South Africa - Something for Everyone

Our big 2 week holiday had been much anticipated, but with a busy lead up to departure I left with little clue about what lay ahead (Mich: as per usual). I knew there would be some 'game park' action, some driving, good steaks, nice wine and plenty of time on the coast - the details however were less clear to me. Fortunately for me others had it all in hand (thanks Rich/Sel).

For those of you who are just here to look at the pics, I'll summarise: we had an incredible holiday which offered a little bit of something for everyone and which far exceeded expectations. South Africa has so much to offer and I can see us returning some day to experience more of it.

Kruger National Park - 'Big 5 hunting'

Rich (our host) greeted us at Jo'burg in a large white people mover that would be 'home' for the next 4 days in Kruger (a few hours north). Stocked with food and liquid we were set for some Big 5 hunting! The next few days would be spent getting up to be on the road at 4:30a.m. (Kasabian's 'Fire' will never be the same again), driving around the park in search of game, birds (yawn), not to mention antelope (last but not least Rich).

Highlights:

• By 1pm on Day 1 in the park we had 'ticked off' the Big 5: lion (3 females in the undergrowth on the side of a road), rhino (Mum, Dad and a baby on the road), water buffalo (a huge herd crossing the road around us), elephant (just off the side of the road) and leopard (on a kill about 20ms off the road). Job done. 5 shots required (whose idea was that?) - this Big 5 hunting is a piece of cake.

• Sitting in the car next to (about 5m away) 3 male lion on a zebra kill while 17 hyena surrounded them and our car in the hope of a tasty snack. The lion were not backing off one bit and while the highly agitated hyena waited they decided to snack on our car - partially tearing the number plate off (try explaining that one to the rental agency?).
  
  
• Brai'ing (the activity formally known as BBQ'ing). We were staying in one of the camps in the park in a self contained cabin. South Africans don't believe in the gas BBQ and so we watched and learned as Rich got the wood/coal fired brai going each night with great results (especially the butternut pumpkin done in the embers... yum!).
  
  
  
• All the sights. We were incredibly lucky with what we saw (partly we think due to the unseasonably cold weather). To list just a few of the sights: leopard in a tree (some of you may have heard about this already as Sel announced the sight at volume that could easily be heard cross border), elephant knocking a large tree over to get to the roots, lots of hippos including some out of the water, baby giraffes, warthogs, crocs, jackal, all of the the Big 5 numerous times (more shots? whose idea was that?), lots of birds and countless antelope - including the very rare sable antelope.
  
  
• Sleeping co-drivers (and driver), dissent from the backseat re: antelope, deep fried eggs for breakfast, good times with Gareth (or was it Grant, or Wayne or Graeme?), scenarios in the public toilets, the strange smell emitting from the boot of car, late night animal walks with chicken bones for props and the battle between photographers for the money shot.
  
  

Port Elizabeth to Hermanus

After saying farewell to Rich and Gareth we took a short and very bumpy flight into a stormy Port Elizabeth down on South Africa's southern coast. Here we picked up our white (all cars are in SA) Beemer (I know what you are thinking: tossers) and from here we would spend 4 days driving close to the coast to Hermanus - taking in the Garden Route as we went.

Highlights:

• Our accommodation in Jefferies Bay (Supertubes B'n'B) - pure luxury with an incredible breakfast. We all enjoyed being back by the coast after being landlocked in London for so long!
  
  
• An evening spent enjoying fresh wild and farmed oysters from the shell at the Knysner Oyster Company as sat in a rustic hut on poles over the water listening to live music, enjoying a drink and watching the sunset. Magic.
  
  
• Exploring Plettenberg Bay - a slightly upmarket but beautiful beachside resort town just east of Knysner.
  
  
• The start of the Otter Trail - a beautiful coastal walk which we did at pace, but which was great. You can do the full walk which is about 4 days (although 2 at our pace) - perhaps next time?
  
