Friday, May 24, 2019

2019 Holiday - Garden Route


The second stage of our holiday was allocated to part of the Garden Route.

We spent two nights at the Heriot Manor Guest House in George - a really super stay! Great breakfasts, comfortable rooms, and beautiful gardens! While we were there, we took the opportunity to have lunch with one of our nieces who has recently got engaged, and some wonderful rain on the second day completed a delightful stay. The rain curtailed our activities a bit, but didn't spoil anything.

On the morning that we left (after the rains), we spent a short while at the Garden Route Botanical Gardens, which at this time of year were a touch disappointing. But been there, done that! Afterwards, we left for Plettenberg Bay, with a short detour into the Knysna Waterfront for some coffee and a walk around.

Once we had arrived in Plett, we drove around looking for a place where we could have lunch. After a Google search the night before, we were quite keen to try out the Corner Bistro, but after tracking it down, found that it was closed for lunch and only opening later in the day. So we ended up at the Lookout Deck, and had simple but beautifully prepared burgers - beef for Jacqui, and chicken for yours truly.

Then off to find our B&B - the Sea Breeze Guest House - another lovely find as a place to spend a few nights! Really great people, another beautifully appointed room, and again, more than one could eat at breakfast!

We spent most of our second day there at the Birds of Eden Sanctuary just outside Plett. The variety of birds species they house is just phenomenal, and every bird is a "rescue" bird! There were some interesting new entrants since our last visit some years ago, most striking of all being the Scarlet Ibis from South America. The bright red colour of the birds, as is the case with Flamingoes, comes from the carotene found in the crustaceans that form part of their diet.

Some of the images taken on this part of the trip can be found here. Click on the photos for larger versions.

Scarlet Ibis

Monday, May 20, 2019

2019 Holiday - Greyton


Jacqui and I are away for a few nights on our annual break. This year we are visiting Greyton, George, Plettenberg Bay, and Robertson.

While at Greyton we had the chance to walk through the Nature Reserve, and to attend their Saturday Morning Market. We also took a quick trip around Genadendal.

Some of the photos taken during the visit can be seen here. Click on the photos to see larger versions.

The photo below was taken at the Market. The lady in the picture is an absolutely amazing guitarist. The music she produces is soft and delicate - and haunting! I still can't get the tune of "Mr Bojangles" out of my head! The gentleman with the flute also plays other wind instruments, and we saw him later in the day performing at a restaurant for their guests.

The highlight of our market visit