Author Archive

This weekend we drove 2,5 hours to Germany to join Ina and Andries, who’d already been there for two days. They’d found a great camping site and were enthuisiatic about the May Fair being celebrated in Osnabruck. So we packed our tent and bicycles and headed off on Friday morning.

We got to Teutoburger Waldsee camping site around 2pm and unpacked. Setting up camp has become a fine art … we can now do it in 20 minutes flat! Then to our horror, we realised we’d forgotten our pillows … argh. There’s always a thing or two that you forget, but your pillow? Read the rest »

Coming from South Africa, it hasn’t been difficult to enjoy Zapiro’s political cartoons in the newspaper over the years. And every now and then my father-in-law sends us a fax with another “that’s a goodie”.

This morning, to my delight, I read an article about the Z-News puppet project that was going to be aired on the SABC (South African Broadcasting Company) in November 2008, but the project was pulled beforehand. The SABC chose the safe route instead of possible law suits. Want to see toes being humourously stepped on? Watch this video (23:29 min) Read the rest »

Since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to go to the Caribbean. Perhaps inspired by the Bacardi ads or James Bond movies from childhood? But that part of the world has always been my dream destination.

When Marcel and I got married in 2001, our plan was to become scuba diving instructors in the Caymans, or another island nearby. Practicality and other reasons helped us choose The Netherlands instead, but the dream didn’t fade. Both of us wanted to go.

What better reason than a 40th birthday? On 1st of March I was born four decades ago. Wow. What a thought. It used to sound so old … Read the rest »

During our awesome stay at the Royal Catalonia Bavaro Resort in Punta Cana, Marcel arranged a very special dinner to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary. Dinner for two … on the beach.

No hoardes of other people. Just the two us! And a Waiter, an Executive Chef and the Food & Beverage Manager.

It was a big deal! There was fuss and flurry in reception as we chose our menu 24 hours beforehand. We got the impression this didn’t happen too often and happily paid the bill for this private treat, which wasn’t included in the all-in package. Then we headed back to our deck-chairs to laze in the Caribbean sun and drink Presidente beer. Read the rest »

We’ve been planning our trip to the Caribean (for about 9 years) and have finally booked for March ‘09. It is a rather (a-hem) dear trip that’s straining our piggy bank, so we’d decided not to do anything for Christmas or New Year. But this resolve didn’t stop me from missing my mommy (nope, not even when you’re nearly-40 are you too old to miss your mommy).

And then out of the blue, feeling for me, Marcel surprised me with a booking confirmation (by e-mail!) saying that we were going to the UK for New Year. WHAT?? It was the 29th and the tickets were booked for the 31st! Read the rest »

In 2002 I first heard about the mysterious Christmas market in the caves somewhere in Limburg. Previous years brought various attempts to organise a visit, but inevitably something else came up and this market dropped down our to-do list. This year … we got lucky! On 6th of December we drove 250 km’s from Lelystad to Valkenburg to visit the Dutch Christmas Caves. Read the rest »

Batavia Stad is a designer clothing outlet shopping centre a few km’s from where we live. Some friends jealously wonder why we don’t live there permanently. Well the truth is, I don’t like shopping!

Yes … I’m a woman! Gosh, just ask my husband about the nightmare it was to find my wedding dress … (he was the only person I could entrust with the goal, so we did that together). Marcel has the patience of Job when it comes to spending time in stores. Read the rest »

Recently we had the good fortune of watching Ladysmith Black Mambazo in concert at the Schouwburg Theatre in Almere. A great performance!

We are so proud of this 47-year old Music Legend … definitely one of South Africa’s best exports. But what delighted us the most, is their relaxed, authentic manner in sharing their isiZulu culture. Read the rest »

Our serene harbour village is approximately 65 km’s away from the bustle of Amsterdam. We enjoy the water and nature, but once in a blue moon we venture off to the capital to take in city life.

We park our car relatively close to Amsterdam, and catch the train for the last few stops, which saves us mucho money and stress from trying to find parking. The train journey into Amsterdam is really cool. First you ride past dreary flat blocks, which considering we’d contemplated living in the city, makes us appreciate our home even more. Then you ride past architectually-stunning apartments on the IJ River. Read the rest »

Waiting to be released from an Amsterdam traffic light, the corner of my eye forced my head leftwards to the side of the road. There they were … two magic little words I never thought I’d see … Bolshoi Ballet.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I strained to read the poster. Carre Theatre. Swan Lake. Showing Soon. My heart leaped into the air as triumphantly as the man in red tights. Read the rest »

A week of sunshine at Lake Garda in Northern Italy … sounds like heaven!! Especially that it’s just a couple of hours away from Venice. So on the 23rd of August, we packed ourselves into the car and drove to the watery backdrop of Hollywood blockblusters. We were especially keen to see if James Bond really had destroyed that building

Marcel and I have been to Venice before, during November in 2000, when it flooded – but that’s a whole other story. Having caught the train there the first time, it was quite cool driving across the bridge into Venezia. We found a car park pretty quickly but gasped at the EUR 26 / day price tag, so thought we’d try to find a different one. Big mistake. The traffic jammed up the further in we went. Read the rest »

If you had told me back in 1999, when I’d first heard about Verona’s famous opera venue, that we’d be watching AIDA out in the open, under the stars and a cool Italian breeze, I’d never have believed you.

