I have just returned from an amazing and exciting mini adventure. It’s really strange because living and working in the city you absolutely forget just how beautiful our country is and also that a few short hours out of the city a very different world exist’s. For this mini tour my husband and I took a road trip down to the Drakensberg and the north coast in Durban.
The Drakensberg is a mountain range that spans over 1000km and across and through 3 countries including Lesotho, Swaziland and of course South Africa. It play’s host to some of the highest peaks in the country and makes for some beautiful scenery. While we were there we stayed in a beautiful mountain lodge and were totally incommunicado with the rest of the world. It’s weird that a few days with no phone and no internet can be so freeing!
After our lost days in the berg we headed to the coast, sadly we got pretty grey and depressing weather which limited beach time, but allowed us to spend more time finding great restaurants and new places in Durban.
I’m going to go into way more detail about the places we visited, activities and restaurants but for now I thought I’d share some of the pictures of post’s to come.
I was very lucky to spend a few weeks in Greece last August. It was our first visit to Greece, which is somewhat weird since we have a lot of Greek friends who are very welcoming.
We spent a total of 3 weeks in Greece travelling between 3 major islands Paros, Naxos and Santorini and visiting attractions, beaches and restaurants along the way. For this blog post I’m going to start at the beginning and probably where everyone’s journey through Greece starts…In Athens!!
Sprawling Athens
Athens is the Capital of Greece and is a very large city that plays host to the International airport and the port Piraeus that inevitably takes you to all the exciting islands. Athens and Greece are famous throughout history for Art, philosophy and some of the greatest legends. Just a few relatively well known such as…Plato, Aristotle & Socrates to name a few. Greece and Athens in particular is a modern European country that is meshed intrinsically with a rich and deep history.
We had a basic list of must do’s and sights in Athens. We stayed in the Plaka district which is basically the old town of Athens, it sits at the base of the Acropolis and is basically central to most major attractions in Athens. Plaka is beautiful, it is the quintessential small cobblestone alleys dotted with restaurants and homes. For anyone visiting Athens, Plaka and it’s surrounds is the place to stay. We stayed at hostel since we figured we’d be adventuring most of the time before we made our way to the islands. Our hostel was the Student and Travellers Inn it was relatively cheap, accommodations were basic but location was prime.
Plaka older BuildingsPlaka Streets
We managed to visit all the major sites in Athens in one walking day, thanks to our great and central location we walked from site to site, if you start your tour at the Acropolis (or really at any site along the major site list) you can purchase an all inclusive tickets for 12 Euro’s that basically get’s you into every attraction, including all Acropolis, Hadrians Arch and the ancient Agora to name a few.
Acropolis – AthensAcropolis – Athens
We were there in August so we missed the major Summer rush, however I doubt that places like the Acropolis get quiet. It’s also very hot, so dress appropriately.
Monastiraki
Monastiraki is the major shopping and market area in Athens. The market is most popular with tourists where you can find a multitude of curios, food, clothing and leather sandals stores. It is also a major subway station stop with a large variety of connections. I can definately recommend Thanassis for a greek gyro in the market. Cross the major road into a shopping mecca with all the popular stores from Mango & Zara to Nike. All the while walking from, towards or within a range of historical sites.
Athens Flea Market – Monastiraki
Food in Greece is typical Mediterranean, meze is a very popular way to eat and gives you an opportunity to try a variety of dishes. Gyro’s are a typical Greek fast food and are found everywhere at a relatively cheap price.
Lampshades light the way
We spent a few days exploring Athens and visiting the sites before we left for the Islands, on our return leg we spent more time in Athens. We rented a magnificent apartment off Airbnb again right next to the Plaka district very close to the Acropolis Museum and spent our time hanging out, visiting the surrounding restaurants and bars and enjoying the great weather.
Along with my baked good’s addiction I have a small travel problem. If it weren’t for my sane and responsible husband I could easily spend every last cent travelling to new and exciting places. My last few trips were all out of South Africa and they were amazing, I will blog about them in elaborate detail in future post’s.
Landscape
Lately, however I have an overwhelming need to take a good old fashioned road trip. South Africa is a beautiful country, from the coast’s to the Kruger park and the Karoo it really is breathtaking. In honor of my edginess to start driving I thought I’d revisit a weekend trip I took with husband to the Golden Gate National Park.
Golden Gate National Park
The Golden Gate National Park is situated about 320km from Johannesburg in the Free State at the foot of the Maluti mountains, it is run by SANParkS . It is also about 40km from the quaint town of Clarens, however Clarens deserves it’s own post. What made the Golden Gate National Park special for me was the overwhelming grandeur of the sandstone cliff formations that stand guard. The colors of the rock formations cross varying hues of reds and purples and the sheer beauty that it creates is wondrous. In addition to the magnificent landscape that lends to exhilarating hiking, the national park also has ample bird and wildlife. There are other activities on offer such as horse riding, abseiling and canoeing.
Accommodation options in the area are varied, in fact since Clarens is so close, the options are endless. The park itself however has numerous and varied accommodation options such as camping facilities, self catering lodges and a newly renovated luxury hotel. We chose to stay at the Highlands Mountain Retreat which is a small collection of log cabins that sit at 2200m above sea level, which from what I understand is unique in South Africa. The view from our cabin was serene and stretched for miles. The self catering log cabins cater to couples and families and were spacious and clean. The undoubted star being the view, when you look out from your balcony perch you can easily get lost in the overlapping mountain range. The romance factor is exponential! When the weather turned the clouds descended on our cabin, it felt like we were the only people around for miles!
The Endless and Majestic view from the Cabin.
We did a good amount of hiking, the various trails in the park range in difficulty but every option is beautiful.
Hiking trails along Colourful rock formations.Sandstone CliffsHiking Trails
Pretty Colors
While our cabin was self catering the hotel has a restaurant and bar. The nearby town of Clarens has a variety of restaurants on offer. Overall the Golden Gate has a lot to offer, if you need a short trip out of the city it’s the perfect spot to spend time in the quiet wonder that is South Africa’s landscape.
My first Life.Lights.Love blog post and probably my last one for the year of 2014!
It is that time of the year when people start listing all the things they want to change and do in the new year…ok it’s time for resolution’s. I personally am not keen on resolutions and to my memory I can’t recall actively making any. However, since I just started this blog and a new company, my “plans” feel very much like resolutions.
So instead of making resolution’s for 2015, I’m just going to write about some of the thing’s I’d like to include on the blog in the coming months:)…not resolutions…plans!
Johannesburg, South Africa. As a resident of this golden city I really want to spend time re-discovering this city. So expect new restaurants, bar’s, parks, markets, events and as many reviews as I can manage.
Travel – I have a small wanderlust problem and this blog give’s me an opportunity to report on my adventures in travel both locally and internationally.
Cooking/Baking – Ok baking is my first love and not only do I love to bake I love to eat decadent baked good’s. I’ll share all my sweet and savoury escapades in the kitchen.
Home DIY – I am a firm lover of re-purposed and salvaged furniture and homeware. I love trolling goodwill store’s and online for treasure’s. I use a lot of the DIY blogs as a guide, but I have found a lack of information locally. Thus, I thought I’d share my projects as it may help someone else.
Finally; any experiences and challenges that do not fall under the above categories yet are share-worthy, such as new books, my escapades with Mokopu or different fitness challenges should make an appearance :).
As a newbie, I really do appreciate any comments, suggestions or follows.
Here comes 2015!! I hope this New Year brings fresh starts, happiness, love and relentless joy!!
Life.Lights.Love 