Malmesbury Swartland

In the heart of the Swartland Wine Route, not even three kilometres from the closest wine farm, the historic town of Malmesbury rests in a simply gorgeous setting surrounded by mountains, wheat fields, and in winter, yellow blazes of canola and indigenous wild flowers. The largest town in the Swartland, Malmesbury is only 40 minutes’ drive from Cape Town and makes getting away for a weekend a simple matter that includes wine tasting and some superb hikes.

Malmesbury might have a rural setting, but the town has a vibrant community that plays host to the annual Swartland Food and Wine Festival during winter, where wine tasting and good food are the measure of the day. The secret to Swartland wines is the cool sea breezes from the Atlantic Ocean, and the low-yielding bush vines that do so well in the dry land vineyards surrounding Malmesbury.

The original settlers in Malmesbury were drawn here by a sulphur chloride mineral spring, renowned for its healing ability. Today there is a wonderful ‘historic walk about route’ through Malmesbury that takes in the local museum and includes the landmark Dutch Reformed Church - the fifth oldest congregation in the country.

Malmesbury is a mere 30 minutes from the coastal towns of the Cape west coast and an hour from Stellenbosch, Paarl and Wellington which - other than the attraction of the Mediterranean climate, the vineyards and the tranquillity of a rural setting so close to a major metropolis - make it an attractive proposition for any traveller.

What have they done to our Buffel?

Namaqualand Flower Route

Namaqualand Flower Route

The spring wild flowers are a phenomenon that never ceases to amaze and delight, even for those who live in what is considered South Africa's "outback" – Namaqualand. What at first glance appears to be a wilderness of semi-desert - arid, dusty plains that stretch before one, dramatic mountains in the background, with little by way of colour or animation - is suddenly transformed, as if by a painter with a manic palette, into a pageant of flowers.

The Namaqualand Flower Route lies roughly 5 hours north of Cape Town. You can already see evidence of flowers even in Cape Town, and Postberg, a small section of the West Coast National Park close to Langebaan, gets the juices flowing, but the real flower show belongs to a series of drives that centre on the towns of Garies, Springbok, Kamieskroon and Port Nolloth, way up the N7.

Voorlopige Springbok Span RWC 2011

Preliminary Rugby World Cup squad (in alphabetical order):

Player	Province	Caps	Test points	Previous RWCs
Willem Alberts	The Sharks	3	15 (3 tries)	-
Gio Aplon	DHL Western Province	13	15 (3 tries)	-
Bjorn Basson	Vodacom Blue Bulls	4	0	-
Andries Bekker	DHL Western Province	24	5 (1 try)	-
Bakkies Botha	Vodacom Blue Bulls	72	35 (7 tries)	2
BJ Botha	Ulster	25	5 (1 try)	1
Heinrich Brüssow	Toyota Free State Cheetahs	13	5 (1 try)	-
Schalk Burger	DHL Western Province	63	65 (13 tries)	2

Eclipse

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.180840495306396.48830.158547280869051

See the whole event step by step

Langebaan Western Cape

The popular town of Langebaan is just over 100 km from Cape Town on the West Coast off the R27 next to Langebaan Lagoon. The white Caribbean like beaches surrounding the crystal clear waters of the Langebaan Lagoon are one of the main attractions of Langebaan.

Langebaan has a modern Country Club and offers numerous excellent holiday facilities for the water sport enthusiasts who favour a weekend visit or holiday in Langebaan to enjoy the host of water sport and fishing opportunities this vibrant holiday resort town offers. Water sports enthusiasts can enjoy windsurfing, kite-surfing, yachting, angling and much more in the turquoise waters, which are positively balmy for the Cape.

Langebaan, Cape West Coast

Langebaan is well known as it is the ornithological capital of South Africa, has recorded the largest oyster shell deposits in the world and enjoys a moderate climate with cool air and long sunlit days. In winter it is never very cold and the long summer days are never unbearably hot.
http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionswc/langebaan.php

View Blogs differently

http://outoppie-localislekker.blogspot.com/view/flipcard#!/ 
Now you can view my Blogs in different views, start here and use drop down menu top-right, enjoy

Tsitsikamma National Park

• http://www.stormsriverguestlodge.co.za/index.php/activities
• Tsitsikamma National Park -  Storms River Mouth which features:
  • The stunning Storms River Mouth with it's beautiful and unique coastline. An ideal area for swimming, snorkelling and diving.
  • Eco Boat Cruises up the Storms River Gorge and in the river mouth.
  • This is also where the start of the famous 5 day Otter Trail is located. The 1st day of the Otter is an easy 3 hour hike to the Waterfall.
  • Whale and dolphin watching
• Storms River Bridge - (Paul Sauer Bridge): Single span 190m long, 125.5m above the Storms River Gorge, completed in 1954. This is the highest cantilever bridge of it's kind.

Things to Do this holiday

http://www.sa-venues.com/things-to-do/
View by province

Western Cape / Cape Town

From the mother city’s Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch and Robben Island to a drive through the Swartberg Pass, Bird Island on the West Coast, the Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn and the countless beaches that line the coastline, there is no shortage of ...
View Things To Do in Cape Town / Things To Do in Western Cape

Cape Point Peninsula

Cape Point is a promontory at the southeast corner of the Cape Peninsula, which is a mountainous and scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometres at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent in the Republic of South Africa. Table Mountain and the city of Cape Town are close to the northern extremity of the same peninsula. Although these two rocky and beautiful capes are very well-known, neither cape is actually the southernmost point in Africa; that is Cape Agulhas, approximately 150 kilometres (90 mi) to the east-southeast. Map showing the Cape Peninsula, illustrating the positions of the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point.
The peak above Cape Point is higher than that above the Cape of Good Hope. The rugged sandstone (Table Mountain sandstone) ridge that rises from Cape Point at sea level develops into two peaks. There is a major peak that dominates the skyline locally but there is also a smaller peak about 100 m further south. The higher peak has the old lighthouse on the top. The Flying Dutchman Funicular runs from a car park to the north up to slightly below the level of the old lighthouse and a short flight of steps leads to a viewing platform at the base of the lighthouse. From the end of the railway a second path leads to the lower peak.
The new lighthouse is at a lower elevation (closer to sea level), for two reasons: the old lighthouse could be seen 'too early' by ships rounding the point towards the east, causing them to approach too closely. Secondly, foggy conditions often prevail at the higher levels, making the older lighthouse invisible to shipping.

