Walk Through Tallinn

Isn't it funny, how there are some places on this very planet, where you can return over and over again, and never get bored? Tallinn, for me, is one of those places. Recently, I held on to one summer tradition of my mom and I by traveling over the Gulf of Finland to Tallinn. Me, my mom and my best friend Vilma hopped on board to a cruiser and traveled to a destination which for me and my mom was very familiar, but for Vilma totally new. That's what I love about this city. It doesn't really matter whether you've been there hundred times or you're just seeing it for the first time, you can still enjoy the trip equally much on both times. 

On this post I'm doing the basic city introduction through some pictures I've taken. If you'd like to get a little closer look, don't forget to visit my Youtube-channel (Isabella Marianne) to find a little Tallinn video post. 

Oh, these french fries... Trust me, I've tasted many and these go straight to the top. It felt appropriate for me to also taste what kind of fish they have on board, we were on a ship after all. And it definitely satisfied my fish obsession. 

The funniest little thing happened! We were just casually chatting on the deck when a cute little ladybug landed on Vilma's shoulder. What a charming coincidence!

Now, the city itself was so covered with flowers, it felt more summery than summer itself. I could just feel the vacation vibes all over my body and mind. Especially when I had Vilma with me, who happened to look like a real summer queen with her high-wasted shorts and cute hat.

Those buildings and alleys... I could have wandered there all day long. 

It was like traveling back in time, to the Medieval Ages. There was literally knights, maidens and even a horse carriage! 

We came across this incredible boulevard full of flower boutiques. It was like finding the other end of the rainbow, the treasure everyone has been searching for since they were five years old. It can't even be described.

Then, it was time for shopping. Again, we could have spent the entire day in this shopping center. In a way it was a good thing we only had less than two hours, because if we would have had more, we probably would have returned home very poor. 

Okay, so the ice cream. I didn't get to taste the ice cream my mom and Vilma chose, but I didn't mind. See, I had already found my own little paradise. One thing you should most certainly know about me: I am having a very deep and meaningful long-distance relationship with frozen yogurt. It's extremely heartbreaking for me, because they don't sell fro-yo in Finland. Or maybe they do, but in very very few places. And that's why, every time I get to visit Tallinn, I need to fill my huge fro-yo need with a cup of the good stuff. This time, my mind blew away when the nice lady at the fro-yo shop said they have a WATERMELON flavor. (Watermelon being another one of my passionate lovers.) So, here's what I stuffed my face with: natural and watermelon flavored fro-yo with fresh strawberries and coconut shreds. It felt like someone had turned me into a fro-yo serving and this was it.

I did also hear a lot of positive comments about the ice cream the others was eating, so even if you weren't into ice cream, no worries, they've got to-die-for ice cream as well. 

Getting very zen at the deck. I'm not kidding, I actually felt more free than ever, having to do with all the beautiful sea surrounding me. Sea, for me, is the key to peace and freedom, and that is why it meant more anything for me, to just stand up there, breath in the sea air and listen to the sound of the waves.

xoxo

Isabella ♡

Summer brunch in the rain

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer so far. I actually got out of school only few days ago, meaning I still face a lot of those moments when I think: "I should really do some school stuff... But wait, I don't have any school stuff! Hurray!"
So, yeah. I get a lot of these so called "waves" of relieve and each one gets me a little bit closer to understanding the fact that it is, in fact, summer.

Last Sunday me and one of my favorite persons in the whole wide world decided to celebrate the beginning of our summer vacay by setting up a little cozy brunch. We sat on the balcony for a long time just eating and talking. 

Our favorite combo was born when my friend asked me to close my eyes and open my mouth. She surprised with a strawberry, dipped into Nutella. I know right?! Friendship goals AND food goals. Eventually we ended up adding Nutella everywhere and started to do these crazy combinations of Nutella, yogurt, peanut butter, coconut shreds, cinnamon and berries. It got a little crazy, I admit, but the combos were so good that I don't even feel sorry, nor should I.

Maybe the most exciting and magical moment of our little brunch was when it - totally out of the blue - started to rain. It was the most amazing moment. Us two, sitting at my balcony, eating Nutella strawberries and looking at the rain. Coming from the rain watering all the plants many meters below us, the most incredibly fresh sent scattered all over.

So, that was our way of starting summer. I would love to know what you did on your first day of summer. Comment below this post and lemme know! We ended up spending the rest of the day watching our new fave Netflix-program, Scream. It was exactly the relaxation I needed after a long, hectic spring.

xoxo

Isabella

Amazing eggplant pizza!

Happy First of June everyone! This spring was filled with ups and downs, as me and my best friend realized yesterday while saying goodbye to May and stuffing our mouths with illegally delicious ice cream. When I was waiting for my bus to get home, I started to wonder what I would eat when I eventually arrived home. I made a little list in my head of all the things we had in our refrigerator and as it happens, one of those things was eggplant.
I started to wonder. What could I do with a half of an eggplant? Miniature, but very much to-die-for vegetarian pizzas? Um, yes please!
So, I started to google ideas and recipes and came up with this mouth-watering eggplant pizza recipe. It is ridiculously easy, quick and very customizable!

You will need...

• eggplant (you can choose the amount of eggplant according to how many people you are serving, but for instance, I only used a half of an eggplant to make 8 small pizzas)
• oil and spices
• tomato puree
• topping of your choice (I went with cherry tomatoes, paprika and grated cheese)

First things first, preheat your oven to 200 C (about 390 F). We are getting started by chopping our eggplant in to slices (about 1cm) and laying them on to a lined baking tray. You can either chop them into circular shapes by cutting horizontally from the center, or you can make bigger pizzas and cut from the tip to the stem, vertically. Your choice! Next we are spreading some olive oil and spices (as basic as salt and pepper) and putting them into the oven for about 10-15 minutes. 



After softening our eggplant slices in the oven, we are allowed to get very creative. Imagine your favorite pizza toppings and add them here! I went with basics and added cherry tomatoes, paprika and grated cheese and finished everything with some dried basil on top (though I added the basil after taking them from the oven). But seriously, if you feel like this is too simple for you, feel free to try cool flavor combinations. It is your pizza after all!
Last but not least, let's bake our mini pizzas in the oven for five more minutes. And guess what? We are done!

And there you go, perfect mini eggplant pizzas. They are so much healthier and lighter than flour based pizza and just as delicious (if even better). Give it a go, invite your friends over and have a wonderful night with incredible food and absolutely no shame or bad conscience. It doesn't get better than this. For my opinion, a perfect way to start summer.

xoxo

Isabella