Feb 16, 2010 | Stories, Travel..ling Tuesdays
Before the Bear came into our lives, we enjoyed a lot more beer. I kid, I kid. But we did visit Beer. Hopefully that’s why you’re here…to see shots of Beer. The rhyming is contagious, isn’t it? Sorry. We were in the US raising support for ministry in Scotland and two of our very good friends were planning on gettin’ hitched in the south of England. We prayed about whether we were supposed to go, felt like we should only consider it if we could find flights for thus and such…and flights for thus and such we found! I am so glad we were able to be there. It was an awesome wedding of two awesome people who are so dear to us. They’re now happily married with a little girl (who was born just after we left Scotland…we’re really looking forward to meeting her!)
We flew in to London and took a wee trip down to the south west of England for the wedding. We took a few days and saw some gorgeous sights and had some memorable moments along the way…but you’re here for Beer! Sorry.
So this in me in Beer! In case you haven’t caught on, Beer is a village in the south west of England. If my face looks chubby, it will be explained, posthaste…
Take a closer look at these beautiful cliffs!
Hero Hubs took some beautiful shots of me on the beach. Not that I was particularly beautiful…the beach was! And the photo composition.
Wasn’t that great? You know what else is great? Me. Well I was great. In the photo I was great, with child. You can perhaps tell here:
That one feels like it should be a CD cover or something. The Brotha’s got soul.
Beer also has beautiful boats!
Do you love their colours? I do.
And now, I shall provide proof that there is indeed a village in south west England called Beer. In case you haven’t googled it already.
I don’t know what a Luggers Club is…perhaps lugging beer back and forth? Well you’ll be glad to know Beer has one.
In case you’re still not convinced, and you think it’s just a Beer-Luggers Club, I will now share with you the invitation I personally received to the Beer Social Club. Ahem.
Must be easy to be social with so much Beer.
Well friends, I hope you enjoyed having a beer together. And in case you’re wondering, no, I didn’t have a beer in Beer. I was great with child, remember! 😉
Happy Trails! And may the road rise to meet you wherever your journey takes you next!
Feb 9, 2010 | Stories, Travel..ling Tuesdays
Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is going well so far. In our neck of the woods, more specifically in the Cape region, there are lots of fires going on… Apparently in at least seven different places at the moment. Don’t worry, none of them are very near us, and we live on a harbour, so I think we’re safe. But I was hoping to catch a few shots for you that might demonstrate the strange haziness floating around today.
Most of the fires burning right now are regular occurrences in this area. They clear the bush and open up seeds that give new fynbos the opportunity to grow. They do unfortunately also destroy homes and businesses in the process. (Some of our friends lost everything they owned, except their car and fortunately their dog, a few years ago when a fire on the nearby mountains sent an ember or two in the direction of their thatched roof.)
You’ve probably heard it pointed out before that some of the most amazing trees — like the ginormous sequoias on the west coast in the US, are the result of forest fires. The pods their seeds are held inside only open under immense pressure — the heat of a forest fire. I think that speaks volumes about life in general, but this is Travelling Tuesday, so I’ll keep it light and leave you to think about it.  On to the pictures.
You may recall the picture from our balcony, which I shared just after we moved in… (click here to see it — sorry, I couldn’t find it in my photo library!) This is the view from our balcony today:
You may also remember a picture of a fisherman, where you can see the mountains on the Cape peninsula in the distance:
This is the same spot today… The mountains have disappeared!
On my way to grab these TT shots to share with you, I discovered a guinea fowl Mom and Pops with their wee chicks and had to take photos. If you’re not familiar with guinea fowl, they’re a bit of a ninnymuggins type of bird (but don’t think I’m getting too proud — sheep are not very bright and the Lord compares us with sheep all the time!) They only fly for short distances, have a really awkward run, and are notoriously good at running out into the road to do damage to your car. If you want to try to eat one, you put it in a stewing pot with a brick, and let it stew and stew for ages. Then you take the guinea fowl out of the pot and eat the brick.
They’re not so pretty when they’re all growed up, but they are adorable as little chicks:
I rather like polka dots, so despite the funny blue heads, I still think the grown-ups are pretty. But mostly if admired from a distance. I kinda felt like this one was telling me to go away!
But they’re so cute I needed a few more shots!
Fire and fowl… That’s a slice of life ’round these parts today. 🙂 I hope things are well with you, and that the road rises to meet you wherever your journey takes you next!
Feb 2, 2010 | Travel..ling Tuesdays
Since it sounds like a lot of you folks are experiencing some chilly temps, and many of you have just enjoyed a good snowfall, I thought perhaps this week to warm you up we’d travel to beautiful Corsica…although I’ve never been there. Corsica is a lovely wee island in the Mediterranean. I suppose it’s French but you shouldn’t say that to a Corsican. It’s the official birthplace of Napolean Bonaparte, and Mark visited on holiday a year before we met, in 2004. We happened across the album the other day, and the pictures were just too beautiful not too share! I had trouble narrowing them down, so I think there are twelve. Perhaps you’ll really get warmed up.
