Our City


Gedung Sate, Picture was taken by M.Insanu

Bandung is the capital city of West Java and the third largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta and Surabaya. Nicknamed Parijs van Java (Paris of Java) by the Dutch for its resemblance to Paris and European atmosphere back at the colonial times. Bandung also earned another nickname as Kota Kembang, literally meaning the Flower City since Bandung used to have a lot of flowers.

 Batagor

In the late 18th and early 19th century, as locals called it the bandoeng tempo doeloe (old Bandung) era, there were many buildings built with an art-deco style. The city that had served as a weekend resort for European rich men has made these type of buildings possible. Located at the altitude of 768m with the surroundings of lush and beautiful Parahyangan mountains makes the climate mild and pleasant.

Bandung has been the melting point between the local Sundanese culture and the high-end technology developed at the Institute Technology Bandung. There are some interesting places to visit: Saung Angklung Udjo, Bosscha Observatorium, Geological Museum.

Architect C.P.W. Schoemaker also left many Bandung Art-Deco architectural style. Make sure to see these heritage buildings when we are in Bandung like Gedung Merdeka, Villa Isola, facade of the Grand Preanger Hotel, Cipaganti mosque, Cathedral at Jl. Merdeka, Church at Jl. Wastukencana, the Majestic theater, Gedung PLN, Landmark building at Jl. Braga, etc. Other interesting and historical buildings that are worth to visit are Savoy Homann Hotel, Gedung Sate, ITB West and East Hall.

There are many activities that we can do in the city or outside the city. As Bandung highland is surrounded by a string of mountains, activities in the outskirt of the city are mainly mountain resorts, adventures and outdoor sports. In the city, we can have culinary activities as there are so many food varieties (Bakso Tahu / Siomay, Batagor, Martabak, Soto Bandung, Lotek, and many sundanise cuisines), shopping with many clothing outlets and distros or just hanging around.

Another place that is worth to visit is Mt. Tangkuban Perahu. Placed outside Bandung, we can see it at almost anywhere in Bandung, but it is not complete before we see its crater. If we're in Bandung, take a look at the north side and find an unusual shape of mountain. The name itself comes from the local Legend of Sangkuriang ("Legenda Sangkuriang") about a disobedient son who kicks his boat upside-down and then cursed into stone. Hence the name of this mountain (perahu = boat).

Find more about Bandung and its attraction on
Bandung Tourism
Bandung travel guide



Tugu Muda &Lawang Sewu, from wikipedia.org
Borubudur temple, Picture was taken by Puri H.

Semarang, the capital city of Central Java province, lies in the northern part of Central Java. It is a bustling mid-size town with 1.5 million population. The northern part of the city is built on the coastal plain while the southern parts, known as Candi Lama and Candi Baru, are on higher ground.
Lumpia Semarang
It has its own charm with contrasting modern mid-rises, Dutch colonial architecture (eg. Lawang Sewu, Stasiun Tawang, Gereja Blenduk, Kota Lama), China town, and small kampongs jut against each other. The city weather is hot and humid with average high and low temperatures are very consistent throughout the course of the year around 26-31 degrees Celsius.
 
Semarang is famous with its traditional food like Bandeng Presto, Lumpia Semarang, Wingko Babat, and Tahu Gimbal. Beside that, Semarang is also famous with its culinary places with lots of restaurant that serves local cuisine with sweet and spicy taste.

As a major hub city of Central Java, from Semarang we can go to Dieng Plateau that situated at north off small town named Wonosobo for one day tour. In there we can see ancient hindus temple/candi. Alternatively, within one and a half hours we can go to Borobudur temple in Muntilan and then to Prambanan temple in Klaten and buy some antiques and batik in Yogyakarta. It takes less than 2 hours drive from Semarang to Ungaran, Salatiga, Ambarawa, Kopeng and Bandungan. We will see beautiful scenery on the way between Semarang, Salatiga and the adjacent cities like Solo and Yogyakarta. We can reach Solo (sometimes called Surakarta) or Yogyakarta in 2 hours. Other relaxing place is Karimunjawa, marine national park in small islands north of Semarang, with its beautiful coral reefs and many marine activities.
Find more about Semarang and its attraction on



Martini tower by Pandji T.
Groningen is the capital city of the province Groningen . It is the northeastern most province of the Netherlands, border directly with German state Niedsachsen in the east. Groningen has a population of 190.000 in which 50.000 of it are students. Based on archeological data, the city believed to stem from 3950-3720 BC and became an important trade centre city in 13th century. In the 15th century, the 127 m tall Martini tower was built, which is the highest building ever made in the entire Europe at that time. During the 2nd world war, the city was destroyed severely but Martini tower still remained.





Rijksuniversiteit of Groningen by Pandji T.
The city largely influenced by the university life, namely Rijksuniversiteit of Groningen and Hanze School are the two higher educational institutions. The large number of students is largely contributes to a diverse cultural scene for the city. Furthermore, the fact that 57 % journey within the city are made by bicycle, made Groningen called as "the world cycling city". It is even said that the bicycle population in Groningen is four times higher than the population of its habitant.

Among its many wonderful attractions the Groningen province can count: The Martini tower in Grootemarkt, Bourtarge fortress, the Lauwersmee national park, the greenest municipality Haren, the highest percentege of students in higher education, the country's most beautiful building Gasunie and many more.

Find more about Groningen and its attraction on
Groningen tourism





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