Homey Casa Battló, Barcelona, Spain

"What is that, maman?" asked Bo, pointing to the façade outside of the famous apartment redesigned by Gaudi.
Those windows are indeed extraordinary.
"It looks like bones! Like fish bones!" exclaimed Bo. 
"You're right! Those windows remind me of fish bones," my hubby said.
That morning, we were stepping into out-of-this-world architecture situated in one elegant corner of Barcelona, Spain.
And our trip to Gaudi's world has just started.

***
 
So, it's time for #throwbacktuesday.
I kind of miss a few posts for these series due to the crazy schedules of meetings at UNGA High Level Week.
Let me now, take you to Barcelona, Spain, then.
To be exact, another trip to Gaudí's out-of-this-world creation.
And what I have here is Casa Batlló.

inside the fish bone hall :)

We visited beautiful city of Barcelona back in 2009.
Flying from Geneva with Bo et Udi (Obi hasn't been born yet), we stayed for 10 days in Spain and our road trip started in Barcelona. It was our end-of-winter trip, escaping the cold weather Geneva and heading south to Spain.
We had planned 9-day road trip starting and ending in Barcelona, exploring Madrid, Toledo, Zaragoza, Sevilla, Granada, Valencia, and back to Barcelona.
Quite ambitious but my hubby and I were super excited!

The cute roof we have here..

So, any of you are familiar with Antoni Gaudí?
Or you have visited Casa Batlló yourself?
 Who's Gaudi?

To me, Gaudí's brilliant, one-of-a-kind technique is a vivid example of his incredible imagination. This architect was born in 1852 in Reus and has long been famous for his indigenous creations. Claimed to be 'prodigious' on his era, Gaudi had been presenting unique works of art which beautifully blend into functioning designs and details inspired by nature. His original works in creating those concepts and spaces have won the hearts of many important figures in Spain and his works can now be enjoyed in many forms.
 
 The first time I saw his work in many parts of  Barcelona, including the one-and-only Parc Güell, Casa Millà dan Sagrada Familia, I can't help but admire his works.

The windows! super cute right...and look at the 'bones' structure

Only a few blocks from La Pedrera, Casa Batlló ,- a lavish yet unique apartment, is another proof of Gaudi's amazing interpretation of Art Nouveau.
And this time, it's reflecting the 'underwater world' in a broader sense.
Underwater world.
My fave!
Underwater world duly applied to the apartment design.
Well, at least that's what I heard on the audio guide .

the lights...

The roof has a lot more interesting shapes, colors, and textures

So, I wouldn't mind at all to stay in this wonderful apartment.
And of course, the details are amazing.
Still with Gaudi's signature, no straight lines.
Can you imagine...one incredible building with no straight lines!

It took us around 1.5 hours to see many parts of this apartment.
From the main hall, the Noble Floor, bedrooms, kitchen, staircases and ceilings, to the laundry room and the roof!
I have to admit the great attraction was the roof, with  a lot more intereting shapes, colors, and textures.
Somehow the chimney and the top of the roof reminded me of garlic and the dragon!
Weird combination, I know, but it's strikingly reminding me of these 2 items as we spend some times and take tons of pictures on the roof of Casa Battló.

Let's take a look at it closer.

the lights on the ceiling.. you see the ceiling is nothing ordinary

Bo having fun at the roof..

The chimneys :)..with garlic-inspired cross.

Don't miss Casa Batlló if you get a chance to visit Barcelona
Its address is Passeig de Gràcia, 43, 08007 Barcelona, Spain.
You can get more information from the website as well and check www.casabattle.es 
The tickets are around 23 Euro per person. But better check the website again as they also have several options for the tickets.

Have you seen Gaudi's works before?

Do you like them? 

I hope you enjoy traveling and happy to share #myitchyfeet story.
Bon voyage!

Throwback Tuesday: Sunrise on Punthuk Setumbu

Throwback Tuesday: Sunrise on Punthuk Setumbu

"What time is it, ma? My husband sleepily asked me behind his blanket
"Time to wake up", I replied with big smile on my face. 
And it was only 3 AM in the morning.
There was no sound other then the humming air conditioner in our room.
"Alright..give me 5 minutes. You get the kids ready" replied my hubby.
And there we were..waking up at 3 AM in the cold morning at Magelang, eager to catch sunrise at Punthuk Setumbu.
The idea of climbing up the hills at pitch black dawn to see the magnificent sunrise overlooking Mount Merapi and the famous Borobudur Temple is indeed tantalizing.

