One of the pride of Leiden University is its botanical garden. Recently I paid a visit to the garden, (which has free entry for LU students) and was in awe. I was always in the library, which is just across the garden, yet I have never known how big it is. It's not massive, but it's very beautifully planted and decorated. It was a very soothing, calming place to be in. Some people lay down to sunbathe, some read books - this is the slow, typical European sights. They have a number of different tulips (obviously) but they also have a good Japanese garden, since the Dutch used to occupy the island of Deshima in Japan, famously discovered by Phillip Franz van Siebold. There are also tropical trees inside a treehouse but naturally it wasn't too interesting as, well, I see them a lot back home. 

Being there made me think about being in Europe. They care a lot of open spaces. They long for sunny days and the chance to sit in the sun and relax. Their weather sometimes supports this culture because on a very good day, the air was cool yet the sun is not too harsh - that is the definition of a perfect European day. I can't help but think about open spaces in Indonesia. Is it really impossible to build a green space? I know Jakarta now has more parks and open green spaces but it can be too hot and too humid, am I right? Can't the many trees pump enough oxygen and provide shade from the sun? I really hope that one day Jakarta can have a big park. Not just malls (although I enjoy them too). 

To reach Hortus Botanicus, you can walk from Leiden Centraal to Rapenburg, where the Academy Building is located.