• Arniston - my favourite of the places we stayed in and a lot like Mahia in its feel. It had great pub down on the seafront where we managed to see the last 10 mins of the ABs beating England before retiring to our accommodation for our first 'solo' brai - which went far better than anticipated.
  
  
• The drive from Arniston to Hermanus - first stopping at a coastal reserve just to the west of Arniston for nice walk out to South Africa's longest uninterrupted stretch of beach. This was followed by an unexpected introduction to the South African wine industry at the Black Oystercatcher winery which we stumbled upon (and out of) en-route to Hermanus and at which we enjoyed a great tasting accompanied by a platter of local produce. Yum!
  
  

Hermanus and the wine regions

Our next base was Hermanus, famous for its whale watching, where Rich's family holiday home would be our base for a few days.

Highlights

• Night one - Fever in Hermanus - Brai on the rooftop deck, catching up on unconsumed Big 5 shots, Kings, Guess the Music, too much time spent in the 'bar', and late night swimming (for those allowed). Goodbye to Rich again - its safest when he's not around anyway?!
  
  
• Walker Bay and Bot River wine regions. Armed with a list of winery recommendations we set off into the nearby valley wine region to taste some beautiful reds (blends, Syrah, Pinot) and whites (Sauvignons, blends and sweets). The highlight was however Beaumont Estate in Bot River. At this family owned winery we were treated to an amazing tasting by the winemaker's wife, right through the whites, reds, sweet wine and even into the port! She took pity on Andrew (whose fever was still subsiding) and invited us to enjoy a swim in the dam on the winery while we enjoyed a chilled bottle of their rose. Probably the best experience we have ever had at a winery and one which for us summed up South Africa's hospitable approach to wine tourism.
  
• Whale spotting from the coast in Hermanus - the South African coast is famous for South Right and Humpback whales. During our time in Hermanus we saw plenty - they come in incredibly close to the shore, sometimes gracefully easing through the water, occasionally breaching right out of the water - spectacular!
  
  
• Steak at B's Steakhouse - just one of many beautiful and great value meals we ate.
  
• We also had a great day in Franschhoek (a nearby town which sits in another wine region) the highlight of which was an incredible picnic basket which we enjoyed in the winery in warmth of the South African sun. We also took in Elgin, another wine region en-route to Cape Town) - also very nice and where we were made to feel very welcome.

Cape Town - the final leg

With a week and a half under our belts we again imposed ourselves on Rich (and this time his family) in Cape Town. Here we enjoyed a fairly leisurely final few days.

Highlights:

• A drive down the coast to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Spectacular coastal roads, nice short walks, pretty coastal villages along the way. A great way to spend a day.
  
  
• A trip up Table Mountain - right from the ride up this is a breathtaking experience. While warm at the base of the mountain, it was freezing on top - but the panoramic views out over Cape Town and down the coast (where we had driven that day) more than made up for the temperature.
  
  
• Dinner at La Colombe - this is South Africa's best restaurant and happens to be where Rich worked part time behind the bar. We enjoyed a 6 course wine matched tasting menu which was sublime.
  
• Constantia - as it happened we were staying in Constantia another wine region! It would have been rude not to check it out - so check it out we did. It is most famous for its sweet wines, with some wineries boasting Napoleon (and now us) amongst their customers.
  
• The final supper - appropriately mixing the Brai with seafood (something which although not mentioned much above, was top notch in SA) and a very pleasant evening spent with Rich and family at home. A nice way to finish the trip.

As you can see, we had a fantastic time. It was great travelling with Andrew and Sel again and Rich was the perfect host and guide.

South Africa was a beautiful country. The extremes of poverty and the middle class wealth were marked and it seems will take a long time to bridge the gap. However, it came as a surprise to me how safe I felt as we made our way around the country and almost without exception, people were friendly and helpful.

The climate, scenery, food, wine, people and experiences on offer were fantastic. A taste of the lifestyle has left us looking forward to the return home to NZ even more!

