Seminggu Bersama Iva: EUROPAPARK

This was the reason why Jasmine invited us over. She wanted to go to Europapark with us. Not unlike Dufan or Dunia Fantasi for Jakartan children, Europapark houses childhood as well as adolescent memories for Baden-Württemberg children. Iva and I had never been there but Jasmine and her sister Fabiola were more excited to go than we were. Granted, they already know all the cool and fun rides. To be honest, I find it much better when you go with locals to this place. Otherwise, you'll just be wasting your time trying to find your way around and confused as to which rides to try. This wasn't the first time someone had the idea to go there. I just never saw the point. Now...I do. Although similar to the amusement park we have back home, Europapark has a theme. The park itself is divided into national areas. So there are the Greece area, the Russia area, the Italy area, the England area and many other European countries; each housing different rides, restaurants and games. They also show the traditional buildings, traditional attires and the rides sometimes have name of a town from each country.

Confession time: I'm a bore at theme parks. I'd never ridden a roller coaster, I'm afraid of haunted houses and swing-rides make me nauseous - well, actually, I don't know but I avoid them as best I can. But this time I got to ride three roller coaster rides, a haunted house ride and a bit of a swing ride. Jasmine practically dragged me to each ride. The roller coasters were terrifying but I'm glad I got on - although I probably will not do that again for a very long time -, the haunted house was a whole lot less scary than I imagined and the swing rides were bearable. Iva laughed so hard because she said the way I screamed was weird. What can I say? I'm new at the whole put-your-hands-up-and-scream-during-a-roller-coaster-ride thing. In the Holland section there's a ride called Pirates in Batavia. And it is indeed set in Indonesia! At the end of the ride, we were surprised to find that on one side of the water we were flowing on there is a stage with a live performer while the audience sits on the other side in a restaurant - which looked very Javanese, by the way.

Oh, it's just me trying on shoes...it fits!

Not only the segmentation of the countries and the crazy rides, Europapark also has this charming Märchenwald, which is a forest filled with Grimm fairy tale worlds. My favourite has got to be the house made out of sweets from Hansel and Gretel. It looked so real and delicious. I wish I could eat it! Then there's Rapunzel, who lets her hair out or pull it back in. You can make a melody to make her do it but the animals on the side of her tower would tell you to try again or stop ringing. It was hilarious! Not only the attractions and the themed areas, they also have clowns - that are not dressed like good ol' clowns, so don't worry - who go around hitting people with polyester hammers and speak in a very funny voice. By the end of the day, we were all soaked, exhausted but all maxed out on fun. It was a really good experience. Thanks, Jasmine, for taking us there!

Seminggu Bersama Iva: Freiburg

Okay, it's late, I'm exhausted and all I can think of is sleep right now so let's make this quick. On Wednesday Iva and I went to Freiburg. It was my wish to see Freiburg and Schwarzwald. The town was not what I expected but it was indeed magnificent. I'm sorry these pictures don't do it justice because, seriously, there are tons of adorable local shops lining the small streets, there are little alleys and there is even a street that is lined with clean water coming - I think - from the Schwarzwald. I love the amount of greeneries covering buildings as well as bridging two buildings. Oh, so magnificent! I really, really regret not taking more pictures. But I was so awed by the beauty and was just enjoying the moment that my camera would feel heavy around my neck. Oops.

Iva has a beautiful friend named Jasmine, who lives in Freiburg. She'd invited us to stay at her home and agreed to be our tour guide during our stay there. Woohoo! Unlike me, Iva's been to Freiburg before so she knows her favourite places to be - or...at least one. She wanted to hang out at the Feierling Brewery. At first, they were kind of bummed that we had to sit at the biergarten because that means they couldn't show me the brewing machine. But I saw it anyway. It was huge! But, of course, it was abandoned for the day. The girls quickly decided for two huge jugs of beer. I didn't partake, just happy to be of company. Afterwards, we went to the Münster church and Jasmine actually wanted to climb the tower but, sadly, it was closed right as we got there. To mend her broken heart, she bought a Bratwurst. Haha. Then we made our way to the Schlossbergbahn to get to Schwarzwald without walking - well, I was the only unwilling to walk but come on! But we did ended up walking uphill a little bit to check out this incredibly - yet seems not too long ago - abandoned, mysterious building. None of us had any idea what that building could've been. But it probably wasn't part of a royal treasure.

