The last few weeks have been a challenge. It wasn't just my car being stolen with my backpack and everything in it which was locked in the boot. It was also the fact that my backpack contained my camera which meant that I haven't been able to take photos lately except for a few pics with my phone. It also means that my blogging hasn't been as frequent as it should be as I have been without any pictures to…
Internationally people don't really associate South Africa with snow and is often surprised when they hear that some areas do get snow in winter. Large sections of the Drakensberg as well as parts of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and eastern Free State often get snow with the bigger cold fronts that hit the country during winter. When a particular severe one hits most of the southern mountains in the country are covered in snow as was the case on the weekend of 16 July. My family…
One of the iconic rural countryside objects of South Africa is the windpomp (wind pump). Windpompe is used to extract water from boreholes and can be found (working or not) on all our highways and byways around South Africa's countryside. This one I photographed on one of the game reserves just outside Port Elizabeth.
I still had a couple of odd monument photos from Graaff-Reinet lying around and decided to put them together and do a "Random ..." post for today. This monument is in memory of Andries Pretorius, one of the Voortrekker leaders. It was erected in 1943 and can be found just outside of town on the way to Middelburg. This is the route to the north and into the interior which the Voortrekkers followed in the 1830's.In one of the residential…
Last weekend I did a post on Graaff Reinet Museums. Graaff Reinet has another prominent Cape Dutch style building which used to be the old Drostdy and is now the Drostdy Hotel. The building was constructed in 1806 as the Drostdy of the district. The Drostdy was normally the official residence and seat of the magistrate. The hotel is a real gem and contains original yellow wood floors, Persian Carpets and antique furniture. The hotel's accommodation is situated behind the…
The beautiful Karoo town of Graaff Reinet is South Africa's fourth oldest town. It has 220 heritage site (national monuments), more than any other town in South Africa and a number of these are magnificent examples of Cape Dutch architecture. The Graaff Reinet Museums take up some of these old Cape Dutch buildings and includes a fossil and rock art collection, period furniture and contemporary history exhibitions. The main gem in the museum crown must be Reinet House containing the…
On my trip to Graaff Reinet we stayed at Buffelshoek Farm Guesthouse. The guest house is on a farm about 15km outside Graaff Reinet. Even though Graaff Reinet is a quiet place, its nice to get away from the whole city life thing and stay a couple of nights on a farm. Quiet nights with no lights around to spoil the view of the stars, the only sound being the frogs by the dam, no cars driving past all the…
Graaff-Reinet is South Africa's fourth oldest town and is home to some magnificent examples of Cape Dutch architecture. The town has over 220 heritage sites which is more than any other town in South Africa. For more information on the town, go to Graaff Reinet Tourism.As you drive down the town's main street, an imposing building waits for you at the end of it. The Dutch Reformed Church is situated in the centre of town and is one of Graaff-Reinet's…
The first biennual International Mohair Summit took place in the Karoo town of Graaff Reinet last week. "What does it have to do with Port Elizabeth?" I hear you ask. Well, Port Elizabeth is seen as the mohair capital of the world as more mohair moves through this city than anywhere else in the world. If you want to learn more about the summit, you can read more about it on The Firefly Photo Files. Specific posts are: International Mohair…
The Valley of Desolation is situated just outside the town of Graaff Reinet. It can be found in the Camdeboo National Park which provides the visitor with insights into the unique landscape and ecosystem of the Karoo, not to mention awesome scenic beauty. The Karoo was formed hundreds of millions of years ago and in some places, dolerite form jointed pillars. The best examples of which are found in the Valley of Desolation where erosion of the softer sedimentary beds…