Fly

A lovely piece of delicate cut paper art from Skinny laMinx. I bought it in South Africa three months ago (time flies!) and today was the day to open it (it was still in it's original packing, which does not happen often when I buy something). And it makes me happy! It reminds me of spring, the wonderful time I had in South Africa and the creative times to come (I used it in a collage I made for the newspaper). Enjoy your evening!

Karin Miller

“My work is a visual play between beauty and tragedy, rhythm and interruption – searching for a sense of order in the overwhelming chaos of life."


I instantly fell in love with the work of the South African artist Karin Miller (http://karinmiller.co.za) when I visited a gallery in Franschhoek. At first sight I was attracted to the overall picture but when you look closer, the deeper meaning reveals itself. I particularly liked the pieces from her 'I wear my mask for warmth' collection. My favorite piece is directly underneath. I wish I could afford an original piece but instead I bought a wonderful notebook that makes me smile everytime I see it. 

Out of step / glow of hope

I kiss my wailing child

  

The Grand Daddy

Do you know the feeling that you just want something else? Something completely different and out of the box... Well, that's the reason we chose to spend the last two nights in Capetown in the trailer park of the Grand daddy hotel. It was really hilarious and we had a wonderful stay on the rooftop of the Grand Daddy. Each trailer has it's own theme and we stayed in the 'John and Yoko' trailer. Lots of little details reminded us of the famous pair. Cute was the 'I M A G I N E' sign above the bed. I tried to take a picture but it didn't fit so you'll have to use your imagination.

The Grand Daddy ~ http://www.granddaddy.co.za/

Hip and Happening at 'The old biscuit mill'

Had a very enjoyable final day at Capetown. We took a taxi towards 'The old biscuit mill' just outside the citycentre of Capetown. Each saturday there's the so called 'Neighbourhoodmarket' with lovely food, drinks and handmade products. There really is a buzz around the market and the 'hip & happening of Capetown' seem to have centered around the mill. Even started to recognize some people of Bree street. Really funny to notice. I really enjoy observing people and this market was absolutely the place to be. We even encountered the paragliding team of Hermanus (was glad 'my' paraglidingpartner wasn't there by the way:). Unfortunately we ran out of cash so couldn't try all the delicious things but we really enjoyed the pizza below and we toasted on a wonderful holiday with some lovely bubbles: our final Rand spent well! 

http://www.neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za/

Bye bye Capetown

Oooow, today is my last day in Capetown... Was a bit busy ;-)so I shall post some Capetown messages from The Netherlands. Gonna check out of our trailer and then we'll visit the 'Neighbourhood market' at Albert Road. The last street I really like to visit  before I leave. Bye bye Capetown!

Lola

Just something I spotted in cafe 'Lola' in Longstreet

French Toast

French Toast, naturellement located at Bree street is a typical wine bar. With Spanish tapas and not only South African wines(which you find often in SA restaurants) but also French wines. We were extremely happy that they served our favorite Sauvignon Blanc at French Toast. It's the 'Life of stone Sauvignon Blanc 2011' from Springfield Estate.   

French Toast ~ http://www.frenchtoastwine.com/

Skinny laMinx

So far my favorite street of Capetown is without a doubt Bree street. I'm typing this message from &Union cafe/restaurant, situated along Bree Road in a garden like scene. Not romantic but tough. I like the fact that I'm surrounded by locals (but that's my deviation;). The funny thing is that I'm not a huge meat fan but I adore the sausages from their bbq. Anyways, Bree street... With delicious breakfast/lunch hotspots (Amsterdam eat your heart out!) and with some small local designershops. The shops are extremely small but really cute and all got their own signature.  Like Skinny laMinx. By the way: I've got a trendsetter like statement: in 2012 the next best thing will be 'hanging plants without a pot'. In your living room... Saw them both@Skinny and@Noordermarkt in Amsterdam. It's a worldwide revolution. 

Skinny laMinx

Skinny laMinx ~ http://skinnylaminx.com/

&Union ~ http://www.andunion.com/

Birds cafe & gourmet eatery

Do you know the kind of places in a city just outside the centre which are petite treasures. Secretly you hope the crowd won't find out of it's existence because it would otherwise lose it's relaxed vibe. Birds is such a place due to it's cool interior design, the lovely food and the kind people who work there. 

Birds cafe & gourmet eatery ~ 127 Bree street Capetown 

Hello Capetown

Every end means a new beginning so I'm utterly happy to give you a sneak preview of Capetown. Have been strolling a day in the city and have discovered some wonderful (non touristic!) spots. It's extremely warm out here so my pace is quite slow but this prevents me from missing the cute small hotspots. Tomorrow I'll continue the discovery of the city.

a preview of the lovely 'birds cafe & gourmet eatery'

Goodbye Stellenbosch

Flower

Tokara

Tokara wine estate really impressed me due to their architecture and art collection. Besides an estate you could nearly call it an art gallery. The lunch was divine: an absolute recommendation if you visit Stellenbosch. Below two pictures of the 'three' in front of Tokara's entrance. I loved it!

Laborie Wine Farm: a lovely surprise

I absolutely adore surprises, especially romantic ones. After my Hermanus adventure I longed for some low profile joie de vivre. Some peace, quiet and nature. I was ready to find my 'inner zen Pip'. And this of course in combination with some lovely wines because we were headed for THE wine area of South Africa. And what a surprise indeed: a romantic stay on the Laborie Wine Farm in Paarl. And the most wonderful thing was, the Laborie estate consists of seven rooms, each named and decorated after a type of wine. And I (of course there was no other option:) slept in the 'Sauvignon Blanc' room. A lovely room with a desk (see the picture underneath) I instantly fell in love with. The breakfast was fairytale like. With silver cutlery and we ate at a table with room for thirty people. Just like in the movies. The surprise made me really happy. Thanks H!         

Hermanus: a thrillseeking experience

Hermanus: the place to be for Whale watching! Although they're huge I find them cute so I really was looking forward to meet and greet some whales. Unfortunately cosmos decided otherwise. They had just left Hermanus. A bit of a trauma but soit. A good reason to visit South Africa for a second time. Instead I decided to go paragliding which wasn't extremely successful because I puked on the "three time" paragliding world champion. IN THE AIR so that was quite exciting after all! My thrill seeking visit to Hermanus ended with a visit to the local country market. It reminded me of the Sunday Market back home in Amsterdam. They had market stalls with lovely local products: sausages from a happy pig farm (I don't really like sausages but the "sage red onion" sausage was absolutely magical), delicious curry pies, sweet tarts with milk custard (I tried one and it was heavenly), a stall with Creation wines (so happy that the Sauvignon Blanc was as delicious as the day before). But what I liked most was the conversation we had with an old couple from Hermanus. We joined them on the picknick table and it was really touching to just sit down with them and have a talk.  

Creation Wines

Our recommendations:  Creation Sauvignon Blanc & Creation Syrah 

First wine tasting

Am a bit excited: my first winetasting in South Africa. At Creation Wines (http://www.creationwines.com). Loving the fact that they use local suppliers for their menu. The menu consists of locally produced products. So yammie. Pics will follow;-)

En route to Hermanus

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