South Africa v France, Newlands 22nd June
Allez les Bleu! France came out on top 28 - 36. In the picture is Brian Habana who plays wing for South Africa, he had a bit of a shocker. Before and after the Game Chris and I attended a Corporate function run by Leglass, who if you're a regular to my blogg will know i did a branding and corp ID for back in January. It's a real buzz to see your designs in use. Here it is on the back of a Jacket. The night didn'tend until about 6am, i was totally spangled and the England match on Sunday was as interesting as paint dry. I'm glad we won but nothing special. Bring on Theo!
The Epsilons Gig, Friday 21st
On friday night I went to see a rocking band called the Epsilons at Evol.
Youth Day 16th June
Yet another public holiday in South Africa....
When high-school students in Soweto started protesting for better education on 16 June 1976, police responded with teargas and live bullets. It is commemorated today by a South African national holiday, Youth day, which honors all the young people who lost their lives in the struggle against Apartheid and Bantu Education.
Paulina's Final Swan Song
All I can say is that living with Paulina for 8 months was an education amongst other things. Crossing the great East West divide was no easy feet as points but overall I had a huge amount of fun with Polk. Her final flurry came in the shape and form of two of the most debauched evenings i've had here in South Africa. As a house we went out for final supper in Royal, guzzled Champagne and reminisced about our time together. (From left to right, Tamo, Kat, Lane, Chris, Paulina and Shane).
The following evening, which really was the last, we all went round to claire's for dinner. The night got quite rawcus and included traditional polish folk dancing, strange head rotating games, Robot, Priates, "Where's Wally", a photo shoot with Dirty dog, Wat Dog,and Rev Dog, vodka shooters, dogdy photos with 'the hand' and a whole host of other rediculous things. 3am and i was finished, 6am and Polk was on her way to the Airport.
As a fitting tribute and lasting memorial to Polski i've included an old photo of her family and friends from the Polish Party in December. I hope to visit you in the mother land for some Vodka and Sausage (Don't ask). All the best with your future plans and I hope you make it to Barcelona! Adios Chica!
Table Mountain and our last day on Holiday
It's always a tricky decision going up table mountain, mainly because the cloud cover can be so unpredictable. Als and I trekked up at about 5.30 on the last day. I took this photo of the tree line on the way up.
On the top we saw the beginning of a beautiful sunset, however the cable car doesn't run long enough to actually see the whole spectacle which was disappointing. Unfortunately Cape Town was obscured by cloud but the 12 Apostles and Camps Bay were in perfect view. Here's one of those really original photos form the top.
Finally to round the holiday off we had dinner at Manolo. An almost perfect end to an almost perfect holiday. Trust me, returning to work after having such a relaxed and enjoyable break was almost too much to bear. Als, I had a wonderful time with you here in South Africa and I do hope that some day soon you'll return. I look forward to rendez vousing in London Next month. x
Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and the Wine Route
Our last trip of the Holiday was into the wine country. Stellenbosch is considered the capital of the Wine Route, with Paarl and Franschhoek included. The first wine farm we visited was Fairview near Paarl. Fairview's has a beautiful rose garden which included a rather strange spiral tower for goats (this appears on their wine labels)?? You have to see it to believe it. We tasted a number of wines, Sauv Blanc, Merlot, Sab Sauv and a fantastic Sweet Red as well as some cheeses. Following Fairview we visited Seidelberg next door where we had a fantastic lunch. Seidelberg's restaurant had a perfect panoramic of the Paarl valley which stretches out towards Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, the wine farm also has a glass blowing studio and all the glasses and light fittings were crafted on site. The Stellenbosch Hotel was our home for the night and where we retreated for the afternoon to stroll the tree lined avenues that perfectly frame the 17th Century dutch architecture.
The following day we got up at a respectable time and headed to My flat mate Tamo's cellars in Franschhoek. Home of Pierre Jourdan and Haute Cabrière wines, the beautiful Cabrière Estate, situated on the banks of the Franschhoek river, was granted to the French Huguenot refugee farmer Pierre Jourdan on the 22 December 1694. The photo above is a chandelier in the cellar made from Don Perignon bottles to celebrate the birth of Tamo's brother Tarquin. Following a tour of the cellar we sat down for an extravagant tasting session. We enjoyed a number of Cape Classiques (sparkling Wine/Champagne)as well as an extremely good Pinor Noir. Below is the table we sat on with the other guest that day. During the tasting we witnessed another sabering, if you remember i spoke about sabering in one of my previous entries. All in all the Cabrière estate was the highlight of our trip. After lunch in Franschhoek we visited one last wine estate called Simonsig, also renowned for their Cape Classique before heading home for a well deserved rest. Tastings can really take it out of you ;-)
Cape Point
After a few days rest at home we were ready to venture out again. Dane kindly allowed me to borrow his car for a day to visit Cape Point, this wasn't my first visit but everytime there's always something new to experience. We were blessed with some fantastic weather which allowed us fully appreciate the dramatic landscape of Cape Point. Below is a photo taken at the point looking into False Bay where Simonstown is situated. We also visited Boulders Bay to see the penguins and on the way home stopped off in Kelp Bay.