And here's our pictorial stories..

Our adventure at Punthuk Setumbu began as we decided to explore Yogyakarta during our summer break in Indonesia

It was back to 2013, when Bo et Obi were pretty young.

It took us around 40 minutes from our hotel in Magelang to Punthuk Setumbu.

We rent our car from Jogja and drove to Magelang to see the magnificent Borobudur Temple.

Good thing it came with the driver so what we did was enjoying the views, and some traditional food authentically sold in food stalls, along the way. 

The route was packed, with trucks, cars, motorcycles, people. 

But that's the beauty of the road trip, right.

Traffic is unavoidable, so try to embrace it :).

So, long story short, we arrived in Magelang in the evening.

Straight to the hotel after dinner, we have set our hearth on hiking up to Punthuk Setumbu the next morning.

Needless to say I have to convince my kids to come along with us.

I knew it was a bit too much to ask them to hike at 4 AM in the morning, 'just to see the sunrise' (as my son put it).

The compromise was they would come but stayed and slept again in the car.

So, at 3.30 AM we drove there and  apparently we could only park in one of the 'designated spots' in Karangrejo Village. The rest we have to take ojek, the motorcab, to certain area and continued with walking to the top. We paid Rp 150.000,- (around USD 12) per person for ojek and our 'tracking guide' plus the entrance fee. I didn't whether it was that expensive but it was pitch black and we didn't want to miss the sunrise.

We walked around 10 minuted to reach the top.
It was not that bad although it was a bit slippery.
I was so relieved I left my kids in the car with our driver.
Imagine sleepy heads tracking in slippery, muddy path up the hill.

When we got to the top, it was almost packed.
Almost.
But we managed to secure some spots and prepare our gears.
And the rest...
As you can see in the pictures.

All those early morning circus is worth it!

cheers...

If you see the misty part of some of the photos, that's Borobudur Temple.

Here are some of the snaps of Borobudur Temple, with Bo et Obi on it.

Happy to share more about this majestic Buddhist temple, one of the biggest in the world, to you all in another post.

For sure, Bo et Obi loved traveling to Jogjakarta, especially visiting Borobudur Temple.

They did explore the temple and run around the area near the temple.

Whenever I travel , I somehow remember my fellow traveler blogger, Elisa Koraag.

Mami Icha, our nickname for her, has been blogging for the last..I don't know how long LOL. She's been like a 'veteran' to us, blogging since years ago and still enjoying it up until now. She travels a lot as well, either with her beautiful children or with her lovely hubby. For sure, she traveled to many parts of Indonesia, including Jogja and Lampung, my hometown.

That's my sweet memories of Punthuk Setumbu.
What's your lovely throwback memory this week?

p.s : I will keep my Throwback Tuesday features but will post it every Wednesday or Thursday :).

Throwback Tuesday: Catching Clouds at Nendaz, CH

"Qu'est-ce que c'est, maman?"
What's that, Ma?
Bo, my almost 4-year-old-son (at that time) asked me.

He just heard Alphorn, the famous traditional long trumpet played by a grop of men on top of Nendaz Terrace, overlooking the Bernese, Valais, and Vaud Alps afar.
"Do you like it, Bo? That's Alphorn, Bo and we will hear more soon." I smiled to him and walked around the terrace while enjoying the breathtaking view.

Mashallah... my Rabb is a maestro indeed.

Welcome to Nendaz, Sion, Switzerland.

My Throwback Tuesday will take us to Nendaz, a beautiful city situated in canton Valais, Switzerland.

Nendaz, or also known as Les 4 Vallées, or the 4 valleys, is beautifully located in Sion, canton Valais, Switzerland 🇨🇭.

We drove around 2.5 hours from  Geneve to  Nendaz.
We wanted to see the International Alphorn Festival held that day, in a wonderful Seiss summer day. We were not pretty sure whether we could make it on time bu we went there anyway. It becomes sort of a habbit for us to drive around in Switzerland whenever we can. This country has  one of the most beautiful scenic views all over the country.
So while posted there, we took the liberty to explore it whenever time, weather and health permit.

