Keep Calm and Explore London

Ya ampun lanjutan cerita traveling-nya lama ya jedanya. In previous post sudah nyeritain siap-siapnya. Sekarang cerita bagaimana all the place I visited, through my eyes and what came across my mind at that time. Back then, February 2015, bisa dibilang it’s a not so good time in my life. So, dari awal perjalanan, niatnya adalah melihat , merenungi  dan merasakan Allah presence in this world. I need to feel HIM to calm me down. Jadi it will not be an usual catatan liburan, tapi lebih seperti pondering notes of mine.

I want to write about London trip first. Here we go…

Di London saya merasa dimudahkan sekali dari hari pertama saya datang, terutama untuk urusan hotel. Dari awal strategi kita untuk hotel adalah, kalau ada Ibis lebih pilih menginap disana saja, karena at least mereka standard chain hotel dan affordable. Jadi pasti aman dan nyaman. So, we choose Ibis Budget Whitechapel through Booking.com. Yang jadi plus point adalah ternyata whitechapel  adalah muslim area dan dekat masjid. Jadi banyak halal food dan gampang dengar adzan, Alhamdulillah..

Keesokan harinya, it is our one full day sightseeing around London. Kita ambil dulu London pass, one travel card for everything, a  great deal for travelling and sightseeing. London Pass, include Pass untuk naik bis atau underground (subway train), Pass ke banyak tempat wisata seperti tower of London, Pass untuk naik river cruise hop on hop off, etc. (Kalau mau lihat detailnya, see in previous posting). After collecting London Pass and off we go…

Kompleks Westminster dan sekitarnya

Big Ben - Teacher

First place yang kita tuju adalah kompleks Westminster. First thing yang saya lihat is Big Ben, the famous big tall clock tower. Somehow, merasa sedikit mellow melihat jam representing waktu. Time is the only thing that you can not turn back. There are moments in my life, that I wish I could have done differently, but I can not go back again. So, time teaches us to be wise and really think about what we are going to do with our lives. Move along now….tidak mau termangu kelamaan…

Tidak jauh, sudah kelihatan Westminster abbey, gereja tempat prince William and kate middleton married. And for those who is familiar with davinci code, adalah tempat  of Sir Isaac Newton dimakamkan, dimana Langdon memecahkan riddle of the cryptex (Ga pernah bosan lihat filem itu berulang ulang). 

Saya tidak terlalu berlama-lama disitu, saya terus jalan agak lebih jauh sedikit, dan saya masuk ke taman st. james, which I wish Jakarta punya taman seperti itu. Besar, enak buat duduk-duduk, you can find squirrel as you walk. I can easily spend my entire day, sit in a random bench at that park. Sometimes when you sit down and do nothing, everything will come into better perspectives. 

Bench at St. James Park

Mr. Squirrel

Karena kita berhenti dan kita jadi pengamat dengan segala hal yang bergerak all around you, the sun, the wind, birds, people, and somehow you will find a piece of your story related atau bisa dianalogikan dengan apa yang kita lihat. Berdiam dan memaknai segala hal, its better use of time than hustling around mechanically. That’s why we need a holiday or time away sometimes. I desperately need one these days…

I walked through the park dan baru kita sampai di Buckingham palace yang ya menurut saya begitu saja hehehehe. Cuma terlihat penjaga-penjaga dan pagarnya saja. Foto-foto sedikit, terus saya berjalan lagi dan ga terlalu jauh dari sana, we reached London eye. Kita memutuskan  untuk bought the ticket first untuk night ride jam 19.00 (not incl. in London Pass). Dan kita memutuskan untuk lanjut dulu ke Tower of London via hop on hop off river cruise. 

Cruising through London Bridge
Hoping into the boat of this river cruise, kapalnya enak, ada deck dalam dimana kita tetap bisa lihat view outside, dan ada deck luar diatas kapal. Kita pilih duduk diluar walaupun dingin sih hehehehe…Iconic structure yang kita lewati during cruise adalah London bridge. It used to be the only bridge di sungai thames. 

Talking about bridge, it is something that take you from one place to another place.  Sometimes, we are wondering is this bridge is the right one? will it take me to my destination? In life, kita menyeberangi banyak jembatan yang menghantar kita from one place to new place. Contoh, Sekolah adalah jembatan untuk mencapai cita-cita, bekerja adalah jembatan for making money, dan seterusnya. Dan sometimes kita wondering apakah saya memilih sekolah yang benar untuk menjadi apa yang saya cita-citakan? Apakah saya memilih pekerjaan yang benar yang bisa memberi penghidupan yang layak? Apakah saya memilih pasangan yang tepat yang bisa memberi kebahagian rumah tangga, and the doubt list goes on and on and on.

