We finally come to Semarang for the last leg of DiploFest. What is DiploFest anyway? It’s the diplomacy festival where you can see, learn and even try some real works of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, my office, up close and personal. We set up booths where people can learn about negotiations, participation in UN Security Council (through simulation in a specially made-up room just like in UN HQ :)), safe travel, citizen protection, and many more.
We had the public lecture with the Minister herself at the Diponegoro University, while other high rank officials spoke in various universities about various topics as well.
At the end of the event, we had the concert with Danilla and Afghan, the local famous singers. Check out more photos from the event here.
public lecture at Diponegoro University
Welcome
The simulation of the UN Security Council meeting
Mr. President :)
The wishing wall..interesting to read
All in all, it was a great event and we had so much fun! Especially since I got to meet some fellow bloggers from Semarang and shared some times with them!
Cheers
Me with dearest blogger friends from Semarang )
And now join us on our (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the Linky Party.
You probably remember my previous post about my visit, first time ever, to Moscow, the capital city of the Russian federation. Read: Hello Moscow, I am Coming. As I said, it was a very memorable trip and definitely exciting. I only spent less than 3 days, packed with meetings, but surely we managed to see the famous landmark of Moscow, the Red Square.
Everyone in Red Square literally took picture of this!
Red Square has been famous for being the heart of Moscow.
Being number one tourists’ destination in Moscow, here lies several historical buildings and important, unique spots deemed tourists’ attractions as well as architecture gems. Perhaps one of the most striking one is St, Basil's Cathedral.
You know, the cathedral with super unique dome with intricate details and vivid colors it looks surreal. At the same spot, we can enjoy many museum, the Tsar's tower, Lenin's Mausoleum and more.
Before coming here, I read some reviews about what we can do for one day in Moscow. Most of them, if not all, recommend visiting the Red Square.
Well, my Russian colleagues complained why I only had one extra day in Moscow with so many places to see. Not that I didn’t want to but more works are waiting in Jakarta so that my team and I had to go home to Jakarta right away. Nevertheless, I feel grateful for having a little break and getting to see the best the city can offer.
So there I was.. standing in the middle of Red Square.
The one-and-only Red Square.
I felt beyond happy and about to cry at the same time.
This is just like a dream-come-true destination for me.
I remember meticulously preparing the trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg with my petite family,, the Frakarsas, back in 2009 when we regretfully cancelled it after a series of bombing incidents happened in the city’s subway. Bo, our son, was only 3 and we couldn’t risk traveling to places like this. Ten years after, my Rabb answered my prayers and I finally visited Moscow for the first time ever. Alhamdulillah.. merci my Rabb 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻.
So flying through Istanbul, we arrived in Moskow on Tuesday afternoon. Heading straight to the Ambassador’s office and having the courtesy call, we had dinner at a place call.. I forgot :). Before dinner, we stopped by the Zaryadne Park, near the Moskva River to see the St. Basil's Cathedral from outside.
Cheers...
The following day we had full bilateral meeting, with wonderful lunch served at the mansion of the MoFA. It was a very productive meeting and certainly many follow ups we need to do afterwards. All in all, it was a successful meeting and both parties enjoyed the process as well as the result.
Once we were done with the meeting, we directly went to the Red Square.
Good thing it was summer, so we had long days.
Arriving at the Red Square at around 5 PM, we were directly walking towards the heart of it. Starting from the Museum of Archeology of Moscow, we admired the architecture designs of the building.
Striking red..
where to go first?
Even the gate to the Red Square is amazing! I was actually trying to get more detailed information about the gate but I wasn't very successful here. Perhaps I should learn Russian to make it easier!
At the gate of the Red Square, with the team.
Striking red brick seems to be the trade mark, as the State Historical Museum is also standing across the street. Too bad we didn't have time to enter this place but I made a mental note that I have to be back here and definitely explore the museums.
The side of the Museum of archeology of Moscow
As we stepped into the Red Square, we were again wowed by the vastness of the area, surrounded but beautiful and historical buildings. One of them is the Kazan Cathedral. Ornate with pink and white bricks, the church looks glorious with its golden domes and intricate details. I was tempted to go inside and see more glorious settings but I knew I had no time :(.
The Kazan Chatedral in Pink and White
At the same spot, we have the oldest shopping center in Moscow, GUM Department Store. To me, it looks more like palace instead of the shopping mall. It is very artistic and the good thing is, the good being sold are tax free. Please correct me if I'm wrong but that's what I read in one of the signs.
Here you can find all those branded stores like Dior, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and more, as well as the most delicious ice cream in the city. Oh, and there is a fountain in the middle of the Mall that looks cute. When we were there, it was packed with watermelon and cantaloups. Perfect fruits for summer in Moscow.
GUM Department Store
I was coughing badly yet I enjoyed one scoop of chocolate ice cream. It was delicious and only costed me 100 Rubel, or Rp 22.000,- or less than 2 USD! Very, very cheap, right. Even cheaper than Jakarta.
My yummy ice cream
After strolling around GUM Department Store, we went out to walk towards the St. Basil's Cathedral. There was a festival of military band at the are so it was packed with people and members of the band who were practising. We had to pay the ticket to see the performance but then again we had no extra time. Too bad the front part of the St. Basil's Cathedral and the Tsar Tower were closed with the tents for this festival.
Perfect summer day!
Yet, we saw many stalls and vendors selling traditional handicrafts like various kinds of Matryoshka, Russian chocolate and candy, ushanka or the Russian hats, and more. I just love to see them all!
Don't you just love them!
And, as the final stop, we once again took pictures of St. Basil's Chatedral. I have to say I can't get enough of it!
The colourful domes are like magnet to me!
Mini - me loves this place, too :)
Again, here's the video of me welcoming myself to Moscow and get more shots from the airport to the city of Moscow! More videos are coming and wish me luck with the editing.
That's what I had on my first visit to the Red Square, Moscow, Russia and its charms and will definitely be back with more story about the subway in Moscow and the ones that we tried!
Here comes another crazily busy week for us! I just got back from Moscow and during the weekend, we had the celebration of the 74th anniversary of my office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at Senayan, Jakarta. It was fun and joyful, although it was super hot! We had so many colorful booth selling traditional food, clothes, fabrics, handicrafts and more. I bought cute scarf from Java Batik, my dearest friend Mba Yogi, and ordered a special Miss Papua tunic from her. Can't wait!
Aren't they cute!
Work wise, we are down with preparation of UN Human Rights Council and UN General Assembly. I have to say it's tons of works and quite stressful but it's like a drill. Wish us luck! So let's join us on Wonderful Wednesday with My Purple World, Oh My Heartsie Girls, and Friends.
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