So, long story short (after 2.5 hour drive filled with incredible view), we arrived and parked our car at the parking lot. We needed to go up and took the funiculaire or teleferique up to the top, where they held the Festival. On the way up, Bo really enjoyed the scenery, although he was a bit fidgety when the car stopped in the middle of the way.

Up there, the Festival has almost finished.

one man standing..

The International Alphorn Festival held in Nendaz is one of the biggest events celebrating the beauty of this traditional musical instrument in Switzerland. As My Switzerland website mentioned, there were approximately more than 100 players of all nationalities when they had this festival last summer. Rad, right.

Once the Festival was done, we strolled around to enjoy this beautiful spot.
We were blessed with clear blue sky and again, amazing vista.
Wherever we looked, we felt so peaceful.
Abundant.
And blessed.

Well, that's one of the beauties of traveling and exploring the nature, right.
You feel oh-so-relaxed while at the same time we're so grateful for having the opportunity to enjoy God's creation. 

Needless to say, Udi, Bo and I took pictures of this wonderful place.

That's my #ThrowbackTuesday at Nendaz, Switzerland.

What's your memory today?

p.s : I will keep my Throwback Tuesday features but will post it every Wednesday or Thursday :).

Throwback Tuesday: Magnificent Batur Lake, Bali, Indonesia

“Who could be so lucky? 

Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.” ― Jalaluddin Rumi

Throwback Tuesday this week will be taking us back to my beautiful homeland, Indonesia

And Batur Lake, Kintamani, Bali, is what I have in mind!

Back in 2014, we took a short break to Bali before heading to NYC for our 4-year assignment. Knowing that we would be away from Indonesia for quite sometimes, we really tried to make the best of it. Besides, it's our first time vacationing in Bali as a complete petite family of 4 :).

So off we went for a week in Bali.
We managed to drive around and see more beautiful faces of this island of Gods and Goddesses. We stayed in Kuta and rent a car from Gungde, our dearest Balinese friend who was assigned in my Ambassador's residence in Geneve, Switzerland.
Beside those favorite tourist spots, we went to the Eastern part of the Island as well and visited Tirta Gangga Water Palace.

Tirta Gangga Water Palace

 
In addition to Tirta Gangga Water Palace and Candi Dasa, we went to Batur Lake and Batur mountain.


And after taking some snaps of this magnificent mountain and lake, we took the liberty to drive around the mountain. There are roads on the perimeter of it, heading to its crater, or taking you down to the lake. 

There is one famous village named Trunyan near the lake.
It is famous because of the special treatment Bali Aga, one of the tribes in Bali and living in Trunyan village, gives to the dead bodies. Yes, dead bodies. They have the tradition of laying the dead on the ground, covered by cloth and bamboo cage, and leaving them near the ancient Banyan Tree, or in local dialects called Taru Menyan, literaaly translated as nice smelling tree. Therefore, decomposing bodies are left in the open space like that without
  having putrid smell, believed to be absorbed by the tree. After the bodies are fully decomposed, the bones then remove to special place of stone altar for married couple, or cemetery for singles. Too bad we didn't visit this unique place. I was with my two young kids and it was quite expensive to go to the village as it was very isolated as well.

So instead, we just drove around the mountain and stop for a while 
to take pictures here and there.

The mountainous background, with some volcanic stones, provided perfect ground for a short photo session :p.

We stopped at one of the temples along the way and as always, we were fascinated by the religious way of life of the Balinese people.

So peaceful, yet colorful and rich.

on the beach at the backyard of our hotel

Feel free to check out where exactly Batur Lake is.

That's my #throwbacktuesday, the magnificent Batur Lake, Bali, Indonesia.
Feels like going back there soon for holiday!
Oh yes we will..

What's your wonderful memories today?

p.s : I will keep my Throwback Tuesday features but will post it every Wednesday or Thursday :).

Throwback Tuesday: The Wonderful Land of Papua

The Wonderful Land of Papua

I have only visited Papua, our Eastern-most island of Indonesia and I instantly fell in love.