Knysna Western Cape

Knysna (pronounced /ˈnaɪznə/; probably from a Khoikhoi word meaning "ferns")^[1][2] is a town with 76,431 inhabitants in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and is part of the Garden Route
A hamlet Melville appeared on the lakeshore in 1825, and was followed by another, Newhaven, in 1846. Knysna town, a 1882 amalgamation of these hamlets, was named after the Knysna River.^[3]
Knysna's port could provide shelter for up to 50 ships,^[4] and the region's abundant timber was exported from this bay as early as 1787.^[5] Landowner George Rex, who landed at the Cape in 1796, played a significant role in the town's early development and is considered the town's founder. Being a difficult port to enter, a harbour pilot was employed to assist large vessels. One of the better-known pilots was John Benn, originally a shipwright from Mossel Bay, appointed as pilot in 1868 and whose name is borne by a double-deck pleasure cruiser currently operating as a tourist attraction on the Knysna lagoon. The port was officially closed in 1954.
e Norwegian family, Thesen, played a considerable role in the development of Knysna from 1869 onwards. Arnt Leonard Thesen (1816–1875) and his son Charles Wilhelm Thesen in particular, founded and expanded the family timber and shipping business. Charles Thesen was mayor of Knysna for a number of terms.
For more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knysna
http://www.visitknysna.co.za/component/flippingbook/book/2?page=1
http://www.visitknysna.co.za/tourist-information/things-to-do/things-to-do-in-knysna-

Hermanus

Hermanus (originally called Hermanuspietersfontein) is a town with 49,000 inhabitants on the southern coast of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is famous as a place from which to watch whales during the southern winter and spring and is a popular retirement town. The whales can be seen from the cliffs in the town centre from as early as June. They were once hunted locally, but are now protected. The Old Harbour Museum contains several exhibitions which explain the whaling history of Hermanus.
Hermanus lies along the Walker Bay on the south coast of the Western Cape, It is located about 115 km southeast of Cape Town and is connected to the Mother City by the R43 highway (or coastal R44 scenic route) and N2 motorway. The R43 continues to Cape Agulhas, the most southerly point of Africa. Hermanus is 40 km from Gansbaai, a famous spot where one can dive amongst the Great White Sharks. It is also notable that Hermanus still boasts an historic railway station building although eventually no tracks were laid to connect the town to the national network.

Clocolan

Welcome to Clocolan...

Clocolan is situated in the heart of the Eastern Free state on the R26 halfway between Bethlehem and Bloemfontein. The town was established in 1907 on the farms Reinzi and Harold and got it's name from the mispronunciation by the Afrikaners who farmed there of the name of the Hlohlowane mountain to the West of the town.

The Eastern Free state is best know for the majestic sandstone formations scattered around the area. Clocolan forms part of the area that was won from Lesotho during the Lesotho wars of the early 1800's. The area is rich in the history of the Afrikaners who settled here and the Basotho who lived here. The town hosts the yearly Veteran Tractor Exhibition in March.

V&A Wheel

The Wheel of Excellence at the V&A Waterfront

South Africa’s first observation wheel right in the Mother City

Much like the U.K’s London Eye, the giant 50m Wheel of Excellence will change the Mother City’s skyline for up to six months. A first for Cape Town and South Africa, the giant Observation Wheel is a unique way to savour panoramic bird’s-eye views of Cape Town, Paarl, Table Mountain and Robben Island.

Sporting 36 fully-enclosed cabins, friends and family can sit back and savour the city skyline on the 20 minute round trip. For those who want to ‘glam’ up the experience, champagne and canapés are also available in one of the exclusive VIP cabins.
Be a part of something great by joining the CapeTownMagazine.com Facebook Fan Page and see what you can win every week with our Weekly Giveaways!
For updates on happenings in and around Cape Town for kids, for you or for the whole family, be sure to subscribe to our free monthly Editor’s Picks Newsletter and follow us on Twitter.

Mont Aux Sources

Golden Gate National Park Free State

From Bethlehem past Clarens u will find this gem

 

Success tips from the Ark

Plan ahead
it wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark
stay fit, when you're 600 years old someone might ask you to do somthing really big
don't listen to critics
...build on high ground
speed isn't always an advantage
the cheetahs were aboard, but so were the snails
don't forget that we're in the same boat
stay below deck during heavy storms
the titanic was build by professionals, the Ark by amateurs
The woodpecker inside was often a bigger threat than the storm outside
don't miss the boat
no matter how bleak it looks, there's always a rainbow on the other side

Bethlehem Freestate

Bethlehem, situated in a fertile valley of the Maluti Mountains on the N5 highway, is the largest commercial, industrial & educational centre in the eastern Free State & the northern terminus of the mountain route.
The original settlers found that wheat flourished in the valley & hence the town was named Bethlehem (house of bread). Bethlehem was founded by the Voortrekkers during the 1840's & is the setting for a number of historical sandstone buildings, many of which are now provincial heritage sites.

Langebaan Western Cape

Langebaan is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa on the eastern shore of Langebaan Lagoon.

Hermanus Whale Festival 2010