Friday, November 27, 2009

ART IN FRANSCHHOEK










Franschhoek is just wonderful small town in the Cape Town wine area, some of the best restaurants of the whole South Africa are there...So you can spend a week in one of the quality accomodations that Franschhoek offers and every day enjoy a wonderful meal in a different restaurant...

FRANSCHHOEK




Reuben's one of my favorite restaurants in Franschhoek and the kitchen utensils shop next is awesome...

SOUTH AFRICAN TIME


In South Africa now now means that I am still at home but leaving soon...

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

LADY IN RED


This is more my kind of lady in red...

Monday, November 23, 2009

COUNTRY STYLE EATING










The farm style restaurant was my favorite at the Noordhoek village. It is a ideal place for breakfast and lunch. They also have a deli shop, flowers, books etc... and while eating I was following the pie making in the open kitchen... It is in a small shopping centre that has a gift shop, art gallery, wine shop and antique shop...

NOORDHOEK VILLAGE


Noordhoek Farm Village has many things to offer, we stayed two nights in the Noordhoek Hotel, outstanding hospitality, the farm village has several restaurants and shops...

NOORDHOEK


We spent two days in Noordhoek which is situated south of Cape Town towards the Cape Point. The best way to get there is by the famous scenic road through Chapman's Peak... In Noordhoek you can enjoy the country feeling by the sea just 35min away from Cape Town...Surfing, hiking, mountain biking, horse riding and the beach life are some of the activities that you can enjoy in Noordhoek...

Saturday, November 21, 2009

SOUTH AFRICAN WINES


South Africa has beautiful wine routes around Cape Town area, hundreds of wine farms to visit, outstanding places to stay, excellent cuisine and of course many many wines to taste...

LA CROIX DU SUD






La Croix de Sud is a new wine farm just out of Franschoek. They have a small production of boutique wines...and the owners are our long time friends... We spent a wonderful and funny afternoon by enjoying lovely food and tasting all their wines... Maybe few glasses too much...

CHAMONIX


No you are not in French Alps but in town of Franschoek. Chamonix has a small cozy tasting room but their Chardonnay is one of our favorites in Cape region...

GOATS DO ROAM




Fairview wine farm is a special place where "goats do roam" The farm produce cheese and olive oil. Fairview estate offers wine and cheese tasting, in their deli shop you can find a large variety of cheeses, preserves, olive oil etc. In the restarant you can enjoy good food and view to the exclusive goat shed that can be found in their logo too...

NEDERBURG



Nederburg wine estate is located in Paarl, there we enjoyed wine and cheese tasting. Nederburg is well known for its award-winning wines.

CAPE TOWN WINE ROUTES



Cape Town wine route is abundant with good food and wine venues... Plenty places to stay, to enjoy the wine and hospitality and  the South African lifestyle in the scenic surroundings of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek. These are not the only wine areas in this region but these are the ones that I have been visiting during the last 3 days. I have been in this beautiful scenic area many times but yet everytime I seem to even enjoy it more. These 3 small town has grown a lot since my first visit in 1994, but still they have managed to keep the village feeling and lifestyle which makes it so unic...

Thursday, November 19, 2009

KIRSTENBOSCH BOTANICAL GARDEN



Cape Town has so many things to visit… by the sea and on the mountain tops, but one of my favorite is the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. It is part of the National biodiversity institute and it is one of the world heritage sites. Kirstenbosch is in the heart of the Cape Town, few km’s from city centre. The vast park area offers more than just a beautiful set up of different gardens, it is a place for picnics and summer Sunday concerts and art…It is a real jewel of the plant world…

Today we are in Stellenbosch for wine tasting and visiting the Cape Town wine routes…So from tomorrow you will find some photos of our visit in Stellenbosch and surroundings…

Monday, November 16, 2009

NICE SUPPRISE


This is Ebb Tide a new accommodation in Camps Bay, we are the first guest at this rental flat complexes... Stunning view to the mountains and the sea in front of us, stunning  flat and excellent service... Better than the brochure...Un Vrai Bijou...The photos tells all, we have 3 bathrooms en suite and kitchen, bar, lounge and dining area, balcony with pool, 24h security service and house keeping...

CAPE TOWN


It has taken few days of travelling from Kruger Park to Cape Town. We left Kruger Saturday morning with the first summer rain... Everybody were happy to see the rain, so much needed in the dusty and dry bush... After 7 hours of travelling we arrived to Pretoria and had time just to spend one night and the Sunday morning we had the flight from Johannesburg to Cape town. We found ones again a windy Cape Town. With our friends we did the road to the Cape Point and surroundings. It was so windy at the Cape of Good Hope that you hardly could walk. Cape Town is always busy, trendy and full of new things... Nice place to spend some holidays...