I went to the wonderful land of Papua back in 2012.
It was for work, but we managed to see more of the city.
Our dearest friends in Papua took us to one of the highest spot in town and here's the view I enjoyed from the top.
Youtefa Bay looks beautiful indeed.

The brilliant blue sky is indeed amazing.

Including Sentani Lake, near the airport. 

Papua has a lot more to offer for sure.
As I mentioned earlier, I was there for work so I didn't really have much time to explore its amazing natural landscape.
But even with such a limited time, I was blessed to get the opportunity to see Youtefa Bay as well as Sentani Lake. 

It took quite a long flight to Jayapura, Papua.
I flew Garuda Indonesia  from Jakarta, had  a transit in Makassar, South Sulawesi, then another brief transit in Tembagapura, Timika, Papua, before landing safely at Sentani Airport, Jayapura.
It was only 8 hours overnight flight but we have to make two stops.
I promised myself to go back here again and dive!
Next destination will be Nabire and Raja Ampat, West Papua. 
So, Papua, wait for me :).

The wonderful land of Papua..view of Youtefa Bay, Jayapura, Papua

That's my #throwbacktuesday, the Wonderful Land of Papua

What's your wonderful memories today?

p.s : I will keep my Throwback Tuesday features but will post it every Wednesday or Thursday :).

Throwback Tuesday: A glimpse of Rathaus Basel, Switzerland

A glimpse of Rathaus Basel, Switzerland

Welcome to Basel, CH :)

Has anyone been to Basel, Switzerland before?

I am back to my #throwbacktuesday mode and this time around, I would love to share our short trip to Basel, Switzerland. 

Untuk perjalanan kali ini, saya mau sharing cerita seru #MyItchyFeet ke Basel, Swiss.

I know, perjalanan ini kita lakukan di awal tahun 2010, - 7 tahun yang lalu - tapi boleh kan ya aku ceritakan di sini :). Meskipun sudah lama, banyak hal yang tetap sama sampai sekarang.

Basel is one of the buy cities in Switzerland, the third most populous in this country as a matter of fact. Strategically located in northwest Switzerland bordering with Germany and France, German is dominantly used here, with a special Swiss dialect for sure.

Kota Basel memang terletak di perbatasan Swiss, Jerman dan Perancis. Namun karena lebih dominan warga Swiss keturunan Jerman, bahasa, budaya dan makanan yang banyak ditemui di Basel memang sarat dengan pengaruh Jerman. Seru juga sih, karena kami tinggal di Geneve yang dominan dengan bahasa dan budaya Perancis, jadi hitung-hitung seperti  main ke Jerman :).

Arriving at Basel train station or Banhof Basel :)

Our trip to Basel took place in 2010 and it was the first time for us to use the carte journalìere or a special one-day ticket of train where you can go anywhere in Switzerland. 

Yes, anywhere.

As long as the trip matches the date of your ticket.

The tickets are provided for Swiss residents, so that you need to provide proof of resident to your nearest Mairie Meyrin.

So we got 2 tickets as Bo didn't need the ticket yet.

It costs CHF 30 per person, but again you can go anywhere you want in Switzerland.

Quite a bargain, right.

And what I love about taking the train in Switzerland is that the view along the way is so breathtaking.

on the way to Basel..

And the train itself is super comfy.

ma petite Bo :)

As we arrived at Basel, we realized we didn't really have much time.

We had angklung rehearsal later that evening.

As the trip itself took 3 hours by train from Geneva, we decided to go straight to Basel Town Hall, or known as Roothuus or Rathaus Basel.

This town hall is right in the middle of the city and famous for being beautifully red :).

The town hall is a unique architecture.

I don't really have the detailed stories about it but this small Town Hall is adorned with so many frescoes and sculptures.

Let's see some of the photos we took there, shall we?

the faces

In one of the corners of the building, we found a classic clock on the wall.

the arches..

For sure, we took the liberty to take pictures here and there.

With my tiny-at-that-time Bo :).

Obi was not even born yet.

And this is how the Town Hall looked from across the street.

That's my #throwbacktuesday, a glimpse of Rathaus Basel, Switzerland.
What's your wonderful memories today?

p.s : I will keep my Throwback Tuesday features but will post it every Wednesday or Thursday :).