Every year in early summer, a bunch of private gardens in Joburg open up to the public as part of the Gardens of the Golden City series. This is a rare and special opportunity; This city has some incredibly beautiful gardens with incredibly beautiful houses attached to them.
My friend Michelle and I visited one of these gardens – “The Stables” at 34 Pallinghurst Road in Westcliff – the weekend before last. The Stables is one of many Joburg mansions designed by renowned architect Herbert Baker around the turn of the 20th century. The garden was designed by Tim and Liz Steyn.
Here are a few pictures.
The Pallinghurst open garden cost R70 (about $5) to enter (most of the other open gardens are a bit cheaper). There was also a great little tea garden and wine/gin bar set up offering tasty food and drinks, with all the proceeds benefitting Johannesburg Child Welfare. It was such a lovely afternoon out.
Sorry for the short post – I’m on the move. But I wanted to slap this up and let you know that if you’ve missed all the open gardens up until now, don’t worry. There are several more coming up in late October and November. Peruse the list here on the Gardens of the Golden City website. Also read this post about a previous visit to the Gardens of the Golden City.
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.