I recently bought a copy of Hidden Johannesburg, a hardback coffee table book featuring 28 of Joburg’s most interesting (and difficult to access, in some cases) buildings and interiors.
I’m enchanted with this book; I love flipping through, gazing at the beautiful photographs, and reminiscing about my own visits to some of the places featured. I’m pleased to say I’ve been inside 15 of the 28 buildings in the book.
Now, of course, I want to visit ALL the buildings in Hidden Joburg. And last week I got to add a new one to the list: St. Charles Borromeo, a.k.a. the Lemon Squeezer Church, in Victory Park.
I visited St. Charles Borromeo thanks to my old friend and former blogger Lucy Sarah O’Connell, who is a member of the congregation and saw me musing on Instagram about how badly I wanted to see the church. Thorsten, Gail, and I met Lucy there last week and she gave us a tour.
St. Charles Borromeo was built in 1966, at a time when avant-garde Catholic Church architecture was a trend. (There is a similar-looking lemon squeezer in Maputo, built around the same time, which I was able to photograph from the outside in 2019.)
I don’t go to church. But if I did I would love to attend one like the Lemon Squeezer, which allows congregants to sit on all sides of the service. I also love the modern mural painted behind the altar, which illustrates the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The design of this church feels very exciting and unexpected to me – it’s full of surprises.
Thanks again for the great visit, Lucy. Now, who can get me in to that old Park Station concourse? Hopefully I’ll have more Hidden Joburg posts to come.
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.