The Macroeconomics

Our group chat hadn't been the same since the incident that happened on 29 December 2022 (oh yes, we do have momentous and historical dates, too, starting last year). We lost the man without fear and, despite our attempts to get him back, he still refused to rejoin. To think that he was known as the king of 10-liners! His absence was sorely missed. 

But still we had him in a smaller group chat and we patiently coaxed him to return. So imagine our surprise when, out of the blue, he suddenly agreed to talk to us after months of incessant persuasion. Finally! A revelation! I mean, we're in our 40s and holding grudges was not really a thing anymore, hence we were wondering why he was so adamant about rejoining the group chat. 

An impromptu Zoom session was quickly set up. The man was slow in technology, so he had to download Zoom on his phone first, haha. Then we heard the familiar voice on the other end of the line. We were excited, but the excitement wasn't justified and it turned sour pretty fast, haha. 

The speech began with the macroeconomics outlook of the world. I was stunned, as I neither expected that nor saw that coming. Still I gave it the benefit of the doubt, thinking that all good speeches used big word and started with something vague before it zoomed into the details. But after few minutes, it was still like listening to a macroeconomics lecture. Then it dawned on me that we must have been experiencing expectations mismatched, haha. 

Then I muted my mic on Zoom and had my dinner instead. God knows how we ended up talking about profiting from digitisation and automation. They bored the hell out of me. One thing did catch my attention, though. It turned out that there were two schools of thought. One was represented by Eday and I, the group of people that dreamt and planned towards it. On the opposite side was those that planned within their means.

Now this piqued my interest. Eday was quick to point out that planning within your means was as good as limiting oneself. I agreed with his assessment. While it seemed to be a safer and more reasonable approach, it was so conventional that it wouldn't get you very far. To put it simply, because you could only afford to go to Thailand, therefore you planned to visit only Thailand.

The dream-based plans, on the other hand, was different. Based on past experiences, I could tell you this much: it always started with a dream. I might not always have the means or know-how, but it was okay, I'd figure it out later. One tiny step at a time, but a step forward nonetheless. And I have done this often enough to know that it works. The recent Japan trip was a good example of how much work and timed spent on a dream-based plan before it really happened.

One, I couldn't remember who, argued that it was only suitable for travelling. I begged to differ. It only seemed that way because the most obvious thing I did lately was travelling. But more than that, the dream-based plans was a concept and a way of life. Didn't Bruce Lee say, "having no limitation as limitation?" So in this context, why limit ourselves by planning within our means?

In all fairness, I do understand that there is no one size that fits all. If you know all your options and you still choose to plan within your means, then I believe you have your reasons. But if you did't know that it's okay to dream big and plan towards it, then perhaps you should start giving it a try. 

By the end of the call, we didn't get what we wanted to hear. But I like the fact that we came out wiser than before. That's the thing with the group chat. More often than not, it was just a laughable crazy talk. But once in a while, we had something epic going on. Very inspiring...

The Zoom call participants.

Ekonomi Makro

Grup SMA di WhatsApp tidak pernah sama lagi sejak insiden yang terjadi tanggal 29 Desember 2022 (oh ya, grup kita ada tanggal-tanggal bersejarah yang mulai dicatat sejak tahun lalu). Grup kehilangan pria tanpa rasa takut dan meskipun kita sudah berulangkali membujuknya, dia selalu menolak untuk bergabung lagi. Padahal dia ini raja 10 baris, jadi grup terasa berbeda karena dia absen. 

Kendati begitu, dia masih aktif di grup kecil dan kita tetap setia menggiringnya kembali walaupun sejauh ini tiada hasil. Jadi bayangkan betapa kagetnya kita ketika dia bersedia untuk bicara setelah dibujuk, didesak dan dipaksa. Akhirnya! Sesuatu akan terkuak! Maksud saya, di usia 40an ini, menyimpan dendam sepertinya adalah perkara kekanak-kanakan, jadi kita merasa penasaran, kenapa dia sangat bersikeras untuk tidak bergabung lagi. 

Sesi Zoom dadakan lekas dibikin. Teman yang satu ini agak lamban dalam teknologi, jadi dia harus mengunduh Zoom di hapenya dulu, haha. Kemudian kita mendengar suara yang tak asing lagi bagi kita. Tegang rasanya, namun ketegangan itu cair dalam sekejap, berubah menjadi kebingungan. 

Pembicaraan kita dibuka dengan ulasan ekonomi makro dunia. Saya jadi heran karena saya tidak menyangka akan mendengar hal ini. Walaupun demikian, saya masih fokus lebih lanjut, soalnya pembicara kadang menggunakan kata-kata yang hebat dan sesuatu yang umum sebelum masuk ke pokok pembahasan. Namun setelah beberapa menit, yang terdengar masih saja seputar ekonomi makro. Lantas saya sadar, sepertinya kita sudah salah paham, haha. 

Lalu saya mematikan mikropon saya di Zoom dan makan malam sambil mendengar saja. Hanya Tuhan yang tahu kenapa kita jadi berbicara tentang mencari keuntungan dari era digital dan otomatisasi. Sungguh membosankan. Namun mendadak ada yang menarik perhatian saya. Dua sudut pandang terlontarkan untuk ditanggapi. Satu adalah tentang sekelompok orang yang bermimpi dan mewujudkannya, satunya lagi adalah mereka yang merencanakan sesuai dengan kemampuannya pada saat itu. 

Topik yang satu ini membuat saya tergelitik. Eday dengan cepat merespon bahwa merencanakan sesuatu sesuai dengan kemampuan sesungguhnya tidak beda dengan membatasi diri sendiri. Saya setuju dengan pendapatnya. Meski cara ini sepertinya lebih aman dan masuk akal, di satu sisi juga begitu konvensional dan hasil akhirnya cenderung biasa-biasa saja. Sebagai contoh, karena kita hanya sanggup ke Thailand, maka kita hanya merencanakan liburan ke Thailand. 

Rencana berbasis impian berbeda dengan ilustrasi di atas. Berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi, saya bisa jabarkan seperti ini: semuanya selalu berawal dari impian. Saya tidak selalu memiliki kemampuan atau tahu cara mewujudkannya, tapi itu tidak masalah, karena saya akan mencari tahu lebih lanjut. Satu langkah kecil dari waktu ke waktu, tapi langkah yang maju ke depan dan membawa saya mendekati impian. Dan saya sudah sering melakukan hal ini sehingga saya bisa berkata dengan yakin bahwa cara ini terbukti berhasil. Petualangan ke Jepang di awal tahun ini adalah contoh yang baik tentang betapa banyak upaya dan waktu yang kita habiskan sebelum rencana berbasis impian ini terwujud. 

