Firefly the Travel Guy - Firefly the Travel Guy

An angel of victory and peace in Graaff-Reinet

When you drive up the main road through Graaff-Reinet the magnificent Dutch Reformed Church (Groot Kerk) awaits you at the top of the street. As you drive around the church you find the town's beautiful Town Hall hiding behind it and perched in the Mayor's Garden stands a statue of an angel holding a sword. Three months after the end of the First World War a decision was made to erect a monument in honour of the gallant Graaff-Reinet men…

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09/08/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

In search of the Aberdeen bed grave

I would like to believe that I am a true ambassador of the Eastern Cape and know a thing or two about what this beautiful and diverse province has to offer visitors and explorers. Would I go as far as to call myself an expert? Mhe... Not sure. I still have a long list of places I still want to visit and things to see. Until recently one of these was the bed grave between Graaff-Reinet and Aberdeen. The site…

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03/08/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

A French Huguenot memorial in the Karoo

When you think of the French Huguenots you automatically think of Franschhoek surrounded by mountains, greenery, and vineyards. And wine, let's not forget the wine. So try and imagine then a memorial to the French Huguenots in the Karoo Heartland town of Graaff-Reinet. On 31 December 1687 the first group of Huguenots set sail from France as part of a large-scale emigration of Huguenots to the Cape of Good Hope due to religious persecution. About 350 Huguenots eventually settled at…

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28/07/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

Remembering the Independence of Graaff-Reinet

Did you know that Graaff-Reinet declared independence from the Cape Colony at the end of the 1700s? Or that there is a monument commemorating this event in town? I knew about the shortlived independence but even though I have been to Graaff-Reinet many times before I didn't realise there was a monument to it. On my last trip I knew what to look for and finding it really was a facepalm moment. If it was a snake it would have…

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24/07/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

The Union Monument pyramid in Graaff-Reinet

The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt are one of the most famous monuments in the world. At some stage in history, pyramids also became very popular grave markers. Probably the best-known pyramid monument in South Africa is the Donkin Memorial in Port Elizabeth, erected by Sir Rufane Donkin in memory of his wife Elizabeth in 1820. Imagine my surprise when I found out that there is a pyramid monument in Graaff-Reinet as well. This monument overlooks the town from the…

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19/07/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

Meandering along the Goesa Forest Trail in the Tsitsikamma

The forest is a place I go to recharge my soul. I don't always have time to venture too far down the old Storms River Pass or onto the Plaatbos forest trails, but just sitting by the stream flowing under the road inside the gate is often enough. On my last visit around I had some time on my hands in the late afternoon and decided to give the Goesa Trail a shot. The Goesa Trail is a nice easy…

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12/07/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

Looking north with the Andries Pretorius Monument

The Great Trek had a number of leaders that will always be remembered in the Afrikaner history of South Africa. In 1836 Dutch-speaking settlers started moving northeast into the interior of what is today known as South Africa away from the Cape Colony. They were traveling in wagon trains made up of ox wagons and horses seeking to live beyond the Cape's British colonial administration. One of those leaders was a man named Andries Pretorius from the Graaff-Reinet district. General…

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07/07/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

Tsitsikamma Mountains in shades of blue

Johannes Kerkorrel did a rendition of the FAK sangbundel song called "Al lê die berge nog so blou" and how could I not help but to start humming it when I saw this sight? It's not a sight that was new to me as I have seen it many times during the years I worked as a tourist guide. It's been a while though. "Where is it?" you ask. It's the Tsitsikamma Mountains as you came out of the Tsitsikamma…

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27/06/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

A whistlestop visit to Orania

I love exploring small towns. There's just something about them and the history you find there. But what if it's a small town that technically is new and without its own history yet still has a lot of history in it? Sounds confusing, doesn't it? There is one such place that has been on my bucket list radar for quite some time. The Afrikaner enclave of Orania. Partly to see what the town looks like for myself, partly to visit…

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02/06/2023

Firefly the Travel Guy

Vanderkloof Dam – second largest dam in South Africa

I like to detour via the Gariep Dam rather than Colesburg when heading north, usually for work or my daughter's cricket. The same can't be said for the Vanderkloof Dam though. I think the last time I saw it it was still called the PK le Roux Dam and I was still in primary school. Having some extra time on our hands on a recent trip to Bloemfontein (for cricket again), we decided to detour via the dam and Orania…

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19/04/2023