Travel update - South Africa Trip

For over the past 10 years, my parents have been living in rainy London. After much debate and consideration, they finally decided to move back to sunny SA.

I finished writing exams in November 2012, and then headed out to JHB to help them move down to Hermanus.

Our roadtrip to Hermanus started off from my brothers place near Midrand, and was broken into 3 segments:

Day 1: JHB to Gariep Dam - Freestate
Day 2: Gariep Dam to Maatjiesfontein - Great Karoo
Day 3: Matjiesfontein - Great Karoo - Hermanus


As a kid, I always thought how boring and ugly driving through the Freestate was, a typical attitude of "Are we there yet Dad?"
But being older and hopefully wiser, I have a new found love and respect for the vast and dramatic beauty of South Africa. I am so amazed at the beauty of our country, from the dusty flat lands in Freestate to the Karoo, really everything has it's own unique beauty.

Day 1:JHB to Gariep Dam - Freestate

the classic Orange Free State landscape, dry, flat and dusty. and who could miss the old nostalgic "windpomp" classic!
We also encountered several road stops for roadworks.

We decided to stay over at the Gariep Dam Forever Resort. It's a old Aventura Resort, which offers chalets, camping and restaurant amenities. Chris and I stayed here 5 years ago, but it has since then gone down a little, and needs some serous upgrades. We stayed in a 2 bedroom chalet, which had a little kitchen and living room, it's not a bad option for a overnight while on route to Cape Town. It was cheaper than some of the very expensive B&B's in the area.


The Forever Resort at Gariep Dam

 Day 2: Gariep Dam to Matjiesfontein - Great Karoo

Day 2 was another long day of travel. We left Gariep Dam in the morning and continued on to the Karoo.

The Karoo really has it's own stark beauty. It is riddled with history from the boer war and much of South Africa's Afrikaans heritage.
Along the way you'll see endless landscapes, with little desert bushes and kopies (little hills). It's also a big sheep and lamb farming area.



We came to a little town of Laingsburg. It's made history in  January 1981, when the Buffels river flooded due to heavy rain, killing over 100 people.

Phoning around trying to find accommodation for the night, we were referred to a Hotel called "The Lord Milner" Hotel in Matjiesfontein. It's about a 15-20min drive from Laingsburg.

What an experience! There is nothing in Maatjiesfontein except the hotel and a railway station. This place is steeped in history, from the Boer War times,which you can read about: http://www.matjiesfontein.com/LordMilner/

The Hotel is old and Victorian, and one of the staff members, who has been there for over 40 years, does a 5 minute tour on a old London Red Bus. Very entertaining.

The hotel is old, so creaky wooden floors and drafty doors are part of the character. I would say it could do with an upgrade, but for myself and my Mom, both history lovers, well, it was right up our ally.

It has traditional hotel rooms, out door chalets situated in the gardens, a pub, restaurant, as well has a railway museum, post office, chapel etc. It really is a special and unique place. It even has a tree with a plaque, that Helen Zille planted.



The very old chapel on the hotel grounds, very ghostly (-:

Day 3: Matjiesfontein - Great Karoo - Hermanus


The last day of travel was a easy and pleasant drive all the way to Hermanus.

The beauty of the Cape never ceases to amaze me. As you enter the Hex River Valley, and start winding through the mountains, I am in awe of the beauty that unfolds.

We stopped in Paarl for some lunch and coffee. I just love the feeling you get from the little towns in the winelands. That Cape Dutch charm never gets old.

We arrived in Hermanus in the afternoon. We stayed at the Hermanus Beach Club, which had it's own ups and down. I wrote a review on trip advisor if you are interested in more detail:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g312663-d1785348-r148605557-Hermanus_Beach_Club-Hermanus_Overberg_Western_Cape.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

The walking path next to the beach at the Hermanus Beach Club is really stunning. This was where I enjoyed my morning run and exercise routine, such a treat.



Hermanus is really one of the most amazing places in South Africa. Famous for it's whale watching, it's a popular tourist destination to both local and overseas folk.

We managed to sneak in some drives while there, and drove up to Gansbaai for the day to see even more whales. A trip up into the Hemel en Aarde Wine Valley is also a lovely treat.



That famous African sunset that never gets old....

South Africa will always have a special place in my heart and soul.

Travel Update - Saugatuck, Michigan

So I've been travelling quite a bit since my last post. A little update on where I've been.......

As you know, I'm all about the journey. Chris and I try to travel to new places when we get a chance. So for our 6th wedding anniversary in Sept, we decided to go to a place called Saugatuck, Michigan.

Saugatuck is a quaint little harbour town on the massive Lake Michigan.

It's about a 6hr drive from Columbus Ohio, which is close enough for a long weekend.

The journey from Ohio to Michigan started out flat and a little boring, but as you near the Michigan state line, the scenery changes and becomes beautiful with the trees and rolling topography.

