Kalk Bay near Cape Town

Kalkbaai lies between Muizenberg and Vishoek near Cape Town...

My wife , cheryl and I just spend a couple of days there. We rented a holiday cottage on the mainroad across the beach. Well, it not quite a beach, more a rocky coastline with a tidal pool and a short stretch of sand . . .

Nieu Bethesda in the Karoo region of South Africa

Two nights and one and a half days...

Nieu Bethesda has a very small population of about a thousand people or so. The last time I was here was in 2000, and in the preceding 12 years the town has definitely taken on a more touristy flavour. The are over twenty guest houses and almost all of them were full over the long weekend in December 2012. There are at least two restaurants that are open at night and quite a few more open for lunch...

24 hours in Zurich

On my way back to South Africa I stayed over in Zurich for 24 hours.

We arrived in Zurich by train from Milan. The route by train through the mountains and tunnels were truly spectacular. Our train broke down on route and we had to run to catch the next one with standing room only for the duration of the journey...so much for legendary Swiss punctuality and efficiency...

A tiny Lucerne hotel

Everything is just a bit more expensive in Switzerland than anywhere else...

When we looked at hotels to stay in we were quite surprised at how expensive it was. Eventually we found the inexpensive  'Etap Hotel Lucerne City'. It is situated at the back of the railway station and one has to walk over a bridge that spans across the railway lines as they converge at the station.

Lucerne, Switzerland Continued...

In my previous post I talked a little about how difficult it was for me to photograph in Lucerne...

Maybe it was the weather or maybe it was just me or maybe it had something to do with the aesthetics of the place...

Lucerne, Switzerland

I have been lucky to have had the opportunity to visit London, Paris, Barcelona and Italy.

So when my wife, Cheryl, invited me to join her for a few days in Lucerne, after her business trip there,  I was a bit hesitant at first. I always had this picture in my mind of mountains and orderly little towns and cities. 

Mozambique accommodation

Tiger fishing in Mozambique

Towards the end of last year my wife Cheryl and I were invited by our very good friends, Johan and Margie to go with them to Mozambique on a fishing safari. We travelled there by car and it is about 550km away from our home in Centurion, close to Pretoria. The trip itself turned out to be quite an adventure as the last 100km's or so was very slow going as the road was very muddy and wet from recent rains and I was not sure if my trusty Volvo Cross Country was going to make it at times...

                                  

Mozambique Landscapes

The landscape on the Mozambique side of the Kruger National Park is mostly bush veld. 

Two weeks before our arrival a massive veld fire had crossed from the South African side into Mozambique and to say the least the veld looked bleak. I was a bit worried that I might not get any good landscapes photographs...

Mozambique, a still life.

When on holiday, there are often long moments when I have absolutely nothing to do.

 Here in Mozambique on our 'safari' these moments occurred between activities...after breakfast and before lunch, or after lunch and before our sunset game drive...After I have been at a new destination for a day or so, I am acutely aware of these long moments in time when I have nothing to do...I get very bored and then I start wandering around with my camera looking for something to photograph..

Mozambique Portraits

 November 2011 my wife, Cheryl and I were invited by my very good friend, Johan  and his wife Margie, to a weekend of adventure in Mozambique. 

We were to go tiger fishing on the the Sabie river where it crosses the border of the Kruger National Park, in South Africa into Mozambique . . .

A Moment in Milan....

Next to the Duomo in Milan there is a ornate and posh shopping arcade, called the Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II.

Also know as 'Milan's drawing room' the arcade was designed by the architect Guiseppe Mengoni, who unfortunately fell to his death from the scaffolding a year before the shopping arcade's completion in 1877 . . .

On the beach, Ballito

Its not the easiest thing to walk around beaches and just point ones camera at half naked people..not here in South Africa anyway...and at this time of the year when the beaches are relatively empty, its even more difficult.

Thompsons Beach, Natal

My wife and I stayed in Ballito on the Natal north coast for a weekend at the beginning of February this year.

We managed to get a one bedroom apartment a block away from the main beach in Ballito. Ballito is a very popular holiday destination especially for matriculants after writing their final exams...and apparently there is one huge party in Ballito at the beginning of December.

Lake Maggiore, Italy

Isola Pescatori , or Fisherman's island lies just off the shore of Lake Maggiore between  Stresa and Baveno and is part of the Borromean island group.

The people that live on the island are shopkeepers, restaurateurs and fisherman. It is quite easy to walk around the island and it doesn't take long either. Lake Maggiore is surrounded by majestic mountains and with the lake in the foreground makes for a dramatic backdrop...

click on images to enlarge...

The first image posted here is a photograph made from Isola Bella towards Isola Pescatori. One can see that the island is very small. In the foreground is a fisherman rowing which looks like a toy rowing boat to me and he is probably rowing to the other side of the lake....quite a distance away....!

This island forces one to slow down and absorb its atmosphere. Life is slow and measured here and one can just sit all day long watching the passing parade, and always there is the backdrop of lake and mountains and the pleasure of knowing that you are sitting on a tiny island in this great lake that stretches all the way to Switzerland.

All the images were made with a Canon 5D2 and a 24-105L lens. This combination, although a bit on the heavy side makes for a great travel camera. The lens has a good spread and with IS can be used almost anywhere and at anytime....

There is a tourist office at the harbour in Stresa where one can get all the info and tickets for the excursions to the islands. They have a very comprehensive website that helped us a lot in planning our trip, not just to the islands, but the whole area around Stresa. The website can be found here....http://www.visitstresa.com/

regards, Ivan...