For me, doubt and fear itu adalah significant evidence that deep down inside, I know that I am powerless and have no control over everything in my life. Doubt and fear itu seperti reminder to submit myself to Allah yang maha perencana dan maha mengetahui. A note to myself, in time saya  berhadapan dengan perasaaan ragu, takut, do not reject it tapi justru embrace it, for they will take me closer to Allah. Well, saya sih cupu, masih suka lupa untuk mendekat ke Allah pada saat senang hehehehe...Lebih ingat untuk mendekat padaNya saat saya in the face of hardships. Jadi say a lot of prayers, cross my bridge (what ever it is now at the point of my life), keep my faith throughout the journey, and be grateful for the new found place at the end of the bridge, because I surely believe Allah will give me the best. Itu yang saya pikirkan when I looked at London Bridge....

London Bridge is falling down....falling down....

Tower of London - A story of great Queen
Soon as we passed London bridge, kita sampai di Tower of London. Saya juga agak mellow when visiting this place. Tower of London di sebagian waktunya berdiri, digunakan sebagai penjara bagi high level criminals (dari kaum bangsawan), tempat mengadili dan tempat mengeksekusi mati those who is judged guilty by the court. 

One corner at Tower of London

Ada satu sosok yang very famous, dipenjara, diadili dan dieksekusi di tempat itu, she is Anne Boleyn, former queen of England, 2^nd wife of Henry VIII, the mother of the great Queen Elizabeth I. I admire Anne boleyn, why? Karena menurut saya, she is the example of a woman yang memilih untuk menunjukkan kekuatannya in the worst point of her life, pada waktu orang yang paling dicintainya, suaminya, justru menyakiti dan menghukumnya mati. And above of all, examples of a great mother’s love for her daughter (baby Elizabeth). It is believed, salah satu reason kenapa beliau tidak melawan king Henry at that time, is only for the hope, the king will spare her daughter’s life. Dan ternyata her daughter became the greatest queen of England. Her brave and graceful speech, on the execution day reflect all those qualities I admire above:

“Good Christian people, I am come to hither to die, for according to the law and by the law I am judged to die. And therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am condemn to die. But I pray God save the King and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never. And to me, He was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord and if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all. And I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul.”

----She lay her neck on the prepared log of wood, and just before the sword fell, she said her final words---

“To God I commend my soul, lord Jesus receive my soul”

And it was said she was buried at the altar floor of a Church within Tower of London, named St Peter ad vincula, without proper coffin, it was only an empty arrow chest. All my respect to her. Semoga kalau saya berada di posisi yang unfortunate seperti itu, saya bisa taking the higher road & able to forgive those who hurt me dan diingatkan bahwa tidak ada yang lebih baik selain mengabdi ke Allah SAW dengan iman, tawakal dan ikhlas. Aamiin…

London Eye - Wheel of Life

As the sun ready to sets, kita balik ke London eye with the same river cruise mengejar our London eye ride jam 19.00. Sampai disana, antri, naik dan melihat London di malam hari itu cantik banget

Wheel of London Eye 

Kalau dipikir-pikir, kalau pas kita di posisi atas kotanya terlihat cantik sempurna, pada saat sampai di posisi bawah, you loose all of those beautiful sight. Tapi sebenarnya the city is still the same, same buildings, street, people and so on so on. Hanya saja sudut persepsi kita yang berubah, jadi itu ilusi persepsi. Buat saya, it’s a reminder, if I’m in a high point of my wheel of life, it doesn’t mean that life is more beautiful. If I hit rock bottom of my wheel of life, it doesn’t mean that my life is a mess. My life is remain the same. Yang kita namai beautiful or a messy life, adalah ilusi dari sudut persepsi kita. Jadi keep calm and carry on saja, My life is actually was, is and will always be the same.

London from above

Somehow saya merasa puas jalan-jalan di kota ini. Banyak reminder, insight dan perspective that i had and I felt serene. It was a tranquil journey. I adore this journey of mine this time. Bon Voyage Tyas!!!

Sneak peak for next journey... Paris...

The Rover,


Tyas