I spent the weekend at the De Hoop Nature Reserve, a seaside wilderness in the Overberg region of the Western Cape. It will take me a day or two to get my photos together and write a full post, so here are a few Instagrams to whet your appetite.
Above-ground roots of a giant fig tree.
My lodging for the weekend.
Farmstead ruins.
The neighborhood ostrich.
Rocky beach.
Starfish tentacles.
Underwater starfish.
Instagramming starfish is really fun.
Best Instagram of the weekend – my reflection in a kelp-filled rock pool.
I’ll post more about my De Hoop experience in the next few days.
In the meantime, I need to mention that the Baltimore Ravens won the Superbowl on Sunday. Thrilled as I was to be in such a beautiful, wild place this weekend, I was also very sad to miss the game. In fact, missing this Superbowl – one of the most momentous sporting events in history for my home town – made me feel more homesick than I’ve ever felt since moving to South Africa. So I just want to give a quick shout-out to all my friends and family (and all the Ravens players and fans) who are celebrating back home this week. I think my dad is probably on the streets of Baltimore watching the Ravens parade as I write this.
I heart you, Ravens.
At a Ravens game in September 2011. (Photo: Tenney Mason)
How have I never blogged about 44 Stanley Avenue, the coolest shopping and dining complex in Joburg, which is only five minutes from my house?
I guess it’s wrong to say I’ve never blogged about 44 Stanley; I’ve mentioned it countless times over the years (see here and here) when writing about specific restaurants or shops that are there. But I’ve never written a dedicated post about 44 Stanley as a destination and it’s about time I did – especially now, with the holidays upon us.
I’ve been dreadfully uninspired lately, struggling to think of anything I want to blog about despite having a long list of great ideas (many of which you, my readers, provided in September). I’m finding it hard to feel positive about life at the moment. But on Saturday Thorsten and I got the chance to visit Indwe Park, an indigenous garden and sculpture park in Braamfontein, and I knew I had my topic for today.
Given this week’s political nuclear bomb blast, it feels like a weird time to publish a light-hearted post about my recent (pre-election) jaunt through the United States. But I’m hoping you’ve have had enough of the U.S. election horror show – I know I have – and are ready (at least temporarily) for some wholesome American travel adventures. If so, please read on about my four-day visit to Maine, the northeastern-most state in the lower 48, with my sister, Susanna.
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It makes me smile, when I see it.