more from the weekend

While in Joburg, we also went back to the Market on Main on Sunday. It's really nice to see that it's been growing a lot ever since we first went there last year.  Having left the house without breakfast, I was very hungry by the time we got there, and so I was really happy that there was a lot of food options to choose from: empanadas, sandwiches, Ethiopian food, cupcakes, brownies and much more. 

The only sad thing is that they removed the lawn in the courtyard, but you can still sit under the wild olive trees and have a picknick with a doggie watching you...

summer nights

We spent a fantastic weekend in Pretoria and Joburg, and had a great time at the Jozifest on Saturday. It took place in Newtown, in an old industrial area, and there were bands, DJs, dancing and a great atmosphere with an interesting crowd.

Okay, I must admit that I didn't know any of the acts, but hey -
a party's a party, right!?!
Somehow, my favorite spot was that large, dark hall with DJs playing what I thought to be quite demanding drum'n'base and other beats.

And if this wasn't enough, we went to Kitcheners afterwards, and I just absolutely loved that place, the vibe and the incredibly sophisticated, cool music...
There is a bar, a dancing room and a Bismark painting on the wall above the DJ.
It kinda felt like a party at someone's home and I was soo glad I was invited, too ;)
It was so much fun to go out in a real city!
Thanks Lea and Terence for having us!
See a whole lot more Jozifest pics here...

Plaisir d'Hiver

Before I leave, I wanted to spend some more time in the mountains. In the past few days it snowed a lot in the Alps and today it was sunny, so I went on a day trip with my dad. We drove to Spitzing and hiked up to the Firstalm with our sleighs.
There we sat in the plain sun and watched the panorama and the skiiers before tobogganing downhill all the way back to the car - yay!

Chiemsee-Bankerl

Greetings from Bavaria!
We went on a family day trip to Chiemsee shortly after Christmas and I loved to be near the mountains. During the summer it is also beautiful there, but during the winter months it is more peaceful and quiet, and the views are just as nice.

Impressions from Berlin

We spent a few days in wintery Berlin, and got to see a lot of different quarters while looking at different locations and meeting friends. The city is full of history, beautifully restored buildings, and lots of interesting architecture to discover, but I guess January is not really the best time to explore Berlin...
pictures:
1, Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin and Fernsehturm
2, Berlin Wall
3, Museumsinsel (Bode Museum)
4, Friedrichshain Südkiez

camping with friends

This past weekend, we went to Botsalano with a group of friends. It was a sort of farewell for dear friends who are leaving Botswana soon, and so everyone joined in for some time in the bush. After setting up the tents,

there was some frisbee action,

a game drive with a tiny little mini giraffe,

and then a rainy Sunday morning breakfast.

With all the heat we had in the past weeks, the rain actually felt really nice, and I am kind of looking forward to some more!

zwei lange schlangen, die schlängeln viel herum

We visited the CARACAL Biodiversity Centre in Kasane, where they have a variety of snakes, birds and other animals. As the Chobe National Park is so close, many animals do venture outside the park, and snakes in particular like the food options available at the lodges. So whenever a lodge finds a snake on its premises, they bring them to the biodiversity centre. There, visitors and schoolclasses can learn about snakes - which ones are dangerous and which are not.
We got to hold a young python, who is actually quite pretty and didn't fell cold at all. However, you could already feel its strong muscles, which they use to kill their prey by constriction and clearly, I am not exactly comfortable holding it.

The other one is a brown house snake, which apparently is the best remedy against rats and frogs around the house, and is completely harmless to humans. It showed us a little trick, making a knot into its body and releasing itself like a true escape artist. Despite this, I am not sure I'd like to have a snake in my house - but it definitely was a very interesting snake session!

This may seem like a quite touristy place, but it is actually very informative and most snakes are released into the wild after a while.

Land of the Giants

While in Kasane, we went for a boat cruise on the River Chobe and saw plenty of elephants. They say there are about 30.000 elephants in the Chobe National Park and I guess they must be about right. The land is very dry, so they all come down to the river in the afternoon to drink. Some are even brave enough to cross over to Sedudu Island through the water.
Below are a few of them, including a striped African elephant and a very cute baby giant.The water is so low at the moment - the big ones can actually walk across!

This little one was maybe a few months old, but following his big mother around just fine and oh so cute....!

a visit to Bahurutshe

I went with some friends to Bahurutshe, a cultural village not too far from Gabs. The place is run by a retired woman, who is committed to keeping the traditional rituals and culture alive. We were greeted by a group of villagers from Mmankgodi and learned about the wedding ceremony, life in the olden days and how to ground millet Setswana-style. It was an interesting experience and a good way to get some more insight into traditional Setswana culture.

Autumn Glory

We went to visit family in Schwerin, and took a walk around the castle grounds. It was one of these perfect, crisp autumn days full of sunshine and I really enjoyed the beautiful park and gardens.

I'm glad I finally got to see Schwerin at this time of the year! So far I had only ever been there in winter and could only imagine what it is like during warmer days...