Bethulie accommodation

I have posted quite a few images and thoughts about our photographic journey to Bethulie and Philippolis.

Undoubtedly the non photographic highlight was our stay at the 'Old Watchmakers Guesthouse and Bistro'. We only stayed there for one night, and I am sorry we couldn't stay for more..

When I phoned to book I jokingly mentioned that I must be the only person in the country that would travel all the way from Centurion to Bethulie to celebrate his wedding anniversary...! The owner of the Old Watchmakers, Mrs M Frewen,  immediately offered to put flowers, champagne and dark chocolate in our room....she also asked if we would  like to have dinner...not knowing whats available in town I accepted the dinner reservation.

When we arrived there late the Saturday afternoon we warmly greeted as only South Africans can and shown our superb room. In our room was the champagne, flowers and Lindt dark chocolate..as promised! One must understand that Bethulie is about 200km from the nearest large town where luxury items like this can be purchased... it must have been some effort to get all this for ready for our arrival. The Karoo lamb meal that evening was also superb and was personally made  by Mrs M Frewen, the owner. So was breakfast the next morning...

But our biggest surprise was that all this came to a grand total of about R700-00 ( about 70 euro)...!

I can heartily recommend this establishment, and I can honestly say that we were treated like royals!

Check out their website at..http://www.oldwatchmakers.co.za/.

regards, Ivan...

Centurion to Weppener.

At 0km...,

In December 2011 my wife, Cheryl, and I took a quick three day photographic journey to Philippolis via Bethulie. Both these towns are in the southern Freestate. The area is quite arid and flat with of course the 'mighty' Orange river flowing into the Gariep dam.

We stayed in Bethulie the first night and then drove to Philippolis for our 2nd and last night. On the third day we drove back home. We drove  a total of about 1600km over the three days.

I wrote about this journey in my blog starting at the end and working my way back to the beginning.

........this is the beginning.....

At 210km's...

We left Centurion early the morning and drove as much as we could to get out of the City environment and to reach the 'platteland' as quickly as possible. Our first stop was at 210km where I was attracted by the row of bluegum of trees on the horizon and the ubiquitous watermill that is found all over our country.

click on images to enlarge...

At 334km, just outside Welkom where we stopped for breakfast,  I saw this typical farmgate with the names of the farmer and his wife written in red on the white gate. ...'Jan' en 'Koekie'...I always wondered why we Afrikaners name so many of our woman after a biscuit......opposite the gate on the other side of the road was a lone telephone pole assisted by another pole with the flat Freestate landscape behind

At 416km's...

Because of roadworks on the main road to Bloemfontein we took a detour through Brandfort. We stopped and stretched our legs in front of this beautiful and well preserved old Dutch Reformed Church...

At 511k's...

Bloemfontein was a big disappointment, not that we wanted to stop and take photographs, but it just looked so tatty and dirty, and this was just before the 100th anniversary of the ANC which was held there a few days later....I hoped the city council made an attempt to clean up the city..

After we had left Bloemfontein we drove through the townships adjacent to the city for a very long distance before we reached open and clean landscapes. It is quite nerve wracking driving through the township areas as the normal rules of the road don't apply. The are no more fences next to the road so one would have cattle and goats casually strolling across the road in front off incomming traffic, pedestians walking all over the place and taxis doing what South African taxis do.....

Once we had left the city behind we were in the typical Freestate landscape again were there are only yellow grass land, clouds and telephone poles....

At 558km's ...

On the road to Dewetsdorp we saw this typical rural bridge over a small river. The bridge was painted white and reminded me of my youth. In those days we didn't have any highways and we always traveled on roads just like the one we were on now.....narrow roads through an unending flat grass landscape with the only points of interest the telephone lines, black tar roads and every now and again the little white bridges.....

regards, Ivan...

Weppener

At 599km's...

Weppener is a small Freestate town named after Kommandant Louw Weppener. It is a very sad looking town with one part of the once beautiful Town Hall burnt down...and with no sign of any activity to repair the fire damage. Once again, unfortunately, proof that many of the small towns are very poorly managed by mostly uncaring, unqualified and incompetent ANC councillor's.

It must have been a beautiful town in its hey day and there is even an arch across the main road signalling the pride that was once here...

click on images to enlarge...

I met a local mechanic, Stefan and he graciously posed for me at his mothers very color full house and garden. His mother complained about constant water shortages and Stefan said that there was nothing to do for the youth in town. Once again the local Dutch Reformed Church was in a relatively good condition which is remarkable if one takes into account the dwindling number of the people attending the churches on the platteland and as a result a shortages of funds to pay for the upkeep of the structures and salaries of the dominie's.

Just another once proud little town just off the beaten track on its way down...

regards. Ivan...

From Weppener to Bethulie...

At 671, 738, 769 & 783km's...

We left Weppener after a picnic on the lawn of the Dutch Reformed Church and looked forward to the last leg of our journey to Bethulie. The areas we drove through were quite remote with few things to see except windmills dotted all over the landscape.

click on images to enlarge...

Bethulie Landscapes

At 789km's...

Just before we reached our final destination for the day we saw, from afar, on the horizon a symmetrical 'koppie' or hill . . .

Bethulie Portraits

Still at 800km's...

As we drove out of Bethulie on our way to Philippolis I saw a new RDP  hosing project being built. I stopped to take a few photographs of the toilets....I remembered that this was a favourite subject of documentary photographers in the days of apartheid. I looked at them and wondered....