Navigating our 7th Decade
It was mid February, and we were looking for a weekend getaway not too far from our current base. Somewhere where we could down tools, put our feet up and relax, but with the option of doing something if we were so inclined. Someone mentioned the Southern Drakensberg. A quick online investigation confirmed that it looked like our kind of place, so we organized our accommodation*, and off we headed …
Why Our 2-Cup Bialetti Moka Pot is the Best Travel Coffee Maker for Every Adventure. When it comes to travel essentials, our 2-cup Bialetti espresso maker is one of the first items that goes in the suitcase. And that’s irrespective of where we are headed to. What a lucky Bialetti! It’s been all over Europe, Australasia, Southern Africa and parts in between! It’s been camping in the wild, stayed in …
We have visited a fair few cities over the past four decades. Having both been brought up in small rural towns, we are not big city enthusiasts. Most are forgettable while some have a charm of their own. A very few have bowled us over in a glorious, noisy, chaotic rush. Naples is definitely the latter. Situated on the coast beneath the ever present threat of Mount Vesuvius, it’s a …
We found out about Oradour-sur-Glane by pure accident. We were on a train from Paris, heading to Limoges where we were being picked up and heading into the Corrèze. We got chatting with a Frenchman who was heading down to Limoges to visit his parents. When he found out we would be in the area for an extended period, he started suggesting places of interest we might visit. Oradour-sur-Glane was …
Beneath Istanbul’s Streets: Discovering the Basilica Cistern Just a short walk from Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, the basilica cistern is an amazing place to visit. Also known as the Sunken Palace – for good reason – it was built by the Byzantine Roman emperor Justinian 1 to supply water to the Great Palace of Constantinople. Once we had paid the somewhat eye watering tourist entrance fee, we descended …
A Hidden Gem in Southern Italy When you think of Italy, it’s easy to picture the usual suspects like Rome, Florence and Venice – or even Naples and Sienna. We have visited them all and they are awesome, yet somehow familiar. But every so often, we find ourselves in a place that we have no prior knowledge of and that feels like it’s still a bit of a secret. Aspromonte …
Tucked away in a narrow cobbled street in the heart of Naples’ old city is the Museo Cappella Sansevero. Hidden behind an unassuming façade at Via Francesco de Sanctis 19, this small museum holds one of the most amazing sculptures you are ever likely to see. We’d read about the famous Veiled Christ before we got to Naples, and we had seen the pictures. But absolutely nothing we saw or …
Discover KZN’s “Secret” Waterfall. The Mooi River Falls, also known as Zulu Falls, are hidden deep in the KZN Midlands country side, somewhere between Mooi River and Weenen. With an 89m drop, they are not quite on a par with the two better known Midlands waterfalls – Howick Falls(95m) and the Karkloof Falls (105m) – but they are majestic in their own right. And if you are not into crowds, …
One of the activities that has been on our bucket list for a long time now is picking olives in Calabria, Italy. Despite a few visits to Italy, we have never got the timing right as olive picking only starts late October and goes through until February, depending on the harvesting method that is being used. But this year we got our timing right and late October found us in …
The West Coast Flower Show Nature can be spectacular. Very often you have to get the timing right, but if you do, you are well rewarded. The West Coast National Park on the west coast of the southern tip of Africa is a case in point. Bordering the Atlantic ocean, this park is an easy 90 minute drive north of Cape Town. Every year, between July and October, if the …