An unabashed tourist and her family explore the world one holiday at a time.
The Deutsche Schule in Pretoria holds an annual Oktoberfest in line with München’s well-known beer festival. Since I don’t drink beer, I’ve never gone to the trouble of attending, but my mother, who loves all things German, persuaded us to try it out this year. We were a little disappointed. With such a high entrance fee (R100 per person), we...
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 on our recent whale watching...
After our stopover at Betty’s Bay, we continued along the scenic R44 on our way to Cape Town. We were undecided on how to best use the few hours we had before we had to head back to the airport – we wanted to visit some friends we hadn’t seen in a while, but since Gareth had never been up...
I consider myself to be a very good driver (don’t we all?), but I’ll be the first to admit that if there’s one virtue I have not been blessed with, it’s patience. Especially after 16:00 on the N1 when stuck in the fast lane behind someone with a foreign province number plate (you know who you are, Mr FS and...
On our way back from Hermanus to Cape Town last weekend, Gareth and I opted to take the more scenic R44 route, which winds along the coast with spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean. We happened upon a small holiday town called Betty’s Bay. While most people come to this area to admire the exquisite fynbos, we were excited to...
Chris Santella‘s Once in a Lifetime Trips is a full-colour non-fiction work in which 50 travel experts were asked what their dream holiday destinations would be if time and money were not a factor. Some of their answers were downright extraordinary! There are experiences in this list that I would never have thought of, but now find myself dreaming about...
The little town of Hermanus has been lauded as the best spot in the world from which to do land-based whale watching. So it was with great excitement that I set my suitcase down in my room in the Windsor Hotel, looked out of my window and spotted the tell-tale blast of air right in the bay outside the hotel!...
Their official site states that Eilean Donan is one of Scotland’s most visited attractions. I find that fairly hard to believe, given its out-of-the-way location. The restored medieval castle is located on the north-western edge of Scotland, a good four to five hour drive from Edinburgh. I would think the only tourists to visit it would be those on their...
There are some songs that can instantly transport you to another place. They make you want to pack up your suitcase and jump on a plane every time you listen to them. Here are some of my favourites: Africa by Toto When I was living in the UK for a couple of years, this song used to bring tears...
Pemba, Zanzibar I’ve jumped off the wooden dhow and am fighting to stay afloat in the rough waters of the Indian Ocean just off the coast of Pemba, Zanzibar’s main island. It’s my 30th birthday and the skipper had promised me I would be able to swim with dolphins. I look around, there are two or three other dhows in...