Ada satu orang, saya tidak ingat siapa gerangan, yang berkomentar bahwa sudut pandang ini hanya cocok untuk liburan. Saya tidak setuju dengan hal ini. Rencana berbasis impian ini terlihat seolah-olah hanya cocok untuk liburan karena hal yang paling menonjol dari saya adalah propaganda liburan. Lebih dari itu, rencana berbasis impian adalah sebuah konsep dan jalan hidup. Bukankah Bruce Lee pernah berkata, "gunakan tiada batas sebagai batas?" Jadi dalam konteks ini, kenapa kita justru merencanakan sesuatu hanya berdasarkan kemampuan kita? 

Jujur saya katakan, saya mengerti bahwa tidak ada sesuatu yang cocok untuk diterapkan dalam segala hal. Jika anda tahu semua opsi yang ada dan anda masih memilih untuk merencanakan sesuatu berdasarkan kemampuan anda, saya percaya anda pasti memiliki alasan tersendiri. Tapi jika anda tidak tahu bahwa anda bisa bermimpi dan mulai mengejar impian tersebut, saya sarankan untuk mencoba.

Sampai saat Zoom berakhir, kita tidak mendengar apa yang sesungguhnya ingin kita dengar. Akan tetapi kita menjadi sedikit lebih bijak dari sebelumnya setelah berdiskusi. Ini salah satu hal yang saya sukai dari grup. Isinya bukan saja obrolan gila yang jenaka. Terkadang bisa muncul sesuatu yang epik. Sungguh menginspirasi... 

A Glimpse Of India: Bangalore

The thing with India is, it's just as big as China. You can't go to just one city and claim that you've seen India. I went to Kolkata last November and it was great to be immersed in their rich and centuries old culture. I just wanted to experience more of it. So Bangalore came to mind, because it doesn't have river. If the holy river is an integral part of Hinduism, how does the religion thrive in places without the river?

I checked the tickets to Bangalore and, as I compared it with other destinations, I was contemplating if I should go to Mumbai instead. I have a colleague there and it would have been fun to go around the city with a local. But the sheer size of the city map somehow spooked me. I eventually booked the flights to Bangalore and applied for my e-visa while I was in Salzburg. 

Hello, Bangalore!

My flight to Bangalore was in the morning. As India is 2,5 hours behind Singapore, I arrived before lunch time. The airport gave a good impression. It was clean and modern. Custom clearance was straightforward, my Airsim worked and Uber was aplenty. I queued and hopped into one. 

All good so far, but then the Uber driver suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere and tried to tell me something in a local dialect. After several attempts, he left the car and walked into a shop house crowded by many rowdy looking people. It could get ugly if he came to me together with all of them, but no, he only returned with what I would assume as a packet of rice. After a long ride with a view that reminded me of Jakarta, I tipped the driver when we reached Hyatt Centric MG Road. 

Masala McEgg.

It was still too early for me to check in, so I went for a walk and looked for lunch. There was McD nearby and since this is India, I should give it a try. Ordered one called Masala McEgg for something uniquely India, haha. It tasted exotic and quite spicy, too.

I began my Hard Rock moments right after that. Taking Uber there was fantastic because the price was really, really affordable! Whitefield is on the east of Bangalore, not exactly near and the traffic jam, though not as bad as Jakarta, extended the time taken to get there. But it's not like I got anywhere else to go, so I just sat and enjoyed.

Bhel puri and chai.

Much to my disappointment, the Hard Rock Cafe there didn't really print the word Whitefield on the T-shirt anymore. It showed Bangalore instead, because most customers would come looking for that. I walked out and had a cup of chai at the cafe nearby. Also ordered a plate of bhel puri, an Indian snack that I learnt from my colleague Muru. It was tasty, but a bit too much for one person, haha. 

The journey continued. Bangalore has another Hard Rock Cafe in the city and that's where I went. It made use of a colonial building, which was kind of cool. After a T-shirt and a glass of Kingfisher beer, I returned and checked-in to my room before going out again for my dinner at the eatery across the street. As the traffic was chaotic, crossing the road was a challenge. I summoned my Indonesia instinct to do that! The reward was a delicious mutton biryani at Dindigul Thalapakkati and a glass of masala Coke. Again, exotic!

At Lalbagh Botanical Garden.

My local tour began the next morning. Ramesh the tour guide picked me up and we went to fetch two more guests that came from Sweden. Our first stop was Lalbagh Botanical Garden. The morning weather was nice, much nicer than Singapore. We walked around for 45 minutes. The British loved building big gardens with trees from around the world, hence Bangalore as part of British Raj has one. 

From there we went to the Bull Temple. So instead of Shiva or Visnu, there was a statue of a giant bull with big, captivating eyes inside the temple. It was a quick visit. After a cup of coffee, we continued to Bangalore Fort and KR Market. The former was not impressive and the latter was chaotic and dirty, with rubbish piling up here and there. Unlike the Flower Market in Kolkata that felt exciting and shocking at the same time, the one in Bangalore somehow reminded me of Pasar Mawar in my hometown back in the mid 80s. 

KR Market.

Then came lunch time. We went to Mavalli Tiffin Room. This one was interesting. People had been gathering in front of the restaurant when we reached there. By the time it opened, people just rushed in, including our tour guide. No queue, first one to reach the counter and pay would get a number. Once we had ours, we were redirected to a waiting room on a second floor. We were seated when our number was called. 

The waiters came one by one to pour vegetarian dishes on our metal plates. There were all sorts of curries and puri. Sensing that we weren't quite sure of how to begin eating, a family sitting next to us gave us some guidance. As we ate, varieties of food kept coming until we had to stop the waiter from refilling our plates. Now, I am never a big fan of vegetarian meal, but I have to say that MTR's food was delicious!

At MTR, after lunch.

After lunch, we had an obligatory visit to silk shop. Bought a pashmina for my wife there. Government Museum was supposed to be the next destination, but it was closed, so we went to the one next to it, the Industrial and Technological Museum. While it's interesting to learn about first cosmonaut from India, it was equally mind blowing to experience blackouts in the museum. Certainly didn't expect that!

The main attraction came after that: Vidhana Soudha, the Parliament House. It's a grand building with a statue of Mahatma Gandhi. The last two destinations of the tour, Bengaluru Palace and Holy Trinity Church, were less inspiring. I went back to the hotel after that. Didn't feel like going out anymore, so I ordered bannur mamsa chops for dinner. After the bland European food, Indian food was both mouth-watering and brilliant!

