One of the first things they did when they started with the Route 67 developement was to open up the section of Strand Street between Market Square and the Campanile. A new set of steps were built to link the two areas and at the bottom of the steps a fountain was installed to cheer the area up a bit.
The 470 square meter mosaic next to the Donkin Memorial (pyramid) is fast becoming one of the most popular art pieces on Route 67. People are finding all kinds of fun ways to take photos of it. This group of school kids were lying down on the circles for pictures when I was on top of the lighthouse the other day. Unfortunately by the time I got my camera out they were getting up already
The Campanile was built to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the landing of the 1820 British Settlers. The 54 meter high building with its 204 steps were constructed on what used to be the landing beach, today standing between the Port Elizabeth harbour and the Settlers Freeway. Some effort has been made to try and reconnect it with the city after being "cut off" by the freeway for so long and it was decided to make it the start of…
I know I often post pictures of the art pieces which form part of Route 67 on the Donkin, but with 67 art pieces around plus the history and beautiful surrounds I just can't help throwing in one every now and then. These are some of the art pieces that was installed next to the mosaic steps leading up towards the flag. Most of them seems to have been taken down since I took this picture. Not sure if they…
TGIF. The week is over. Not just one week but actually two that just flowed into each other as I attended Tourism Indaba that included this past weekend. Indaba was good, not just from a destination marketing point of view but also from a personal one. Amongst others I got to attend the SA Tourism #MeetSouthAfrica bloggers conference and picked up a lot of tips on social media attached to a travel blog. Some of these I really need to concentrate…
The giant South African flag on top of the 65m high flagpole on the Donkin Reserve has truly become one of Port Elizabeth's new iconic landmarks. The flag is visible from just about all over the city (if you have some kind of vantage point) thanks to the fact that the flagpole is the second highest in Africa. Incidentally the highest one, which is in Angola, isn't used at the moment which makes our the highest by default.
Most people notice Route 67's big colourful mosaic next to the Donkin Reserve but doesn't realise that there is another beautiful mosaic right across the green in front of the King Edward Hotel. The Welcome Carpet was done by Lisbet Demeyer and was one of the first art pieces to be done as part of the Route 67 development. The mosaic is made up of coloured quartz and bead work and forms a red carpet welcoming visitors to the Donkin Reserve. …
My favourite Route 67 art piece on the Donkin Reserve must be The Voting Line. The Voting Line was created by artists Anthony Harris and Konrad Geel and consist of life-size laser-cut steel figures that form a symbolic voting line celebrating the voters as they were seen in the country's first democratic elections in 1994. At the front of the line stands the figure of Nelson Mandela, fist triumphantly in the air, and a group of children. The children…
A few weeks ago I posted the blowing newspaper art piece which forms part of Route 67. It may be the biggest but its not the only blowing newspaper piece on the route. At the Campanile there is another smaller one containing quotes by Nelson Mandela.
At 60 meters high the flag pole on the Donkin Reserve in Port Elizabeth is the tallest flag pole in South Africa while the flag flying from it is the biggest South African flag in the world. The flag is about the size of a tennis court and usually when I say it people look at me funny, look up at it and then shake their heads. Remember that the flag is flying 60 meters up so it doesn't look that…