In the evening we had dinner with a number of friends at Uncle Albert's in Heritage Square. I cannot remember much about that evening apart from walking home with Tamo and spotting a house that had a tree growing through it. Check the photo below.
Wilderness
Our last day on the Garden Route was very chilled. In the morning we visited the farmers market in Sedgefield, an early morning affair with lot of great organic foods, unfortunately by this point i'd picked up a cold from wearing too few clothes in the Klein Karoo and the early start to a frost laden morning only served to worsening my mood. We had tea and cake with Carol and Kevin before leaving Rushmere, which really embedded the feeling of familiarity and fantastic hospitality we'd experienced there.
Out next and last port of call was 'Forget me not', a hill top lodge high above Wilderness. What was meant to be the piece de resistance of our trip turned out to be quite different all together. The weather had deteriorated rapidly over the past few days to the point where there would be a slim comparison between a wet, cold and windy day in Bristol and what we were experiencing that day. Our room could only be described as absolutely freezing and neither Als or I were too impressed with the discomfort we were experiencing. There was the host sitting in front of an open log fire while we sat and shivered. Not sure which hospitality manual he'd been reading but it was definately written by a moron. Anyway, i don't want to dwell on this too much because at the end of the day Als and I made our own entertainment, such as dancing around the room like throwbacks from the 90's to keep ourselves warm..... trust me, it was amusing at the time. Here's a slightly altered view of our room.
The following day we had a very tasty breakfast accompanied with champagne before heading back to Cape Town. Overall I had a fantastic time and I'm quite sure Alessandra enjoyed the trip too. We still had plenty of exciting things to look forward to in Cape Town so we drove back, singing along to Michael Franks and wearing big smiles on our faces.
Klein Karoo
Our next expedition was inland into an area know as the Klein Karoo (Little Karoo). Our first stop was in Oudtshoorn (pronounced Oats-Sworn) I've covered Geography so now here's a history lesson...
First Ostrich Boom
The main reason for the large rise in prosperity was the ostrich, whose feathers had become extremely popular as fashion accessories in Europe; they were especially popular for use on hats. Between 1875 and 1880 ostrich prices reached up to £1,000 a pair. The farmers of the region, realising that ostriches were far more profitable than any other activity, ripped out their other crops and planted lucerne, which was used as feed for the ostriches. The rising wealth also finally allowed for the completion of the Dutch Reformed Church - it was opened on 7th July 1879.
Owing to overproduction, the ostrich industry experienced a sudden slump in fortunes in 1885; the town's misery was compounded when it was hit by severe flooding during the same year, which washed away the nearby Victoria Bridge which had been built over the Olifants River only the year before.
The ostrich industry recovered only slowly and it was not until after the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899 to 1902 that a second and bigger boom started. It was during this period that most of Oudtshoorn's famously opulent "Feather Palaces" were built. This boom peaked in 1913, before collapsing in 1914. As a result the region's economy was ruined and most farmers returned to more traditional crops. (Wikipedia)
Although Alessandra and I only had coffee in Uodtshoorn I still got a sense of it's history whilst we sat in the church yard of a wonderful old Presbyterian chapel close to the centre of town (Photo Above). We would have likes to have stayed a little longer and explore the town properly but unfortunately time was against us. As we headed out towards Prince Albert we passed countless Ostrich farms, which sat uneasily alongside the wilderness that surrounded them. The rock formations of the Little Karoo were stunning, you could see the strata's of sandstone and granite clearly as well as the different rates of erosion that creates such an aesthetic polarization between the two. Lichen only grows on the granite and gives the rocks an incredibly reflective surface in direct sunlight (photo below).
We wound out way through a large gorge, similar to the dolomites in Italy before emerging into a completely contrasting environment from whence we had left. Prince Albert lies in a valley that for the most part of the last decade has experience drought. I was cursing the weather and my stupidity for wearing too few layers when really i should have been focusing on the incredible act of nature we were witnessing, the first rain in the area for 9yrs. What i would describe as miserable weather has people singing rejoicing in Prince Albert, there couldn't have been a better remedy to my grey mood. Prince Albert seems to incubate and inspire a relatively large arts community for a town of it's size. I became really engaged in a conversation with a local ceramist and enjoyed the paintings of one particular artist so much i slyly took a photo of his work. We also ate lunch at the gallery where there was a very charming lady would kept us entertained with her colourful history. Due to the rain we didn't really venture out too far other than to stroll the central street and appreciate the gables of the old dutch houses (photo below).
