Friday, April 27, 2018
Zulu Lunch
Over the years, Jan and Gus have developed close relationships with many South African families. This provided us with the opportunity to join Linda, Golden, and their daughter Pearl for lunch at their home in the Loskop Tribal Area.
Kwethu Children's Village
The village was created to provide a safe haven for orphans, many of whom lost their parents to the South African AIDS epidemic. More to follow.
The Family Farm
One of the many joys of this adventure was the opportunity to spend three days on the farm that has been in Janet's family for multiple generations. More to follow.
The Nelson Mandela Capture Site
There is a fine museum at Lion's River near Howick where Nelson Mandela was captured. He would then be imprisoned for 27 years. He was actively negotiating the end of Apartheid while he was still imprisoned. It is complicated. Details to follow.
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Delaire Graf Estate Gardens & Tokara Wine Estate
Our trip continued from Stellenbosch to the small town of Greyton. On the way, we stopped to admire the gardens at Delaire and the wines of the Tokara vineyards.
We are talking serious opulence here. Lawrence Graf made his money over the last 55 years as a dominant force in the South African diamond industry. The Delaire Graff Estate was constructed from 2003 to 2009. The background scenery, the gardens, the art, and the jewelry were breathtaking.
Die Dompas Moet Brand!
by Hank Willis Thomas
The piece memorializes the burning of government identification by race during apartheid.
Delaire Graff Estate
photo from their web site
We are talking serious opulence here. Lawrence Graf made his money over the last 55 years as a dominant force in the South African diamond industry. The Delaire Graff Estate was constructed from 2003 to 2009. The background scenery, the gardens, the art, and the jewelry were breathtaking.
Die Dompas Moet Brand!
(The Passbook Must Burn)
by Hank Willis Thomas
The piece memorializes the burning of government identification by race during apartheid.
Cape of Good Hope
Penguins, Ostriches, and Baboons oh my!
Penguins on the beaches, and ostriches and baboons by the side of the road - and did I mention herons?
Dion, Janine & Hannah's Place of Safety
Dion is a close friend of Gus and Jan, and a professional tour guide in South Africa. Dion's wife Janine has created a safe-house for children who have nowhere else to go. We had the opportunity to visit the home of Dion and Janine and see first-hand what goes on with the children they protect and nurture. We will write more later. In the meantime, you can learn more here.
We also dined at The Grillfathers, a local hangout in the Mitchell's Plain area of Cape Town. We had great food. They made our day, and we made theirs. It was probably the first time that white Americans dined here. Dion informed the regulars in Afrikaans language that these were The Americans which brought on howls of laughter since there happens to be a dangerous neighborhood gang in Mitchell's Plain who have named themselves The Americans.
We also dined at The Grillfathers, a local hangout in the Mitchell's Plain area of Cape Town. We had great food. They made our day, and we made theirs. It was probably the first time that white Americans dined here. Dion informed the regulars in Afrikaans language that these were The Americans which brought on howls of laughter since there happens to be a dangerous neighborhood gang in Mitchell's Plain who have named themselves The Americans.
The District Six Museum - Cape Town
The museum documents one of the many horrific acts of Apartheid. We will do a full entry of this visit. In the meantime, check out more here.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens
Instead of going to Robben Island, we went to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. Unfortunately, due to a camera memory glitch, I lost most of my pictures from that day. However, we will make a blog entry. In the meantime, check out more here.
Robben Island and Nelson Mandela
We were supposed to take a boat to Robben Island the day after we went to Table Mountain, but it was not to be because of gale force winds. However, I believe it deserves a blog entry. You can find out more here about Robben Island.
Robben Island has been used to house prisoners for centuries since escape is considered impossible without a boat. Nelson Mandela is the most famous prisoner of Robben Island, imprisoned there for the first 18 of 27 years. He would later be democratically elected president of South Africa.
Robben Island has been used to house prisoners for centuries since escape is considered impossible without a boat. Nelson Mandela is the most famous prisoner of Robben Island, imprisoned there for the first 18 of 27 years. He would later be democratically elected president of South Africa.
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