Anniversary on the Rovos Rail!

So after 10 years traveling the African continent, I finally decided to take my hubby of 1 YEAR on this prestigious train for a very slow journey from Capetown to Pretoria (yes the train goes 60 Km per hour!). The journey starts at the Rovos Lounge at No. 1 Adderley Street and it is all a bit surreal.....red carpet, champagne, violinist playing live in the lounge....you get the picture. Very OLD school...and normally NOT my scene! but Tony and I knew what we were in for (Tony has been before!) so we embraced the journey to the fullest....

Ready to board.....

Our Cabin....much better in person. The train is actually very impressive and immaculate. From the moment you step on it, it is truly a journey back in time...(including the staff uniforms , which could definitely use a bit of re-fashioning!!)

Us leaving Capetown......

One of the lounges...

Tony enjoying the views from the observation deck!

One of our brief stops....

Some gorgeous landscape....the first day of the journey is a lot more exciting than the second, as the landscape in the Karoo gets a bit boring....but it was still all very interesting!

Nice Look!!!

Gorgeous winelands...

Entering one of the many tunnels...

Me after a sleepless night....the noise of the breaks was unbearable. Tea in bed and a Panado did the trick!

Yes- that's the Big Hole of Kimberly behind me.....it has produced 14,504,566 CARATS of diamonds= 2722kg...I own a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very,very, very,very,very, small portion of it!! 

 Bye Bye.....until next time!!!! I don't think I will do the Capetown to Cairo anytime soon but it was a wonderful way to spend 2 days with my Tesoro!!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to us...

BEAN THERE- Fair Trade Coffee

Another fantastic Coffee spot in town on Walle Street corner of Loop.....I'm not a coffee expert (I should be by the number of cafes I have been to in my life!) but I do recognize a perfect cappuccino and they sure make one. Even better- they make ICED LATTE and they have a huge glass bowl filled with marshmallows- FREE for the kiddies. Vesper and I had a great Coffee Break this morning....

Dani's Tip: Get a Coffee Card when you go. Your 2nd and 8th coffee are FREE

Vesper Enjoying her treats....while Mamma enjoys her perfect cappuccino.....

 

WHY FAIR TRADE? Fair trade means that all partners and farmers are paid a fair fee for their crop.

 

Huge Coffee Roaster right in the middle of the Shop!!!

 

They offer 3 different kinds of Ethiopian Beans and they roast all their coffee in house....Bean There is the only Fair Trade shop in SA that roast its coffee on the premises....It does not get Fresher and Tastier than that!!!! 

Homemade Middle Eastern Food- I LOVE!!!!

I Love Middle Eastern Food....maybe because it reminds me of Sicilian food - it incorporates a lot of the same ingredients: Aubergine, Mint, Chickpeas, Couscous, Almonds, Parsley etc...so today I was really happy to find sababa  at 233 Bree Street.

Some of you may already know the Seapoint branch, but this one is only 2 months old and has a great vibe with chairs and table on the sidewalk, a very friendly staff and a HUGE vegetarian selection. YEAH!!! so I decided to take the Lunch Box home. For R40-R45 you can get yourself a Meat + 3 SIDE SALADS!!!! or a Vegetarian Main + 3 salads. I just finished eating mine and licked the eco-friendly take away container. Sababa is very GREEN, with solar heated water panels and all eco-friendly bio degradable packaging. One more reason to go.

Oh Yes....and the sweets do not look that bad either.

Christmas Market Madness!!!!!

Missibaba - 9th December- read above...

Walk Cape Town Christmas Market - 14 to 16 December 2011The first Christmas market along the Fan Walk will feature designer exhibitors and designer goodies including food from Jaques Erasmus' Helmelhuijs Cafe. Visit the historic Evangelical Lutheran Church from 10:30 (15:30 on the 14th) followed by carols and candlelight at 20:00. Market guests are invited to donate a kiddies Christmas gift to the church orphanage.
The Courtyard at the Cape Waters Building | 71 Waterkant Street

Nitida Night Market - 25 & 26 November 2011Open between 17:00 and 21:30 on Friday and between 07:30 and 12:00 on Saturday, this Farmers Market will include Welgemoed Primary’s Junior Choir, who will be singing Christmas Carols from 18:30 on Friday.  Specially selected crafts and old favourites will get you to fill you cupboards for the festive season, with an added bonus of doing your Christmas shopping amidst the beautiful surroundings of the Durbanville Winelands.  Breakfast will also be on sale on Saturday.

Nitida Cellars | Nitida Wine Estate | Durbanville Winelands

Kirstenbosch Craft Market - 11 & 18 December 2011Open between 09:00 and 15:00, this popular craft market has a wide variety of original arts and crafts and activities to entertain the little ones while you do some Christmas shopping.  An ideal place for that special Xmas present, this genuine CRAFT market offers hand crafted products, delicious food, pony rides, credit and debit card facilities, loads of free parking and much more. Don’t forget it’s the Parlotones concert on the 11th so how about shopping and a show?