Vidhana Soudha, also known as the Parliament House.

I joined the walking tour on the following day. It started at Tipu Sultan's Palace. On my way there, I saw with my own eyes for the first time ever what my colleague Puneet told me before: cows on the street! And my Uber driver simply avoided the holy cows. Not that the cows understood the beeping anyway, so went around them was a logical move, haha.

Tipu Sultan's Palace was a tad rundown, but the history was rich. I had been wondering why there was a Sultan, since Sultan was a Muslim ruler. It turned out that Tipu and his father were the usurpers of the throne and they seized control of Bangalore from the Kingdom of Mysore. All this happened around the time of the French Revolution and the US Independence, hence the events were somewhat interlinked. Very interesting!

At KR Market. Again!

From the Palace, we went to a Vishnu Temple next to it, then walked to Bangalore Fort and KR Market again. My second time in two days! Coming with me were two Americans that also joined the tour. The guy told that they never saw such places before in America, but they were game and they seemed to enjoy the sightseeing. After a stop to eat dosa, we went to a silk factory and our tour was done.

I went back to the hotel to check out, but I still got about half a day to roam around, so I went to the Bengaluru General Post Office for my regular holiday activity of sending postcards. From there, I headed west to Lulu Mall. It was amusing to see the food court crowded by people. Not much queuing happening and I wouldn't have gotten a seat to enjoy my KFC if I didn't ask.

Indiana Jones!

The last few hours in the mall was spent on the cinematic experience. In Singapore, row C of the seats are nearby the entrance. I didn't look carefully when I bought my ticket, so imagine my surprise when I had to sit three rows before the screen, haha. Then audience was expected to stand up when national anthem was played. I had encountered this in Thailand, too, but I wasn't prepared for the intermission. I thought the movie projector had a technical issue when the film stopped half way. Suddenly ads started appearing and people walked out. Didn't see that coming!

After the movie, I jumped onto my Uber and went back to hotel to collect my luggage. I saw a young girl, hugging the books while waiting for the bus under the dim street light. She reminded of my colleagues that came from Bangalore and are now living in Singapore. Bangalore is quite a city for the uninitiated, but now that they have seen a better place like Singapore, it must be tough to go back here again. 

And as I looked out the window to glance at the night lights for one last time before I left Bangalore, I thought of my fast paced experience in the past few days. Bangalore is not Kolkata. It has no river, all right, but it is still brimming with Hinduism. And proudly so. Incredible India, a big country with a rich and engaging culture, I'm sure I'll be back again...

Goodbye, Bangalore!

Sekilas Tentang India: Bangalore 

Bicara tentang India, negara ini tidak kalah besarnya dengan Cina. Anda tidak bisa hanya pergi ke satu kota dan berkomentar bahwa anda telah melihat India. Saya mengunjungi Kolkata November lalu dan seru rasanya melihat-lihat budaya mereka yang sudah ribuan tahun lamanya. Saya jadi ingin mencari tahu lebih lanjut. Bangalore langsung muncul di benak saya karena kotanya yang tidak dilintasi sungai. Jika sungai adalah bagian penting dari budaya Hindu, bagaimana dengan daerah yang tidak dialiri sungai? 

Saya lantas memantau tiket ke Bangalore dan juga memantau harga ke daerah sekitarnya. Dari perbandingan yang ada, sempat terpikir pula bagaimana seandainya kalau saya ke Mumbai saja. Saya ada kolega di sana dan tentunya asyik bila dibawa jalan-jalan oleh orang lokal. Namun setelah saya lihat peta kotanya yang luas, saya jadi gugup sendiri. Akhirnya saya membeli tiket ke Bangalore dan mengajukan e-visa saat saya berada di Salzburg. 

Halo, Bangalore!

Jadwal penerbangan ke Bangalore adalah jam 9 pagi. Karena zona waktu India adalah 2,5 jam di belakang Singapura, saya tiba di sana sebelum jam makan siang. Bandaranya bagus, bersih dan modern. Imigrasi dan Airsim saya pun lancar. Uber juga berlimpah. Saya mengantri dan tak lama kemudian meluncur ke pusat kota. 

Sampai sejauh ini semuanya bagus, tapi kemudian supir Uber tiba-tiba berhenti di tengah jalan dan mencoba berkomunikasi dengan saya dalam dialek lokal. Upayanya tidak berhasil dan tiba-tiba dia turun dari mobil dan berjalan ke arah ruko yang dipenuhi orang. Sempat terpikir bahwa saya akan celaka bila dia kembali bersama gerombolannya, tapi syukurlah dia hanya datang membawa sebungkus nasi. Setelah perjalanan yang cukup jauh dengan pemandangan mirip Jakarta, saya memberikan bayaran lebih kepada supir saat kita tiba di Hyatt Centric MG Road. 

Masala McEgg.

Karena belum jam check-in, saya mondar-mandir di sekitar hotel untuk mencari tempat makan siang. Ada McDonald's di dekat hotel dan karena ini adalah India, saya wajib mencoba. Saya pesan yang namanya Masala McEgg dan khas India. Rasanya esksotis, ada pedasnya, haha.  

Seusai bersantap, petualangan berburu kaos Hard Rock pun dimulai. Naik Uber di Bangalore memang murah-meriah! Whitefield berada di sebelah timur Bangalore, tidak dekat juga dan ditambah macet yang meskipun tidak separah Jakarta, jadi terasa lama dan jauh. Tapi saya memang tidak punya tujuan lain, jadi saya pun menikmati perjalanan saja. 

Bhel puri dan chai.

Ternyata kaos Hard Rock Cafe Whitefield menggunakan nama kota Bangalore. Penjaga toko menjelaskan pada saya, ini dikarenakan pengunjung lebih cenderung memilih Bangalore sehingga versi Whitefield tidak dicetak lagi. Saya pun keluar tanpa membeli apa-apa dan masuk ke kafe di mal untuk santai sejenak. Saya pesan secangkir chai dan sepiring bhel puri, kudapan India yang dulu diperkenalkan oleh Muru, kolega saya. Rasanya enak, tapi porsinya kebanyakan untuk satu orang, haha. 

