purple glory

Port Elizabeth has two satellite towns, Uitenhage and Despatch. Both are about 30 minutes drive inland, and rely heavily on the motor industry. They are both included with PE in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, which runs the metropole.Uitenhage is older than PE by a few years, and has some great old buildings. And at this time of year, it also has some glorious Jacaranda trees, which thrive in South Africa, although they are originally from South America.

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The old Post Office

The clock on the old Post Office building. Time has stood still here for a while, and the building is sadly neglected, one of many owned by an Irish property tycoon who has bought up many of the historic gems in Port Elizabeth, and let them go to rack and ruin. It is very sad.

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Surfs up at Noordhoek

Wherever there are good waves there are bound to be surfers. In Port Elizabeth that can either be on the Eastern or Western side of Cape Receife, depending on the wind and the swell.These guys are surfing off the rocks at Noordhoek, on the Western side. Extra care needs to be taken to ensure that one does not come to a sudden stop against a rock, when riding these waves.In the distance, you can see the Cape Receife lighthouse. This…

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The magic of sunset….

One of the first sights to greet any visitor coming into Port Elizabeth on the N2, from the East, is the Algorax factory, which produces the country's carbon black requirements for the tyre industry. The factory, which is a short walk from New Brighton Beach, is known as Smelly Creek, because the not-too-delightful aroma of the factory is combined with the pungent emissions from the Sewerage Reclaimation Works next to it.This sunset scene gives the factory an altogether different look…

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On a personal note……

I want to thank all of you who have visited this new member of the City DailyPhoto family and made us so welcome. We have wanted to come and return visits since Friday, but had to be out of town for a family celebration, and then this morning Max had a heart attack.He seems to be OK, he is still in intensive care, so please bear with us if we don't get round to visiting or returning comments for a…

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Tug and Campanile

One of a pair of tugs bringing a large container ship into the Harbour. (I was on the other one, it was cool!) They are amazing vessels, they look tiny here, dwarfed by the ship, but in fact they are not that small, and their propellors are interesting because they are multi-directional.In the background, you can see another famous PE landmark, the campanile, a tall brick tower built in 1920 as the centenary monument to the 1820 Settlers.

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The Donkin Memorial

The Donkin Reserve, featuring a lighthouse and a pyramid, is one of the iconic landmarks of PE. The lighthouse is no longer in use, and now houses a military museum.Sir Rufane Donkin, arrived here in 1820 to oversee the settlement of the embryo town, having been en-route for England when he was requested to remain at the Cape as Acting-Governor. The pyramid was built as a monument to Elizabeth Donkin, his late lamented wife who had died while he was…

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Looking for baddies!

I was visiting a friend yesterday, whose house overlooks the same valley that is featured in our first post. They have spectacular views right across the bay. On a clear day the unspoilt dunes on the other side show clearly. Suddenly the view from the window was filled by a helicopter, hovering outside. We went to check out what was happening... and it was the Police, hunting for a criminal hiding in the bushes to the left of Albany Road,…

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Welcome to Nelson Mandela Bay!

Introduction:We have been invited by CrazyCow of Durban to participate in the city daily photo forum. Since we are passionate about Port Elizabeth, and already love sharing photos of the city on our personal blogs, it will be a delight to show others around the world what a cool place it is!To set the scene, PE (as it is affectionately called) is a major port in Nelson Mandela Bay, on the Southern coast of South Africa, at about 33.5 degrees…

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Port Elizabeth Facts and Figures

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (Port Elizabeth)Port Elizabeth is a city in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province at 33°57′29″S, 25°36′00″E. Set along the shores of Algoa Bay, on the south eastern coast of Africa, it is a major tourist destination.The city, often shortened to PE and nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", stretches for 16km along Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in South Africa, midway between the ports of Durban (384 nautical…

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