Having traveled so far to reach Prince Albert it seems quite perculiar to spend all our time in one building, but in hindsight it really drives home the relaxed nature of the Little Karoo. No ones in a hurry and the pace of life barely has a pulse. As strangers we subconsciously adapted to this way of life in an instant. Had the weather been better i think we would have explored more of Prince Albert, which has left me thinking it's a job unfinished and that'd i'd love come back before I leave South Africa.
Monkey World, Nature's Valley & Hog Hollow
Monkey World, Nature's Valley & Hog Hollow
A rather brief and cheeky visit to monkey world was the first stop in a tightly packed schedule. The Monkey's were cool but there were better sights on the agenda so we weren't there too long. On the way out we offered a donation for the sanctuary, funny thing was i think they thought I was going to offer a large sum, the head of conservation personally greeted us and explained in detail how our donation would be spent. Before he'd finished we'd saved three monkeys from medical testing facilities in the Congo, flown an Orangutan from a zoo in Russia and given new teeth to a troop of Cape Baboons. I felt quite embarrassed handing over a fiver after all that. Sleeping monkeys.....
The next stop was Nature's Valley, an area of outstanding beauty about 45mins west of Plettenberg Bay. The beach seemed to stretch as far as the eye can see and even after walking for close to an hr we were still only half way. Unfortunately our progress was cut short by a Lagoon flowing back into the ocean. Now you know why you got the geography lesson earlier. This photo's taken on the beach at Nature's Valley.
After a quick pit stop to watch some lunatics throw themselves off the world's highest (206m) bridge bungee jump, we saw this one girl seem to fold in two (looked really painful, there was quite a pause before the next lemming went off the edge), we decided to head back towards Plettenberg. About 20mins out of Plett there's a beautiful country retreat called Hog Hollow. I took my mum there when she was here in January. It's a beautifully kept property with a veranda that looks out over a deep ravine with thick forestation. Unfortunately i wasn't able to make a booking, they're full until April 2007! Shame. This photo is the view across the ravine from where Als and i were sat on the veranda.
We'd planned to meet my flatmate Paulina and Cheyne in Plett that evening so we tootled off to a crafts market called "Old Nick" before finding a nice spot to have dinner. I cannot remember for the life of me the name of the restaurant we eventually chose, it had a huge mozaic on the front, which was enough of a feature for Alessandra to remember after 5mins going round in circles. Anyway, it was a really lovely restaurant, with a impressive and individual decor. There were surreal artworks on the walls, very reminiscent of Reni Magrette, and wonderful sculpted lighting features made from very thin skins or perhaps ceramic. Anyhow, it was a very pleasant environment and a perfect escape from a rainstorm that had just come in. A few glasses of Cap Classique and a tasty seafood stew with Crayfish, mussels and calimari, as well as a cheeky stop at the Dry Dock for some Oysters on the way home concluded a ram packed and exciting day on the Garden Route.
Sedgefield Lagoon
And now for a short lesson in geography. Sedgefield lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank. Once a lagoon barrier has formed, finer sediments can settle out in the relatively quiet water behind the barrier, including sediments brought into the lagoon by rivers. Coastal lagoons typically have only constricted openings to the sea. As a result, water conditions in the lagoon can differ significantly from the open water of the sea in temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and sediment load.
At the time of our visit to Rushmere the Sedgefield Lagoon was very high and the meadow below our cottage was waterlogged as a result. Carol wrote the follow message in an e-mail.
"We popped into Sedge after you left and saw that they had opened the mouth. It is always a wonderful sight to see the water wooshing out to sea. Better still was the rare sighting of two Marial Eagles circling over the estuary. Best regards to you both, Carol"
Rushmere
Our accommodation in Great Brak was a lovely little scandinavian style log cabin. Neither Als or I had anticipated the cold nights that were to typify our travels on the Garden Route, but to be honest, we were so exhausted it could have been an antarctic winter outside and we'd have still managed to pass out. In the morning we went for a walk to the mouth of the Brak River where there's a rather idilic island. Mum, you may remember we visited Great Brak very briefly before we caught our flight out of George, you said it was the highlight of your trip. Anyway, Before we left, our host at the Herbal Hub Cecile, very kindly gave us some small gifts of lavender and fruits for the car. Cecile and her husband were very friendly hosts and we both thoroughly enjoyed staying at the Hub. We too it easy for the rest of the day, had lunch in Wilderness and looked for somewhere to stay in the afternoon. We found a really nice B&B called "forget me not" which we booked for our last night. The real find of the day was a fantastic farm cottage just outside of Sedgefield called Rushmere.
http://www.rushmerefarm.co.za/
Although originally we'd only intended to stay at Rushmere for one night, it didn't take us long to fall in love with it's charm. When we first drove down the potholed track to Rushmere the sun was setting over the Lagoon, bathing the whole valley in the most serene light. Our very friendly hosts Carol and Kevin greeted us on our arrival. I enjoyed the informality of meeting them with their gum boots on and secateurs in hand, reminded me a great deal of my own mum and dad after a long day's gardening. Above is a photo of our cottage, and below is a view across the valley as well as an image of the morning mist that lies in the valley.
