An unabashed tourist and her family explore the world one holiday at a time.
“Look at all those cars parked by there? Must be something going on.” Gareth points out the window as we drive through the streets of Stellenbosch in our rental car. “Could it be the cheese and wine festival?” my mother asks from the back seat. I turn off the main road and park the car […]
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Seagulls soaring overhead, waves crashing on the rocks, cold sea spray on bronzed skin, the salty taste of the ocean on our tongues, and a lighthouse towering above us. This is my quintessential memory of Cape St Francis, a place of the heart, as I’ve written before. We’re fortunate in the fact that my father […]
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Hermanus has become an annual trip for us. We go every year around August or September to see the southern right whales as they come to calve and mate in the waters of this seaside town in the Western Cape in South Africa. We have never been disappointed. 2014’s trip was especially memorable, because although […]
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When two people are travelling together, there are bound to be some things that the one didn’t enjoy quite as much as the other one. I think it’s a good idea to reflect on the trip afterwards, to learn from possible mistakes and to better plan for the next one. So… the verdict is out […]
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Milestone birthdays should be celebrated, the more spectacular the better. If, like me, you exist in a Peter Pan-like state, it’s best to forget about your age and rather focus on a wonderful experience. For that reason I had decided to spend my 35th birthday in Italy and, more specifically, I wanted the day to […]
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There are perhaps as many as a thousand fountains spread out all across Rome, according to the Inguide to Rome. They were once ancient shrines to water nymphs, but nowadays locals and tourists alike come to quench their thirst at the cool mountain waters still transported via aqueduct to the city. Some of the fountains […]
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The Inguide to Rome calls the Borghese gardens a “splendid park” and “one of the most beautiful parks in Rome”. True as that may be, our memories of it have been forever tainted by the scammers that prey on gullible tourists underneath its green boughs. Now, we’re South Africans and pretty used to warding off […]
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Isn’t it wonderful when travel serendipity conspires to bring you an unexpectedly memorable day? Gareth and I had such a day when we visited the Pantheon while in Rome during a three-week trip to Italy. Not only did we get to see one of the oldest temples in the Eternal City, another relic from Emperor Hadrian’s […]
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