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Hi John. Picnic spots can be hit and miss with more misses I am afraid. However, the ones here in the Eastern Cape haven't been too bad. South Africa is accepting foreign tourists so get your vaccination, put your bicycle on the 'plane and come on over.
3 years agoMary and Martha look remarkably like Bears Ears in southern Utah: https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/winterlude2020/natural-bridges/#24734_s7ujh1bnfeyqxceauopl39y2k91.
3 years agoLoving those distances and the cobalt skies, Jean-Marc--getting all homesick for African skies. And the empty roads with tidy picnic spots. Just entering spring here in Eastern Ontario, border with Québec closed 'cos of COVID, so not a lot of cycling happening. Safe journeys to you both, John
3 years agoInteresting to note the number of "Victoria" and "Royal" hotels that abound in the former British Colonies of the nineteenth century. We have just spent a week in Port Fairy a seaside village about 300 km west of Melbourne and we had a meal at the Victoria hotel there. It was a bit expensive and my glass of Cab Sav was AUD 11.50 compared to $8 at the Star of the West, a more traditional pub. We also ate at a third pub, The Caledonian but I did not keep the bill so don't know what my wine cost there. When I was an Accountancy Articled Clerk in Pietermaritzburg "The Vic" was our favourite watering hole.
Mike
I would love to claim copyright on it but I heard it when Herschelle Gibbs was being interviewed on TV after being the first cricketer to hit six sixes in an over in an international match during the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. I often simply truncate it to "like a homesick mole" as I take the first sip. Herschelle was a brilliant all-round sportsman, playing rugby, soccer and cricket for South Africa as a youngster before concentrating on cricket, but was often rather naughty.
3 years agoGoing down like a homesick mole? That’s great. Did you come up with this, or is this a folksy old saying I’ve never heard before?
3 years agoWe saw two today. This was the second one.
3 years agoAmazing critters! I'd sure love to see one in the wild.
3 years agoThose socks feature in the entry for Rosendal :-)
3 years agoWhat, no photo of those all important socks? It would take a pretty special pair to be worth a detour for me.
3 years agoHi Mike. The weather has mostly been great. The skies up here seem to carry on forever. In your time in Umtata you must have enjoyed similar views when looking north towards the mountains.
3 years agoGreat photos with all that blue autumn sky!
Mike
An odd photo. She’s so remote. Did you have to give her a time out for bad behavior?
3 years agoBeautiful!
3 years ago
The wine list was a bit limited here at The Vic in Hofmeyr but the food was surprisingly good. The hotel was bought and renovated during the pandemic, only opening in January this year. We are currently in The Duke of Bedford on the southern side of the mountains, a similarly spruced up old hotel in a country town. It's great to see hotels leading the way in reviving the economies of the rural areas. With international travel basically unavailable for South Africans during the pandemic they are touring their own country again which is helping make these revivals possible.
3 years ago