Food & Wine Market at Hermanuspietersfontein

This is a popular market on a Saturday morning for residents of Hermanus and the surrounds. Its setting is the Hermanuspietersfontein Wine Cellars at the Hemel en Aarde Village closest to Onrus, and if you’re not there to pick up the weekend’s nibbles and nosh, then you’re there for breakfast with friends. It’s a market in much the same vein as the Neighbourgoods and the Earth Fair markets in Cape Town, although on a slightly smaller scale. It can get busy though, so you might want to get here relatively early. The market opens at 09h00 … Continued

Peaks, Valleys and Champagne … in the Drakensberg

One of my favourite holiday spots is the Drakensberg in KwaZulu Natal. Don’t get me wrong, I love the beach and there is nothing better than an early morning swim in the Indian Ocean, but the Drakensberg offers just as good a holiday and there is no need to watch out for jellyfish and sand in your sarmies! Continued

A stay in Vermont

Vermont

Tell people that you’re on your way to Vermont and many give you a puzzled response. They obviously are not expecting you to go all the way to America for the weekend, but whilst their brains are whizzing around trying to place the town on a map, I rescue them and explain that it lies close to Hermanus. The relief is palpable.

Acquaintances of ours have a wee cottage set in the heart of Vermont’s ‘old’ quarter. After staying in the town twice now, and familiarising myself with its streets, I have divided Vermont into the ‘old’ and ‘new’, or ‘east’ and ‘west’ quarters for my own reasons. The east or old side is relatively conservative with smaller homes and pretty gardens, whilst the west suffers from a serious case of ‘my house is bigger than yours’ syndrome (although there are obvious exceptions). Continued

Two Oceans Aquarium photographs

Todays photographs are a collection of photographs taken at the Two Oceans Aquarium. The Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town is without doubt one of the most exciting attractions in the city, particularly if you have children. Called the Two Oceans Aquarium because the vast Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet here, or almost here at the southern tip of the continent, the delightful underwater nature reserve displays over 3000 living sea animals, including sharks, fish, turtles, and penguins on display … Continued

Photograph of iconic Table Mountain on International Day of Climate Action by Dave Estment

Did you know that 24 October was the International Day of Climate Action? The intention of this day, organised by 350.org, was to lift public awareness on the need for an international climate treaty to reach 350. 350.org called upon people from every corner of the globe to find an iconic place in their community and incorporate the number 350 with this place and take a photograph. Once all the images are collected they will be delivered to world leaders and the media to show how unified the climate movement is … Continued

Picnicking at Harold Porter, and sighting penguins …

Botanical Gardens

Harold Porter is a really pleasant surprise! In fact, it’s one of the Cape’s best kept secrets …

I had forgotten just how gorgeous the drive from Cape Town to Betty’s Bay along Clarence Drive, known also as Route 44, is. We were to visit friends in Somerset West in the evening and, since it looked as though the day would be clear, we ambitiously set off for the Harold Porter Botanical Garden, a long-delayed visit, one we had been meaning to make for too long. Continued

29 Blue Flag Beaches in South Africa

The new season of Blue Flag South Africa was launched at Muizenberg beach in Cape Town yesterday where it was announced that 29 of South Africa’s beaches have achieved Blue Flag status – an increase from 19 to 29 this year … Continued

A hop, skip and a jump to Pilgrim’s Rest

Getting to Pilgrim’s Rest from Johannesburg takes longer than you think it will. It shouldn’t, as the obvious route along the N4 is pretty straight forward – Witbank, Belfast, Waterval Boven – but this is where it starts getting fuzzy, because by this stage not only were we tired, having only left work at around 3pm, but by the time we hit Sabie there was also a not-so-fine mist to contend with.

Oncoming traffic became somewhat indistinct, the world took on the ambiance of Narnia (I kept waiting for Mr Tumnus to come trotting out from under a lamppost) and my stomach took the opportunity to inform me that it was more than a little hungry – ravenous probably comes closer! Continued

History or horticulture? How about a whole lot of both at Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden?

The Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden is one of the Cape’s most well-known tourism draw cards, as well as being a favourite with locals as a picnic spot. Any Cape Town guide book worth its salt will tell you about the Garden’s 528 hectares of indigenous flora and natural forest (36 of which are cultivated), its restaurants, its hiking trails and its line-up of summer concerts. What they might not tell you about is Kirstenbosch’s very long and interesting history … Continued

The Outeniqua Country Hop

Outeniqua Country Hop

One could be forgiven for thinking that the ‘country hop’ is some sort of quaint rural dance, but the Outeniqua country hop in the Garden Route is a tourist route, initiated by a group of local women to help put local trade in and around George on the map. The clever play on the term ‘hop’ was inspired by the abundance of hops growing in the area, a plant used in the manufacturing of beer, and unique to this region in South Africa.

We picked up signs for the Hop on the R404, as we drove out of George. With two young boys in tow, I was taken with the icon of the tractor, which accompanies the hop signs, since a tractor ride in any guise would provide my boys with a lot of excitement! The icon however appeared to be more of a symbol than a reality, although clearly much of the beautiful scenery through which one passes is working farmland. Continued

Bloubergstrand …

Bloubergstrand

It is a humbling experience watching a child have their first experience of the beach, something that I as a Capetonian often take for granted. My cousin and her 13 month old son came down to Cape Town from Johannesburg for a visit.

The day they arrived was quite a typical summer’s day, hot with a bit of wind and we decided that it would be a great opportunity to go down to the beach, after all the little guy could have his first taste (literally) of the beach sand and see the sea … Continued

Eggman by Greg Lumley

Todays photograph by Cape Town photographer, Greg Lumley, is of “Eggman” – he’s the guy with all the Eggs on his head that you see at all the best festivals in Cape Town. His name is Gregory da Silva – Greg is a storyteller, dancer and live street perfomer from Benin West Africa. “Eggman” performs every day in Market Square, Cape Town and adds an air of Rio-style festivity wherever he performs … Continued

Flower Power – the Cape Floral Kingdom

Cape Floral Kingdom

Here in South Africa, we’re really quite proud of all the cool stuff our country has to offer. You’ve heard us wax lyrical about our mountains, our game reserves, our wildlife, our beaches, and just gush in general about South Africa’s natural beauty (not to mention its world-class hotels, restaurants, bars, nightlife…).

So small wonder that here’s yet another part of the country we want to tell you about: The Cape Floral Kingdom.

Of the six floral kingdoms in the world, ours might be the smallest, but, as the old adage goes, it’s not the size that matters. You see … it’s also the only floral kingdom occurring entirely within one country. Continued

Down the garden path … Cape Town Company Gardens

In the midst of Cape Town’s bustling CBD, abutting the Houses of Parliament and Tuynhuys (the President’s Cape Town residence), hides an oasis of greenery, the roots of which extend across the centuries to tap into our country’s history – though most locals simply think of the Company Gardens as a cool spot for an inner-city picnic.

Named for the Dutch East India Company, the gardens were established by Jan van Rieebeck in the 1650’s as a fresh produce garden for the purpose of re-victualling ships and providing Cape Town’s colonists with veggies. They have been luring visitors through their gates since their current incarnation as a botanical garden and public park in 1848. A wander around the Gardens’ limits will bring you into contact with sprawling lawns, fountains, fish ponds, a Japanese rose garden, an aviary, a sun dial and the country’s oldest cultivated pear tree, among other botanically and historically important plant-life. Continued