Perjalanan pun berlanjut. Bangalore memiliki Hard Rock Cafe di tengah kota dan saya pun menuju ke sana. Hard Rock yang satu ini berada di gedung kolonial, jadi terkesan klasik. Setelah membeli kaos dan menikmati segelas bir Kingfisher, saya kembali ke hotel dan cek-in dulu sebelum keluar lagi untuk makan di seberang jalan. Lalu lintas yang semrawut membuat saya mengandalkan insting Indonesia untuk menyeberang. Akhirnya saya pun menyantap nasi biryani kambing yang lezat di Dindigul Thalapakkati dan menyeruput segelas Coca-Cola masala. Memang eksotis! 

Di Lalbagh Botanical Garden.

Saya mengikuti tur lokal di pagi berikutnya. Pemandu wisata Ramesh menjemput saya dan dua peserta lain yang berasal dari Swedia. Dari hotel mereka, kita menuju ke Lalbagh Botanical Garden. Cuacanya enak, bahkan lebih sejuk dari Singapura. Kita berjalan keliling taman kira-kira 45 menit lamanya. Inggris memiliki kebiasaan membangun taman dengan pohon dari berbagai belahan dunia di tanah jajahannya, jadi Bangalore sebagai bagian dari British Raj juga memiliki Botanical Garden. 

Dari Lalbagh, kita bertolak ke Bull Temple. Berbeda dengan kuil lain yang biasanya menyembah Siwa atau Wisnu, yang satu ini justru memuja patung sapi dengan mata besar dan cemerlang. Kita tidak lama di sana. Setelah menikmati secawan kopi, kita lanjut ke Bangalore Fort dan Pasar KR. Benteng Bangalore tampak biasa saja, sedangkan pasar di dekatnya penuh sesak, hirup-pikuk dan kotor. Ada tumpukan sampah di kiri kanan jalan. Berbeda dengan pasar bunga di Kolkata yang mencengangkan, pasar di Bangalore ini membuat saya teringat dengan Pasar Mawar di Pontianak pada pertengahan tahun 80an. 

Pasar KR.

Kemudian tiba saatnya untuk makan siang. Kita pergi ke Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR). Pengalaman di sini cukup menarik. Saat kita sampai di rumah makan, sudah banyak orang berkerumun di depan. Ketika pintu dibuka, semua berbondong-bondong masuk, termasuk pemandu wisata kita. Tidak ada antrian, yang pertama bayar langsung mendapatkan nomor urut. Sesudah itu kita diarahkan ke ruang tunggu di lantai dua dan dipersilahkan ke meja setelah nomor urut dipanggil.

Pelayan pun datang dan menyajikan masakan vegetarian satu persatu. Ada berbagai macam kari dan puri. Satu keluarga yang duduk di samping kita menyadari bahwa kita tidak tahu bagaimana harus memulai, jadi mereka pun memberikan petunjuk. Selagi kita makan, para pelayan masih berdatangan tiada hentinya untuk menyodorkan menu yang berbeda sampai kita kenyang dan memberikan isyarat berhenti. Nah, saya ini bukanlah pencinta menu vegetarian, tapi harus saya akui kelezatan masakan di MTR. Memang sedap! 

Di depan MTR setelah makan siang.

Setelah makan siang, kita dibawa ke toko sutra. Di sana saya membelikan pasmina untuk istri. Seusai belanja, kita meneruskan perjalanan ke Government Museum. Karena tutup, kita mampir ke sebelahnya, Museum Industri dan Teknologi. Di sana saya membaca tentang astronot pertama dari India, namun yang tak kalah menariknya adalah lampu yang padam dan menyala lagi. Ternyata museum India tidak luput dari mati lampu! 

Dan akhirnya tibalah waktu untuk mengunjungi atraksi utama: Gedung Parlemen Vidhana Soudha. Gedung ini memang megah seperti istana. Ada patung Mahatma Gandhi di dalamnya. Setelah melihat Vidhana Soudha, dua tujuan terakhir, Istana Bengaluru dan Gereja Holy Trinity, terasa tidak mengesankan. Sekembalinya ke hotel, saya memilih untuk makan di restoran. Menu rekomendasi dari pelayan adalah bannur mamsa chops. Setelah makanan Eropa yang miskin rasa, daging kambing empuk ini terasa sangat menggiurkan! 

Gedung Parlemen Vidhana Soudha.

Keesokan harinya, saya ikut tur jalan kaki yang dimulai dari Istana Sultan Tipu. Dalam perjalanan ke sana, untuk pertama kalinya saya melihat sendiri apa yang pernah diceritakan oleh Puneet, kolega saya: sapi di tengah jalan. Dan supir Uber saya dengan santai berkelit menghindari sapi yang suci. Sapi tidak mengerti klakson, jadi memang lebih logis bila kita saja yang menghindari, haha. 

Istana Sultan Tipu tak lagi terlihat megah, tapi kaya dengan sejarah. Saya sempat berpikir, kenapa pemilik istana ini adalah seorang sultan, padahal sultan itu gelar muslim. Ternyata Tipu dan ayahnya adalah pembelot yang mengambil alih tahta di Bangalore dari Kerajaan Mysore. Semua ini terjadi saat Revolusi Perancis dan tak lama setelah Amerika merdeka, jadi semua peristiwa ini saling terkait. Seru pembahasannya. 

Di KR Market lagi!

Dari istana, kita ke Kuil Wisnu di sampingnya, lalu berjalan ke Bangalore Fort dan Pasar KR lagi. Kali kedua dalam dua hari berturut-turut. Bersama saya kali ini adalah dua orang Amerika. Thomas berkata pada saya bahwa pemandangan seperti ini tidak ada di Amerika, tapi dia menikmati pengalamannya sebagai turis. Setelah mencicipi dosa (ini nama makanan mirip martabak), kita mampir ke pabrik sutra dan tur pun berakhir. 

Saya kembali ke hotel untuk check-out, tapi masih memiliki setengah hari untuk keliling Bangalore, jadi saya pergi ke Kantor Pos Umum Bangalore untuk mengirim kartu pos. Selanjutnya saya pergi ke Lulu Mall. Menakjubkan rasanya melihat tempat makan yang dipadati oleh orang India. Begitu homogen dan saya adalah satu-satunya yang terlihat berbeda di antara mereka. Semua berseliweran, antri seadanya, dan saya tidak akan dapat tempat duduk seandainya saya tidak bertanya pada pasangan dengan kursi kosong di samping mereka. 

Indiana Jones!

