Matahari, Hadiah Terindah dari Tuhan

Delft-NL, early spring, when sun finally showed up...

Baru ketika sampai di Eropa saya menjadi begitu mencintai matahari. Baru ketika menginjakan kaki di bumi makhluk berkulit putih ini, saya menyadari bahwa matahari tidak selalu hadir untuk semua orang di pelosok dunia, seperti yang saya pikir selama ini, sebagai seorang makhluk tropis.

Bagi kita yang tinggal di daerah tropis, matahari mungkin bisa jadi sangat menyebalkan. Tengah hari, ketika matahari bersinar terik, semua orang berusaha menghindarinya. Mereka bersembunyi dibalik gedung-gedung berpendingin, atau kalau terpaksa keluar, mereka akan bersembunyi di balik payung warna-warni, sekedar memalingkan muka dari tatapan sang surya.

Di negeri kumpeni ini, setelah enam bulan lamanya matahari bersembunyi entah dimana, kini dia muncul kembali. Orang-orang menyambut ceria. "....Spring is coming, spring is coming..." Sejak musim dingin dinyatakan berakhir dua pekan yang lalu, masyarakat disini seperti terlahir kembali.

Mereka keluar dengan pakaian baru. Jaket, sweater, dan baju-baju dingin lainnya sudah pasti masuk lemari. Kini, semua berganti dengan celana pendek, T-shirt, tank top, bahkan kaus kutang. Dan yang lebih ekstrim lagi, pakaian di beberapa tempat sudah tidak dibutuhkan lagi. Dua hari yang lalu, beberapa orang sudah mulai berjemur 'bugil-gil-gil' di Danau 'palsu' Delft.

--XXX: Speaking about 'bugil-gil-gil' itu, Kamis lalu (4/5), dengan malu-malu, saya bersama seorang teman dari Bhutan bersepeda ke danau buatan itu dengan niat memang memastikan apakah benar orang-orang Belanda suka berjemur tanpa sehelai benang pun disana. Dan ternyata, fenomena itu benar-benar nyata, saudara-saudara!!!!!!!!!

Mereka dengan tanpa malu-malu menatap balik ketika saya sempat 'ngelirik' (malu kalau menatap, takutnya malah dibilang pengen lagi. Padahal emang, kekekekek). "Kok saya yang jadi malu ya, padahal mereka yang bugil".

Si teman dari Bhutan ini bahkan sampai memalingkan muka di hadapan orang-orang bugil itu. Dia bilang, "Disgusting!!!!". Beda persepsi ya, kalau saya sih dalam hati bilang seru juga ngeliat begitu, rejeki, hahaha. Ancur gue (Nih anak alim banget. Ásli, seorang Budha yang baik dari pegunungan Himalaya)....XXX---

Balik ke topik semula, matahari, disini kafe-kafe pinggir jalan kembali semarak, setelah selama musim dingin sempat mati suri. Mereka (orang-orang Belanda dan turis eropa) duduk-duduk di cafe pinggir jalan, sambil menikmati secangkir kopi atau minuman dingin (harus bayar tentunya), dan curahan sinar matahari dari langit (kalau yang ini gratis, meski termasuk barang langka) .

Sepanjang Oude Delft sampai ke centrum Delft (alun-alun kota), semua penuh dengan manusia. Mereka bersantai, kongkow-kongkow bersama kawan-kawan atau pasangan, menikmati si saudara tua kita, sang surya, yang sudah enam bulan lamanya menghilang.

Selama enam bulan lamanya hidup dalam kungkungan jaket, rasanya nyaman sekali keluar tanpa jaket dan sweater. Hmm, saya bisa keluar dengan Polo shirt hijau lumut yang baru saja saya beli di toko Hmm, keceriaan spring (dan beberapa waktu ke depan summer) ini cuma karena kehadiran si saudara tua kita, sang surya, buah karya Tuhan yang maha agung. Kalau saja matahari tak pernah ada, mungkin hidup tak akan seceria hari-hari ini (scientifically, bukan hanya tidak ceria, bahkan manusia gak akan survive tauk, hehehe). Now, I think I m in love with the sun....

Paris, France: Gorgeous Ever After

Bizzare Love Triangle...

I am in love with Brussels, but at the same time i'm also in love with Paris, France. Both of them are amazing...

Paris is just like Paris does. It's kind of romantic town. I suggest you not to come alone to Paris. That is awful. It was fashionably irresistible, where love is in the air. But, actually, I ain't got anything in the air, except extremely cold air!!!!!!!!!hahaha...what a shame of me...

By the time I was standing under Eiffel, I was shaking. Happy, because for all this time I just saw it and never touch or reach it. Even Eiffel just a bunch of iron, but If you see such a huge thing like that, you will feel that iron is marvelous. Eiffel, I'm (not) in love...(too bad)

One of place that I love most in Paris was Musse d'Louvre, which I only knew it previously from 'Da Vinci Code'. It was a very big museum with tons of arts.

I just still wondering how come 'Monalisa's mysterious smile in Louvre could atrract millions of peple to come and visit her. For me, Monalisa just a 'fat chubby misserable' middle aged women who accidentally being drawed by an accidentally famous painter too.

But, life is fair. You don't (always) have to be a damn pretty person just to become famous. Viva ugly duckling...

Although Louvre is an interesting place to visit, but I bet for some people it become an unconvinient place because it was so crowded all the time. I felt like visiting an open market rather than a museum, because so many people visit Louvre, and there was a very long line in the entrance.

Does everybody (excluded me) really love arts? If it is, what an artistic world that we have !!!

For a more convinient one day visit, I think Musse d'Orsay is a good choice. It is not as big as huge Louvre, but have a good quality. Monet, Whistler, Moreau, Courbet, van Gogh, etc, are all in 'd'Orsay.

The one that I love most is James Abbot McNeill Whistler "Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of The Painter's Mother" or so called "Whistler's Mother". If you see Mr Bean 'The Movie', you will soon recognized this painting.

Still more plenty of beautiful places in Paris. Two of them are 'Sacre Cour' and 'Notre Dame'. Both are old churches with amazing architectural building. Sacre Cour was built in a high place, so visitors have to climb up to visit this place.

If you take a glance, it just look like a mosque. And inside, it had a very beautiful ceiling painting and statues.

If you already knew the story of Hunchback of Notre Dame, you will soon recognize that the church was the place where the hunchback lived. Still left a big question in my head after visiting the Notre Dame, why a sacred place like that have a very scary architecture and ornaments...

There were wolf statues everywhere and ghostly statues. I bet lots of people don't wanna thru' that church during midnight. Especially during winter, It seemed more spooky than usual...

Paris is somehow beautiful, whereever you go in that city. One thing for sure, don't forget to bring someone to love if you visit Paris...That is my most important advice for everybody.....

2 days after paris trip