Reason for the photos – My brother Jeff and sister in law Linda, were about to embark on the Sinfonia, for a 30 day cruise to Venice, stopping in Reunion, Mauritius, Seychelles, Saudi Arabia, 3 ports in Egypt, Suez Canal, Heraklion(Crete), Athens(Greece), Split(Croatia) arriving in Venice(Italy) on the 9th April.
The Sinfonia departed at 17h00.
The Orchestra only due to leave at 20h00.
Cruising in South Africa has definitely increased in popularity, however there have been far too many reports of ill behaviour on some of the local trips to nowhere and onto Mozambique. MSC who are bringing the even bigger SPLENDIDA 137,936 gross tons and +3900 passengers in November, need to stick to the rules and apply them, so that all may enjoy the pleasure of cruising.
How many times do we travel throughout Durban and take everything in ,at face value.
Take for example, the various buildings in our city. What of the historical value?
Here are a few examples of different architectural designs.
Art Deco – popularised in the US in the 1930’s , applied to Durban as residential blocks between 1930-1940. Bold colours, geometrical shapes, with ornamentals and local motifs
Photo 1- Esplanade 2. Beach front 3. Point area 4. Central Durban(Cenotaph- 1921)
2. Edwardian – generally less ornate Neo Baroque style, early 1900’s.
3. Victorian – relates to Queen Victoria(1837-1901)- commonly known to locals with Broekie lace ornamental wrought iron work.
Photo 1- Point area 2. Greenaches building, city centre 3. City Hall 4. Post Office
3. Tudor style– most famous is the PLAYHOUSE.
Large stone, heavy English Oak, stained glass windows. Situated opposite the City Hall.
Fine dining at an affordable price- Restaurant 3603 in Gillitts.
Jennie with her Fillet of beef, red wine jus, mushroom, baby bokchoy and Pommes Anna R200. My Linefish- Red Roman with a medley of melons, asparagus, radish, turnip, sea weed with a hint of aniseed sauce and spices R185.
Followed by a cheeseboard of local cheeses, nigella seed lavash, pickles, preserves and fruit R75. Very friendly front of house staff and excellent service from our waitron Jason.
Highly recommended.- Breakfast and Lunch also served. Tel: 082 381 9737
Limited wine selection. Request ‘ corkage’ when you make a booking.
Rhumbelow Theatre- Umbilo
An intimate evening with Barry Thompson, guitarist extraordinaire. Personal stories and songs performed to match the occasion. Delightful 2 hours getting to know the person in more detail, with brilliant guitar playing. Like a good wine, Barry gets better with age.
Friends and relatives of Golfari SA, from the United Kingdom, Western Cape, Gauteng and KZN spent the past week at the seaside resort village of Trafalgar, just 14 kms from Port Edward. “Trafalgar’s name descends directly from the missionary relatives of Viscount Horatio Nelson, who arrived in the late 1800’s (Wikipedia)
Beautiful sunrise and moon photos, and photos of Mark and Des, and Alison and Gayle.
The Trafalgar Blue flag beach, with our UK, Gauteng and Western Cape members.Beavers Creek coffee estate, established in 1984. Port Edward golf club officially opened in 1978. Only yours truly playing from the group.Beach horse rides- Gayle, Jessica and Mark. 2 hours of fun on the out ride, and gentle cantering on the beach and upon return back to the stables. Then the South Coast must- The Waffle House . Photos courtesy of group.
The quest to visit Hard Rock cafes, to browse, purchase T shirts and have something to eat started in 2009 when my daughter Jenna-wade went on honeymoon to Greece and the Greek Isles.
I joined the trend in 2012 with her, when we did a month long tour of Europe, with Trafalgar tours(on land) and then a Mediterranean tour with Royal Caribbean. The trend continued-
The T shirts are more expensive than normal shirts, but the quality is far superior. My 2012/3 shirts are still wearable and there is no evidence of colour fade. Pictures above:
2012- Barcelona(Spain), Munich(Germany) and Venice(Italy).
This past weekend, a trip to Hluhluwe/ Umfolozi game reserves. The parks have had plenty of rain, so green very green, making the viewing of the animals, rather rare. On the Friday afternoon and all of Saturday, only one the the big 5 seen. Two nights at Mpila and on the way to Hilltop in Hluhluwe for a Sunday stay over, large herds of Buffalo (distance) and Elephants. So only 3 of the big 5 seen(no lion or leopard) however one great shot of a Cheetah walking in amongst a few cars and game drive vehicles.