Dua jam terakhir di mal saya habiskan untuk mencoba bioskop di India. Di Singapura, baris C biasanya dekat pintu masuk, jadi saya tidak perhatikan lagi saat membeli tiket. Ternyata baris C di India itu baris ketiga terdepan, haha. Sebelum film dimulai, lagu kebangsaan diputar dan penonton wajib berdiri. Saya sudah pernah mengalami hal serupa saat nonton di Thailand. Yang tidak terduga oleh saya adalah jedah di tengah film. Sempat saya sangka jangan-jangan rusak proyektornya. Namun mendadak muncul iklan dan penonton pun keluar sejenak. Memang berbeda! 

Setelah film usai, saya memanggil Uber dan kembali ke hotel untuk mengambil koper. Saya melihat seorang gadis muda yang memeluk erat buku-bukunya dan berdiri menanti bis di bawah lampu jalan yang redup. Apa yang saya lihat itu mengingatkan saya pada kolega yang berasal dari Bangalore dan sekarang tinggal di Singapura. Bangalore memang kota besar bagi mereka yang datang dari pelosok, tapi setelah tinggal di Singapura yang modern, pasti sulit bagi mereka untuk kembali lagi ke kota yang kacau dan macet ini. 

Dan saya memandang keluar jendela mobil untuk menatap terang malam untuk kali terakhir dan membayangkan kembali pengalaman saya di kota ini. Bangalore memang bukan Kolkata. Tak ada sungai di kota ini, tapi Hinduisme tetap terasa kental. Dan mereka bangga dengan budayanya. Sesuai julukannya, Incredible India, negara yang besar dan kaya budaya. Saya akan kembali lagi suatu hari nanti. 

Sampai jumpa, Bangalore!

The Europe Trip: Salzburg

Salzburg was the last stop of our Europe trip. The vibe was different. Unlike Innsbruck, Salzburg felt rowdy. There were more people holding bottles of alcohol on a broad daylight at the railway station. We even passed by a haggard looking guy who shouted repeatedly, "don't touch me!" Nobody seemed to be touching him, though.

 

It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived in Salzburg. We had kebab at Euro Gyros and then found our way from the station to Meininger Hotel. Compared with other Meininger Hotels, the one in Salzburg was a bit rundown. Case in point, a day or two later, parts of the ceiling in the lift suddenly fell off and scratched my daughter's arm! 

A typical old town in Western Europe. 

Looking back, I was probably fatigued by our journey. We had gone a long way and traveled more than 1,000 km since our arrival in Geneva. By the time we reached Salzburg, things had become repetitive and lost its element of surprise. At this juncture, what we went through were roughly the same: river, old town, old buildings, french fries. As nice as Europe actually was, it felt like the holiday had run its course.

Still we explored Salzburg. On the first day, as we couldn't find any decent eateries nearby our hotel, we finally ate at Il Capo Dei Capi, the Italian restaurant next to our hotel. The kids and Yani had a big bowl of spaghetti bolognese while I ordered scudetto pizza. The portion was so big that we couldn't finish it!

Yani and the Sound of Music tour bus.

The next morning, Yani went for the Sound of Music tour, fulfilling her childhood dream. The rest of us lazed around on our bed until lunch time. We planned to meet at Mirabellgarten, so I brought my daughters to eat at Mr. Wen, a Chinese restaurant. It was there that I learnt the German words for fried rice: gebratener Reis. 

It was a slow afternoon, so slow that even Audrey fell asleep at Mr. Wen. When Yani appeared, we crossed the street to buy bus tickets. But what was supposed to be a Salzburg Card was wrongly purchased. Due to miscommunication, we got Hop On Hop Off bus tickets instead. The incident that caused us about EUR 60 dampened the mood. 

Anyway, since we got time before the next bus departure, we explored Mirabellgarten. The garden was featured in the Sound of Music, when Julie Andrews and the kids sang Do-Re-Mi. After that, we boarded the bus, going one round of city tour and returned to the same stop. We had a break at Backwerk, the coffee shop close to Mr. Wen, and again the kids fell asleep!

Along the river. 

It was late afternoon by the time they woke up. We passed by Mirabellgarten and walked along the river Salzach, then turned back to the city to have a glimpse of Mozart Residence. From there, we walked towards Steingasse. This are was like an old town, with lots of cafes and eateries. We eventually stepped into a Vietnamese restaurant named Uncle Van for early dinner.

The next day began with the visit to Mozart's Birthplace. I like this museum because it felt real. It was like the feeling I had the time when I visited the house where John Lennon grew up in Liverpool. There was this thrilling thoughts that once upon a time, a person named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart really lived there with his parents and sister. But I didn't spend much time there because Audrey got bored. I exited the museum after a while and headed to Starbucks with her while Linda and her Mum stayed there.

Salzburg, viewed from Festung Hohensalzburg.

We had our lunch at Nordsee, easily the most expensive one paid by Yani because mine had scallops, haha. From there we headed to Festung Hohensalzburg, a fortress perching on the hill. It was a typical fortress, not very different from ones you'd normally see in the movies. When we were done with it, the last stop was the Mozart Monument. You see, Mozart was probably the most popular citizen of Salzburg, so he was celebrated everywhere. He even got his own chocolate, the Mozart chocolate balls, which were quite delectable. 

We still had half a day after we were done here, so we headed back to the railway station to purchase the ticket to return to Zürich. There was a quiet restaurant called Tida Thai Imbiss nearby and that's where we had our lunch. Yes, after almost two weeks in Europe, I'd go for anything Asian! The food is more tasty and oily, just the way I like it!

Our last stop in Salzburg was a decent mall called Forum 1, a short walking distance from the station. I learnt that the gelato in Austria was cheaper than Singapore, so I bought two scoops, haha. After the ice cream, we went back to hotel. We called it a day after a McD dinner on the floor. It was a reminiscence of what we did back in the beginning of the trip, when we were in Geneva. 

Audrey and Mama in Zürich.

The train ride to Zürich took about five hours, passing cities such as Innsbruck and Feldkirch. We arrived in Zürich at 1:20 pm. After taking our lunch (Japanese food this time), collecting the rucksack that I lost in Lauterbrunnen and buying the iconic Swiss railway clock, we explored the Old Town. It was the second time for me since I did my Strava time the first time we visited Zürich. When we were done, we finally went to Holiday Inn Express Zürich Airport. We stayed one night there to catch our morning flight. 

Zürich Airport is much bigger than its counterpart in Geneva. Finding the check-in counter could be confusing, too, at least for me, because of the term gate that has a different meaning than the ones in Changi. But we made it and were eventually on our way to Doha. We had more time this round to appreciate the airport. Yes, it is impressive, but Changi is still better, haha. And we landed in Singapore the next morning. Home sweet home!