Alsace in Autumn

Ever since I saw a photo of a small church sitting on top of a hill covered in golden grape vines, I've always wanted to visit Alsace in the autumn. So for four days recently we soaked up the beauty of the Wine Route which runs through this region and all it has to offer with friends, Andrew and Rachael.

The Wine Route is 170kms long and runs along the valley at the foot of the Vosges linking dozens of picturesque historic villages and weaving through the region's wineries. But there is far more to Alsace than its wine - its history and culture a mixture of German and French makes it a fascinating place to visit.

Over the 4 days we explored many of the little villages along the way. Stand out villages were probably Colmar (where we were based for 2 nights), Riquewhir, Eguisheim and Ribeauville. Each village had narrow cobbled streets lined with 'ginger bread' houses all adorned with colourful flowers. Along the streets are little shops, restaurants, wine tasting rooms and people handing out samples of fresh macaroons (for some unknown reason - a local specialty?).

Wine and food forms a key part of the region's appeal and culture - lucky as they were also pretty high up on our agenda! Wines were always tasted along with a suggestion on what they should be paired with - foie gras, the local munster cheese - matching wine and food was very much the done thing here.



The food was really good - and we ate A LOT! The cuisine is a mix of German (sauerkraut, pork hocks, sausages etc) and French (e.g. foie gras, escargot, creme brulee etc). We developed a taste for the tarte flambos - sort of like a pizza and the local pies were also very good - although caution when ordering the latter is recommended as you can easily end up with something quite different to what you are expecting - something we (actually, I) learned the hard way. Not once over the four days did we have a bad meal - a pretty good track record.

It would be wrong not to dabble in the local product. Most famous is the Alsace Riesling, but we soon learned that our soft spot where the rich, spicy and generally fairly sweet Gewurztraminer. Great as an aperitif, with dessert or with foie gras (which is lucky as Michelle consumed the latter almost daily!).

The wine tasting - us and two generations of Mochel winemakers

We did a few tasting along the way - but the stand out for us was a visit on the final day to Domaine Frederic Mochel. This family owned and run estate has been passed from generation to generation since sometime in the 17th century. The son of the current winemaker (a winemaker himself) led us through a great tasting of their Grand Crus - all of which were very nice. He was friendly and informative and even took us for a little tour of their cellar and production area/bottling area.


The drives were very picturesque too. At times we found ourselves weaving through forests of trees coloured rich browns, reds and amber, the ground and road littered with colourful leaves. The Alsatians are an active bunch and the forests apparently their playground for mountain biking, walking and (my favourite) mushrooming! Sometime the forests in the hills felt busier than some of the villages in the valley below! The road would then drop down back into areas planted with grapes - which ranged from being bare, but more commonly were covered in yellow foliage. One day we came across workers harvesting Gewurztraminer for a late harvest sweet wine (called a Vendange Tardive). Next to the workers a bunker leftover from the war sitting nestled in the vines.

The harvest

The bunker was not the only reminder of the wars that have besieged this region in the past. We took a drive up into the Vosges to visit the Natzweiler-Struthof Concentration Camp. This camp was the only camp set up by the German's on French soil, the site chosen so that the workers could quarry nearby valuable pink granite deposits. Although this was not a death camp (there was a gas chamber nearby), many workers were worked to death or killed - between 10,000 to 12,000 are said to have died. It was the first of the camps found by the Americans as they advanced into Germany - so their first real insight to the treatment of the prisoners by the Nazis.

Site of the concentration camp

Outside the camp there is a very modern museum which provides a more general history of WWII and the various concentration camps that were established. What struck me most about the camp was that it seemed so contradictory to have such an awful camp situated in such a beautiful location. A travel writer summed it up nicely when he wrote "On a slope where normal people might have built a holiday complex, the Nazis established a concentration camp".

We had a great experience in Alsace - although it should be visited in small doses - I am sure we all packed on a fair bit of weight even in a short trip like ours!

