A few weeks ago Ray and I spent three days at the Drakensberg Mountain Retreat, on the northern edge of the Drakensberg Mountain range near the border of the Free State and KwaZulu Natal. The lodge is frequented by a herd of wild horses.
There isn’t much to do in this part of the country, which was exactly what we were looking for when we booked the trip. We sat around the lodge, looked at the view, ate, hiked a little, and watched the horses.
Theo, the lodge manager, told us the horses are descended from those who were abandoned in this area during the Anglo-Boer War more than a hundred years ago. I searched online but couldn’t find any definitive information about the horses. Anyway, I was charmed. Sitting and watching horses munch grass is a strangely soothing activity.
The hiking trails around the lodge were fun (beware though: the trails are well marked but not always well maintained, and ridiculously steep in some spots), and the view from the lodge at sunset was amazing.
But for me, this holiday was all about the horses.
This one really liked me.
The Drakensberg Mountain Retreat is a great bargain, especially if you take advantage of the midweek specials. I definitely recommend it for a quick getaway from Joburg; it’s only about four hours’ drive. Note that this isn’t a five-star hotel though. The service is good but not great, and the food is plentiful but average, in my opinion.
That said, I loved the spacious rooms, the beautiful antiques, the view, the peacefulness of the setting, and of course, the horses. I would go back.
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.