Singapore Food Blog - Department of Caffeine

Location: Duxton Road, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated 1-Jan-2017: This outlet is permanently closed.

I have read enough of "Top 10 cafes to visit in Singapore" that has been shared in the internet and I saw that Department of Caffeine has been on most of those list. Most probably they all copied from the same source and duplicate it as their own list of top 10, but the name itself is quite catchy. You definitely will look for a "department" of caffeine when you are looking for a cuppa joe.

Caffe Mocha (SGD5.50) - thick, good mix of espresso and chocolate, and topped with a nice latte art. What more could you ask for? The cuppa joe would get more acidic at the bottom, most probably due to the choice of coffee bean and method of roasting, so be prepared for that.

2014 Germany Trip - Medieval Crime Museum (Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum)

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Rothenburg itinerary | Rothenburg places I went to

I have visited a number of museums in Germany, but none as bizarre as Kriminalmuseum. It wasn't difficult to know that this is a museum dedicated to medieval crimes and laws, even with limited grasp of German. I wondered briefly what such a museum could show me and whether there were opportunities for my camera. After a brief internal struggle, I decided to give it a try anyway.

I remembered that the museum was heralded as one of the main attractions of Rothenburg, on par with Plönlein, in most tourist guidebooks. From the outside, the architecture was not impressive in the slightest but what in front told a different story. A large cage with wheels dominated the space outside of the entrance, and it could be observed past the gate that there was another cage in midair, held on the end of a long boom.  As if those were not enough to induce fear, beyond the entrance stood the icon of the museum, a cabinet the height of an adult and an eerily emotionless face of a lady. This was the Iron Maiden, a medieval torture device used in most brochures of the museum. Expecting some seriously frightening experience, I paid an entrance fee of €5 and entered the museum tentatively.

Cage in the air

Only need a few circling vultures to complete the picture...

2014 Germany Trip - Transports @ Rothenburg

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Rothenburg itinerary | Rothenburg places I went to

My Germany trip opened my eyes to just how different transportation could be. Bicycles came with carriage for the pedaling adult to pull kids along safely and under the shade. Tour vehicles were decked out to look like toy trucks with Christmas ornaments and presents. Some exuded antiquity to fit better to the atmosphere of a charming old town surviving the centuries. And surprisingly, horses were far common than I would expected, plodding along the cobbled streets

What I remembered the most was of course a stark red Ferrari F430 parked at a roadside, attracting attention of passing tourists. A sign on its windshield mentioned that it was for rental, and upon later online search, revealed this to be the asset of a business named European Sportscar Travel. The savvy business used it as a marketing tool to direct attention to the shop located at a corner of the town which saw lower foot traffic. Interestingly the rental included an instructor to go with, which of course was required as the high powered was not as easily controlled as a normal sedan.

Lady in red

This Ferrari was just parked on the roadside but there was a sign on it saying it was for rental. It attracted attentions of most tourists walking past. I later found online that this was in front of a shop specializing in renting out luxurious cars for traveling (check out European Sportscar Travel). Of course I wasn't the only photographer snapping off there.

2014 Germany Trip - Rothenburg ob der Tauber Part 2

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Rothenburg itinerary and Part 1 | Rothenburg places I went to

The charm in Rothenburg undoubtedly help the Romantic Road which wind through it earn its name, but the town's pleasant atmosphere hid a tragic past. Followers of my last post would know that the reason of the preservation of medieval architectures was due to its population being decimated in the Thirty Years War and the subsequent Black Death, but its history did not end there.

With the town's well preserved state from the 17th century, it caught the attention of a rising Nazi regime and its infamous leader, Adolf Hitler. Its conservation was used as a cultural propaganda by the Nazis to promote an example of an ideal German family life, hailing them as the "most German of German towns". The town, not receiving any attention for the past few centuries, was eager to accept that distinction, so much so that they expelled their Jewish citizens to the approval of Nazi supporters across the nation.

Craftsmanship

Various stores selling crafted toys and handicrafts could be found in Rothenburg, especially the area around Marktplatz. Most of these stores claimed their merchandise to be wholly handmade in Germany, offering even to ship the larger items by air with an additional fee. The handiwork was magnificent and most of them, crafted from wood, showed a high attention to detail. Even if you are not interesting in buying, going in for a tour in each shop is highly recommended. You may even find something to keep as a legit souvenir from Germany.

2014 Germany Trip - Rothenburg ob der Tauber Part 1

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Rothenburg places I went to

Indecision plagued me when I was planning my trip to Rothenburg. From my accommodation location, it requires 3 transits and close to 3 hours to reach the German town, and it sounded rather inconvenient to travel to a location without any landmark. I tossed a coin in the air and it was only to help provide an excuse to a decision already made. The gamble paid off however, and I had no regrets for spending the time and effort to reach there. Pages of novel and a few beautiful vistas became my company on the journey, warding off boredom and anticipation. The last leg of the trip was particularly mesmerizing, so much so that I decided to dedicate a post to it (read more of the last leg here).

Street view

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To the interested parties, here is my 1 day itinerary in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Click into each link to visit the dedicated post to the place of interest.

Morning: 

• arrive Rothenburg train station 
• take a tour around the town via the medieval walls (1 – 2 hours) 
• while touring, stop by to marvel at the weird DJH Jugendherberge (Youth Hostel) (<0.5 hour)
• visit St James’s Church (Evangeliches-Lutheran Kirchengemeinde St. Jakob) (1 – 2 hours) 

Noon: 

• head to Marktplatz and watch the clockwork figures above the clock which comes out every hour (<1 hour) 
• climb the tower of Rathaus and take in the beautiful panorama (1 hour) 
• take a selfie at the famous Plönlein (<0.5 hour) 
• visit the Medieval Crime Museum to observe medieval law in action (1 – 2 hours) 
• enjoy ice-cream at Mauro and Schneeballen, a famous Rothenburg food (1 hour) 
• day ends and head back to my point of origin

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2014 Germany Trip - Road to Rothenburg

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Rothenburg itinerary | Rothenburg places I went to

Sometimes it pays to take public transport rather than just zipping down the lane in the comfort of your own vehicle. I chose to sacrifice my time by taking more transits and time to reach in order to enjoy the scenery since I did not need to be behind the wheels. A fine weather would grant me a glimpse into the German countryside which seldom see any tourists.

Steinach station

There are more than 1 place with the name "Steinach" in Germany so this station has to differentiate itself from the others by adding "bei Rothenburg ob der Tauber".

2014 Germany Trip - German Turn and Tilt Window

Location: Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

2014 - Germany trip

I would have to say that my most surprising and eye-opening encounter during my German stay remained the way they could open their windows. The window has a handle, which is nothing out of ordinary, except that it can rotated into 3 different positions - downward, sideward and upward.

The window is in a locked position when it is pointing down, and rotating it to point to the side will enable the window to swing open. So far so good, nothing wrong. However rotating the handle to point up (when the window is closed), yielded no obvious effect except that the window remained locked. I thought to myself, it must have been designed to suit the preference of the user on whether he wanted the handle pointing up or down when locking it.

That would be until I tried pulling on the upward pointing handle, and the top of the window disengaged from the frame. I must have broken it somehow...

Looks like someone broke the window... or not... If the handle is rotated to point upward, the window could be open in a tilted position, allowing air circulation without letting in a strong draft.