I really liked this one, although it wasn’t one of Hero Hubby’s faves.
HH’s comment: I ate wild boar there.
How gorgeous is this spot?
HH’s comment: Grain de Sable. That means the grain of sand.
This one is so warm and fuzzy to me.
HH: Pretty…?? It is just north of the famous Calanqes de Piana. Famous is a relative term.
Can you tell I’m asking him for comments and he doesn’t really have any? 🙂 This picture makes me want to be a tourist for a while. But I kind of always feel like a tourist these days anyway.
HH: Little roadside cafe. On my way into the mountains of Corsica.
This one reminds me a little of Edinburgh Castle at sunset. But only a little.
HH: The beautiful town of Bonifacio, on the southern coast of Corsica. If you see one thing in the Mediterranean, see this. Did I say it’s beautiful?
Wow! That time I got two complete sentences! This is another one of those photos that just makes it hard to be where you are…sorry. Too pretty not to share!
HH: Cap Pertustato from Ile Cavallo. Taken specifically because of the beautiful colour of the water.
I should mention here that I can’t upload these in as high a quality as I would like to, because we pay for data instead of having unlimited internet in these parts! Just pretend it’s a lot brighter, because really it is. If you hold your cursor over this next photo, you should be able to see the long and complicated title HH gave it, which I couldn’t be bothered to retype. It’s getting late!
HH: I took a walk up a river valley called Gorges Spelunca to take a refreshing swim in the swimming pools here. The bridge is called Ponte Zaglia, and it’s a Genoese bridge which dates back to the 14th century.
So there. He made me type it all anyway. Here’s another pic to help you warm up…
HH: Plage de Virghio. The beautiful scene belies the fact that the pathway that runs behind the trees of this idyllic beach poses some land mine threatage…human feces. [Me: What??] There are no toilets! So people go poo in the bushes!! Sorry to spoil the idyllic picture.
Moving swiftly on…gross, Mark! Moving swiftly on…we’re getting to the favourites I have saved for last, of course! I hope you’re still with me. This one is picture-postcard-perfect to me.
HH: The view from the old town of Calvi, just below the Citadel. You’re looking across Golfe de Calvi towards the mountains of northern Corsica.
Did you love that one? I feel like I’m in Japan looking at this one…
HH: An early morning departure…no. An early morning photograph of the cloud inversion from Col de Bavella. I drove through these clouds descending the winding twisty road from the Col to Solenzara on the east coast. One of the most beautiful mountain passes I’ve had the pleasure of driving. I was particularly enjoying this last day of my car rental. 🙂
Gosh my fingers are tired from that caption, Mr. Dickens! Here’s my very favourite…
HH: One of my favourite photographs of all time. I was strolling around the old town of Bastia and saw this bell with the backdrop of the very blue Mediterranean, and as I was lining up the photograph this yacht came sailing into the picture. All I had to do was press the button!
Welp, happy Tuesday! I hope you enjoyed those, that you warmed up a bit if necessary, and that the road rises to meet you wherever your journey takes you next!
Jan 26, 2010 | Travel..ling Tuesdays
With a friend visiting we took a quick road trip to a beautiful village called Hermanus a little further up the coast last week. It is really stunning and one of my favourite places to visit. Were it a wee bit closer to an international airport, I’d prefer to live there over anywhere else in SA, methinks! It has stunning views with mountains tumbling into the sea, there are opportunities to see whales up close and personal at the right time of year, and it just has such a relaxed, great feel to it.
Mark took this shot from our hotel room last year. We stayed in Hermanus when we were visiting Mark’s family in South Africa last Christmas (as in Christmas 2008). Who wouldn’t like this view every morning?
Along the way to sunny Hermanus, we stopped for a view of Turtle Rock. Well, I have named him Turtle Rock. Mark thinks he looks like Sid the Sloth from Ice Age. We are waiting for Sarah Wood and Rory Macdonald to settle the debate for us. Sarah, Rory, if you please…
Scott was kind enough to take a moment to pet Turtle Rock. I doubt he gets many visitors.
Another cool thing about Hermanus is these interesting little creatures (and you know I love interesting little creatures) called Dassies, or Rock Hyraxes. Apparently their nearest relative, in terms of their genetic make-up, is the elephant. Coulda fooled me…I think looks like a Nutria from Lake Mattamuskeet! (Sorry that was really eastern North Carolinian. It’s getting late.)
