TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Enjoying Amsterdam's charms
Windmills: Amsterdam does have a windmill, Zaanse Schans, but its more for tourists, as the winds in the city arenât strong
Change Size
Windmills: Amsterdam does have a windmill, Zaanse Schans, but its more for tourists, as the winds in the city aren't strong.
Fair weather prevailed as a new Boeing 777-300ER operated by Garuda Indonesia took hundreds of passengers to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam after a 14-hour flight.
The national flag carrier started operating its direct Jakarta-Amsterdam service on May 30 ' and invited journalists to join the maiden flight and a tour of the Dutch capital.
Amsterdam's clean and fresh air welcomed the travelers, who arrived in the early summer, when temperatures reach around 16 degrees Celsius.
Fears of the language barrier quickly dissipated upon our arrival.
'Pulang kampung,' said Garuda Indonesia's marketing and sales director Erik Meijer, as he left Schiphol Airport for Groningen, his hometown. The phrase means 'going back home'.
A longtime resident of Indonesia and a native of Holland who accompanied the journalists on the flight, Meijer speaks Indonesian fluently.
At immigration, an officer greeted arriving journalists in Indonesian as he noticed Indonesian passports. 'Selamat pagi. Apa kabar? Selamat datang di Amsterdam,' he said, with an Indonesian accent.
The words mean 'Good morning. How are you? Welcome to Amsterdam'.
Asked in Indonesian if he had ever been assigned to Indonesia, the officer smiled, saying in English that he frequently vacationed in the archipelago, learning the language by listening and practicing again with Indonesian people in Amsterdam.
One middle-aged Dutch woman on the same flight said 'Terima kasih kembali' or 'you're welcome' after a flight attendant said 'thank you' to passengers leaving the aircraft. This woman preferred to use Indonesian when speaking with her fellow travelers.
Indeed, its not uncommon to find ethnic Dutch people, especially in Amsterdam, speaking Indonesian.
Amsterdam is one of Europe's most beautiful cities, with many historical destinations, many buildings with classical architecture.
Dozens of canals divide the city, banked by long lanes for pedestrians and featuring elegant views. All sections are systematically and neatly arranged, offering a fascinating urban landscape.
Old buildings and other monuments are widely distributed and well preserved by the city administration. It's not surprising to find an old building functioning not only as a museum, but also a hotel and shop.
There's one item on every tourists must-do list in the Netherlands.
'We certainly wish to see windmills, but Amsterdam isn't the right place,' says Burhan an Indonesian tour guide and long-time local resident. Winds just aren't strong enough here for working windmills. 'Eindhoven is the right destination.'
Apart fostering an exotic atmosphere, the city pays great attention to cyclists. Everywhere there are special lanes, as local residents prefer to travel by bike and not just for fitness. Cars and motorcycles give way to cyclists, who in turn abide by traffic lights.
Garuda Indonesia offers direct and nonstop Jakarta-Amsterdam service, five times weekly using Boeing 777-300ERs.
'This is the only nonstop and fastest Jakarta-Amsterdam flight, taking only 14 hours,' Garuda Indonesia president director Emirsyah Satar said.
The airline saves about four hours by using the Boeing 777-300ER, compared to the aircraft previously serving the route, which were routed through Abu Dhabi.
'This is obviously a big transportation business for Garuda Indonesia,' said Indonesian ambassador to the Netherlands Retno LP Marsudi. 'Indonesia-Dutch historical relations are interesting. Dutch people always wish to see Indonesia to get firsthand knowledge of the country related by their ancestors.'
' Text and pictures by JP/P.J. Leo