Stone cottage grounds | corner Kirstenbosch & Rhodes Drive | Newlands



French Christmas Market - 2 to 3 December 2011Expect lots of baguettes! The local Frenchmen (and Frenchwoman) are throwing a Christmas market with over 20 French speaking entrepreneurs.
French School | 101 Hope Street | Gardens

Cape Town's Biggest Christmas Fair
A ‘one stop shoppers paradise’ offering good quality products for Christmas shopping at affordable prices. The spirit is supported by our ‘Make A Difference’ campaign where eight lucky customers daily stand a chance to win R5000 cash. The event is the coming together of more than 200 different talents, crafts, products and tastes of Cape Town – all under one roof. The market runs from the 16 - 23 December between 10:00am - 10:00pm.
Good Hope Centre | Sir Lowry Road | Cape Town

Groupon or Groupoff?

So today I came to the conclusion that Groupon is probably NOT for me....this dodgy joint was the location of Blend Nail Salon where I was to enjoy a full Manicure and Gel Overlays as promised on the Groupon voucher!. Oh Well....after getting lost for 40 minutes because the Google Map had directed me to another dodgy location on Main street Wynberg, I finally found myself at this less than desirable Salon in Diepriver, where my "almost" manicure (the whole treatment was just 35 minutes) left a lot to be desired. No hand wash, no massage, no cuticle push, no cream !! my nails look OK but the experience just reminded me to stick to the Spa's I know and to really read the fine print...so before your next purchase:

1. Make sure the Spa has a website.
2. Call and ask questions.
3. Look at the LOCATION carefully :-)

Nood Cafe'

If you know ME you know how much I LOOOOVE breakfast....so in my constant search for the perfect "breakfast" in Capetown, I indulge in something decadent probably once a week....Cafe Nood is quickly becoming a favorite for 4 main reasons:

1) It is on my way back home from Vesper's Play School
2) they have FREE wireless
3) they have some seriously YUMMY and interesting breakfast dishes
4) they serve Lavazza coffee and make the perfect cappuccinos.....

So far I have tried their Breakfast Pizza, a Health Berry Smoothie, freshly Baked Rye Bread and a fruit salad, but let me tell you you could easily get LOST in their enormous muffins, Pain Au Chocolat....or...BE GOOD and have their SHAPE MAGAZINE HEALTHY BREAKFAST. You can find me there on Friday from 9 to 10 until December 9th!

NOOD CAFE The Quadrant square Wilderness Road, Claremont


Oh Yes....and VESPERDENE is actually a ROAD in Greenpoint!!! how cool...

V& A.....

So X-mas has arrived at the V&A and with that....2 new (but Old!) restaurants, and probably a lot more than that, but that's all I could pay attention to during my quick visit with Miss V this morning:

A New Harbor House where the old Fisherman's Choice was. Looks lovely and they have a big DECK on top which seems perfect for sundowners!!! Hello Summer!!!

Fisherman's Choice has moved down by the boats with a new slick look ...and you know what? their Fish and Chips and Fried Calamari looked mighty YUMMY!!!!! I'm totally ready for a Catamaran Sail (R120 pp + KIDS under 4 FREE) and a greasy Fish & Chips...let me know who wants to join me anytime soon..

Markets around town!!!

We all know the Old Bisuit Mill and we LOVE it , but there are MORE Markets we are growing to LOVE in our beautiful town. This is a quick recap:

EARTH FAIR MARKET WHERE: St. George's Mall Pedestrian Strip. WHAT: This is an offshoot of the Tokai Earth Fair , most of the usual suspects from Tokai. WHEN: Thursday 11AM -5 PM http://www.earthfairmarket.co.za/

CITY BOWL MARKET
WHERE: Hope Street
WHAT: Great veggie stand, interesting chocolate, a GLUTEN free stand with some yummy treats, and my FAVORITE a "Asian street food stand". These guys are looking for a venue to open up a restaurant and their food is BRILLIANT!
WHEN: Saturday Morning http://www.citybowlmarket.co.za/

THE BAY HARBOUR MARKET
WHERE: Harbour Road, Hout Bay
WHAT: Best Mexican Burrito in town + Darling Beer, lots of great food stands and some really cool clothing and accessories stands!
WHEN: Friday 4-9 and Sat + Sun Mornings http://www.bayharbour.co.za/



BLUE BIRD GARAGE and FOOD MARKET
WHERE: 29 Albertyn Road Muizenberg
WHAT: Food & Goods Market + live Music and Kids Corner.
WHEN: Every friday from 4 to 10 PM

For a FULL list of Markets around town refer to:
http://www.mothercityliving.co.za/cape-town-city-guide/markets/

And if you happen to be in Joburg or Durban, apparently there are some cool Markets there as well. Here are some worth a mention:

JOHANNESBURG

Neighbourgoods Market
WHERE: 73 Juta Street, Braamfontein
WHEN: Every Saturday
http://www.neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za/


Market on Main
WHERE: Corner of Main and Brerea
WHEN: Every Saturday & Sunday
http://www.marketonmain.co.za/


DURBAN

I Heart Market
WHERE: DLI Hall, 5 DLI Ave, Grayville
WHEN: Monthly
http://www.iheartmarket.blogspot.com/

Durban Night Market
WHERE: The Quays on Timeball, 31 Signal Road, Durban Point, Warerfront
WHEN: Thursdays from 5 PM - 11 PM
http://www.nightmarket.co.za/