Last photo in Switzerland. 

Liburan Ke Eropa: Salzburg

Salzburg adalah kota terakhir yang kita kunjungi selama berlibur ke Eropa. Berbeda dengan suasana di Innsbruck, ada kesan was-was di Salzburg. Di depan stasiun terlihat orang-orang berjalan sambil menenggak alkohol di siang bolong. Kita bahkan berpapasan dengan pria tua lusuh yang berulang kali berseru dengan keras, "jangan pegang saya!" Padahal tidak terlihat ada yang memegangnya. 

 

Hari sudah sore ketika kita tiba di Salzburg. Kita menyantap kebab di Euro Gyros dan kemudian naik bis dari stasiun kereta ke Hotel Meininger. Dibanding Meininger lainnya, yang satu ini terlihat lebih tidak terawat. Dan benar saja, di hari berikutnya, sebagian dari langit-langit lift runtuh dan menggores lengan putri saya! 

Kota tua di Eropa Barat.

Bila saya lihat kembali, bisa dikatakan bahwa saya sudah lelah mental saat kita tiba di Salzburg. Kita sudah menempuh lebih dari 1000 kilometer terhitung dari sejak kita mendarat di Jenewa. Di kala kita sampai di Salzburg, apa yang kita lalui mulai terasa diulang-ulang dan tidak lagi menimbulkan rasa decak kagum. Semuanya mulai terlihat sama: sungai, kota tua, gedung-gedung tua dan kentang goreng. Memang Eropa itu indah, tapi liburan ini memang sudah sampai titik jenuh. 

Namun kita tetap menjelajahi Salzburg. Di hari pertama, karena tidak menemukan tempat makan yang cocok, kita akhirnya makan di Il Capo Dei Capi, restoran Italia di samping hotel. Anak-anak dan Yani berbagi semangkuk besar spaghetti bolognese sedangkan saya memesan scudetto pizza. Porsinya besar, sampai-sampai dibungkus pulang ke hotel! 

Yani dan bis the Sound of Music.

Keesokan paginya, Yani ikut tur the Sound of Music dan memenuhi impian masa kecilnya. Saya dan anak-anak bersantai di kamar sampai jam makan siang, lalu berangkat ke Mirabellgarten karena kita janjian untuk bertemu di sana. Di kawasan tersebut, kita makan siang di Mr. Wen, sebuah restoran Cina. Di tempat ini saya baru mengetahui bahwa bahasa Jerman untuk nasi goreng adalah gebratener Reis, hehe. 

Sore itu berjalan lambat, sampai-sampai Audrey tertidur di Mr. Wen. Saat Yani tiba, kita menyeberang untuk membeli tiket. Yang harusnya kita beli itu Salzburg Card, tapi yang kita dapatkan justru tiket Hop On Hop Off bus. Insiden seharga CHF 60 yang terjadi karena miskomunikasi ini sempat membuat suasana liburan terganggu. 

Karena kita masih punya waktu sebelum bis berangkat, kita jalan-jalan dulu di Mirabellgarten. Taman ini muncul di film the Sound of Music, saat Julie Andrews dan anak-anak menyanyikan lagu Do-Re-Mi. Setelah itu, kita naik bis mengitari kota dan kembali ke tempat yang sama. Kita beristirahat sejenak di Backwerk, kedai kopi di seberang Mr. Wen, dan anak-anak tertidur lagi!

Di tepi Sungai Salzach.

Linda dan Audrey baru bangun saat sore mulai menjelang senja. Kita melewati Mirabellgarten dan berjalan menyusuri Sungai Salzach, lalu berbalik arah untuk melihat Mozart Residence. Dari situ, kita berjalan ke arah Steingasse. Kawasan ini adalah kota tua dengan banyak kafe dan tempat makan. Kita akhirnya masuk ke restoran Vietnam bernama Uncle Van untuk makan malam. 

Hari berikutnya dimulai dengan kunjungan ke Mozart's Birthplace. Saya suka museum ini karena ada suatu perasaan yang nyata. Rasanya seperti saat mampir ke rumah di mana John Lennon tumbuh dewasa di Liverpool. Terbayang di benak bahwa pernah ada orang bernama Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart yang tinggal di rumah ini bersama orang tua dan kakaknya. Saya tidak lama di sana karena Audrey mulai bosan dan rewel, jadi kita pun menunggu di Starbucks sementara Linda dan mamanya lanjut melihat-lihat. 

Salzburg, dilihat dari Festung Hohensalzburg.

Kita lantas makan di Nordsee yang terletak di samping museum, mungkin makan siang paling mahal yang pernah dibayar oleh Yani karena ada kerang simping dalam pesanan saya, haha. Setelah makan, kita menuju ke Festung Hohensalzburg, sebuah benteng di atas bukit, mirip seperti yang kita lihat di film-film abad pertengahan. 

Monumen Mozart menjadi tempat persinggahan berikutnya. Mozart ini adalah putra kebanggaan Salzburg, jadi dikenang di mana-mana. Dia bahkan jadi suvenir bola coklat yang enak rasanya. 

Kita masih memiliki setengah hari saat selesai menjelajahi kawasan tersebut. Oleh karena itu, kita ke stasiun untuk membeli tiket kereta dengan tujuan ke Zürich. Ada restoran bernama Tida Thai Imbiss di dekat stasiun dan kita pun makan siang di sana. Ya, setelah hampir dua minggu lamanya di Eropa, saya selalu mengincar makanan Asia. Lebih enak dan berminyak makanannya. Pokoknya lebih sedap! 

Tempat terakhir yang kita kunjungi di Salzburg adalah pusat perbelanjaan kecil bernama Forum 1 di samping stasiun. Di mal itu baru saya ketahui, ternyata harga gelato di Austria lebih murah dari Singapore, jadi saya beli dua porsi, hehe. Hari tersebut pun berakhir dengan makan McD di lantai kamar hotel, mirip seperti yang kita lakukan di awal liburan, saat kita berada di Jenewa. 

Audrey dan Mama di Zürich.

Kereta dari Salzburg ke Zürich memakan waktu lima jam, melewati kota-kota seperti Innsbruck dan Feldkirch. Kita tiba di Zürich pada pukul 1:20 siang. Setelah makan (kali ini menu masakan Jepang), mengambil tas ransel yang sempat hilang di Lauterbrunnen dan membeli jam stasiun Swiss yang ikonik, kita berjalan-jalan di Kota Tua. Ini adalah kali kedua bagi saya karena saya sempat Strava sewaktu pertama kali tiba di Zürich. Setelah puas menikmati pemandangan, kita akhirnya pergi ke Holiday Inn Express Zürich Airport. 