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

TAKE IT EASY










Ones again greetings from Kruger Park…I am sitting in the shady terrace, drinking nice glass of white wine and watching the elephants on the other side of the lake and all that from the comfort of the Mopani rest camp, where we have rented a big guest house. The days here has been really hot and we have seen so many animals and wau so many lions… Yesterday morning we did a morning walk with game rangers, we started 4.30 in the morning at sun rise and headed to a empty lake area, the north of Kruger Park is very dry at the moment. The evening before the walk we had seen lions eating a buffalo at that empty lake, so the rangers took us there by car and as we game to the area we could see few lions heading to the other side of that lake area… The rangers had guns and we had a short lesson about safety before starting our walk… I have done several walks in different parks and I must say that when you have seen the lions so close and you know that they are around you somewhere, it spice up your walk. During the walk we did not see many animals because they always run away when they can see or smell humans, but every time I have learnt a lot about reading the nature. After the walk and breakfast we packed our bags and food and headed to Mopani camp where we are staying now for two more nights … This morning we slept longer and started the first drive only after ten o’clock. We are just on the Tropic of the Capricorn and so we headed for a dirt road that is actually named after the tropic. After 16 km we stopped to observe some Zebras and Roan antilopes, which are very rare in the park and Tsessebies, which are the fastest antilopes in the Park, when we stay longer next to the animals or we don’t want to disturb them, my husbands who drives cuts the engine off. So this morning we enjoyd taking photos and then my husband wanted to start the engine again and nothing… Either the battery was flat or a cable must got loose with all that shaking while driving on the dirt road. Luckily this morning it wasn’t too hot and we had the cooler box with full of water to drink… And the mobile phone had a signal…

We called our camp site and they sent somebody to help us…Few days ago we weren’t so lucky, our tire burst and nobody around us, no connection for mobile phone and a very hot day… We had to get out of the car and while the guys where changing the tire, the ladies were watching around for lions and the two big elephants that were on their way towards us. Normally we should just wait inside the car and wait somebody to pass by and tell them to get help… Luckily our tire changing team was fast and we could carry on our journey. Anyway this is Africa, still wild even very modern, here the life circle follows it’s journey, waiting for rain to arrive and ones they get it everything gets so green in few days. Only ones who are unhappy are the humans because most of the times the storm will cut of the mobile connection so this is also a reason why I haven’t posted anything for two days… I hope you don’t care because I don’t I have had a most wonderful time ones again in Kruger Park…



Saturday, November 7, 2009

TWO BY TWO


The sweetness of the bush... In South Africa the wild nature area is called the bush...

THE GIANT


THE YOUNG LION KING


KINGS & QUEENS OF AFRICA




This is my 31st time in The Kruger National Park and I am still happy to travel in the park. I take lot of photos but only keep few. This one I took yesterday, after long drive to Punda Maria Camp were we had lunch after that we headed for a dirt road with a stunning views and almost no other tourists. On the small riverine next to the road we found a herd of nine lions spending their aternoon in a African heat.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

POSTCARD FROM SOUTH AFRICA


Tomorrow we will leave to Kruger National Park. It will take about 7-8 hours to get there by car. I will be posting from there where ever I can have a connection...

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

SOUTH AFRICAN FOOD


Food is delicious in South Africa, where ever you go they have some local specialities. The Rainbow Cuisine is a wonderful cooking book and with a help of this book you can start a culinary journey in your own kitchen. On the plate Kingklip fish with garlic and butter sauce and stir fried vegetables and creamy spinach...

Monday, November 2, 2009

POSTCARD FROM SOUTH AFRICA


I want to send some spring greetings from South Africa to all my blog followers. Here summer is starting full speed, the gardens are full of flowers and the daily summer thunder storms are back.
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Saturday, October 31, 2009

SOUTH AFRICA - THE RAINBOW NATION


Some colours of the Rainbow Nation, here some forecast for 2010 colour trends...

2010 COLOUR FORECAST


South African Plascon makes the best paints that I have used so far. Their quality is excellent and there thousands of choices of colours...

WESTERN DESERT


Culturally exciting and vibrant West Africa...These are my favorite colours...

SOUTHERN SPECTALE



The hotpot of contemporary creativity, South Africa leads the way in its spirit of ubuntu and cultural merging...

EASTERN PROMISE



Warm and spicy colours of eastern Africa...

LAVENDER


I found some little embroidered cotton bags, which are good for storing the dried lavender flowers. They will keep the fragrance longer than keeping them in a open bowl. Those little bags can be used for your linen or in your wardrobe or next to your bed it will give you a calm sleep.