Starting on Belmont Terrace right in front of the (unfortunately closed) King Edward Hotel and leading onto the Donkin Reserve is the Welcome Carpet art piece. This Route 67 art piece by Lisbet Demeyer is a Quartz Carpet with inlaid bead artwork and acts as a welcoming celebration of the Eastern Cape's cultures, leading the diverse visitors to the Donkin Reserve onto the park.
The Karoo is known as blue sky country. That means when the thunder clouds start to pack together after a hot day there is lots of sky to watch the approaching storm in. Like this one I witnessed just after leaving Cradock on my way back to Port Elizabeth. I can just smell the drops splashing down on the hot tar road again. Its one of my five favorite smells along with the smell of cut grass, fresh bread, the ocean and a…
No 7 Castle Hill is a favorite spot for both young and old (and in between as well). I have been there so many times and always see something that I haven't seen before. It also helps that the museum has a passionate curator in Mrs Grizel Hart who really cares deeply for the museum and it's history. There is often not a day that passes without a school group coming through the museum but every now and then there is…
The Grand White Dinner has taken place in London, Paris, Berlin, Cape Town and now Port Elizabeth. On Saturday afternoon I got to attend the first Grand White Dinner taking place in the Friendly City with compliments of the organisers of the event. I wasn't sure what to expect but was blown away from the moment we walked through the gate. Everything was laid out perfectly with somebody on hand right from the start to show guests where to go. Best of…
I often wonder how many people who have visited Cradock would never have stayed over in the town if it wasn't for the Tuishuise. The Tuishuise on Market Square was built between 1840 and 1870 and housed artisans like harness makers, wheelwrights, smithies and carpenters who made a living from the horses, oxen and wagons passing through on their way north. Unfortunately by the early 1900's oxen and wagons where replaced by trains and cars and the artisans started to loose their livelihood. …
The new skateboard rink at Kings Beach has become a very popular spot with both young and old
https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/qjjA9cZfg7M&source=udsSouth Africa is a popular tourist destination and visitors often just come here for the scenery and wildlife, leaving with so much more. South Africa has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and the wildlife experiences are unequalled, but it's also about the people, the cultures, the food, the rural country side and the urban vibe. One thing that many people don't expect is how modern South Africa is, how you can go from a small village in the middle…
After yesterday's post of the bus station art, we are staying on Strand Street under the freeway. Ten art pieces called Identities by artist Lubhi Mtathi can be seen on the freeway pillars. The series are all powerful and evocative portraits that depict young South Africans from a range of cultural backgrounds dispelling racial and cultural stereotyping.
Everybody who has taken the bus into town and gotten on or off in the downtown bus station would remember how dark and dodgy it used to be. Since it's been opened up as part of the Strand Street and Route 67 redevelopments things have changed a bit and its a lot more open and lighter.Adding even more colour and cheerfulness to the area is the Route 67 Bus Station Mural by 4BlindMice celebrating public transport and the daily journeys…
The Dutch Reformed Church at the top of Church Street in Cradock is probably this Karoo town's most imposing landmark. The first Dutch Reformed congregation in the town was established in 1824 and the church was the town's first. Paul Kruger, who went on to become the President of the Transvaal Republic, who was born on a farm near Bulhoek south of Queenstown in 1826 was christened (by a Welsh pastor) in the original church and his name appears in the register. The present building,…