Travel
Taking you on a journey with me.
-
Dodging Elephant Dung in South Africa – River Lodge, May 7th and 8th
As I cycled on my third day through the bush of South Africa, our group found huge piles of fresh elephant dung dotting our path. I gleefully began dodging these as if I were biking an obstacle course. Without thinking I yelled to no person in particular, “How many people can say they dodged elephant dung while on a mountain bike!” The riders around me laughed and gave me a thumbs up. Another unique experience among so many we would have on this trip. And so began our second day at River Lodge – our second stop in Kariega Reserve. We had arrived here after a wonderful stay at Ukhozi…
-
South Africa – Ukhozi Lodge, May 5th and 6th
We took a very early flight on Friday from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, also known as Gquberha- see map. We met our group at noon at Port Elizabeth Airport. After a two hour drive we arrived at Kariega Reserve and our lodging for the next two nights – the Ukhozi Lodge. During our drive to Kariega we were able to catch up with our dear friends, the Hoffman’s, who were entirely responsible for convincing Elizabeth to go on this once in a lifetime trip. When we arrived, we checked in to our cabins, which were beautiful. They also sit on a bluff overlooking a small valley that is absolutely…
-
Cape Town – Thursday, May 4th.
If we ate our way through Cape Town yesterday, we drank our way through the West Cape today. We did a wine tour through the Stellenbosch wine region during the day and stopped at 5 different wineries. In the evening we celebrated Lizzy’s 60th birthday at the Michelin rated La Columbe in Constantia where we enjoyed a 10-course meal with eight wine pairings. The following morning we took an early flight to Port Elizabeth tomorrow.
-
South Africa – Wednesday, May 3.
Because we arrived so late on our first day (Tuesday) in South Africa and were jet lagged, Elizabeth and I stayed in an our beautiful hotel (The Cellars-Hohenort) and ordered room service while enjoying our complimentary bottle of South African red wine. We ordered a traditional Cape Malay Bobotie with Mushroom and Lentil that included steamed white rice, minted pea samosa, cumin roti, and sambals. It is fitting the the first food we put into our mouths in South Africa was Bobotie. Bobotie is a classic South African dish that has been around for 300 years and was a mainstay for the Trekboers on the frontier. It is mentioned in “The Covenant” several…
-
South Africa Trip – 5.2.23
So, our next travel adventure begins – South Africa. Last year friends of ours graciously invited us to spend a week with them in the Kariega Game Reserve, a private reserve located near Port Elizabeth in the southern part of the country. So, Elizabeth and I spent 15 hours suspended 40,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean on a flight to the Southern tip of Africa. We landed in Cape Town, where we will spend a few days before flying to Port Elizabeth, where we will be shuttled to Kariega. Located in the shadow of Table Mountain, Cape Town is considered one of the most beautiful spots in the world. So, we…
-
Bavaria, Southern Germany – Thursday Sept. 29 to Saturday Oct. 1
This trip was supposed to happen in 2020 when the Hoffmanns had invited us to attend the world renowned Passion Play, which is performed every 10 years, for the 2020 performance. But due to COVID it was postponed to 2022. So, here we are. After driving from Weggis, Switzerland to Oberammergau, Germany on Wednesday, we walked around town in the rain to get our bearings before returning to our hotel and a warm Bavarian meal. Because the entire play is performed in German, we attended a one-hour English introduction the next morning, which was fascinating. I learned that the first play was performed in 1634 and every 10 years after…
-
September 23 & 24 – Days 5 and 6 of Hike in Scotland – Mountains and Moors
Days 5 and 6, 19 mile and 9 mile legs respectively, is very remote hiking. This part of the hike offers up close and personal views of the surrounding mountains while walking through beautiful glens and moors. On Day 5 we hike from Tyndrum to Kingshouse, where we stay at the Kingshouse hotel. This will be our longest day. Part of our group could not hike today due to a cold and injuries – Elizabeth (bad cold), Rolf (Achilles) and Mary (foot). Soon after leaving Tyndrum, we skirt the steep sides of Beinn Odhar to the right with the pyramid of Beinn Dorain sitting ahead, a companion all the way across the floor of the beautiful…
-
Days 4 and 5 – Hiking along North Loch Lomond and Rivers in Scotland
On the third day of our hike we left Rowardennan and continue north along the remote eastern shore of Loch Lomond for 13 miles to Ardleish, where we take a ferry at the end of the day to Ardlui, which is across the lake on the Western Shore, where we will spend the night and have dinner at the Ardlui Hotel. I want to stress that none of these locations are what I would call villages. They consist of a few houses and a hotel. This section of the hike follows the northern, very remote section of Loch Lomond where the waters plunge to a depth of 620 feet and…
-
Days 2 & 3 – Lowlands to Highlands of Scotland – September 19 & 20, 2022
Day 2 – After spending our first day in Scotland in Edinburgh and Glasgow, we started day two on the first leg of our hike on the West Highland Way. We would hike 12 miles from Milngavie – pronounced ‘Mull-guy’ to Drymen. At 8:45 a.m. we left Milngavie and headed north, passing Mugdock Castle before emerging into open countryside, where the Campsie Fells (hills) could be seen in the distance. After passing relatively small Craigallian loch (lake) on the right, we stopped at a small monument along the trail where we took a break. As the Way approached Drymen, we walked through small hills and a small but heavily wooded…
-
Scotland/Switzerland/Germany Trip – Day 1, September 18th
Yesterday Elizabeth and I flew from Richmond to JFK before taking an overnight flight to Edinburgh, Scotland. Upon our arrival, we collected our luggage and headed to the center of town to have lunch with Susan and Suthy, who now live near Edinburgh. Susan and Suthy had hosted me and our sons at The New Club in St. Andrews when we attended the British Open during our Great Britain Trip in the summer. So, it was great to see them again so soon. And they had not seen Elizabeth since our hike together in Provence, France in 2017. During lunch Suthy explained to me that the Scots are as divided as Americans are on…