Bandara Zürich jauh lebih besar dari lapangan terbang di Jenewa. Mencari konter cek in cukup membingungkan juga, soalnya istilah gate yang dipakai di sini berbeda artinya dengan yang di Changi. Tapi syukurlah semuanya lancar dan kita pun akhirnya terbang ke Doha. Kali ini kita memiliki lebih banyak waktu untuk menjajaki Bandara Doha. Memang besar bandaranya, tapi tetap saja Changi lebih bagus, wahaha. Dan kita akhirnya mendarat di Singapura di pagi berikutnya. Senang rasanya kembali ke rumah lagi! 

Foto terakhir di Swiss. 

The Europe Trip: One Night Only

Lucerne, the next city we were visiting, was about two hours away from Interlaken by train. When I read about Lucerne, I didn't find many tourist attractions. On top of that, the Chapel Bridge pictures I saw on the internet gave me the impression that Lucerne would be pretty similar in term of size and scenery with Interlaken. But it was nothing like what I would have expected. The railway station is much bigger than the ones in Interlaken. The moment we stepped out, the bridge and river Reuss immediately reminded me of Lyon. 

In Lucerne, on our way to the Lion Monument.

We arrived in the morning, which meant we got enough time to explore the city before checking in to our hotel. We stored the luggage at the station and headed to the Lion Monument. It was nice, but under renovation, so the scaffolding was kind of distracting. We didn't spend much time there and we continued to the Glacier Garden that is located next to the Lion Monument. But we couldn't really appreciate rocks and stones from million years ago, so it also turned out to a brief visit only. Good thing that the entrance fee was covered under Swiss Travel Pass, haha.

From there, we went to McDonald's for lunch. It was, according to Linda, the grandest McDonald's she had ever seen because it had a chandelier. After lunch, we walked through the Chapel Bridge and boarded the ferry to travel aimlessly. Apparently there was only so much lake or river cruises one could take in one trip. After a while, the view, no matter how beautiful it was, tended to look the same. My wife was alarmed that it could be quite a long ride, so we alighted at Hafen Weggis to catch the next ferry returning to Lucerne. 

At the grandest McDonald's ever.

That practically ended our sightseeing in Lucerne. We went to Holiday Inn Express in Kriens, which is like another city next to Lucerne. Since it was a holiday called Corpus Christi and raining as well, we didn't do much after our dinner at Subway behind the hotel. The next morning, we boarded the train at Mattenhof Station nearby the hotel, headed straight to Lucerne and changed train to Zürich.  

It took only less than an hour to reach Zürich. We went directly to Meininger Hotel to store our luggage and took the bus to Wollishofen before continuing to Lindt Home of Chocolate. As Audrey wouldn't have any interest in exploring the museum, we stayed at the cafe while Linda and her Mum enjoyed the tour. Not a bad deal, considering that we could have a waffle with ice cream and chocolate, haha.

At the Home of Chocolate.

But that's pretty much the end of it for Yani and the kids. They went back to hotel afterwards while I resumed the sightseeing and returned to the Old Town part of Zürich. It was the liveliest city in the entire Switzerland, I'd say. I walked around as part of my Strava time, checking out parts of the city such as Langstrasse and Lindenhof before walking back to hotel. As I left the Old Town and entered the suburb, I could sense that the atmosphere started to quiet down. At one stage, no houses were seen and there were only cows chewing grass on the side of the highway!

Again we had another train ride on the following day, the third one in the past three days. I received the news that my missing rucksack had been found and sent to Zürich railway station, but our departure time to Sargans was earlier than the opening hours of the lost and found office, so I planned to collect the bag only when I was back to Zürich. As we couldn't find any empty lockers, we had to bring all our luggage throughout our journey to Austria.

Sargans is like one of the last stops in Switzerland before you cross to Liechtenstein. We stopped there and took the bus to Vaduz. I always found Liechtenstein intriguing as it is a small, landlocked country between Switzerland and Austria, so I wanted to have a glimpse of it. Apparently it wasn't as quiet as what I had in mind. I was stunned to see lot of tourists from Mainland China there.

Strolling in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

Now, Liechtenstein itself, while it is small, it still has a couple of towns. We only visited Vaduz, the capital city. It certainly didn't feel like one, haha. We went to Liechtenstein Center and buildings such as Rathaus are somewhere nearby. We sent postcards, had doner kebab (easily my favorite meal throughout the trip) then got a passport stamp as a souvenir. The journey by bus to Feldkirch in Austria happened right after that. It was so quick that before we knew it, we were already on the train to Innsbruck.

On our first day in Innsbruck, my wife and I took turn to see the city as the kids didn't feel like going out anymore once we reached Meininger Hotel. I went to where Hard Rock Cafe is, had my dinner at Gösser's then went back after buying Asian food for my daughters. Then it was my wife's turn to go out. She was scouting for Instagrammable places, apparently. But how do I know that? Because she brought us back to the same spots on the following day, haha.

The Old Town in Innsbruck.

Innsbruck is a nice and calm city, but it was there that I discovered some patterns about cities in Europe. Be it Lyon, Geneva, Lucerne, Zürich or Innsbruck, there is always a river and old town where the people could go and chill. We followed the riverside, explored the old town and returned to the hotel. We left Innsbruck and headed to the last city we'd be visiting: Salzburg.

Looking back, here's one thing I'd consider as a mistake in my planning. The idea of one night only for each city is not good, especially if we have kids tagging along. It was just too fast. Before I got to know the city and started enjoying it, I already moved on to another one. I simply couldn't feel the character of the city. Two or three nights per city would be just nice, just like Geneva and Interlaken...

Hofgarten, Innsbruck.

Liburan Ke Eropa: Semalam Saja

Lucerne, kota berikutnya yang kita kunjungi, bisa ditempuh dalam dua jam dengan kereta dari Interlaken. Ketika saya membaca tentang Lucerne, saya tidak menemukan banyak atraksi turis. Selain itu, foto-foto Jembatan Kapel di internet membuat saya membayangkan bahwa Lucerne adalah tempat yang mirip dengan Interlaken. Ternyata saya salah kaprah. Stasiun keretanya jauh lebih besar dari dua stasiun di Interlaken. Di saat kita melangkah keluar stasiun, jembatan dan sungai Reuss segera mengingatkan saya tentang Lyon. 

Di Lucerne, waktu kita menuju Monumen Singa.

