We were saddened to hear that at least 30 people died at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana, South Africa this week. When we were in South Africa (road signs, Braai, Fences in South Africa, Bongwe, Kliptown, Planes Trains and Automobiles to South Africa, … Continue reading
We took several modes of transportation during our journey to South Africa. We flew Egypt Air to Cairo then on to Johannesburg. On the descent, we saw pyramids silhouetted against Cairo’s lights! It made us want to go to … Continue reading
While we were in South Africa, we saw a number of road signs that we’d never seen before. Cow. Impalas. Horse. Crocodile. Enjoy. We won’t be swimming in that river. If only I could have gotten out of the car … Continue reading
Johannesburg is a place where they take security pretty seriously. As you can see from the sign in the photo above, random boot checks will be carried out. Panic buttons, guard houses, bars on windows, private security firms, metal detectors and … Continue reading
Yesterday, I gasped when I heard Nelson Mandela died. Although he’d been ill, I remained hopeful that he might make a recovery. When we travelled to South Africa, I tried to learn about South Africa’s history and apartheid. While I held … Continue reading
Switzerland has many large beautiful lakes surrounded by mountains. Even though it is a landlocked country, the Swiss can sail. They had a team, Alinghi, win the America’s Cup in 2003 and 2007. They sail on Lac Leman, the lake … Continue reading
We took a quick jaunt around Antwerp when we were in Belgium. We knew that Antwerp was a center for the diamond trade, we just had no idea why. I did some research and here’s what I learned. Until the … Continue reading
Most Americans don’t know the Eurovision Song Contest exists. Most Europeans have watched at least a bit of it. Eurovision is a singing contest started in 1956 and is one of the longest-running television programs in the world. It’s … Continue reading
As a child I learned of Soweto from seeing it on the news. It is known for its uprisings and as the home of Nelson Mandela (Winnie still lives there, but Nelson now lives in a suburb of Johannesburg). I had always thought of it … Continue reading
Soweto is a township, a urban residential area where only blacks were permitted to reside until the end of apartheid. The area remains almost exclusively black, are often underdeveloped and sometimes lack basic infrastructure. I visited Kliptown, which is home to around … Continue reading
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