Unfortunately the weather was not co-operating and we were in a for a rather wet weekend.


Rough water on the massive Lake Michigan



I booked us into a quaint little B&B, which was lovely. The breakfasts were amazing. The couple that owns the B&B stay in Saugatuck and run it in the summer, and then go off to Florida in the winter, to sail their boat around the Caribbean - nice life!

There was so much to see in Saugatuck. It's a very arty and creative little town, with many art galleries and shopes. There are also many divine restaurants, ice-cream shops, cake shops, bistro's and pub's.

 Chris and I decided to go on a boat ride up the river to Lake Michigan, on a old Paddle Boat. Unfortunately due to the bad weather we could only go as far as the river mouth, but it was still amazing to see the houses along the river.

One of the "small" houses on the river

The river mouth to Lake Michigan

The massive paddles on the boat

and....back in good ol Ohio

Change

Change can be scary, but I believe change is good, healthy for the soul.

I have been toying with changing the name of my blog for a while. Originally, the name Bos-en-Wyn (the Afrikaans name for Bush (African Wild) and Wine), was a ode to my old life in South Africa. The African bush and wine are two of my favourite things in this world, and will always be.

Those close to me, know that I have always said, and believe that life's a journey, not a destination. It was also my blog's description from day one.
Thus it only seems apt to re-name my blog just that.

Life is a journey.
A journey of new experiences, meeting new friends, seeing new places and taking on new challenges.
Life is a journey to continue growing.

It is not a destination.

A year in the life of....

It's been a year since my last update, and my goodness, and what a year it's been!

Apologies for the long, ok, very long break in blogging. But it has been a busy year, with lots of changes to embrace and adjust to.

So what did the last year of my life entail?

Summer 2011 kept me busy. Getting used to my new life in Columbus, new friends, my parents visiting from London, Summer Road Trip to Charlotte, summer concerts, travel, halloween and more travel etc.

My parents came to visit in July 2011, their first visit to the East Coast and Columbus. My Mom and Dad loved it here, the balmy and sometime soupy hot weather, our road trip to Charlotte, N.C, via, W.Virginia and Tennesee. We drove through the Smoky Mountains which are amazing.

Soon the end of summer was replaced by the amazing colours of fall. The changing colours of the leaves are so amazing, and with all the natural woodlands around our home, we were spoilt with all the foliage colours.

Fall brings with it the fun and games of halloween and street parties!

Chris and I also celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary in Sept 2011, so we decided to spoil ourselves with a trip to Cancun, Mexico. We stayed at an amazing hotel, with one of the best beaches in Cancun. Our days were spent drinking margarita's on the beach, reading, swimming and relaxing. I also attempted my first scuba diving course, which I LOVED!

Soon enough, fall was replaced which the winter chill. We did not get as much snow as we used to in Denver, but it was still enough to haul out the snow shovel.

Luckily Chris and I got to escape some of the winter with our trip to South Africa. This was Chris's first trip back since our move to the US, so he was super excited to see friends and family. It was my 2nd, but still 3 years since I last saw everyone, so we were both so thrilled to spend Christmas in SA.

I even got to spend some time in the Kruger with Jules. What an amazing time, we saw the big 5, and so much more.

Jules with her amazing ceramics collection at the Skukuza gift shop

Winter seemed to pass quickly once we got back, and soon the signs of spring showed up everywhere. The Columbus Observatory held a wonderful showing of butterflies and orchards, which we went to see.

I have this thing, that for my birthday every year we go to a place we have not been before. This year Chris and I decided to spend my birthday in Nashville. I am a country girl, my parents will tell you that as a little girl, I wanted to be a gow-girl. So off we went, boots and all, and spent a fantastic weekend in Nashville, Tennessee.

Our drive past Cincinnati on our way back.

Columbus has a wonderful atmosphere in summer. There is so much to do and enjoy. Summer concerts, bbq (braai's), golf and they even have a wildlife reserve outside Columbus, called the wilds! 

Our backyard, all green and ready for some summer bbq's

My Mom came to visit, which was such a great surprise. I met up with her in Washington DC, did some sightseeing and spent some girl time together before heading back to Columbus. She enjoyed the sunny weather compared to the London rain.

I decided to spoil my Mom with a trip to the Amish Country, which is about 2 hr's from Columbus. We stayed is this sweet B&B, with a singing inn-keeper. Touring the Amish Farms, cheese factories and seeing how they make quilts was very interesting. We even got to ride in a Amish buggy!

Love the coke truck next to the buggy's

Soon it was 4th July weekend, and Chris and I decided to spend it in very special Colorado. We spent some time catching up with friends in Denver and then headed into the mountains to Beaver Creek and Vail for some much needed clean, cool mountain air.

Very hazy due to all the wildfires in Colorado

And so we've caught up on what I've been up to this past year. Our next trip planned should include a trip to Chicago in Sept, and then probably Mexico in December, so watch this space....Until next time.