At the end of the day, Jasmine drove us to her house and ushered us into our room right away. The place was magical! I mean, you have a certain image of sleeping over at a friend's house. And it surely looks nothing like sleeping in a hotel. But this room was so well-prepared and had immaculate facilities that it was surely a hotel! I'm not going to show you the room or the house, obviously. But let me leave you with that image.

Seminggu Bersama Iva: Wilhelma + Seilbahn

Arithalia dress // thrifted purse // Urban Outfitters hat // Converse shoes // outfit photos taken by Iva

Hello, heidi-ho, dear readers! Have you been well? Guess where I am! Well, if you read my previous outfit post, it should come as no surprise to you. I am in Stuttgart! This is honestly not the first time I've been here but it certainly is the first time I get to sleep over at my dear friend Iva's house. And yes, I will be staying here for a week. Obviously I will be taking advantage of my stay to venture places I had never been to before and seeing another dear old friend. Okay, so our first destination is Stuttgart itself since I just arrived the night before so Iva thought it would be better to just ease me into it. It's nice, actually, because she brought me to see a part of Stuttgart that I'd never seen before.

Our first stop was Wilhelma, which is a beautiful zoo. I wasn't a huge fan of zoos, to be honest. I mean, it's okay but it wouldn't be a destination for me - except maybe to go on a date. Also, I don't know how the zoos in your countries are like but this one made my knees weak. It was filled with hills and valleys, going up and down. Actually, I think I was exhausted mostly because we almost never stopped to just sit. Well, there were so many beautiful animals, the birds were flying free and the plants were incredible. I love how their greenhouses are designed! Very turn-of-the-century! Oh yeah, Iva's sister came along on the trip. She has a Nikon D7000 and an immaculate photography skill. I love all the pictures she took of Iva and me together. Thank you so much for taking them, Kak Imey ♥

Afterwards, we were headed for Seilbahn. However, the tram schedule went haywire because some idiot didn't pay enough attention of the railway as he was driving his truck and got stuck, blocking the way. For goodness' sakes, we had to walk a bit longer - I mean, Wilhelma was more than I could already take - to get a connection train. Thankfully, we get a connection right away and there wasn't any more difficulties. As soon as we reached Seilbahn's station, we hopped on the beautiful wooden train. It's a mountain train, pulled by two huge pulleys at the top. The train is apparently 85 years old! It was built back in 1929 to accommodate workers who work at Waldfriedhof - it seems this is the only transportation to get there. When we got to the top, we did nothing but eat ice cream and look at the plants at the florist - the only shop up there. We ended up going back the same time as the shop owner. Ha! We also boarded the Zahnradbahn right after although I didn't take any pictures because it looks just like the local underground train. But the view was amazing!

Well, that's day one from my trip! I think the next adventures are going to be even greater!

The Sunshine Award

Quite recently a blogger friend of mine, Joni of Lace and Fog, nominated me for The Sunshine Award. To be honest, this was the first time I heard of that award so I really didn't know what it was all about. But as soon as I checked out her post, I was hooked to join along in this whole award. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a great tag. Thanks again, Joni ;)

A Few Ground Rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you
• Answer the questions from the person who nominated you
• Nominate a few other bloggers
• Write the same amount of questions for the bloggers you nominated
• Notify the bloggers through their blogs
• Put the button of the award on your blog

Joni's Questions:

1. If you could learn a skill in an instant, what would it be? I would love to learn ballet. There was a moment in my childhood when I almost took ballet lessons. But I didn't. And I wish I could be as graceful as they seem.

2. What is your favourite piece of clothing/fashion that you own? Such a brain twister, this question. Well, I have no idea. But right now I feel like this batik dress below is my all-time favourite. First of all, it has an incredibly flattering fit. It also has amazing patterns and comfortable feel. Best of all, it was given to me FOR FREE!

3. The last song you played on repeat? It's my all-time favourite musical soundtrack, despite the fact that I have yet to see the performance myself. "Defying Gravity" from Wicked, as performed by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. Totally bummed that it never toured to Europe/Germany - let alone Indonesia.