Alsatian beer marketing - 'Sans Coulotte'

Old timers day out in Cambridge

Punters: Please note the new cap acquired in Cambridge

One fateful Saturday morning, each nursing a cold, we hauled ourselves out of bed and onto the train to Cambridge for a day trip we had been planning to do for ages - but had never got round to actually doing.

It was a fairly grey autumn day but that didn't stop us exploring the historic colleges of this famous university town. We visited Trinity college - which is the most wealthy of all the colleges (having added the O2 Arena in London to its immense property portfolio) and can claim greats such as Newton amongst its Alumni. We also visited the King's College Chapel - reputedly one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in England.

The Trinity College library was highlight - with interesting snippets of history on display such as AA Milne's handwritten notes for a Winnie the Pooh story along side a first edition, a copy of the first bible translated into English (1 of 3 copies remaining in the world) and early works of Newton with his handwritten mark-ups on them.

We also like the 16th century gateway which features a statue of King Henry VIII. In his hand he holds a wooden chair leg - which replaced the golden sceptre which he held until a student prank many years ago

A day in Cambridge is not complete without the obligatory punt trip down the Cam. Having witnessed two punters take an unscheduled dip I was pleased with our decision to take a 'chauffeured' punt together with entertaining commentary. Very relaxing and nice to see the colleges from the water.

With a day of exploring under our belt we hopped back on train to London late in the afternoon with the Saturday paper to keep us entertained on the way home. A very nice day out of London.

Good times in Barcelona

With Dazza in town, we decided (along with Heron and Ben and Rachel and Jeremy) to join him for a weekend in Barcelona.

View from hotel back to city

It was our second trip to Barcelona and continuing the precedent set in Stockholm, Michelle and I took it fairly easy on the sightseeing side of things.

We were all scattered around the centre of Barcelona - our hotel was down on the harbour and provided the perfect base to catch-up with everyone when it came time for a meal or drinkie which seemed to be quite regularly.

On the eating front we managed to have lunch at Cal Pep - a famous tapas bar which we were unable to get to last time and it did not disappoint - fresh seasonal mushrooms, deep fried aubergine, tomato bread, calamari and sensational tuna tartare (to name a few...).

We had a fantastic weekend (again with stunning weather) and were reminded what great city Barcelona is!

Self portrait: Little piggies in Barcelona

Ambling in Stockholm

It's been a while since we've updated the blog... but we have had a few trips in the past month or so - starting with a weekend city break to Stockholm in September.

We've both been pretty busy at work and as a result felt like a very leisurely weekend. Although winter is almost upon us we were treated to a couple of stunning crisp sunny days.

Stockholm is of course the city of design - so a big part of the weekend was spent window shopping in the many designer stores - which ranged from exclusive homeware stores through to small quirky design shops filled with weird and wonderful gadgets - the perfect place to shop for that person who has everything!

The main 'tourist attraction' for us was visiting the 'Vasa'. This museum is built around a 70m 1620 warship which famously sunk about 1.3km into its maiden voyage (due to it being top heavy!). It sat buried in Stockholm harbour until 1961 when she was re floated and restored. 95% of the wood on the ship is original due to the fact that the Baltic Sea is not salty enough for wood worms to thrive. Seeing this immense ship is pretty amazing and it is hard to fathom that so much hard work and labour could be lost so easily!

Stockholm as a real cocktail culture (although drinks are notoriously expensive!) and we embraced this and enjoyed cocktails in all sorts of interesting places - notable were the Gondolen (great views from this bar at the top of a historic lift) and the Icebar - where everything is made of ice... the walls, the bar, the chairs.... even the shot glasses!

View from Gondolen bar

Our hotel (http://www.nordiclighthotel.se/en/) was very cool - labelled 'designer chic' in style. They employ a 'light manager' to control lighting in the rooms and hotel and the beds are the most comfortable beds ever - just what the doctor ordered!