vacation

Jo’burg – and off we go…

/ Denise / 4 Comments

No sooner did we land – after 2 days of travel (ok with a 6-hour time lapse – so maybe a day and a half) but still after a 15-hour flight from Atlanta, I was given a brief night’s sleep and hauled off at early o’clock to hike the Melville Koppies Nature Reserve.

Note to self, this is a vacation, not a holiday – there is a difference. Nonetheless, time is too short to complain – and when next will I be back in South Africa? Unless my last single son decides to marry there – maybe never. So just do it!

But what a lovely way to start a holiday, sorry vacation – fraternising with the natives, learning how to enjoy Jo’burg, sweating off the stresses of life (in a lovely temperature of 24 degrees C), traversing the rugged terrain of the famous Melville Koppies Nature Reserve.

Melville Koppies is a Nature Reserve and a Johannesburg City Heritage Site. It is the last conserved remnant of Johannesburg’s ridges as they were before the discovery of gold in 1886. Its geology goes back three billion years. Stone tools show that Early Stone Age man camped here as long as 500,000 years ago. Within the last 1,000 years Iron Age immigrants arrived, and remains of their kraal walls can be found on the northern slopes.

The vegetation of the Koppies is entirely indigenous and is a remarkable example of the richness of highveld grasses, flowers, and trees so close to a city centre. These ridges have looked like this for hundreds of years. Unfortunately (or not) for us, we encountered this terrain at the end of winter… still an impressive site in the middle of the vast, modern city of Johannesburg.

Rain or Shine…

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And you awake to pouring rain. A lazy cozy day indoors you say? Absolutely not. Remember it’s England and rain or shine, there’s a world out there waiting to be explored.

So instead of making our way to the Yorkshire Dales we visit the nearby town of Saltaire. This well-structured town has its history embedded in the fancy of Sir Titus Salt who believed that the welfare of his people was key to his success. As such to ensure the longevity of his large textile mill, he constructed a charming town where his workers were encouraged to live – a town with all the necessary amenities including a hospital, schools, gymnasium – and the list goes on. The story goes that Sir Titus Salt believed that alcohol was the devil and purposely excluded the inclusion of pubs in this thriving town. As you can imagine this lasted only until his death, when the rise of pubs increased with one of the first being entitled “Don’t tell Titus”.

Making our way to Appletreewick to meet up with another friend, we cruised through the lush dales with grazing sheep and cattle, stopping off in the sleepy town of Grassignton, a town committed to the summer weather.

Moving through North England…

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So much to see and so little time to do it. As we made our way from York through to the Moors and onto the ancient sea faring coastal town of Whitby.

Visiting Castle Howard on the way gave us an insight into the luxury living of the wealthy in the 18th Century. Designed by Sir John Vanbrugh and built with the assistance of Nicholas Hawksmoor, Castle Howard and its 1,000 acres of well-kept grounds afforded you, your personal lakes including your personal wildlife, riding stables and trails, of course. Not to mention secret afternoon ‘tea spots’ with magnificent views and, in the winter, your very own ski slopes.

Surely your friends would have been well accommodated in the many-something room castle and your entertainment needs would certainly have been met. Ah well… I may just have enjoyed that life.

Moving onto the vast North York Moors where speculation of meteorites is ripe but, alas the Moors are in fact a product of nature at its best. Heather in all its glory, sheep grazing happily. Walking paths to your heart’s content – your 10,000-daily step goal, over-achieved.

To finish at Whitby, reminiscent of pirate towns of the ancient past, pubs aplenty, the cool wind on your face, the crashing of waves drowning out your cluttered thoughts, allowing you to relax, gaze and enjoy the moment.

It’s been a long time…

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… since I’ve had no plans. Since I’ve been free of time constraints. Since I’ve been free to be wherever, whenever. And, what surprised me the most was the fact that it took very little time if any to get used to the process. Not surprisingly therefore, I’ve been enjoying the simplicity and ease of every moment.

Our main focus was to get to Bristol for a family wedding. And that we did. Slowly, to our own beat and enjoying what Britain has to offer on the way. Oldies but goldies on the radio, changing scenery, changing weather.

Britain has always had a charming appeal for me – on arrival you are greeted with a friendly smile and conversation at immigration, genuine interest in your visit to their land. You are warmed by their quirky sense of humour and piqued by their turns of phrases. Only the British can squeeze through a crowd with a polite “Thank You”. Only in Britain are you referred to as “Ma’am” and don’t take offense. You may even blush at the reference.

And as you settle into their culture, you begin to understand that beneath the politeness and often misunderstood ‘stuffy’ front, the Brits are truly fun to be around.

The Tour Experience – Cinque Terre

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When travelling, you are always pressured to ensure that you see as much as possible in the country that you are visiting. Many of us do the infamous google searches and scour the travel websites to ensure that we know exactly what we must see on our precious journeys. Hence the concept of an organised tour is always the top priority on everyone’s list. And that’s all well and good.

But there are tours and there are tours. There are those that herd you into a bus with like-minded tourists whose main objective is to quickly visit, take as many photos as possible, and put a check on their vacation list. Those tours include a guide whose primary objective of the day is to ensure that no one gets left behind. Heads are counted, endless reminders of where and when to meet, brisk walks from one location to another, and heads are counted over and over again.

As the tourist, you hustle and push past your fellow tourists, albeit very politely and with a smile, to try to get to the best spot first so that your photos aren’t filled with loads and loads of people, heads with hats or cameras in the air trying to record what they are passing, because be assured, you’re not really seeing anything. You will probably view these photos in the quiet of your home days after your vacation and be just as wowed as your neighbour who wasn’t even on the vacation with you.

Nonetheless you rush through the day from spot to spot, trying to hear what your tour guide is telling you about the history and importance of the site, only really focusing on the moment he says – “Now remember you have 15 minutes. We meet on the other side of this tunnel in 15 minutes. Be on time or we miss the train.” After that you are only focussed on 15 minutes and not missing the train.

Then there are your own tours. Where you choose a couple of places, do the obligatory google search and travel site browsing, and then say to yourself – “Well that looks nice. We’ll go there, browse the neighbourhood, revel in the sights, taste the local cuisine, sample the regional wines, maybe take a swim, but oh, definitely relax and enjoy the moment.”

Hmmmm…

Cinque Terre is well worth the visit. My recommendation? Do it on your own time. You will find that your experience will be very rewarding, as you will have come away with a great sense of satisfaction and peace knowing that you’ve journeyed through and truly experienced, one of the most beautiful territories in Italy.