Living in South Africa, Europe and the European culture seems like such an enigma. One of those things you’d love to do, but doubt you’ll ever get the chance … our cultural fortune changed when we moved to Holland, and we’re now able to visit these “exotic places”. Read the rest »

Life in Europe is busy. Very busy. Especially in the peak season. So heading out on the bonne foi (i.e. without making prior reservations) is quite a risky thing to do. The last thing you want is to end up in some dodgy hotel with their last available (flea-ridden) bed. So nowadays most Europeans book their overnight stays beforehand. The bean-counter in me scoured the net to find a suitable room, but the Indiana Jones kept closing the windows, insisting we wing it. Often I have these personal struggles … Read the rest »

Just two days before heading to Switzerland en-route to Italy, cousins Ina and Andries showed us their video of Rheinfall in Schaffhausen … well Neuhausen actually (they’re about 3 km’s apart). It looked awesome … the sound and power of the water drew me in like a magnet. We just HAD to include it in our travel plan.

It was our first day of travelling and we’d spent about 8-9 hours in the car before reaching Neuhausen, so we grabbed the chance to stretch our legs. Read the rest »

Rob Mieras is a 4×4 driving instructor and has the patience of Job when it comes to teaching new offroading skills to nervous drivers. We had the good fortune of joining them on a camping trip to Freizeitpark Mammut in Germany, which was just fabulous.

The highlight of the week was definitely learning how to gear down steep slopes and charge through muddy pools. But it all started rather slowly for me … Let’s face it, keeping control of a beast that weighs more than two tons is scary. Read the rest »

Rob and Janet Cuthbertson work very closely with their local Zulu communities. They believe that low-impact tourism is an excellent way to provide much-needed employment in the area and to preserve the magnificent beauty of Zululand.

During our stay with them, they organised a guided canoeing trip for us with Temba, a Zulu guide who is perhaps the epitome of responsible eco-tourism. Not only has Temba set up his own tour operating company, he is also encouraging his community to become more involved in eco-tourism. Read the rest »

Building a camp fire is not allowed in most of the camping spots we’ve visited in the last couple of years, both in Holland and in Germany. But this one was different.

Freizeitpark Mammut is huge, with lovely grassy fields, ginormous trees and slopes to match, with forest areas, marsh lands and open savanah-type areas. It’s an off-roader’s dream!

But I digress … I was harping on about the campfires. Because that’s the way we used to camp as kids - rugged, full of adventure and a mesmerising fire to capture your memories.

And then there was the mud. Read the rest »

In the hot, baking sun we drudged ourselves, albeit rather willingly, behind two armed game rangers from Orpen Camp in the Kruger National Park. Our guides, Carol and Thomas, had fetched us in their open game-drive vehicle from the ablution facilities at Tamboti Tented Camp where we were staying. After introducing themselves and giving us a briefing of the walk, we headed out into the bumpy bushveld. Read the rest »

On my birthday, Marcel and I headed out to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, about 40-min drive from Leopard Walk Lodge where we were staying. We arrived nice and early as the gates opened, and after signing in, we were rewarded with a lovely sighting of warthogs right at the gates. What a fab start to the game drive! The sun was shining and the wildlife obliging.

The office manager had shown us various routes we could take, so with map in hand, we headed out, eagerly taking in the helpful spotting tips and great overview of the animals we might catch a glimpse of. Read the rest »

In February 2007, Janet Cuthbertson from Suni-Ridge Org. ZA (013-525 NPO) contacted us asking if we’d promote Leopard Walk Lodge in Zululand, KwaZulu Natal. At the end of the e-mail, there were a few paragraphs about how they rehabilated an old pineapple farm and gave it back to nature, forming a wildlife reserve.

Among other things, they also mentioned False Bay School, which Janet established in 1992. I was so impressed by their achievements, that I offered to build a pro-bono website for Suni-Ridge. Read the rest »

Marcel’s parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in February 2008 and organised a fabulous apartment in Margate for all of us. They’d arrived a week earlier and had found a fabulous little restaurant renowned for their fish & chips in Port Shepstone, so decided to treat us for lunch. Before going to lunch, we couldn’t miss out on visiting the Port Shepstone Lighthouse, which was built in 1902(5?) and is situated on the mouth of the Umzimkulu River. Read the rest »

Without nature and wildlife, humans would cease to exist.

As a species, we are becoming far more aware of the affect that our lifestyle is having on the planet.

We need create a balance between the needs of humans and of nature and wildlife.

We need to take responsibility (together!) for what happens to our world, and protect it for future generations. Read the rest »

We all need to eat, have shelter, wear clothing (there are some who would argue this) and travel around. To do this, we buy clothes, houses, furniture, gas, water, vehicles, and the list goes on and on. However in undeveloped countries, this list is much shorter. “They’ve got warmth and sunshine” I’ve heard in rebuff as to why they “don’t have the same needs”. But this is changing big time now that India and China are becoming super-consumers. Read the rest »

Oldenburg in Germany is some four hours away from us, but we took a drive there on the 16th of December, to meet up with our cousins for just a few hours at the Christmas Market.

These German markets are renowned for their festive spirit and good cheer. It was worth the effort and we found the greatest gifts … love, care, attention and time with family and friends. Read the rest »

The winters in The Netherlands are becoming milder and milder. Much to the dismay of the Dutch, for whom ice skating on natural ice is highly sought after. Thanks to the myriad of canals and rivers, skaters can enjoy courses of up to 200km.

The outdoors, ice skating in nature, wafting along reed beds, freedom. That’s the intention behind the multi-functional outdoor recreation centre that opened in December 2007, called “FlevOnice” or “Ice World”. We visited the course on a very busy Boxing Day (2007). Read the rest »