My Travel Adventures

My last day in Java was a Monday. No, I did not skip work or take a holiday: it was the Thai King’s birthday over the weekend, and everyone got the day off – including the staff at international organisations. I ate a leisurely breakfast and took the hotel’s shuttle to Yogyakarta Airport, leaving for Jakarta at 10 o’clock.

Today was a short day, as I had to get back to Geneva for my job. We managed to finish our supply of cheese, fruit, and juice in the morning, which made me very proud of our planning skills. We packed up and, leaving a few things at our Airbnb to pick up later, made our way into the city for one last time. Our first destination lay to the north: the Church of Joan of Arc. A highly original and controversial building, it is sometimes referred to as “the Meringue” for its colour and shape; the church is built of reinforced concrete, its tall spire piercing the sky above a collection of white domes.

As I found out while perusing Google Maps, the French Riviera is a real hotspot for the visual arts. The area boasts a museum each dedicated to Matisse, Chagall, Renoir, and Léger, and two dedicated to Picasso. Choosing between them was difficult, but we eventually decided to see Renoir in Cagnes-sur-Mer, as the city is easily reachable by train, and we had not been there yet.