This past weekend, 3 members of Golfari SA joined in a family reunion at Cathedral Peak hotel. From as far a field as Canada, Australia, Eastern Cape and Western Cape, Gauteng and Kwa Zulu Natal.
Friday afternoon rain.Group photo on Saturday.Unfortunately , no golf could be played as it rained Friday evening and all day Saturday.Groundscraper ThrushBlue sky early Sunday.
An update as to my current status. This is mainly for prospective clients and family and friends. The golfers of Hackers and Badgers have already been advised.
What a year 2022 has been. January-February was a red list Covid ban. Mid March to mid June, a fabulous overseas holiday in Malta visiting my daughter and family. Using Malta as a base, ventured into France and Spain, back to Malta and then road tripping back in France and Belgium. Brilliant, but returned to South Africa with an injured right foot/ankle(cobbled walkways and uneven pavements).
Two months of physiotherapy, leading to eventual surgery to repair a torn tendon on Thursday 15th September at the very new Ribumed day hospital in Ballito.
Now 6 weeks no activity, time to relax, read and do ‘nothing’ then some rehab. So no tours and no golf(ag shame).
MDINA– Old capital of Malta, from antiquity to the Medieval period. Nick named the Silent city, when Valletta became the capital in 1571.
Mdina, the fortified old cityIn an area that would have been a ” moat ‘ below the entrance.Brunch with a view.
Gozo – Malta’s 2nd inhabited island. 14kms in length. The islands are serviced by the Gozo Channel ferry line. Cost for visitors is Euro 15.70 car and driver.
Jenna-wade and AveryTyler, Jennie and Sergio- on our wayTa Pinua – Basilica of the Blessed Virgin(National Shrine)Tal Mixta caves – Don’t go too close to the edge?????
Leaving Malta for France.
First time ever, driving a rental, left hand drive and then driving in the right hand lanes. Daunting at first, but after awhile it becomes second nature. Reims- Champagne capital of France.Notre Dame Cathedral. For more than 1000 years French Kings were crowned here. Known for its stained glass windows and Gothic carved portals.Jennie and Gayle with the one day old retiree, mother of the Champagne establishment.
BRUSSELS- BELGIUM Capital city of Belgium, and the Administrative centre of the European Union
Grand Place- market square surrounded by guild halls.
Town Hall
Manneken Pis- 17th century bronze statue.The Brussels quartet.St Michaels and St Gudula cathedral. The dude in front. Was he taking a selfie or were we both taking shots of each other?????Belgium Royal Palace.Yours truly outside the entrance to the European Union.What Belgium is famous for.Also famous for its beer. Not all are shown here. Alcohol content up to 12% . 304 active breweries in Belgium.Testing the strong stuff.
Atomium – symbol of Belgium and Brussels
Built for the World trade fair in 1958. Offers a 360 degree panoramic view from a height of 102 metres. Each sphere is 18m in diameter, and the tubes are 3.30 metres wide. We were able to visit 5 of the 9 spheres.Restaurant on the top floor
BRUGGE – Venice of the north. Flanders region of N.W Belgium. Famous for it’s canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings.
Burg square. 14th century city hall.
JABBEKA- Belgium
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Just about 10pm, beautiful sunset.
DUNKIRK in northern France.
1940 Operation Dynamo, the WW2 evacuation of Allied soldiers from the city beaches.
Base lodging in Chepy northern France in the Somme region. Places visited included- EU (pronounced OO), St Valery-Sur- Somme, Aberville and Sur Le Treport.
EU- Louis Philippe castleRiver Somme and walkway.Le Treport- chalk hills like in Dover
Lunch- far too much to eat. Very tasty mussels.
Summary of my travels: Almost everything in villages, towns and cities work.
Public transport systems are very efficient.
Even with the Ukraine war some 2000kms away, most people seem ‘happy, talking, eating and drinking- mainly drinking.
Wind turbines everywhere in Belgium and France. Huge agricultural tracts of land under crop.
Fuel price lowest seen e1.91to e2.15 (R35.00) which is what I paid.
