I was hoping to buy a cute little Moonin figurine too, but no luck! Finnish cultural icons are expensive.

I started googling dining options while on the bus from the airport to Helsinski (procrastination's a real thing in my life!), and shortlisted several restaurants. (I also quizzed the hotel receptionist, who had the misfortune to be on duty when I came a-knocking.)

Based on her recommendations and my google-fu, we grabbed dinner at Zetor on our second day, which was pretty incredible. We‘re quite a convert of the Finnish salmon cream soups (we had one almost every day while in Finland!), and the one here didn’t disappoint. It’s filled with chunks of salmon and potato, and despite the cream, was rather light and easy to drink. The second favourite dish was the deceptively simple Roasted Chicken Breast, which was so tender, they might have used a sour-vide machine (it’s now on my Christmas list!). Topped with grilled haloumi and surrounded by a variety of mashed sides, the portions were huge!). We also had a reindeer steak, which based on my impressive sample size of two, I would say reindeers taste remarkably similar to beef.

I was sorry not to be able to go to all of the receptionist's recommendations, such as The Savotta or to Kaarna (both traditional Finnish cuisine), or more alluringly, to Juttutupa, a pub that Lenin frequented in his days. I thought I could find company to commiserate on how wee little Moomin figurines can be priced so expensively, but I guess that’ll have to wait.

Our next city stop detoured us away from Finland to Tallinn, just a two-hour ferry ride away from Helsinki. It’s the capital of Estonia and a coastal city along the Baltic Sea, with a medieval-era old town that is so well-preserved, it was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We reached Alexander Nevsky Cathedral just as it began to snow, little flecks of crystals swirling from the heavens. This cathedral is another Orthodox Church, and often romantised by the locals as the most geographically-westward Russian Orthodox Church, holding up an eastward spread of Catholicism. (Just a tad on the westward side is St Mary’s Cathedral - a Catholic church.) Done in the Russian revival ecclesiastical style, it has the traditional thin windows, thick walls and capped with the onion-shaped domes, it is quite a grand spectacle, though it was disliked by many Estonians as a reminder of Russian authoritarianism.

St. Mary's Cathedral is one of those churches that seem unassuming at first sight, but it's majestic in its own way. Perched near the top of a hill, it has its rustic charm in the winter snow. As I was angling for a shot in the church's parking lot*, I thought the tree was getting in the way, but later in hindsight, thought it framed the clock rather neatly.

*I admit: I probably spent too much time hanging around churches' parking spaces taking pictures.

Continuing up the hill from St Mary's is a viewing platform overlooking the old town, and I met a decidedly un-shy seagull who was happy to preen and pose.

Tourists, amirite?

The Town Hall Square where Tallinn Town Hall is located was currently quiet in March, but it comes alive during festive occasions. In December, the old town holds a Christmas market in the square, complete with a giant Christmas tree. In July, local markets sprig up selling knick-knacks (in fact, if you go on Google Map street view, you can see one happening at that very moment), and local businesses make full use of the balmy summer weather to advance their al fresco tables out from their storefront by a few metres.

An town skating rink

St. Catherine Passage (Katariina käik) nearby is a cute little walk-way preserved from the olden days. Today, a collection of workshops (the St. Catherine's Guild) continues the traditional handicraft and opens their workshop up to passers-by.

Viru Gate comprises of two solemn stone towers that guard the Eastern entrance to the town, but from the outside now, a bevy of colorful shophouses belies the imposing towers with a cheerful exterior. Kiek In De Kok wasn't open on Mondays (which was the day we were there - darn it!), it was a wartime bastion and cannon tower that had been now converted to a museum, complete with tours.

Everywhere we go, we spot stalls selling glogg (a local version of mulled wine) and candied almonds. They're a streetside presence of Olde Hansa, and the main restaurant in the town square is serving dishes from the 15th century.

Found one dressed in the Griffindor colours!

We had a laugh when we chanced upon our tour guide filming a video in Olde Hausa and asked the storekeeper how old he was (“two hundred years old” was the answer, and “pigeon-mail” was apparently the 200-year-old equivalent to Whatsapp).

It’s just a quick day trip, and I was sorry that we couldn't stay longer! It's easy to get lost in the old charm of the old town, and forget that outside of its old town, Tallinn is a vibrant metropolitan European city, and that Estonia, the country where Skype is from, is the IT-capital of Europe. We'd barely scratched the surface of what this city has to offer.