That evening we had dinner at Dry Dock in knysna. Knysna is the home of the South African Oyster industry where you can get some terrific natural and cultured oysters. Obviously it would be rude not to compliment our seafood with some bubbly. The main course was extravagant. Check out Als below....
We toasted the end of what was a fantastic day with a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Champagne that Alessandra kindly brought from London. Thanks Als x
Incase any of you thought i had had a nasty acccident...
Hello all, i've been a bit slack about updating my blogg over recent weeks, apologies apologies... Having missed all 14 bank holidays that South Africa have to offer it became dramatically apparent that i was due a holiday. AP and I had been discussing the possibility of her visiting Cape Town and once we'd nailed some dates all that was left to do was wait with eager anticipation and excitement. Well, the most eagerly anticipated day of 2006 finally came on the 13th May. Alessandra's flight was delayed just enough to give me a serious case of the shakes and a worrying concern that Australia had fallen out with South Africa while i was asleep. When she came through the gate it was a real moment of relief, all my memories and recollections flooded back and manifested themselves in the biggest smile know to man.
It seems a million years ago since Alessandra and I met at Zeph's birthday drinks in Angel, and at the airport i relived the fantastic vibe i felt when we first talked. Anyway enough of the gushiness, basically i was really happy to be on holiday and to be able to spend my time off with such a good friend and companion. The flight to CT can be quite tiring so we took it fairly easy on the first day. Claire, Lane and Chris came with us for lunch round the corner at Belaza. I usually have my breakfast there on the weekends, regale tales from the night before and eat the 10r special. Budget boy. In the evening Als and I went to Shoga, a asian fusion restaurant just off Buitengracht St. The food was very good, Alessandra had Salmon and i had a lamb shank. As my mother will testify, tiredness hits you like a brick wall after a flight and a few drinks so the night wasn't a long one.
http://www.dining-out.co.za/member_details-MemberID-2196.html
On Sunday we went to the Picasso exhibition at the South African National Gallery. The exhibition drew up some interesting questions regarding ethnicity and the removal of African cultural artifacts by European colonialists in the late 19th early 20th Century. The exhibition was curated as a kind of celebration of Picasso's African influences, which i thought kind of missed the bigger picture. The objects that Picasso saw at the Trocadero in Paris were from all over Africa and helped inspire some of his greatest works as well as more significantly the beginning of cubist art. The curator felt it was appropriate to also display some ceremonial masks from Congo, Mali and other parts of Africa. If they were the original masks from which Picasso drew influence then I felt they had a context, narrative and ultimately a good reason for being there. Unfortunately they weren't which gave the exhibition a very voyeuristic, Victoriana feel to it. As if we were also consenting to the display and consumption of another cultures artifacts. The labels and information available about the masks was to put it mildly, lacking depth. Anyway that's enough ranting, we also saw an exhibition by Wim Botha, a S Afrian artist. Interesting but i didn't think he put across the ideas behind his work very well, to be truthful i missed the point. After the exhibition we went to the waterfront and for dinner we ate Sushi.
http://www.iziko.org.za/sang/c_ex.html
Monday was the first day of our trip out of Cape Town, Als and i picked up a rental car early in the morning and headed out to Betty's Bay, West of Cape Town. The coastal road is very scenic, the photo above was taken just before Betty's Bay.
For lunch we stopped in Hamanos. Unfortunately there's no whales at this time of year so we had some seafood and went for a stroll down by the old harbour. A few star jumps later and we were on our way. Our over night destination was a small town called Great Brak River, the town's existence is thanks to a small shoe factory rather aptly named "Watson's". We stayed in a small B&B called Hough's Herbal Hub, you can check it out on the link below. The photo below was taken at Swellendam about half way to Great Brak River. The sun was very low in the sky and made the whole valley look like a dream world. The last time i'd traveled up the Garden Route the palette was very tertiary, it was wonderful to see the whole landscape transformed into lush tones of green.
http://www.greatbrakriver.co.za/inform.htm
http://www.gardenroute.com/content/view/1246/51/
