The new series of Game of Thrones may have started this week and yes, over here winter is also coming, but we're still having fits of good weather and some people are still enjoying the beach a bit before it gets too cold to do son.
This row of colourful houses in Alfred Terrace, Central always fascinate me. It shows that if all the old Settler homes in the area gets a proper revamp and a lick of paint that we can have our own colourful historic area like the Bo-Kaap in Cape Town. The only difference will be that we will have old stone churches rather than mosques. How about it? What do you think?
The Karoo Heartland town of Somerset East is a place full of interesting and quirky attractions. One of them is the Walter Battiss Art Gallery which also houses the local tourism information office. Battiss (6 January 1906 – 20 August 1982) was generally considered to be the foremost South African abstract painter but is probably equally as famous as the creator of the quirky Fook Island. Fook Island was Battiss' "island of the imagination" for which he created a map,…
Last week while attending the launch of Algoa Bay as the Bottlenose Dolphin Capital of the World I sneaked outside for a quick photo of the Yacht basin and the harbour lights. Wish one could get onto more areas in the harbour to take photos.
Naval Hill in Bloemfontein has always been a beacon in the Free State capitol and known for the magnificent views of the surrounding city. In 2012 an eight meter tall bronze sculpture, made by the same sculptor as the one standing in Mandela Square in Sandton, was revealed. Last year during the #MeetSouthAfrica bloggers trip before Indaba, the one group spent a night in Bloem and visited Naval Hill at sunset. The pictures they posted were stunning. I also got…
I know I've posted quite a few photos of the Humewood slipway before but as it is one of the best known landmarks along the PE beachfront I am sure I will still post many in the future. I hear rumours that there are big plans afoot to possibly include them in an iconic art project in the near future but I have heard such talk in the past as well. Hopefully this time it will actually happen.
A little Geocaching detour allowed me to take notice of something I have passed many times before. Have you ever driven down Conynham Road in Parsons Hill and noticed the abandoned tennis courts on the right next to St Peter's Greek Orthodox Church. I've noticed them but I've never taken notice till this week. I wonder why the courts wasn't used anymore which led to it falling to ruin like this.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck6YfO5YZ3s&w=500&h=400]Sarah and Ralph from Chasing the Rainbow dragged the kids (ok, so they did go willingly but you know teenagers) off for a hike through The Island Nature Reserve just outside Port Elizabeth last weekend. I've done the Bushbuck Trail through the reserve and it is one of my favorite trails in PE. Check out the video they made and then head over to their blog and read the post by clicking the link above.
A couple of years ago I got an inquiry to find out if I had any information on the "wedge building" near the Donkin Reserve in Central. After doing a bit of research and not finding much, I posted the question on the ExPE 60's 70's and 80's page where I received a wide range of opinions and answers. And then it happened, first hand information. Elizabeth Wilson Botha gave the following answer.This block of four flats (two at street…
Grahamstown has two monuments to the 1820 British Settlers on top of Gun Fire Hill overlooking the town. The most prominent is the Settlers Monument building, heart of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival, with its huge auditorium. I prefer the second one a few hundred meters away from the building a lot more. It depicts a British Settler family as they arrived on our shores. When I look at it I can actually hear the little girl ask her mother…