Yokoso! Gero Onsen Town

Foreword: A sisters bonding trip to Japan and Korea before she embark on her studies. A 2 weeks grandeur trip brought us to many beautiful places in Western Japan and Korea. Autumn colored Japan in flaming red, yellow, orange and brown. The best trip ever and I wish to do this again! 

Hectic schedule right from the start of our tour: A midnight flight on Vietnam air from Singapore to Incheon with layover in HCM -> Afternoon Jeju air flight to Nagoya -> 3h Train from Nagoya to Gero.  But Gero was worth the arduous journey. 

Welcome to Gero Onsen 下呂温泉 ! 

One of the 3 best onsens in Japan. There are public bathhouses and open-air footbaths where you can sit and relax for free and ward off the chill :) 

One of the numerous onsen hotel in Gero. 

Free public foot bath. Perfect for the chilly weather! 

Good Morning Gero! 

View outside our ryokan.

Female only onsen. 

Home-made miso paste. So delicious, you can just eat this with plain rice. 

Morning breakfast set.
It is a luxury to wake up to a hearty breakfast ! 

Gero streets.

In an onsen town, you can walk around in yukata attire.
The 'click-clog' made with every steps transported me back to childhood... 

Our 3-bed ryokan. In Japan, you sleep on thick mattress known as futons. Quite comfortable! 

Our ryokan! Supposed to be one of the cheapest in the area. 

A quaint onsen town worth a night or two stay~

Beautiful Tallinn, Estonia

Tere (Hello) ! Tallinn! 

Separated by the Baltic Sea, Estonia is easily accessible via cruise from Helsinki Port. Cruise companies such as Tallink Silja and Linda Line Express operates frequently between Helsinki and Tallinn with traveling time no longer than 2 hours.1 regular return ticket cost about 40 euro.You might be able to get promo tickets if you book early online. 

Tallinn is the largest and the capital city of Estonia where the old and new coexist. 

The skyscrapers and city lights- a testament to Estonia's development, on the contrary, winding cobblestone pavement lined with colourful houses rich in history, beckons city souls in search for a nostalgic escape.

Tallinn is the oldest capital city in Northern Europe and, Skype is developed in Estonia too! 

The Old Town Hall Square

Voted as the Best Cafe in Tallinn~ Well, the pastries are indeed delicious! 

Hot chocolate, with cheesecakes (oreo & berry)! Best comfort food during winter. 

Doesn't this feels like the Hobbit's house? :) 

View of the Old Town from Toompea Hill

Kiek in de Kok Museum. Artillery tower built in 1475. You pay an admission fee, and inside the tower there are exhibitions and video displays of the war history of Tallinn, and you can climb to the top of the tower for a view of Tallinn city.

The Town Wall 

Katariina Käik, said to be the most romantic part of Old Town. 
I didn't felt much of the love though~

Pikk jalg (longest old town st) towards Toompea Hill & Town Wall.

Colorful cafes and handicraft stores lined the street.

Viru Gates, built in the 14th century. 

One of the entrances into the Old Town leading to numerous shops and restaurants in Viru Street

Food in Tallinn~

Peppersack restaurant is an interesting historical house built in the 1370! 
At night 8pm, they would have performance. Highly recommended for a dragon and dungeon experience! 

Gingerbread cake in the shape of Peppersack. How cute! 
The cake was abit tough though.  

Peppersack home-made soup. 
Full-bodied taste and they are generous with the beef, potatoes, and carrots. 

Food is relatively cheaper in comparison to Helsinki. 

Our next foodie stop at Von Krahli Aed. 

 Medium rare tenderloin with croquette and potato pie.

Medium rare pan seared duck fillet with zesty orange and potato mash. This blew me off! 
The tenderness of the fowl melt in your mouth and the unique combination of zest took away any oily feeling.

 Von Krahli Aed earned 2 more lovers!

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn's largest and grandest orthodox cathedral. 
Built in a typical Russian Revival style between 1894 and 1900, during the period when Estonia was part of the Russian Empire.

Romantic street of Tallinn

Exploring this nostalgic charm, we fell in love again ~ Tallinn, see you again!

Arctic Adventure ~ Go! Huskies

Our first huskies adventure!

 We joined the same tour provider: Lapland Safaris for their impeccable service and reputation. 

 Albeit the high price at 100 euro per pax for 10km, this is worth it! It includes transfer to the husky farm, juice and biscuits after the sledding, visit of the husky farm, sledding attire. 

Paddle-pop skies in pastel pink, blue hues, and the dense snow-capped evergreens, created a perfect backdrop for the movie, The Snow Queen. 

Our guide explaining to us how to maneuver the husky sled. 1 will be the passenger, and the other will stand on the 2 wooden planks controlling the sled. How exciting! 

I, of course opted for the passenger for the first 30mins! 

So beautiful it took my breath away~Really! This is unlike any winter scenery I'd seen before! 

Excited huskies all ready to charge ahead! We were told that these cuties were trained to run, not domesticated, so touch them at your own risk. But surprisingly, our pack of 8 were pretty docile canines. 

Alpha in front, and the youngest at the end of the line. 

Thoughts: Highly recommended for a once-in-a-lifetime adrenaline rush by canine! Not to mention the exhilaration as you ride past the snowy terrains! 

Jingle Bells & Santa Claus!

The place where we become children again! 

30mins by car from Rovaniemi Airport brings us to Santa's residence: Joulumaantie 1, 96930 Rovaniemi, Finland. 

I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus

Underneath the  mistletoe last night...~~

Sorry reindeer, I was too hungry, and you tasted great with the mashed potatoes and berries!

Beautiful winter landscape! 

Yea I stepped foot in the Arctic! Where the sun doesn't set during summer, and don't rise in winter! 

Our childhood friend, Rudolph the red-nose reindeer!

Daybreak did not occur till after 7am. 

You can post your cards here for this year's 2013 Christmas! How cool is that!

Cute Finnish Santa dolls

Merry Christmas! Hyvää Joulua! (in Finnish)

Real letters sent to Santa all around the world! Times when we believe Santa Claus really exist and he will climb down the chimney with our presents...

Real Santa stamps you purchase to post your letters

Blue for the sea +White for the snow = Finland

Personal thoughts: This place is too commercialised, and you had to queue for at least an hour with overly-excited kids to seek an audience with Santa. We were obviously too old for that.

 During winter, it would be interesting to rent a log cabin and bbq some reindeer and bratwurst, with of course, a round of Finnish beer and sauna. Now, that sounds like a Merry Christmas! ~