Whether or not you like or drink wine, you shouldn’t go to Cape Town without visiting Stellenbosch, which, along with Paarl and Franschhoek, make up the wine growing region of South Africa. Only about 35 miles outside of Cape Town, it is well worth the drive to see the landscape, visit some of its many vineyards and sample its wines and brandys.
I love to see places I recognize in my favorite films or movies. In Die Another Day, I was tickled when I saw the press conference Gustave Grave, the villain in this film, held in front of the gates of Buckingham Palace. The Palace Press Office handles all requests for permission to film on the grounds.
This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!
It isn’t difficult to understand why this is called Boulders Beach. Rocks like these are everywhere. But it is the colony of jackass penguins that seem to hold everyone’s fascination.
The colony has grown from two breeding pairs in 1982 to nearly 3,000. What’s most interesting and surprising is the braying sound they make. You’d swear there were some jackasses around.
Stained glass is made by adding metallic salts its manufacture. Small pieces of glass are arranged to patterns that are held together by strips of lead.
I don’t know about you but when I arrive at my destination, I hate having to wait for my luggage to arrive on the airport carousel. It always seems like such a waste of time just standing there waiting when all I want to do is hit the ground running. So I take just enough to fit into a suitcase that stows easily into the overhead compartment.
I didn’t always travel like that though I can’t pinpoint now exactly when it happened.
I remember lugging what seemed like all my earthly possessions, including the kitchen sink, from one terminal to another to board a connecting flight at Madrid Barajas International Airport. I swore then that I’d never travel with more than I needed. Of course, I promptly forgot that promise as soon as I returned home.
Then there was a period when most people who flew on Air Jamaica brought a change of clothing in a carry-on bag as they never knew when they’d arrive at their destination before their luggage.
Whether you’re packing for a weekend getaway or a trip around the world, the biggest decision to be made is what we take and what we leave behind. Seems simple, right?
As creatures of habit, we wear the same shoes, carry the same purse over and over, even though we might have other suitable ones in our closets. Why then when we go on vacation, we bring more than we usually use?
My first rule of packing is planning – I make a list just like I do when I shop. I think of what I wear in a normal week and pack those items only. I also keep a small bag in my suitcase with mini toiletries – lotion, moisturizer, deodorant, toothpaste, etc., as well gadgets such as my cell phone charger, adapter, batteries, memory cards, etc. That way I don’t have to search for them when I need them.
The week before I travel, I check the list to make sure there isn’t something I used, something I might need that wasn’t on the list. For example, I might have started taking a new vitamin or prescription.
Since I started getting ready for my trip, I’ve been asking other travel bloggers for their luggage recommendations and researching suitable suitcases. Here are two that been highly recommended:
MEI Voyageur: Measuring 22 x 14 x 9, this backpack converts to a traditional looking luggage, so you don’t have to look like a backpacker (though nothing’s wrong with that) when you check into a fancy hotel. It’s hand made to order in the U.S. and comes with a lifetime warranty. Costs $139.
Kelty Redwing 2650 Backpack: This one was recommended by John at Happypoppeye, an intrepid traveler.
Enjoy!
Travel, especially to places I’ve been to before, takes on a different dimension when I know it can be fodder for a new post. Like my recent trip to Washington, DC, a place I lived for ten years. The last time I was there, it was for the usual round of family visits and I didn’t have time to venture off by myself and revisit old haunts to see them with different, travel blogger, eyes.
Before I got to Washington, I knew I had to see the MLK Memorial so the friend I was scheduled to meet decided to tag along as she hadn’t seen it yet.
I hadn’t been on the Mall since the Inauguration of President Obama in 2009 and before that for the Cherry Blossom Festival a year or so earlier. On both occasions, we stayed in a localized area. This time was different. It was a pleasant day and we decided to get off the subway at Gallery Place and walk.
The National Mall is to Washington, DC what Central Park is to New York City, what the Champs Elysees is to Paris. It is like the nation’s living room, or maybe the kitchen, the place everyone gathers for events large and small.
We strolled leisurely towards the general area of the Tidal Basin and bumped into a few unexpected treats along the way, like the Sculpture Garden.
Not much further on, we came upon the National Book Festival, which has been held annually on the Mall for the past eleven years. Being a booklover, it was tempting not to stop and listen to some of the authors and wander through the tents. I settled for a copy of the program, instead.
Each time I see the National World War II Memorial, I’m just blown over by the sheer beauty and expanse of it. Memorials reflect an artist’s vision of how to best capture and express visually our emotions surrounding an event. The World War II memorial, I think, does that effectively.
The Korean War Memorial always hits me in the gut, maybe because it duplicates what the battlefield must have looked like. Dressed in their military garb, the soldiers are caught in mid-step, guns at the ready. Except for the sounds, it’s not difficult to imagine what this war must have been like.
As much as I enjoy being on the Mall, seeing these memorials always wipe me out because there’s usually so many emotions to process. But I wish now I had pushed through my hunger and emotional fatigue and gone over to the Viet Nam War Memorial. It would have been interesting to see the contrasts. Next time.
Last weekend, I decided to go to Washington, DC to see family and friends and also to view the monument to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which was recently unveiled on the Mall.
It was to have been dedicated on August 28th in a ceremony marking the anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech but was postponed because of the arrival of Hurricane Irene.
As with most public art pieces, there has been some controversy. One, that the project did not go to an American and two, that Dr. King’s features look Asian.
I had assumed the sculptor would have been African-American, I had no idea that he was Chinese or that the competition had been open to international artists. But we must accept that we live in a global community. Most importantly, Dr. King’s work was about equality and fairness for everyone, not just black people.
I don’t think, like I’ve heard others say, that the rendering of his image makes him look Asian. I wonder though, if the sculptor’s identity had not revealed, if that idea would even have entered our minds.
Those issues aside, my observation or maybe my preference would have been for a likeness of Dr. King with a smile on his face. So many times, in photos, he’s smiling. Then again, I’m sure there would have been those who would have objected.
The first thing I saw as I entered the grounds were two large slabs of granite flanking the entrance. I couldn’t interpret what they meant until I noticed that the monument itself looked as if it had been cut from the center. Then it made sense. The granite represented the mountain. And as the quote that’s etched into the side of the monument noted, Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.
Dr. King gazes quietly and reflectively over the Tidal Basin towards the Jefferson Memorial. His hands are folded, his legs are slightly apart. It is a peaceful and powerful pose.
Behind the sculpture is a wall that’s been inscribed with quotations from speeches that Dr. King made in the U.S. and around the world.
As I walked around, taking photos, looking at the sculpture, I couldn’t help thinking of the work that went into creating the memorial and the holiday to honor this remarkable man, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The day after we arrived in Cape Town, a spectacularly beautiful day, with few clouds, our guide, Ian, insisted that we visit Table Mountain. We had other ideas but eventually decided to follow his advice.
The following day, the day we wanted to go, puffy, white clouds blanketed the mountain. Ian said it was its Tablecloth.
This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!