4. The last book you re-read? Hmm...I can't really remember but I think it's The Pact by Jodi Picoult. It was one of my most favourite books and I was absolutely gripped by the story. A friend of mine borrowed and lost my copy but she bought me a new one and I was ready to dive right back into the story. Yep, it was an incredible book!

5. Do you keep or have ever kept a diary? Yes, I used to write in a diary back in 6th grade. As a lovestruck grade-schooler, I just wrote all about my crush. Funny, now that I have a boyfriend, I don't keep one anymore. Well, this blog is also a sort of diary for me.

6. What is your choice of comfort food? Anything my Mom or Stepmom makes.

7. If you had the opportunity to Make a Wish through the foundation, what would your wish be? This would most likely mean I was dying, right? Well...I don't think I would be wishing for anything much by then but my lifelong dream is to go and explore Japan and its culture. To be able to live there for a year and go through the changing of seasons there - because every season is a party in Japan. Preferably as a high schooler...but who are we kidding here?

8. Favorite children’s book? Does a series qualify? Because The Mysterious Benedict Society has got to be the best! Although...I have no idea if it's more for young adult or children. Meh, I think it's pretty much rated G.

9. Name three favourite blogs that you follow:
WishWishWish, A Beautiful Mess, Selective Potential

10. What is your current desktop image? To be honest, I just don't change the default image. I hardly ever see my desktop anyway so I really don't see the point  - Mac users, I hope you feel me.

Awarded Bloggers:

Maya of Away from Home                  Kathy of My Peach Days                Anna of The Flying Clubhouse

My Questions:

1. What language would you like to learn (but haven't)?
2. If you were reborn, what would you want to be?
3. What is love, according to you?
4. If your life (or some parts of it) was made into a movie, who would play you?
5. All-time favourite movie?
6. All-time favourite book?
7. What is your proudest achievement?
8. Congratulations! You just won a trip to go to one place in the world in the past, present or future! Where and when would you go?
9. What was your childhood dreams?
10. What was the hardest thing in life you had to overcome and how did you do it?

Lone Wanderer

“She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city” ― Roman Payne, The Wanderess

As some of you might already know, I've been staying at Firu's since last week. And, though you might think, "Oh great! You now have a permanent photographer!", it is so far from the truth. He's got finals right now so he's been thinking of ways to get me out of the house so as not to distract him. Having been kicked out, I decided to roam around Düsseldorf by myself - which I'd never done before. The city was less hectic than usual and it was nice hanging out all by myself at my favourite bubble tea place. So yeah, these photos were taken by yours truly, as per usual. This just shows that no matter how unfamiliar the place is, you can always find a secluded enough place for a photoshoot. To be honest, I prefer not to rely on people to take my photos. This has happened in the past before and slowly people get absolutely burdened by my constant request to get my pictures taken. A good way to lose a friend, I'd say - actually, I did say it once. Anyway, tomorrow I will be visiting my friend Iva in Stuttgart. Oh, God! We are so going to have one hell of an adventure! Plus, I'll be out of Firu's hair for a week. Am I the best girlfriend or what? *insert barf here*

Batik Keris "kimono" // Cache Cache shirt // Sis's pants (hand-me-down) // thrifted sandals

So I hear there's this "kimono" trend going on. As much as I don't hate the style itself - in fact, I find the item rather adorable -, I really hate it when the English speaking world butcher the meaning of a word from other cultures. I'm not Japanese myself but I will bet you everything that my Japanese friends wouldn't accept this trendy new "kimono" as kimono. Kimono is far more intricate than that. That being said, I kind of want to style this "kimono" but I don't own one - nor do I want to purchase a new one - so this batik jacket(?) is the closest thing that I have. It probably doesn't qualify as "kimono" as it's got buttons lining the hem. But I did style it in a somewhat Japanese-esque way before. Different from a yukata/kimono/"kimono," the sleeves to this top is only around elbow-length and isn't a full circle. The bottom parts aren't sewn together, allowing a bit of breeze to blow in now and then. It's also not made of silk or more flowy materials so the sleeves can seem to hang midair after you raise your arms. Such a perfect summer layering!