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Somerset East NG Kerk

One of the main landmarks in Somerset East in the Karoo is the Dutch Reformed Church (NG Kerk) in the main street (Nojoli Street). The proposal of the local Heemraden to erect a Dutch Reformed Church in 1825, was accompanied by the submission of a design in which Cape Dutch and Gothic architecture were cheerfully blended. The Eastern facade had a Dutch Renaissance tower rising from an impressive thatched nave. The foundation stone was laid in 1830, but the building…

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03/05/2010
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Addo elephant bull

There was an article in the newspaper this morning about one of the younger big elephant bulls in Addo Elephant National Park killing one of the older ones. It made me go and have a look at my elephant pictures to see if I had a nice picture of an elephant bull. I found this one that was taken a couple of years ago when I was still tour guiding. We were in Addo in a 11 seater minibus which…

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03/05/2010
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Walter Battiss Art Gallery

Situated just down the road from the Somerset East Museum in the Karoo town of Somerset East, one will find the Walter Battiss Art Gallery. Anybody involved in the South African art industry would know who Walter Battiss was. Walter Whall Battiss was born in Somerset East on 6 January 1906 (died 20 Aug 1982) and is generally considered as South Africa's foremost abstract painter. From 1938 Battiss paid several visits to Europe where he met various successful poets and…

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02/05/2010
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Bumper boats

One of the activities at the Boardwalk for kids (and sometimes big kids as well) is bumper boats on a separate section of the Boardwalk lake. The Rugrats went to a birthday party at the Boardwalk the other day and one of the things they did was the bumper boats. Chaos Boy is a bit scared of water and Drama Princess is still too young to go alone, so I went along with them. The boats have little water canons…

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02/05/2010
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Camping at Sleepy Hollow

I really enjoy camping at Sleepy Hollow just outside Port Elizabeth and have done so a couple of times now. Its the perfect getaway from the city and only about 20 minutes away. It gives you the opportunity to get back to nature with the main thing you can do being going for walks up the valley. These campers were a group of friends that were camping just below us during our last stay.

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01/05/2010
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Somerset East Museum

Spending the weekend in Somerset East a couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to explore a town which I didn't know very well. One of the main attractions in Somerset East is the Somerset East Museum, also known as The Old Parsonage Museum. The museum is situated just outside town on the slopes of the Boschberg Mountain .Shortly after the establishment of the town of Somerset, 1825, land on the slopes of the mountain was given to the…

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30/04/2010
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Ironman cycling

Ironman series #6. The cycling leg of 180km was done by covering a circular route of 60km throughout Port Elizabeth and surrounds. Part of it travels down Marine Drive along the coastline with some beautiful views of the ocean. I took this pic down Sardinia Bay Road as this is as far as I was able to get. .This is the last of my Ironman posts. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the running leg as I had didn't…

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30/04/2010
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Ironman transition point

Ironman series #5: After the competitors exit the water for the second time, they leave the beach and move onto the Hobie Beach parking lot where the transition area was situated. Here the 1800 competitors collected their bikes for the 180km cycling leg. Seeing all the bikes lined up was quite a site and as I had media accreditation I thought I may be able to get in there for a couple of shots. Unfortunately I wasn't able to so…

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29/04/2010
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Sunrise swimmer

Last Sunday at the Ironman South Africa event here in Port Elizabeth I snapped this pic of one of the competitors who got to the start a couple of minutes late. All the other competitors were in the water on the swimming leg already when this guy came strolling by quite casually as he was putting on his goggles.For more magnificent views of the sky, visit the Skywatch.

15 Comments
29/04/2010
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Angler and Antelope Guest House

A weekend or two ago we spent the weekend in Somerset East at the guest house of a friend. The Angler and Antelope is situated in the heart of this quaint Karoo town and is truly worthy of its 4 star status. The property consist of a seven room guesthouse as well as a self catering unit called Fisherman's Cottage. A unique feature on the property is the St Francis Culinary Centre which acts as the guest house's lounge, dining…

8 Comments
28/04/2010