Kita tiba di pagi hari. Ini artinya kita masih memiliki banyak waktu untuk menjelajahi Lucerne sebelum ke hotel. Setelah menitipkan koper di stasiun, kita menuju ke Monumen Singa. Monumen ini sebenarnya megah, tapi sedang direnovasi dan tiang-tiang steger penyangga yang ada di depannya terlihat mengganggu. Beberapa menit kemudian, kita berpindah lokasi ke Taman Gletser yang bersebelahan dengan Monumen Singa. Akan tetapi kita bukanlah tipe turis yang bisa mengagumi bebatuan dari jutaan tahun silam, jadi kunjungan ini pun tergolong singkat. Untung saja tiket masuk seharga CHF 22 per orang tidak perlu dibayar oleh pemegang Swiss Travel Pass, hehe. 

Dari Taman Gletser, kita ke McDonald's untuk makan siang. Menurut putri saya Linda, ini adalah McD paling bagus yang pernah dia lihat karena restoran yang satu ini memiliki lampu gantung kandelar. Setelah santap siang, kita melintas ke seberang sungai melewati Jembatan Kapel dan naik ke feri tanpa tujuan pasti. Dan setelah berpesiar di Danau Brienz, perjalanan serupa di Swiss terlihat mirip pemandangannya. Istri saya Yani melihat peta dan mengingatkan saya bahwa feri ini jauh rutenya sebelum kembali lagi ke Lucerne, jadi kita pun turun di Weggis dan menaiki feri berikutnya yang mengarah ke Lucerne.

Di McDonald's yang megah.

Dengan demikian, jalan-jalan di Lucerne pun berakhir. Kita lantas menaiki bis menuju Holiday Inn Express di Kriens, sebuah kota kecil di samping Lucerne. Karena hari tersebut adalah liburan merayakan hari Corpus Christi dan hujan pula, kita tidak memiliki aktivitas lagi selain makan malam di Subway yang terletak di belakang hotel. Keesokan paginya, kita naik kereta dari Stasiun Mattenhof yang berada di samping hotel, berganti kereta di Lucerne dan melaju ke Zürich.  

Zürich bisa dicapai dalam waktu kurang dari sejam. Kita langsung pergi ke Hotel Meininger untuk menaruh koper dan naik bis lagi ke kawasan tepi danau yang bernama Wollishofen sebelum melanjutkan wisata ke Lindt Home of Chocolate. Karena Audrey tidak berminat dengan museum, kita duduk di kafe sementara Linda dan mamanya ikut tur. Lumayan juga, kita menunggu sambil makan waffle es krim dan coklat, haha. 

Di Lindt.

Dan liburan di Zürich bisa dikatakan berakhir bagi Yani dan anak-anak. Mereka kembali ke hotel sedangkan saya meneruskan perjalanan ke Kota Tua. Bagian kota ini boleh dikatakan paling hidup dan ramai di Swiss. Saya berjalan sambil Strava, meninjau kawasan Langstrasse dan Lindenhof sebelum berjalan pulang ke hotel. Setelah meninggalkan Kota Tua dan memasuki daerah tepi kota, saya bisa merasakan bahwa suasananya perlahan-lahan menjadi senyap. Di bagian tertentu tidak terlihat rumah. Yang tampak hanya sapi merumput di samping jalan raya! 

Di hari berikutnya, kita kembali menaiki kereta. Ini adalah kali ketiga dalam tiga hari berturut-turut. Saya menerima kabar bahwa ransel saya sudah ditemukan dan dikirim ke Stasiun Zürich, tapi jam keberangkatan kita ke Sargans lebih awal dari jam kerja kantor barang-barang hilang, jadi saya pun berencana untuk mengambil tas saya lagi setelah saya kembali dari Austria. Karena kita tidak menemukan loker kosong, maka semua koper pun terpaksa dibawa-serta. 

Sargans adalah pemberhentian terakhir di Swiss sebelum kita menyeberang ke Liechtenstein. Kita turun di sini untuk berganti bis ke Vaduz. Liechtenstein terasa unik karena ukuran negaranya yang kecil dan dikelilingi oleh Swiss dan Austria, jadi saya ingin sekali melihat kotanya. Ternyata Vaduz tidak sesepi yang saya bayangkan. Ada banyak turis dari Cina di sana.

Liechtenstein adalah negara yang kecil tapi masih memiliki beberapa kota. Kita hanya singgah di Vaduz, ibukotanya yang tidak terasa seperti ibukota, haha. Kita mampir ke Liechtenstein Center dan Rathaus berada tak jauh dari situ. Setelah mengirim kartu pos, kita menyantap döner kebab, makan favorit saya selama di Eropa, lalu meminta cap paspor sebagai suvenir. Kita lantas melanjutkan perjalanan ke Feldkirch, Austria. Begitu sampai di stasiun, kita membeli tiket dan langsung berangkat ke Innsbruck. 

Kita tiba di Innsbruck sekitar jam tiga sore. Yani dan saya bergantian jalan-jalan karena anak-anak tak lagi berminat keluar setelah tiba di Hotel Meininger. Saya mengunjungi Hard Rock Cafe, lalu makan malam di Gösser's dan pergi membeli masakan Asia untuk Linda dan Audrey. Setelah itu giliran Yani yang keluar menjelajahi kota. Dia mencari tempat-tempat yang Instagrammable. Dari mana saya tahu? Karena keesokan paginya dia membawa kita ke tempat-tempat yang telah dilihatnya, haha.

Innsbruck adalah kota yang nyaman dan tenang. Di situ pula saya menemukan semacam pola serupa di kota-kota Eropa. Entah itu Lyon, Jenewa, Lucerne, Zürich atau Innsbruck, selalu ada sungai dan kota tua di mana penduduknya bisa nongkrong dan bersantai. Kita menyusuri tepi sungai, melihat-lihat Kota Tua dan kembali ke hotel untuk meneruskan perjalanan ke kota terakhir yang akan kita kunjungi: Salzburg. 

Bila dilihat kembali, ada satu hal yang saya anggap sebagai kesalahan fatal dalam rencana saya. Semalam saja di satu kota bukanlah ide yang bagus, terlebih lagi karena kita membawa anak-anak. Rasanya terlalu cepat. Sebelum kita bisa menikmati suasana kota tersebut, kita sudah lanjut ke kota lain. Saya tidak bisa merasakan karakter kota tersebut. Dua atau tiga malam di satu kota rasanya lebih pas, seperti yang kita lalui di Jenewa dan Interlaken...