If you do decide to come for a visit to Hermanus, just beware…the Dassies can get up to mischief. You don’t want to explain the birds and the bees to your kids any sooner than necessary.
I hope that made you laugh. Now back to the real reason Hermanus is great — here’s one more slice of how beautiful it is!
There are paths to walk around these beautiful cliffs that line a lot of the coast of Hermanus. At the right time of year, the whales actually come into the harbour, just to the left of those rocks (to mate, actually — what kind of post is this turning out to be?) but you can stand right there and see them up close!
So that’s one of my favourite travelling spots in this neck of the woods. Beautiful, hey? Happy Trails — I hope the road rises to meet you wherever your journey takes you next!
Jan 19, 2010 | Baby Photos, South Africa, Travel..ling Tuesdays
Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is going great, dear ones! We went for a walk on the beach Saturday morning. The sun was high and shiny, the water cool and inviting, and the Bear more than willing to be a superstar photo subject. The pictures were too cute not to share. My apologies if you feel like you’ve seen too much Bear so far this week. We’ll move on tomorrow! 🙂
Enter said beach, stage left. And the Bear, desperately hoping a beach walk is on the agenda. Somebody preez open dis gate!! he seemed to say.
Here’s a good shot of a bit of the area where we live. A lot of the houses nearby are amazing, huge beach houses that people only live in one month out of the year. It’s kinda sad!
See the rounded windows with balconies in the background? Our apartment is in the complex through the entrance underneath. We would love to take care of one of those houses while the people are away, though! 🙂
The Bear decided that even if it’s chilly, walking in the water ain’t so bad! Yes, I can see his hair is scruffy and a cut is in order! Leave me alone about it, I’m not ready!
See the “GB” with an anchor spelled out of white rocks in the background of this next shot? (It’s rather faint). It’s in honour of General Louis Botha, a steady fighter of the Brits in the Second Boer War. (You might remember me telling you before that the Boer Wars were similar to the American War for Independence aka the American Revolution, except the British won. There’s a little more SA history for you in some other posts here and here if you’re interested.) Anyway, years later, Botha visited London seeking assistance for the rebuilding of South Africa after the wars and Winston Churchill remembered him as the man who captured him in a Boer ambush of a British armoured train! He eventually became the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, the forerunner to the modern state we know as the Republic of South Africa. He was seen as the leader of the Boers for many years after the wars, so it was a good thing he had a mind to make peace. The Naval Station in Gordon’s Bay was originally named for General Botha, thus the letters on the hillside. How’s that for a history lesson from a blurry mountainside in the back of a photo?
And this is the excitement of seeing an airplane go by!!
Hope you’re having a great Travelling Tuesday, and the road rises to meet you wherever your journey takes you next!
Jan 12, 2010 | Baby Photos, South Africa, Travel..ling Tuesdays
Although it’s strange to feel totally “home” in this place so far away from the place I was born, it is good to be back “home” in Gordon’s Bay. When you get back to your own pillow, your own kitchen (+ a dishwasher!) and your own familiar sights and smells, it feels good. I thought I’d share a few more slices of life at the moment with you this Travelling Tuesday. This post may be closely followed by a post where I’ll get a little more ‘real’ about life here at the moment, in ways that can’t be captured in pictures exactly. We’ll see!
These are what our travels looked like on the way home:
Mountains continually in the distance, fields stretching out as far as you can see, and skies that look too big to capture. (The topography changes a little when you get closer to the Cape and it is really beautiful). Are you perhaps taking a closer look at this picture and wondering why the heck are you halfway off the highway? Well, in South Africa, (don’t forget we drive on the left) there is a very polite manner of driving along the roads, in some instances. Mainly along highways, and from what I hear, not in Joburg.
Since there are very wide shoulders on most highways, a car will graciously pull aside (still moving forward at its usual speed), driving over the yellow line along the shoulder to make it easier for the next car to come past. The car comes past and (you might guess this is my favourite part) they wave, or put on their hazards as a “thank you!” And you can do the same. When we pass people I often put the hazards on even though I’m not driving. It feels so sweet and friendly!
We also passed an occasional fire or two. I always wonder what’s happening and if it’s just out in the fields and hope no one’s going to get hurt. In some places, it’s just dry, and the fires are a natural part of the system, clearing the bush and popping open seeds that will get their chance to take a turn in the great circle of life as a result. It’s very poetic and Lion King-esque if you think about it. 🙂
This is what the Bear’s travels look like at the moment. He LOVES this little car. I’m sad to say he is quickly outgrowing it. I love this shot because there are three generations there. Beautiful, good, thought-provoking stuff.
And this the funny ridin’ my car face he is often making if he’s not toting along a pet rock. Great story I’ll have to tell you soon.
In the meantime, I hope your Tuesday is going great, and that the road rises to meet you wherever your adventures take you next!
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